Page 27 of The Boss

She decided a month ago she was going to stop working at the hospital and stay home. At least until Mateo comes home.

“Okay, but the second it gets to be too much, you need to tell me.”

She agrees, and we leave the office, heading back to the kitchen.

As I hug my sister, I whisper, “If you need anything, call me or text me, okay.”

She nods.

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” she whispers back.

Once our conversation is over, I don’t want to stay too long, so I motion to Juliet for us to leave. We say our goodbyes and make our way out.

As we begin our journey outside, I grab the door, and she turns to me, flashing a soft smile. Then I watch her walk past me, catching Vanessa watching us, and in that moment, I impulsively place a hand on Juliet’s lower back to guide her out. Why, I don’t know. No one knows of our situation yet, but I can’t help but notice how perfectly it fits.

She shivers beneath me, and I suppress the smile creeping up on my lips.

Once the door closes, she moves out of my hold. “What are you doing?” she asks.

“Nothing,” I say.

I’m not telling her I really just needed to touch her.

She looks at me flatly. “Why did you rush over to Vanessa’s?” she asks.

“Mateo’s things from his hotel room came in, and his wedding ring was in there, so I gave it to her.”

“What? Does that mean…” She says with a glimpse of fear in her eyes.

“It doesn’t mean anything except that he didn’t wear it to the meeting with the Russos. I don’t think any of them know he’s married.”

She breathes, relieved. “What about his phone?”

“It’s in my office,” I reply.

“Do you want Drew to take a look at it?” she suggests.

“No. Vanessa’s been texting him, and I think it’s helping her stay sane, so we’re not going to touch his phone unless we think it’s absolutely necessary.”

June 20th

Unknown

I see you think getting a boyfriend is going to help you with getting rid of me. We'll see about that.

June 29th

Unknown

Juliet, I found some of the Russos’ associates in Chicago; you should check them out.

July 7th

Unknown

Eventually you will need to take my advice and listen to Lorenzo’s demands.