Evelyn

by C. L. Stone

  I blinked rapidly. Ace considered Loïc a rival, but he wasn’t a bad person. If Oliver believed in him and that he can help, what was the harm?

  If Ace had gone to Atlanta to help me in some way and was unable to convince anyone about my case, then could he use the backup? I was very grateful Ace took the opportunity to get himself there and do what he could. If I couldn’t be there to help him, maybe at least someone else he trusted could?

  “Tell him,” I said. “Tell him what I told you.” I paused. “I don’t know how to help you. To pay you back.”

  “Maybe next time I take you for a drive and a walk, we do it without the pretense of saving our own hides.”

  “A date?”

  “You could call it that.” There was a voice on the other end, not Oliver. I couldn’t distinguish what was being said. “I’ll call you back later if I hear anything.”

  I put the phone back into my pocket, and pressed my palms over my eyes. What was I digging myself into?

  Why did Ace go all the way to Atlanta by himself? Did Soma know and he wasn’t telling me?

  I waited for Soma to return, distracting myself by examining the pieces. There was a very lovely tiny jeweled clock that caught my attention, adorned with gemstones, the face of it a pearly deep blue. No price tag was visible. Odd.

  In fact, none of the pieces had any sort of tag. I’d seen this mostly in other countries, where one was expected to haggle over price.

  I personally hated jewelry. Unfortunately, most valuable stones came from countries where adults­ and children­ were hired to mine in harsh and unregulated conditions. I preferred lab manufactured stones, recycled gold or at least sourced from America or other countries were regulations were in place, but few jewelers wanted to show manufactured stones without the ill-gotten ones alongside them. Authentic diamonds were more valuable still in the market.

  I’d moved on to a display of rings of different gemstones when the curtain was pulled back.

  A salesman came out, a smug twist to his lips and a cocked eyebrow. He examined my clothing and my face and then there was a flicker of a frown.

  I considered my attire and who I was: a girl, alone in jeans and a white T-shirt. It was a style, but not one that promised a solid sale. Since there was no brand label, I was just normal.

  I had no cash to buy any of the pieces, anyway, so I was confirming his suspicions.

  “Just browsing?” he asked.

  I said something in the affirmative, hoping he hadn’t overheard me talking just now, as I had had been talking about my boyfriend and then suggested a date with the person on the phone. I wondered what it sounded like to him.

  He lingered, leaning against the jewelry counter. He didn’t say anything further, but he made it incredibly uncomfortable to look around, even if I wanted to buy something.

  No wonder he was going out of business. I didn’t suppose he would have entertained the questions I normally had about supply chains.

  I wanted to leave, but Soma said he’d be back and to stay. Maybe if I waited outside...

  I glanced out the open doorway, where an older couple had come into the mall. The woman looked into the shop, and appeared to take a step toward it, only her husband tugged her by the elbow. He leaned into her, whispered, and then her eyes widened.

  She met my eyes in the store.

  I raised an eyebrow curiously. What was going on?

  She motioned to me, encouraging me to step outside.

  Did she recognize me? She didn’t appear to. She just seemed interested in telling me something.

  Grateful for a reason to get away from the salesman, I went to her. Her husband had moved on to a gift shop that was the next over from the jewelry store.

  The woman smiled at me. “Are you visiting?” she asked.

  “Just moved here,” I said. “I’m still getting to know the area.”

  “Oh,” she said, her eyebrows raised. “Then you should know, the shop is going out of business...for very good reason.”

  The gossip carried a warning tone. “What’s the reason?”

  “It seems the owner is a snob.”

  I cracked a smile, ready to laugh but then stopped short. “I didn’t think you were serious, but when I was just in there and the feeling was...odd.”

  “Charleston holds a unique charm for treating everyone equally. In truth, some days you can’t tell the millionaires from anyone else. We eat at the same places, and meet at the same festivals. And we still work together.”

  “I see,” I said, my mouth forming an O shape after a moment. It was an interesting thing to know. What was it that Ace had said before? No one gets to misbehave in this town?

  She patted my arm warmly. “Welcome to Charleston,” she said. “It never leaves you.” She walked on, meeting her husband in the shop.

  I stood in the hall, unsure what to do since Soma had said to stay in the jewelry shop and I had been drawn out. I didn’t want to go back inside.

  Luckily Soma came from further down the hallway, he met my gaze as he approached, a curious eyebrow rising.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “I was informed the owner is a snob,” I said. “So I waited out here.”

  “Oh,” he said and then smiled. “Good to know. I hadn’t heard.” He turned, indicating I should follow.

  “It seems like that isn’t very popular,” I said. “To act like a snob.”

  “Not here,” he said. He motioned to himself. “For example, when I arrived here, I was very poor. I basically lived out of a car for months.”

  “You?”

  He nodded, turned to me and paused walking. “I didn’t think I would stay in the country. I’d moved here with romanticized ideals about American dreams and what not. It was only when I showed I was earnest, that I was given a fair chance. In Charleston, if you’re nice, you’re treated nice and given a fair shake.”

  That sounded...lovely. Like a small town helping each other. “It can’t be all roses.”

