Page 25 of Twenty-Three Years of Longing

I might love Kathy, but no way was she going to meet Orion. If they spoke, I probably wouldn’t have a job after.

One last look at my watch and I knew it was time to head down to the lobby. Orion was going to arrive any moment and I didn’t want to keep him waiting. Grabbing my laptop bag and my purse, I went to start my day.

As expected, he showed up exactly on time. It was a trait I respected because I lived by a schedule. There wasn’t much time to waste.

“Good morning. Want to tell me about the meeting we’re going to after work?” I asked as we headed to the school.

“It’s...confidential,” he replied.

I looked at him puzzled. “Meaning you don’t know either? Or is this just something I can’t know?” His reaction was enough of an answer. He was keeping it a secret from me. But why? What kind of meeting is top secret?

“It’s...complicated. Just trust me. When we leave work, I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

“Okay.” What choice do I have? Even if I begged, I knew he wasn’t going to tell me anything.

“I won’t be available to meet during lunch today either. But if something urgent comes up, just call me,” he said.

“Orion, whatever comes up, can wait until later.”

He shot me a look and said, “You should’ve called me about the fights.”

“And as I told you before, there was no need. Sometimes children need to think things through themselves. It’s more powerful than us telling them. And I was happy with the results. A lesson learned for them, and me,” I admitted.

“You definitely do things differently than I did. It’s not a bad thing but it’s going to take some getting used to,” he said.

“Like the students. They are getting used to you not being there. We are all adjusting to something new. It takes time and patience.” And hell of a lot of work.

“I’ve heard from a few parents. They had concerns, but oddly enough, it was the students who calmed their nerves. Looks like whatever you’re doing, you are winning over their trust. In less than a week, I’d say that is one hell of an accomplishment. It took me a lot longer,” he stated.

“You paved the way for me. It’s not like I am recreating the wheel. Just making a few changes that make things...easier for me to manage. I’m sure you’ll do the same with your new job, whatever that is,” I said.

“Yes, there are changes that I would like to see as well.”

That wasn’t much, but he had been very evasive whenever I asked about his job. I was surprised he even told me that he was moving to be closer to work. That must’ve killed him to share. Orion was a closed book. Funny that he asked questions, just didn’t answer any.

A typical Tabiqian man.

Kathy had no idea what they were like. They were always right. Very controlling. Nothing I was looking for. Of course, I married an American man and he totally sucked. He was a liar, a cheater, and didn’t care about family at all. So, my track record with men wasn’t too good. Some people were meant to be single, and I was sure I was one of them.

Better alone than with the wrong person again.

We pulled up in front of the school. It was still early and only a few teachers were there. I didn’t need to go right in, but for the first time, I thought about how my getting out of his SUV might look.

“I better get inside. I’ll see you after work,” I said, opening the door.

Before I closed it, he said, “Don’t forget, after the meeting, we’ll go to my house.”

I nodded but just the way he said the words, ‘my house’, made it feel...personal. Could Kathy be right? Had I missed the signs? Did Orion...like me? I mean, I know I liked him. Not that it changed the fact that he was my boss. Or maybe that word was incorrect. To tell the truth, I didn’t really know what he was. Maybe my trainer or...consultant if I needed help?

Maybe that is a question I should ask Reesa and not Orion. I had a feeling I’d receive a clearer response from her. But if she said he wasn’t my boss, did that really change anything? I mean, I still have Joey to think about. And goodness knows that people in Tabiq would have rumors flying around on how I got the job if we did start dating.

No. Whatever his role is in my life, it wasn’t going to be anything more than what it is now.

No matter how much I wished otherwise.

As I entered the school and walked to my office, I realized that I had let Kathy get into my head. That explained why I was having these crazy thoughts about Orion and me. All her talk about cleaning my cobwebs had my mind going in directions that they normally wouldn’t. I had the entire school day to purge such thoughts from my mind and focus on what I was hired for. And lusting after Orion, definitely wasn’t it.

When I got into my office, I closed the door and flopped down in my chair. Although I understood why Orion gave me the ride to work, it would’ve been a lot less stressful if I had driven myself.

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