Finding Eva (Highland Creek Series)

by Marie Garner

  “We can, and I will tell you all the details, but give me a minute to get showered and changed. I had an eventful night.” Gwen threw her head back and laughed, something Eva hadn’t heard her do for a while despite the fact that she used to do so all the time.

  “Braggart!” And just like that, Eva knew that Gwen would be ok. Regardless of what happened with Nick, although Eva really wanted her to leave him, she knew Gwen would somehow be alright. She didn’t know what it was, maybe it was the glint in her eye, maybe it was the way she laughed full out, but Eva saw a shade of the old Gwen that she hadn’t seen in years, the fierce warrior that would move beyond what happened.

  “So tell me all,” Gwen said as she flipped the pancake she was making for breakfast, “I am going to have to vicariously live through you because we know the current state of my love life.”

  “OMG, Gwen, he was amazing.” Eva barely resisted the urge to squeal like a girl, knowing that the only thing stopping her was the little bit of dignity she seemed to gain in the shower. No one wanted to do the walk of shame in their own house, but if it meant reliving the night she’d had, she’d gladly do it. “He was really attentive, and he took time to make sure that I was taken care of.”

  “Don’t mind me, I am going to have a mental orgasm.” That was always her thing whenever someone said something really sexy; Gwen always claimed to have a mental orgasm, whatever the hell that meant.

  “Orgasm away, I know I did.”

  “My friend the slut.”

  “Seems that way. I really like him, Gwen.” Eva stared into her coffee as though it held the keys to the universe, but all she saw was the sludgy brown liquid that told her nothing.

  “Like him how?” Gwen turned from the pancakes, sensing that this was a serious conversation and that she needed to give her undivided attention.

  “He is … great. I mean, I feel like he could really be it for me. And I know that sounds weird,” Eva said as she saw Gwen’s eyes widen, “but after he apologized for being an asshole to me when we first met he has been nothing but loving and supportive toward me. I have talked to him about my mom and he really listens. You can tell in the way he responds and asks questions. I have never had anyone like it. He is funny and doesn’t take life too seriously.” She laughed as she thought about their date at the Redneck Rendezvous. Eva looked up with a troubled expression in the depths of her green eyes. “But I am really scared about the end of summer. What am I going to do? My job is two hours away.”

  “I couldn’t imagine meeting a great guy that I was interested in, knowing it had an end date. But you can make it work if you want to. If this guy is someone worth having, which it seems like he is, you will find some way to make it work.”

  “I guess,” she said, but chewed her lip in worry. “I just can’t seem to turn my brain off.”

  “You will.” Gwen plopped a plate of pancakes down in front of her. “You will do what you always do: drive everyone crazy thinking about it and talking it out. Make a list, and then make a decision and stick with it. That is what you do, and what I love about you. Now eat. You are the only person I know that can go from elation to depression in less than sixty seconds. You have been an emotional pendulum that I can’t keep up with. I mean, damn girl, I am the one whose husband cheated on her and you are the one that is a bag of waterworks.”

  Eva ducked her head to grab some pancakes, immediately embarrassed. Although Gwen would never say anything, Eva couldn’t help but think that she had been a shitty friend the last couple of days. First she goes off to have hot sex with a walking wet dream, and now she was being whiny. Eva hated whiny. She was never whiny. Except for recently with all the shit with her mother, and she made it a point to stop being that girl.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t ask how you are doing.”

  Gwen made a face that said she clearly didn’t want to talk about it. “I talked to Nick last night, despite my resolve not to.” Eva sat silent, not wanting to interrupt her, but she had her own misgivings about Gwen talking to Nick again. Eva knew Nick was her husband, but he was nothing more than a snake oil salesman, something Gwen always failed to see … probably because she had known him for years and didn’t want to think that about him.

  “He apologized again about cheating on me, and I don’t know how to take him. He said it just started happening. He had been stressed with all the baby talk.”

  “Baby?” This was news to Eva, who usually talked to Gwen about everything.

