She shakes her head in disgust. “Don’t look so happy about it.”
“Happy about what?” It’s better to play dumb in these types of situations. Not that I find myself in them often. Okay, this is a first, but who’s counting?
“I should’ve never agreed to this,” she fumes. “When Axel realizes that I allowed a reporter into his home, he’ll never trust me again.” She wrings her hands, eyes bulging. “This is a disaster. I should march back in there and tell Axel the truth right now, before this gets any worse.”
Panic spikes through me. The last thing I need is for Bianca to blab to Axel that I’m a reporter. There has to be a way to salvage this. I look her in the eyes, trying to make my voiceauthoritative. “That would be a huge mistake. It’ll ruin your reputation.”
Her eyes narrow to slits. “Are you threatening me?”
“No,” I say neutrally. “I’m only pointing out a fact.” I lower my voice. “I’ll get my story, and no one will be the wiser. Neither Axel nor Zoe will ever have to know who I really am.”
“That you’re Jovie Chord?” She arches an eyebrow in triumph.
I didn’t realize that Harmony told her who I was. “Yes,” I admit. This horrible woman could lead to my undoing. It’s unnerving that someone like her knows the chink in my armor.
She looks past me at the door. “This has gone on long enough.”
Before she can go back inside, I grab her arm, tamping down my panic. “Harmony won’t be happy to hear that you didn’t hold up your end of the agreement.” I don’t know what the agreement entailed, but I’m taking my chances.
Blessed hesitation creeps into her eyes.
I strengthen my position. “Harmony’s not one to cross.”
She whips around and points a finger in my face. “You’d better watch yourself. No funny business with Axel.”
Funny business. Seriously? What I do with Axel is none of this woman’s business. “I’ll get my story, and that will be that.”
We eye one another in a challenge.
“Fine.” She lifts her chin in the air. “The sooner the better. Then I can be rid of you and your conniving ways.”
The words are a sucker punch, straight to the gut. My hand goes to my hip. “Just what do you have against me? I’ve never done anything to you.”
She studies me through venomous eyes. “Zoe is a close friend. She wants this party to be perfect, and I don’t want anyone—you—messing it up.”
“No one’s messing it up.” As if I had the power to make Axel Cox do anything.
She sniffs. “We’ll see. You’ll find instructions on how to decorate each tree in one of the plastic bins. I expect everything to be done to the letter.” She straightens her shoulders. “Contrary to what you might think, the buck stops with you.”
Keep your mouth shut, a warning voice urges,or you’ll make things worse. But I just can’t help myself. “I’ll be sure and relay this info to Consuela and Diego.”
Daggers fall from her eyes as she marches away.
Axel turns from the stove as I enter the kitchen. “Everything okay?”
“Yep.”
He studies me with skepticism. “What did she want?”
I wave a hand. “To make sure the trees are decorated properly to suit her hoity-toity taste.”
His eyes widen before he bursts out laughing. “That’s one way of putting it.”
“You asked.”
His eyes spark with amusement. “I see how it is.”
Seconds later, I’m laughing too, which helps to lighten my mood. Sooner rather than later, I need to call Harmony and tell her what Bianca said. Hopefully, Harmony can flex some muscle to keep Bianca in line. I don’t want this whole thing to blow up in my face. Cold chills race down my spine. I squelch them, pointing to the stovetop. “Whatcha making?”
