“Later.” I hit the button to end the call then scroll over to the email Derrick sent. Hitting forward, I flip the list to Ezequiel then stick the phone in my back pocket.
Time to go fishing. I set the laptop on the chair and wait for Elena to come back into the room. I have until the end of the day to figure out what the hell she has going on. Once she leaves, she’s going to do everything she can to avoid coming back here.
* * *
Elena
“Please serve,” he says, as if it’s second nature. “We can take it from there so you can get going for the holiday.”
Heat runs up my face. Not only did Mrs. Hinojosa have to fix food for me, Addler made her wait to leave for the holiday. “I’m so sorry to put you to any trouble, ma’am.” I shake my head, feeling helpless. “Really, a piece of fruit would be more than enough.”
“I doubt it,” Addler tosses in, turning up the heat in my cheeks. “Not with as much work as we have ahead of us.”
“You mentioned food for two but not what you would like.” She glances at me, an understanding smile on her face. “Considering the time, it could be breakfast or lunch, so I prepared a New York Strip steak and scrambled eggs. I hope that will be to your liking.”
“That’s perfect, Mayela.” Addler nods.
“It sounds wonderful,” I chime in. “May I help you with something?”
Mayela shakes her head. “I’ve got everything ready.”
It’s weird to have someone, other than Mom, fix something for me to eat. And I didn’t even have the chance to lend a hand. I don’t even know what to do with myself at this point.
“If you’d like to wash up, there’s a bathroom around the corner.” Mrs. Hinojosa points behind me. “Then down the hall to the left,” she finishes with a pleasant smile.
“Thank you.” I turn, glancing at the laptop before heading out of the kitchen. I have to find a way to get into that thing if I have any chance of making things right. Addler said he wanted to learn. If we’d stayed at the office, I could have plugged in then switched laptops with him so I could watch while he walked through. I’ll have to keep an eye out for any opportunities that might come up.
The hallway’s dark but lights up as I move along the length.
Paintings cover the walls on either side of the hall. Landscapes, flower vases, a bedroom decorated with a feminine touch. Lily, his mother’s signature sits at the bottom right on most of them along with the flower she fashioned out of a single stroke and a swirl. Goodness, I can’t imagine what it would be like to see the world with such vibrance and beauty. As a world-renowned painter, she has pieces at galleries in different countries. Have any of these ever made it to a showing?
I reach the door to the bathroom. Just past it is a piece that could have been painted on the ranch. The swirl of water on the Rio Grande looks so real, I could be standing next to the embankment. I curl my fingers into my palm, fighting the urge to touch. Even the wood on the frame seems to follow the flow of the water.
Going farther down the hall would be rude, but I might ask him if I can do so before we leave. I could never afford to own even one of these. From what I hear, they’re worth more than what I make in a year. But maybe he’d let me take a picture of one or two if I promise not to share.
We’ll have to see how this visit goes.