  Gwen smiled sadly. “Yeah, I wanted a baby. Remember how I kept talking about children? Well, I had decided to start trying with Nick last December but I couldn’t seem to get pregnant.”

  She grabbed Gwen’s hand and squeezed, offering silent support. “Have you asked the doctor?”

  “Yeah, and he checked me over and said everything looks good but they won’t try any extensive treatments, like they would with an infertile couple, until we’ve been trying for a year. I am young and healthy and so is Nick. I made him get all his equipment checked, so why the hell can’t we get pregnant?” She threw her hands up in frustration.

  Eva rubbed her hand over mouth, in shock over the whole situation. “Wow, I had no idea.”

  Gwen squirmed in her seat, uncomfortable with Eva’s pity over her infertile status. “I didn’t want you to know. Nick started staying at work later and later, and I became fanatical at watching my ovulation cycle and periods. He told me last night that sex with me wasn’t fun anymore, unlike sex at the office with a person that expects nothing from you but an orgasm.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  Gwen propped her head in her hand, rubbing her hand over her forehead. “I don’t know. Last week when I went to the doctor he told me I may just be stressed, which is why I am not able to get pregnant. So while I am pissed that he cheated on me, I can’t help but think I may be partially to blame.”

  Eva leaned back, hands up saying back off. “Whoa, whoa, that is bullshit! He should not have cheated, regardless of what he thought about you guys trying for a baby, and the fact that you think that really pisses me off.”

  “I know.” Gwen put her head in her hands. “I just can’t seem to stop thinking about what if I wasn’t so obsessed about having a baby. I talked to Nick last night and told him that if I go back, and that is still a very strong if, then we should not be trying for a baby for a while. I don’t want to bring a baby into an unstable relationship, and I don’t know if I will even want to try and make it work with him.”

  “Well you have to do whatever you feel is best, but don’t ever feel like you are to blame for his cheating. He is an asshole and shouldn’t make you feel bad for being you. If you wanted a baby, then that’s what you wanted. And it is going to suck if you go back to him and have to put off your dream because your marriage is not on stable ground.”

  “But I am not going to find someone to have a baby with now,” Gwen argued. “I just wish …”

  She didn’t get to finish her statement before there was a knock on the back door. And as much as Eva wanted to finish that conversation, she knew that it was Conner coming to work on the bathroom. He was telling her the other day that he only had about a week’s worth of work left to do on the bathroom, and she was really starting to see a difference. Conner walked in, taking off his hat as was his manner before he looked up. She knew the minute that he noticed Gwen because his eyes lit up, not necessarily in lust but definitely in that recognition of a gorgeous girl.

  “Hello,” he said, leaning in as though pulled by a magnet toward Gwen. Conner was hot, with sandy blond hair a little long and shaggy in the front, tawny green eyes, and a boyish face that lit up as the smile slowly crossed his face. He never smiled at her like that, Eva thought as she turned to Gwen to see her reaction. Oh shit, she thought, as Gwen gave him her signature sex kitten smile. Normally Eva wouldn’t be concerned, but with all the shit going on with Nick she didn’t know where Gwen’s head was.

  “Pleasure to meet you,”
Gwen said, shaking his hand. He gripped it and looked like he didn’t want to let it go.

  “The pleasure is all mine.” Conner emphasized all.

  Gwen smirked, going in for the kill. “Well I don’t know where Eva has been hiding you, but I wish I had known she had such a gorgeous …”

  “Contractor,” he filled in. “I am doing the bathroom.”

  “Is that all you’re doing.” What the fuck?! Eva had to stop this while they were just eye fucking, because as much as Gwen was hurting, Eva knew that she would never forgive herself if she slept with someone else while she was still married. She cleared her throat, but it was very clear they were still doing that eye fuck thing, the temperature raised to the point where she felt like she needed a cold shower.

  “Conner.” No response. Okay, this was a bit ridiculous. “CONNER!” she shouted and he finally seemed to figure out she was there.

  “Eva! I didn’t see you there.”

