Zach shrugged, the corner of his mustache lifting in a more earnest smile. “I mean, I feel good in it. That’s what matters.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Come on.”
Evie took Zach’s hand and let him pull her off the bed. She followed him out to the front door. Just as he opened it for her, she heard the dogs barking. When they stepped outside, Evie could see a car driving up Pleasant Lane.
Zach glanced over his shoulder as he finished locking up. “That’s Miss Leona and Corie.”
“Oh, they’re back already.”
“Yeah.” Something in Zach’s voice was off, but he took her hand. “Let’s go say hello.” They crossed the property and met the black SUV in front of Miss Leona’s house just as Lilah opened the front door. Sugar Plum and Euca came running out to greet Corie as soon as she hopped out of the car. She came around the other side and opened the passenger door for Miss Leona while their driver grabbed their bags.
“Good morning,” Miss Leona said, eyeing Evie’s pajama pants and her shawl.
Zach bent down and kissed Miss Leona on her cheek.
“You heading over to the ranch?” she asked him.
“Yeah, I have to give my regards to the bride and her family before they leave.”
“Okay. This won’t take long. Lilah, come help Corie bring my things inside.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lilah said. She scrambled to grab her grandmother’s large weekend bag.
“You two are in trouuuuuble,” Corie sang as she handed the driver a bit of cash. Evie felt her face heat with embarrassment and dread. Miss Leona stood there silently until the SUV pulled around the driveway and headed back down the lane. Then she looked up at the both of them. She was wearing a silver pantsuit with a royal-blue silk blouse. It was a festive look that seemed a little too light for the nearly deadly look on her face. Her finger came up and she pointed a finger right in Zach’s direction.
“Now I know ya’ll two are full-grown adults, but Evie is under my care, so there will be no more of this.”
“Miss Leona, we didn’t—” Zach started, but she cut him off with a sharp tilt of her head.
“Was I done speaking?”
“No. Ma’am.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that you two waited until I was gone to engage in a little bit of hanky-panky, but there’ll be no shacking up under my watch. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” they both responded.
“Evie, I know you’re feeling a lot of emotions and that’s fine, but there is no need to rush anything. And you.” Zach failed to hide his chuckle as his grandmother’s eyes narrowed in his direction. “If you really care about her, you will court her properly. The poor girl has no memory. Let her get to know you the right way, ’cause the good Lord forbid you two decide this isn’t something you want to pursue and I have to deal with two heartsick children moping around. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And as much as I’d love to see more great-grandchildren before I die, I’m old-fashioned and I’d like it if you two were married before that. And don’t give me that ‘we used protection’ crap. People get sloppy and condoms can fail too.”
“Hear you loud and clear,” Zach said.
“Good. I’m gonna go sit down and then Evie, we’re making cornbread.”
“That sounds wonderful. I wouldn’t miss it.”
Miss Leona gave them both a firm nod, then strutted into the house. Evie didn’t dare breathe until the front door closed behind her.
“Did she just tell us we’re not allowed to have sex anymore?” she said.
“She said no more overnights. We can get creative with the sex.”
“Oh, thank God.”
Zach pulled her into his arms with his hands tight around her waist. “Why? You don’t want me to court you?”
“To what me?”
“Try to win your love and affection the right and proper way. You know, take you out, even though you can’t be seen out in public. Buy you gifts and thangs.”
“That’s exactly what I want.”
“Then that’s exactly what I’ll do. Come on. I’ll walk you to your door,” Zach said before employing the horrible fake Southern accent. “It’s what a gentleman courting a sweet young lady like yourself ought to do.”
Evie rolled her eyes, a smile sneaking across her face. Then she did the next logical thing that came to mind. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Zach Pleasant right on the lips.
Chapter 21
Nicole made her way up the subway stairs into the unusually balmy morning air. Days ago the city was covered in a good ten inches of snow, and now it was in the high fifties. She tried not to let the obvious signs of global warming mess up her day even more. It was a new day and now she was a few signatures away from signing her first new client of the year. Ursula Simmons, child star turned fashion designer, who was looking for new representation.
The twenty-five-year-old was in talks to star in her own cable reality show following the ins and outs of her growing empire, but talks had stalled when she realized her mom/agent was carrying on negotiations behind her back. She’d decided it was time to dead the professional part of their mother/daughter relationship before they found themselves in a situation where the personal part was unsalvageable.
Nicole had had a good feeling about Ursula and she felt even better after their early morning face-to-face. She’d planned to give herself a few more days before she jumped back into work, but when Ursula had to reschedule a last-minute trip to Paris and asked Nicole if she could move up their meeting, Nicole jumped at the chance.
Jane had been a saint, done her best to get Nicole to relax, distracting her with good food, great sex, and some A-plus quality time. But there was nothing Jane could do to distract Nicole from the accidental group text Evie had sent.
I slipped and had sex with Zach. We didn’t do any cowgirl positions I don’t think. But it was amazing.
Nicole’s brain hopped offline for just a moment and then her fingers kicked into gear. She typed out the words Oh Really??? and hit Send. Seconds later Evie responded.
I am so sorry. That text was just for Blaire. I thought I was just texting her.