  “No place is.” He urged me to follow him. “But people like Ace and Loïc sometimes play a game. It makes it a little better.”

  The hallway eventually opened up to a large, circular room the size of a ballroom. The very center of it was an elegant duo stairway, adorned above by one of the largest chandeliers I had ever seen. It reflected a lot of the light in the huge glass dome above it. White pillars held everything up. Along the perimeter below, there was an open pub, and opposite it, a small café.

  Soma scanned the area and settled on the pub. The tables, flooring and walls were in brown and red. The place stood out compared to the rest of the surrounding area, dark and cozy. “There’s a woman sitting in the last booth.”

  A woman was sitting alone, drinking out of a tea cup and had a tablet beside her. She wore an elegant white dress I couldn’t identify from the distance we were, and carried a diamond ring on her hand nearly the size of her nose. She had long black, wavy hair. She was in her late forties, or perhaps older but the level of care and makeup had been maintained to give her a timeless look.

  “What about her?” I asked.

  “We’re going to sit behind her. I will order for us, and talk to you, but I want you to ignore me.” He raised a dark eyebrow. “I want you to listen.”

  Eavesdropping?

  I followed along beside Soma and focused ahead, avoiding looking at the woman any more. What was he planning? How was this a game?

  We approached the pub, and as the place wasn’t busy, we were offered a chance to sit wherever we wanted.

  Soma put an arm around my shoulder and flashed a smile at the waitress who guided us to the booth area. “Give us the one at the end,” he said. “We’re celebrating.”

  I wedged a smile on my lips as the waitress congratulated us. Perhaps she thought it an engagement or something. I wasn’t sure. I simply followed Soma.

  We sat down on the leather-covered seats, and Soma ordered drinks and a basket of pretzels.

&nbs
p; He was hard to ignore, his even temperament changed into something livelier, louder. He spoke, but he talked endlessly about sports events, giving me details that were droll.

  All the easier to listen, I suspected. I soon tuned him out, and the voice of the woman sitting behind me became easier to hear.

  After a while, I didn’t need to concentrate too much. She spoke louder on her own.

  “What do you mean the collection was pulled?” The woman’s voice was throaty, deeper than I expected, a tone filled with anger. “What in the world are they talking about? Did someone complain?”

  Silence followed as, I suspected, she listened on the phone.

  The waitress brought over our drinks. I was given some fruity concoction with rum, and I sipped it absently, focusing on Soma’s buttons on his shirt, finding it easier to space out this way. He’d gotten the same for himself, which I found amusing he was drinking something pink. The color lit his eyes up in a way that was cute.

  The woman behind me continued. “That’s completely ridiculous. A vicious lie. How far has this gone?” Pause. “Fine. If they don’t want my business, I’ll take it to a store who does. There’s more than one in this town.” There was a small slap, like she dropped the phone onto the table.

  My mouth formed and O shape, and I glanced up at Soma.

  He still spoke, but he lowered his voice a little, the corner of his mouth turning up. It appeared coy, something akin to how Ace smiled at times.

  I was about to say something when I heard movement behind me, buttons being pressed on a phone and then speaking again.

  “Clear my schedule. Call Courteau’s secretary. I think I’ll be going to the event tonight instead. Make sure they are aware I’m coming.” This time the conversation ceased, the sound of the phone being placed on the table a little gentler, followed by silence.

  Courteau. Loïc. I mouthed this to Soma. What we were doing? Who was she?

  Soma casually reached for a pretzel and then put it to his mouth. He wasn’t going to answer me yet.

  It was ten minutes of us eating pretzels and sipping at drinks, with Soma droning on about baseball when the woman behind me got up.

  Soma didn’t talk until we could see her walking off up the elegant stairwell and beyond.

  “That is Mrs. Harvey,” he said, his voice low this time, and he checked over the top of my booth, looking behind me to others in the pub. “She owns the company of the underwear you didn’t want.”

  My eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

  “Every bit serious.”

  “How did you know she would be here?”

  “I got word she’s here nearly every week about this time. She arrives a little early for a drink before she goes on to the spa on the second floor for a massage.”

  “But how did you know she’d get the phone call today? And just now?”

  Soma smiled and shrugged. “I asked that particular store manager a favor. She pulls the collection, and makes the right people call at the right time so we could hear her just now. I spread word around town about how honorable the store was once hearing the news, so they’ll remember to stop by and buy something. People like when a store does something good for the world. It makes a difference.”

  It was the woman who owned the line of lingerie I had Soma send back. I slid my fingernail across the woodgrains on the table. My heart thundered and my breathing became laborious. I’d never been so close to anyone, hearing what happened when I complained about anything like this. “I didn’t know. When you said the store wouldn’t be selling the brand any more...” Maybe part of me thought they were saying that to Soma off the cuff so he would stop his protest. No, they actually did something. And Soma would repay them with good reviews about what happened. Seeing the result of my own little bias toward the brand sent my mind reeling.

  Soma leaned forward, the gaze intensifying. He reached over, taking my hand and held it in his.