  “Mmmm-hmmm,” she murmured. Gwen laughed because she got it, while Conner just looked back and forth like he missed the joke. “Are you here to work on the bathroom?”

  “The bathroom?” He furrowed his brow, staring at Gwen, and Eva wanted to snap her fingers in front of his face like she would an errant student that wasn’t paying attention.

  “Yeah, the bathroom, that thing you have been working on for the past week or so.”

  “Right, yeah, yeah.” He nodded, seeming to catch on and finally get it together. He looked uncomfortably at Gwen, who was smiling with laughter in her eyes.

  “Let me just go get on that,” he said before running out like his pants were on fire.

  “Ok.” Eva nodded before glaring at Gwen.

  “What?” Gwen put her hands up in confusion.

  “Did you forget you’re married?” Gwen’s eyes narrowed, and Eva knew she had fucked up.

  Blue eyes flashed as Gwen leaned toward her. “No, Eva, I haven’t forgotten that I am married. I also didn’t forget that the bastard cheated on me, that I am currently waiting on my blood test that I had to get for potential STDs, and I have not forgotten that I currently have no children despite desperately wanting them. I also haven’t forgotten that my husband has never looked at me or given me an inkling of the attention that I got from Conner, so I apologize if I decided to have a little fun because it felt damn good to be wanted. I met Nick as a gawky teenager, and he always said he fell in love with my mind, because my body was nothing to scream about.

  But let me know if you are willing to forget that stick up your ass that you have had for the past month with all your poor pitiful me shit. People have to deal with shit every day; it’s called life. Get over yourself and at least be thankful that your mother reached out to you, regardless of how late. At least you know that you are still loved by your family, which is more than some of us can say, no matter how many times my asshole of a husband apologizes.” She stormed out, having said her piece, leaving Eva just staring in her wake. Well damn.

  “How’s the bathroom going?” Conner looked up at Eva’s question and smiled. He was so friendly Eva thought he would be perfect for Gwen, and so much better than Nick.

  “I’m good. What do you think?” She looked around and saw the difference, the new sink, and tiled walk-in shower making her excited for the finished product. Slow and steady really did win the race, and she had to admit that her mother had amazing taste.

  “It looks great. You have surpassed my greatest estimation.”

  “Thanks. Your mom did a good job of picking everything. She really knew what she wanted, and I just wanted to make sure that I did it exactly to her specifications.” Eva smiled, thankful that her mother had inspired such loyalty. Two days ago—hell, two hours ago—she probably would have thought of it with bitterness, but with Gwen’s latest outburst she couldn’t bring herself to hate her mother anymore. She was too damn tired of hurting, and she could finally feel herself start to let go of some of the resentment.

  “Thank you. I am sure she would have loved it.” Conner scratched his head and looked unsure for the first time since she had met him. He always seemed so confident, and she had a feeling a certain redhead had to do with this new look.

  “So Eva, about Gwen …”

  “She’s married,” Eva blurted out, but quickly realized her mistake when his eyes got really big. She had just made Gwen appear like a slut and a cheater and quickly tried to make it right. “That didn’t come out right,” she tried to reassure him. “She is married, but the reason why she’s in Highland Creek with me, instead of with her husband, is because he is a major asshole who just did a number on her. I am not going to tell you what he did,” Eva said in response to the question she saw lurking in his eyes, “but just know that her marriage is in flux right now.” He nodded, and she could tell he was trying to be understanding. “I don’t know what she is going to do. He did something that is worthy of breaking the marriage up, and no one would blame her, but what she needs more than anything is a friend.”

  “Got it. I have just been ‘friend zoned’ by someone else.” He laughed at the irony, the playboy who got whoever he wanted and the one girl he felt a true attraction to that he had never felt before and he couldn’t even have her. She was never his to lose. “I guess she will just be getting a good friend.”

  “Thanks.” Eva reached up and kissed him in the cheek, more from the friendship that had developed over the last week than anything else. “You are a great guy, and you will make a girl really lucky someday.”

