“Happy Valentine’s Day!” she almost sings, suspiciously jovial, given our previous dynamic, then hands me the box. “The other hosts and I got together to give you this.”
“What is it?” I stare at the box for a long moment, unsure how I should feel.
“It’s a Valentine’s Day gift, obviously!” she quips.
“Thank you, but is this something you do for all the chefs or Haus staff?”
“No, you’re special.”
My stomach churns as I look at her. Deanna’s smile doesn’t crack, even though it feels forced. She’s working hard to keep this up for some reason. And I’m curious as to what it is. I’m also a little worried. “Why am I special, Deanna?”
“You’re the best chef we’ve had in this place, and the guys and the gals wanted to show some consideration in return. I’ve got a feeling you’re going to knock our socks off with today’s dishes, for sure.”
“Well, thank you very much for this,” I tell Deanna. “It’s greatly appreciated. Can I open it?”
“By all means,” she answers with a giggle.
I remove the bow and pop open the lid to find a collection of workout Blu-ray discs, some fancy, top-of-the-line cardioprogram by a famous fitness influencer, and a month’s supply of meal replacement powders to make weight loss power shakes.
“Deanna…”
“We figured you needed a direction to transform your body, a program, something you can actually stick to. And this guy has had a huge success rate with his online clients. The program is really good. I’ve only heard great things about it. Plus, I’m told the shakes are actually really good,” Deanna replies.
“I never said I wanted to lose any weight. I’m happy precisely the way I am,” I say, my voice trembling slightly. “Did all the hosts and hostesses pitch in for this?”
“Honey, just because you’re fine with the way you are doesn’t mean you’re actually fine,” she says, inching closer. “You’re in over your head with the guys, and if you want to keep them for the long haul, you’re going to have to drop a few pounds. Vincent likes his women skinny. The fact that he likes the way you look right now is a phase for him, he’s going through, nothing more.”
I glare at her, appalled. “You’re serious.”
“Take it from me, Raina,” Deanna replies, touching her hips with a languorous smile. “He likes his women like this a lot more. He used to tell me he liked me smaller because he could overpower me. He likes the idea of a fragile woman in his arms.”
“He used to tell you…”
My stomach drops to the floor, and my throat closes up as I struggle to keep a straight face and some semblance of self-control, because I know she’s waiting for a reaction, for anexplosion—something to tell her she hit a nerve, exactly as she intended.
“He didn’t mention that he and I used to be together?” Deanna sounds confused. “I thought he’d disclose that little nugget since we’re all working in such close quarters. It would’ve been the decent thing to do.”
“Vincent must have his reasons,” I reply and give her back the gift box. “Thank you, but I can’t accept it. I don’t need any of this stuff; it would be wasted on me.”
She’s enjoying this a little too much; she can’t even control her grinning grimace anymore. “Trust me, Raina. I can tell you care about them, so I’m just trying to help you.”
“I don’t need your help.”
“Vincent will be the first to get bored.”
“Bored of what?” Vincent steps into the conversation, having just emerged from the office to the left. I didn’t even hear him come out, and neither did Deanna, because her demeanor shifts considerably.
“Hey, Vin, darling. Just having a girls’ chat here.”
Vincent isn’t convinced nor interested in her excuse. He looks at me; his brow furrowed with concern. “Is everything okay, Raina?”
I could say everything is fine, but I am genuinely tired of pretending, of being patient with people who are determined to hurt me. So for once, I allow myself to be a bit of a damsel and nod at the box in Deanna’s hands, my so-called gift.
“They got me a Valentine’s Day present,” I tell him.
Vincent’s expression shifts into something dark and unreadable, downright frightening. “What is it?”
“Just something we thought she could use,” Deanna replies.
