"At the office where the paper grows, she takes a break, drinks another coffee, and finds it hard to stay awake. It's just another day."
Paul McCartney

The alarm goes off too early, and Sam groans before rolling over. I kiss him on the cheek and chuckle to myself. I must've worn the big guy out last night.

I slip out of bed and go to the kitchen for coffee, head into the bathroom, and get ready for the workday.

I gently kiss my sleeping man and whisper, "I love you," before leaving for work. I hear Sam mumble something incoherent as I leave our bedroom.

Our bedroom. I'm still trying to wrap my head around his invitation to move in with him. I'm so excited to take this next step with him. Knowing that he wants me to share his home makes my heart flip flop inside my chest.

I smile as I get into my car and process the things that need to be taken care of to move into his house on the breathtaking Coronado Island.

His three-bedroom Cape Cod-style house is only a block away from the beach in one of the older communities located on the island. Sam lives primarily on the first floor. His home has an open concept. His living room and the kitchen are a large area with only a counter bar separating the two rooms. Upstairs are two additional bedrooms which contain a small gym in one and storage in the other. A full bath separates the two rooms.

The two-mile Coronado Bridge is the only road that connects the island to San Diego. It takes thirty minutes to arrive at the Easton Real Estate office building.

After entering the building's spacious lobby, I reach the elevator and push a button that delivers me to the third floor.

The doors open into a spacious reception area. I say hello to Liza, who's the receptionist for Double Faced Advertising. My boss, Benson Easton, is married to Faith. Faith is one of two twins who own Double Faced Advertising. Benson insisted that Faith move her office to his floor after Faith's sister, Grace, was abducted. Thankfully, they found her, but it took over a year of therapy for Grace to recover from the ordeal.

I have a morning meeting with Benson. After placing my things in my office and grabbing my notepad and pen, I knock and walk into Benson's office. His large office has an enormous oak desk with grey stain varnish. The wall to the left has a matching bookcase that expands the wall's entire length, and it's full of books about architecture and real estate. On the right side is a round oak table with four chairs that match his desk. Two black leather wing-back chairs face the desk, and an oversized leather desk chair sits behind the desk. The carpet is grayish blue, and the walls are light grey. Black and white pictures of buildings that Benson had a hand in designing hang on the walls.

Benson looks up as I walk in. "Good morning, Cindy."

"Mr. Easton," I reply and sit in a wing-back chair.

With over ten years of experience working for Benson Easton, I know he likes to cut right to the chase. I ready my pen and waited for him to start.

"The three construction companies I am considering for the Bailey Project are meeting with me today. Holland's Construction Group, Building by Bligh, and Big Dog Contracting will be here throughout the afternoon."

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. Usually, Benson asks me to delve into companies and owners' backgrounds before even allowing them to meet with him, and then I set up their meeting. Not only was I unaware of these meetings this afternoon, but he had not asked me to check into any of these companies.

He notices my confused face and clarifies the situation.

"I know that's unusual. These three contractors were highly recommended to me by a close friend. I promised to meet with each of them, but I didn't have the time that you would need to accomplish their background checks. Instead, I need you to attend each meeting, take notes, and then do background checks after meeting them all."

I nodded in understanding, even though I was still shocked that Benson had done my job by setting the meetings himself. "What time are the meetings with each company?"

"I promised to give each company an hour of my time. Joe Holland, the owner of Holland's Construction Group, is at 1:00. Dan Bligh, the owner of Building by Bligh, is at 2:30, and Frank Reed, the owner of Big Dog Contracting, is at 4:00."

I jot down the scheduled meetings and then look up at Benson. "I could have a quick review of each owner or company to you by lunchtime?"

He grins. "The owners, please."

I return his smile. "Anything else?"

"That'll be all." He dismisses me, and I grab a quick coffee before spending the rest of my morning getting down to business.

At 11:30, I buzz Benson. "Yes, Cindy?"

"Is now a good time to bring you my findings?" I inquire.

"Now would be fine," is his quick response. I grab my notebook and head directly into Benson's office, sitting in the same chair I had occupied several hours earlier today. I wait for Benson to look at me. When he does, I know to begin.

"Joe Holland, age 46, divorced after 15 years of marriage with three children ages 12, 9, and 7. He's been to court five times last year, fighting spousal support. He sees his children every other weekend. Joe began Holland's Construction Group after graduating from college with a degree in business. He worked in construction throughout college and decided to venture out independently after getting his degree. Holland is the captain of an over forty softball church league and coaches his oldest son in baseball. He uses Tinder to hook up, never seeing the girl a second time. His credit score rating is 720."

I take a moment to breathe before beginning the next owner's information. Benson sits quietly behind his desk, waiting for me to continue.

"Dan Bligh, age 52, has been married for 21 years. He and his wife have two children, a son, 19, and a daughter, 15. Bligh took over his father's construction business, Building by Bligh after his father retired five years ago. He's taken his family on a two-week vacation in January to the Caribbean for the last ten years. His son has been working full-time for the company, following in his father's footsteps."

Benson has not taken his eyes off of me as he listens to me carefully.

I continue, "Frank Reed, age 36, married to his high school sweetheart for 13 years; they have one eight-year-old daughter. He began Big Dog Contracting after being laid off as foreman of Trusted Construction. He filed a complaint against Trusted Construction for breaking their contract with him for no apparent reason. They settled out of court with an undisclosed amount of money, which was $500,000. He used that money to begin Big Dog Construction."

Once I finished, I placed my findings on his desk.

"Thank you, Cindy. I'll see you back here at 1:00 sharp." He looks back down at his work.

"Yes, sir." I turn and leave his office. I stop by Liza's desk. "Lunch?"

"Chinese should be here in ten minutes. I got your usual. I hope that was okay." She smiles sweetly.

"Perfect," I respond. "Please let me know when it gets here."

Liza nods as she picks up the ringing phone.

When I returned to my office, I noticed I received a text from Sam.

Hey, Babe. I'll be in your area around 1:00. Would you like to have a late lunch with me?

Damn, I quickly send my reply.

I'm so sorry. Lunch will be here in ten minutes. I have meetings all afternoon starting at 1:00. Raincheck?

I see the bubbles before his text comes through.

That's fine. It was short notice. Instead, let's celebrate your moving in with dinner out tonight. Let's say 7:00 at Truluck's.

I smile so big that I'm sure my face will crack like dried mud in the desert heat. I tap out my answer.

I would love that!

He returns my text with a thumbs up and heart emoji—this guy.

I look up at my door when I hear a tap. Liza is standing there, "Lunch!" She smiles at me before making her way to the kitchen.

I follow right behind her.

At 12:45, I sit in the conference room, waiting for Benson and Joe Holland.

The afternoon flies by.

Our final meeting with the construction company comes to a close. Benson and I stand. Frank Reed follows our lead, and we shake hands.

"I'll let you know my choice by the end of the week," Benson assures Frank.

Frank confidently replies, "I look forward to your decision, Mr. Easton, Miss Powell."

I escorted him to the elevator just as I had done with Joe Holland and Dan Bligh.

"Thank you for your time." Frank smiles at me once again before entering the elevator.

I nod my head and return his smile as the doors of the elevator close. I quickly turn and head right into Benson's office, knowing that he would want to discuss our meetings from this afternoon. I check my watch at 5:15. I should easily be out of here by 6:00 and make dinner with Sam at 7:00.

They say hindsight is 20/20, and I 100% agree. If I had known that my investigation of these three construction companies would lead me down a dark and dangerous path, I would have run as the tornado winds blew in the opposite direction.