  “No problem.” He returned the hug that accompanied the kiss, but he couldn’t help but think that he had already found his lucky one, despite her unavailability.

  One down, one to go, Eva thought as she knocked on the door to the guest bedroom where Gwen was staying. She heard “come in” muffled from the other side of the door and opened it to see Gwen lying face up on the bed. Despite the situation, she couldn’t help but think of how gorgeous Gwen had always been, and how Nick was an idiot to cheat on this amazing woman. Gwen turned her head, the only acknowledgement that Eva was even in the room, before turning to stare back at the ceiling.

  “Whatcha doing?” Eva asked, opting for light as she lay down beside Gwen. They had been friends for too long to let this disagreement ruin their friendship, but she wanted to make sure that there was no damage or ill will.

  “Finding answers.” This was a constant thing with them; whenever they would have a problem, they would always lie down beside one another and search for answers. They usually did it outside, but sometimes the bedroom ceiling had to do.

  “What did you find?”

  “Not a damn thing,” Gwen said, her clenched hands the only sign that she was not as calm as she appeared to be.

  “It will come.” Eva put her hand over Gwen’s and squeezed, silently telling her she was there. “I am sorry about earlier.” She turned so that she was facing Gwen’s profile. “I didn’t mean to come off as a bitch, or remind you that you are married. I know that you would never do anything that would negatively impact your marriage, unlike the dipshit. Conner is really nice, and I just didn’t want to see you or him get hurt if things don’t work out.”

  “I know.” Gwen sighed and turned toward her. “I was feeling particularly bitchy today. I shouldn’t have said all that I did to you. It wasn’t fair to lump you in with all my feelings about Nick. And Conner was being so nice it was great to feel like someone wanted me, but the only good I am going to be right now is as a friend.”

  “I know, and don’t worry about earlier. I realized how incredibly selfish I have sounded over the past couple of weeks, and although I will probably not change overnight, I am going to make an effort to not be quite a whiny, ‘poor me’ bitch. And about Conner, I know that you may kill me, but I told him that all you needed was a friend.” Gwen smiled sadly, as though she was wondering what could have been if not for all the shit that was going on.

  “Thanks. I don’t want to start off on the wrong foot wi
th Nick if I decide to go back to my marriage.” Eva was about to say something, not so much to state her opinion but more so to ask if she had decided, because Gwen definitely sounded like she was leaning toward one way. Saved by the bell, she thought as her phone rang, and she smiled when she saw it was Aaron.

  “Hey, beautiful, how are you?”

  “Amazing! Wishing I was with you.”

  He groaned and she loved that he was not ashamed to let her know that he wanted her. “You’re killing me, babe. I would love to be buried inside you all day. How about I make your wish my command tonight?”

  “I will have to see how everything is going tonight.”

  “That works. And although I will try and respect your space, now that I have had you, I can’t wait to have you again. But before I make myself any hornier thinking about you, the real reason I was calling was to see if you wanted to come to my parents’ house for a cookout. They are having everyone over, and with the way Conner and I have been talking about you, they want to meet you.”

  “That’s sweet. I will talk to Gwen, but I am sure she would love to.”

  “Great. See you then, babe.” She hung up with a smile, trying not to think about the strong feelings she was having about this guy that she didn’t know two months ago. It was too soon, and although her inner control freak screamed, something else told her to embrace the chaos and uncertainty of a new relationship.

  “I guess that was Aaron.”

  “Yeah. His parents are having a cookout tonight, you game?”

  “Free food and hot guys? Hell yeah!”

  Aaron couldn’t remember being this nervous bringing a girl around his family since the pregnancy scare during college. He was so worried when his girlfriend’s period was two weeks late, and he was sure his mother was going to skin him alive. Not the best way to meet the fam, but thankfully she wasn’t pregnant, and he was a bit fanatical about safe sex since then. He didn’t know why he was worried, other than the fact that he really wanted his family to like her. If he had his way, Eva would be around for a long time, and he couldn’t see himself with a girl long term if his family didn’t like her. They were so close, it just would not be feasible.