Nicole checked the group conversation and saw where Evie had gone wrong. Blaire’s name was listed first before her own name and then Raquelle’s. First being the operative word. She really hoped Evie hadn’t texted anyone else anything that could be used as a Page Six hot take.
Nicole: See the three circles at the top of the screen? That’s a group text.
Evie: Got it. So sorry. Please don’t hate me.
Nicole: I could never. Please tell me he wore a condom.
Evie: Yes. The sex was very safe. I promise.
Nicole: Good.And congrats on the sex.
Evie: Thank you.
Evie signed off with a blushing emoji. Nicole was sure Evie was thoroughly mortified and turned right to Blaire to discuss what had just happened. Nicole wanted to ignore it. Evie was allowed to have sex. She was allowed to have sex with Zach Pleasant. Based on looks and sheer charisma alone, Nicole couldn’t blame her, but three days later the text was still burned into her mind.
Evie was now sleeping with a hunky rancher from Southern California. This was not a part of the plan. The Pleasant brothers seemed like good guys and she appreciated how much they’d done for Evie, but the more time Evie spent with Zach, the more time Evie had to consider that she might want to stay with him. And Nicole couldn’t honestly say she could blame her. Evie had been through hell. Busted her head open and woken up surrounded by strangers with no clue of who she was or how she’d gotten there. It was small miracle that she was up and about, well enough to find time for extracurricular activities like what Nicole hoped was very gentle missionary-style sex.
Nicole stopped on the corner and waited for the light to turn before she crossed. Her apartment was just a few blocks away, but she took a detour to the newly constru
cted Whole Foods not far from her place. Damn gentrification, but neither she or Jane could resist their hot bar.
Everything would be fine, she reminded herself as she made her way up the street. Evie was in good health and doing better every day, but when Nicole woke up that morning and started to get ready for her meeting with Ursula, she couldn’t shake this sense of impending doom. Something in her gut was telling her the rug was about to be ripped out from under her and Evie both.
She walked into the Whole Foods, only a little bit grateful the store had switched back to regular adult contemporary music after almost three straight months of Christmas tunes. She was headed right for the mac and cheese in the hot bar when her phone rang. She fished her cell out of her bag and smiled at the name on the screen as she hit Accept.
“Evie, hey. I was just thinking about you. What’s up?”
“Nothing, I just—are you busy?” The tone in Evie’s voice stopped her in her tracks. “I can call back another time.”
“Nope. Not at all. Just doing a little shopping.” Nicole stepped out of the way and tucked herself beside the cookie display case. “What’s going on?”
“Well, I’ve been wondering—did I ever tell you why I took the job on The Dish? Obviously I needed a paycheck. Blaire explained that I’d been let go from a restaurant called Nighly and this job came along at the right time, but if I was such a good chef why did I take a job that didn’t involve any real cooking?”
“Oh. You wanted to open your own restaurant, but that’s an expensive undertaking and you just didn’t have the capital yet. Beyond a lack of funds we both thought a successful run on The Dish would give you enough name-recognition to start working on making that dream come true.”
“So I wasn’t planning on being on The Dish forever?”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t let you stay on The Dish forever. This was just part one of a larger plan. I make sure I know what my clients are picturing for the long term, even if those plans change. The goal is always to level up while chasing your dreams, and I’m here to help you get there.”
“Thank you, Nicole,” Evie said with a sigh. Nicole could feel her relief through the phone. “I guess I just needed a little reassurance.”
“No problem. What’s going on? What did you think I was going to say?”
“I was afraid you were going to say that I gave up on being a chef, off-camera. I’ve been cooking with Miss Leona and I absolutely love it. It makes me feel like I have a purpose. Zach pointed out that I was teaching people how to cook on The Dish, but I don’t know, I just didn’t feel passionate about the . . . performance of it all.”
“Do you want to back out now? Give your notice to the producers?”
“No, no. I’m trying not to make any rushed decisions, like sending texts without looking first.”
“We all have our teachable moments.”
“Yes. I just—I just wanted to know where I was coming from before I decided where I was going.”
Wise words, but there was a question hanging on the tip of Nicole’s tongue. How did Zach play into all this? Would he want her to stay in Charming forever? Would he be selfish enough to ask? Would Evie give herself the room to say no if that wasn’t what she wanted?
“If your dream is still to open your own restaurant, I’m still here to help make that happen any way I can. If you feel like you’re headed in another direction, you just let me know.” Nicole knew any other agent in her shoes would take this moment to try to steer Evie back toward the clear and easy moneymaking opportunities. If Evie wasn’t about that on-camera life anymore, then what was the point? The point to Nicole was clear.
Evie needed as many people in her corner as possible, especially now, and Nicole would stick with her for as long as she could. This memory loss may have screwed things up, but Evie was still Evie, and if she was waking up every day and getting her butt in that kitchen, then Nicole knew there was plenty to hold on to. She just hoped Zach Pleasant and his “amazing” skills in the bedroom didn’t screw things up.
* * *
“Wait, tilt the phone down, I can’t see.” Blaire said.