  “Em,” he said. “Everything we do affects others. You knew that, which is why you choose to speak up when you’re aware a company has such disregard for their supply chains. You make a point to buy responsibly. I’ve seen your blog, your Instagram. Perhaps you aren’t used to people listening, but maybe you just don’t realize how many people you’ve influenced to do the right thing, including me now.”

  “But what did this have to do with Ace? You said this was a game. And she’s going to Loïc’s charity event tonight. This is the one I’m going to, isn’t it? How am I supposed to face the woman whose business I’ve managed to hurt?”

  Soma smiled, squeezing my hand gently. “Trust me when I say this will all work out. Did you notice how she didn’t try to correct the problem, the supply chain? She merely threatened that someone else will take her line?”

  I nodded.

  “She missed the point. Or she doesn’t care about ethics, she just wants to stay in business. But she’ll soon find no one will open their doors to her.”

  “No one get to misbehave in this town,” I said softly.

  Soma nodded sharply. “So far, you’ve started this little spiral to teach her a little humility. You’ve made us aware and she happens to live in town. If you want, I’ll help you score the final point.”

  “What do you mean? How do those points work?”

  He reached into his pocket and he pulled out his cell phone. He slid it face up to me in offering. “If I call Loïc and let him know what I heard, he’ll be the one to spread the word about what happened. I could also call Ace, and inform him what’s going on here.”

  “They’ll do something?” I asked. “They’ll say something to...her?”

  “No. I wouldn’t get confrontational directly. We prefer not to interact in ways that could be dangerous by getting in the middle like that. We simply tell the truth to anyone she tries to do business with tonight.”

  “I’m supposed to do something with Ace, aren’t I?”

  “You can do this at the same time.” He smiled. “If you do, Emily joins the scoreboard.”

  “What do the points mean?”

  “Arbitrary. Just for fun. It is like...a secret reward for doing the right thing. For speaking up when all the world wants to turn a blind eye. Don’t let them be blind anymore. The points just give them something to gloat over and some sense of competition.”

  I pressed my fingers to his palm, surprising myself with how enthusiastic I had become with his encouraging words. The fast heart rate in my chest changed from intimidated to excitement. However, I was hesitant on this one. Soma was right. Mrs. Harvey did threaten just to go to other stores, but she did follow up to say the rumors were a lie. “I’m not sure,” I said. “This is different than drawing attention to it on a blog and hoping the company changes things or provides proof of satisfactory supply chains.”

  “It is making an actual difference, instead of talking into the void and hoping others will listen. This is right to the heart of the matter and not causing drama where it’s unnecessary.”

  He was right. Before, the best I could hope for was minor internet outrage. But with all the outrage on the internet, things got lost or the point was missed. Or like in my situation, misinformation spread. If I had been incorrect, there wasn’t much chance to change it. It’s why I felt guilty every time I wrote a negative press piece. After what happened to me in Atlanta, finding out the truth seemed more prudent than ever. “Before I decide, I want to make sure I’m right about those children working in the factory, the conditions...I had read the news, but I want to double verify and ensure my sources were right. Whistleblowing on a blog is a little different. And businesses can correct themselves. Maybe she fixed it, or maybe she will now.”

  “We’re not here to start a witch hunt,” he said. “That’s not our job. We just speak the truth and let others decide.”

  “I get that. However, we can’t verify this is the right thing to do, to have her snubbed out of Charleston, if she’s trying to run a legitimate business or at least makes the
attempt. She said it’s a lie, so we should see if she’s right.”

  “That’s good,” he said, and he dragged his phone back across the table. “Do the research, and I’ll keep the information to myself until you to figure out an answer. Loïc will know she’s attending, but he won’t hear about what she’s up to.”

  “So how do I...score a point?”

  He shrugged. “Tell the truth. One way or another. I agree with you on double-checking to make sure things have been corrected. But if you discover the truth and she is refusing to change her ways, just tell people what you know. If she’s smart, she’ll change. If not, she will find doors closing for her in this town. Maybe she moves on to another city, I don’t know. At least we did what we could.”

  I sat back with up my drink, pressing the edge to my lip but not sipping yet.

  “Is that what they do?” I asked. “Ace and Loïc. They reveal secrets?”

  “They reveal the truth. You get bonus points if the original person is persuaded to tell the truth to those who matter and can change. If not, we just tell the truth to the right people. What a person does once they are confronted is up to them. If Ace and Loïc hear a rumor, they follow up and find out the truth. Sometimes it ends well. The person is humbled, and changes for the better. And sometimes...well, you get so uncomfortable, you take your business somewhere else.”

  Soma paid for the drinks and said we needed to get going to make the scheduled appointment.

  I was quiet as I followed him. My mind wanted to retrace my actions from the beginning, how I told Ace everything, he had already started his research on me. He looked beyond the thousands of comments, the lies being spread, and he was looking for who I really was. He asked me directly for answers. He believed me.

  Was that why he was in Atlanta now? Finding out the truth, or forcing my ex to reveal the truth?

  Was I the next point to be marked in Soma’s notebook?

  And Loïc. The vloggers. What was that about?

  While there was some doubt, it was starting to be replaced by intrigue, and I questioned my current role. I needed time to think it over.