I was doing my best to give Serena the space she’d requested. I figured, since she’s the one who asked for it, she’d be the one to come to me when she was ready, except, she hadn’t contacted me yet.

I started a new construction job, and although it was a crew I’d worked with before, I was already missing my freedom a little bit.

It was a good build. We were working on the outskirts of town building the new community center, so although it wasn’t as exciting as working on my own stuff, it was a project that I knew would do good for the town as a whole and bring a lot of families joy.

Plus, the pay was really good, and I’d be able to sock some more cash away in my own business fund.

I worked long hours and came home tired, and although I caught myself looking at Serena’s place every few hours, for the most part the week was going by really fast and I wasn’t able to fixate on the fact that she hadn’t called, texted, or come by.

Now, it was time for the viewing party of our Fix it Up episode, and I was hopeful, and if I was honest, a bit nervous about seeing her there. I was nervous she wouldn’t come, and I was terrified that she would, and she’d tell me she’d decided I wasn’t worth the effort.

Just the thought made my heart hurt and I knew it would take me a long time to get over her if that happened, even though, in reality, we hadn’t been together that long.

I took care in the way I dressed, wanting to look my best when I saw her. I shaved the day’s stubble off and styled my hair, then worried that I looked like I put in too much effort. Feeling unsure of myself was unusual and I found it was a feeling that I did not like at all.

I walked into the banquet room that they’d reserved at the hotel, surprised to see the large-screen television they’d brought in, along with big comfortable chairs and couches, and tables overflowing with food.

They’d managed to make it look like someone’s living room, or a man cave, and I wondered how much money they’d dropped to make it happen.

“Jed, how’s it going, man? Good to see you again.”

I crossed the room to shake hands with Jose.

“Good, brother, how about you?”

“Can’t complain,” he replied. “We’ve been working on a house in Florida, with a little time to chill at the beach, so all in all, it’s been good.”

“Sounds like it. Have you seen this already?” I asked, nodding toward the TV.

“Nope, we wait to watch it with everyone else. Only the producers see it early.”

“Everyone, we’re about to get started. Feel free to grab a drink, fill up you plates, and get comfortable.”

“Get some chow, then come join us,” Jose said, and I agreed.

I looked around and saw Kylie, as well as Sadie, but no Serena. With a sigh, I went to the table to grab a beer and make a plate of nachos, then avoided Kylie like the plague as I took the long way around the room to get to where Jose was sitting.

As the lights turned down and the TV came on, I saw Serena slip in and take the seat next to Sadie.

I wanted to get up and go to her, but didn’t want to cause a scene, so I decided to wait until the viewing was over, then make my move. I wasn’t going to let her leave without talking to me.

I’d given her the time she’d requested, and now I needed her to listen.

The theme music for Fix it Up began and the room got silent as we all watched our episode. I cringed the first time I saw myself on camera, it was an awkward moment, but when Serena came on screen, she lit it up.

She looked beautiful as always, but even more so. She had a camera presence that made you stop and look.

I turned toward her to see her reaction. She was hiding behind her hands with a smile, while Sadie leaned in and whispered something to her. Serena shook her head, but when she lowered her hands, I could see she was pleased by whatever had been said.

It was cool to see how they cut it all together, and the final product was a good show packed with tips. Plus, it was fun to see the before and after play out on the screen.

When the credits began to roll and I saw the name for my business as well as the gallery, I grinned at Serena and was happy to see her smiling back at me. That was it, the big payoff for spending a week on the show, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next for both of us.

Hopefully, I’d have a front row seat.

I was about to stand and go to her, when Sadie stood up and went to the front of the room. I wasn’t sure if there was a sequence of events, so I figured it was best to stay seated and see what was happening next.

“Hey, guys,” Sadie began, and the way people started murmuring to each other had me thinking maybe this wasn’t a planned speech. “I had such a great time working on this project with all of you, but when one of my new friends told me some things, letting me know that it wasn’t as fun for some as it was for others, I got with our producer, Dale, and did a little research. Please bear with me while I show you a couple clips from the cutting room floor, that I think we all really need to see.”

A few seconds later, the screen flickered back on, but it was dark.

There was no picture, but the audio came through.

“Oh. My. God. If it isn’t little miss ‘too good for anyone else’ Serena, the teeny-tiny bean.”

It was definitely Kylie’s voice, and I saw Serena’s face pale as the heads in the room turned toward her.

I turned to find Kylie and saw her stand up like she was going to leave, then Dale stepped up, put his hand on her arm, and stopped her.

Her face reddened as the video came on the screen. This time, it was me she was talking to.

“Morning, hot stuff.”

And on it went … Kylie speaking rudely to Serena and flirting with me. Her making faces behind Serena’s back, and coming up behind me and licking her lips. All together like that, in succession, it looked really bad, and I felt Serena’s gaze on me when Kylie came up to her and mentioned the bet. I watched as Serena ignored her, never engaging or agreeing to anything, and I felt terrible.

It was obvious that Kylie had made Serena’s time on set miserable, and I hated to think how she’d treated her when they were younger.

The video ended and the lights came up.

“After talking to Serena, watching the tapes, and listening to audio, I knew that everyone affiliated with Fix it Up needed to see what was happening behind the scenes. No member of our team should ever be harassed, verbally or sexually. We are a family, and everyone deserves to feel safe when they come to work.”

I turned around to see Dale escorting Kylie out of the banquet room.