Evie stood still as Lilah adjusted the angle of her phone. She could see Blaire’s face in the tiny box on the screen scrutinizing every inch of her outfit. Thinking it would be eighty degrees, twenty-four hours a day, Blaire had packed Evie a few very cute sundresses, but it was creeping down into the low fifties and the sundress idea was out. Evie looked down at her torn jeans and black boots. Lilah had picked out a cute long-sleeved blouse that matched her glasses. They were just heading over to the ranch for a private dinner, but she wondered if she was underdressed.
“Lilah, there should be a tan jacket in her bag.” Blaire was the only person in Evie’s small circle who was currently dating, so Evie needed to turn to her for pre-date guidance. Lilah was still frustrated with all men after the stunt her dad had pulled, and Corie had made it clear that she was less than impressed with what Charming’s single scene had to offer. The date with Dr. David had gone so well, Blaire was seeing him again that Saturday night. Tonight she was on best-friend duty.
“I’ll grab it,” Evie said. She used a bit of the pent-up energy running through her to dig through her things. It didn’t take long for her to find the long coat Blaire was thinking of. She pulled on the tan jacket with large black buttons, then glanced in the full-body mirror mounted in the bathroom. It was exactly what her outfit needed. That didn’t stop her from taking a lingering glance at her hair. She was still getting used to the short cut.
“How’s this?” she said as she stepped into the doorway. She did a little turn so the girls could see her. Even Euca looked up from her spot on the floor. “I like the way it makes my butt look.”
“You look perfect,” Blaire said.
“Are you sure?”
“Lilah agrees with me, right?”
“I do. I think you look very cute. The jacket makes it,” Lilah said with a rigorous nod of her head.
“And you know I’d tell you if you looked fucked up.” Evie look over and rolled her eyes at Corie, but Corie was too busy sitting in the armchair flipping through the latest issue of People to catch it.
There was no reason for her to be nervous. She’d already slept with Zach. Their first date should be an absolute breeze, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to put together a good outfit. Before she could ask for the twelfth time if she looked okay, she heard the front door open and Zach announce himself. She heard Jesse’s deep voice respond, but she couldn’t make out exactly what he said.
“Your prince charming is here,” Lilah teased as she handed back her phone.
“He’s here, Blaire. I gotta go.”
“Have tons of fun. Call me tomorrow, ’kay?”
“I will.” She said her goodbyes, then hit End on the video call and slid her phone into her jacket pocket.
“Corie, come on.”
Corie slapped down the magazine and then strode right past them. “Let’s do this.” Evie laughed, and followed her down the hall, Lilah trailing behind her. Zach was there, waiting in the kitchen, his tan cowboy hat in hand. When she saw his worn-in jeans and his wool-lined jacket she realized the one gown that Blaire had for some reason slipped in her baggage would have been a little over-the-top. Not that what either of them was wearing mattered. The moment their eyes met, all Evie could think of was how she’d been waiting all week to be alone with him.
Between the ranch and lessons with Miss Leona and Jesse, they’d both had their hands full. They spent their nights as a family. The whole gang gathered around the TV or the kitchen island. She really appreciated Corie’s attempts to teach her how to play spades. Still, whenever she caught Zach looking at her, or whenever they were able to sneak in the slightest touch, she knew Miss Leona had been on to something. If they’d had it their way, they would never have left the blissfully naked comfort of Zach’s bed.
When Zach asked if he could take Evie out Friday night, she eagerl
y accepted, with Miss Leona’s blessing.
“Hi,” Evie said, unable to hide her smile.
“Ma’am,” Zach replied with a little nod of his head that made her stomach flutter.
“You two get going,” Miss Leona said from the couch. Jesse stood from his spot on the other end of the large sectional and crossed the large space in what seemed like two strides. He lifted his hand and brought it down hard on Zach’s shoulder. Evie imagined it felt like having a tree fall on you, but Zach barely flinched. He just looked up at his brother with a bit of what the hell? written across his face.
Jesse looked at his smart watch, then back to his brother. Evie tried not to laugh as Zach rolled his eyes and motioned for Jesse to get on with it. “Have her back by eleven. Not eleven-o-five or eleven-o-two. I will be waiting right here at ten fifty-nine, and if I don’t see headlights pulling up—”
“Man, shut the hell up.” Zach laughed. “We’ll be back at eleven. Relax.”
“Good.” Jesse went back to the couch and sank back into the cushions.
“Have fun, you two,” Lilah said with a bright smile.
“Thank you, Lilah. We will.”
“Shall we?” Zach nodded toward the door, then slipped his cowboy hat on his head with a subtle confidence that reminded her how good things had been between them just a few nights ago.
“Let’s.” Evie took his hand and followed him out to his pickup truck. “Such a gentleman,” she teased as he opened her door for her. He kept a gentle grip on her hand as he helped her into the high cab.
“Gentleman is my middle name.” The wink he tossed her way did nothing to calm the warmth radiating through her body. She knew what she’d promised Miss Leona. Still, as she watched Zach walk around the front of his truck with that stride that yelled you know you want this, Evie wondered just how long she’d be able to hold out.
“So what do you have planned for us tonight?”
A Cowboy to Remember Page 23