by Raquel Belle
Chapter Seventeen
Evie
Evie clutched the steering wheel for dear life, as she careened through the streets. Taking several deep breaths, she eased her foot off of the accelerator. The last thing she needed was to get a speeding ticket or arrested, especially since all she had on was a coat with a thong underneath. The scenario of getting pulled over and searched in her attire elicited hysterical laughter. The majority of her hysteria, however, stemmed from what occurred at Jared’s apartment.
“Oh, my God. What just happened?” she asked to herself. One moment she thought she was going to his place to have fun, and the next she was storming out like a coward. The adrenaline that was flooding her system had worn off. With her mind in shambles, she’d automatically taken off in the direction of the one person who she could talk to.
Ten minutes later, she was parked down the street from Seattle General. Picking up her phone, she couldn’t help but notice that there were no calls or texts from Jared. Closing her eyes, she rested her head on the headrest and then groaned. Why would he call after the way she’d stormed out? She dialed Karen, who luckily answered.
“Karen, thank god I got you.”
“Hey, Evie. Why are you calling? Aren’t you supposed to be underneath that hunky billionaire …? Or on top of him?”
Evie groaned again. “Yeah, that was the plan for tonight. Please tell me you’re not busy.”
“Not at the moment. I just finished up a procedure in the ER, and now I’m resting for a bit.”
“Oh no, of course you’re tired. I feel so bad now.”
“What’s up?”
“I’m outside. It’s an emergency.”
“Like a medical emergency?” Alarm sounded in Karen’s voice. “Please don’t tell me you got greedy and ate peanuts. God damn it, Evie.”
Rolling her eyes, Eve huffed. “It’s a personal emergency, Kar. I think I messed up really bad.”
There was a moment of silence. “Say no more. I’m coming out. Meet me at the front.”
Heaving a relieved sigh, Evie hung up and hopped out of her car. In her miserable state, she didn’t tell Karen that she was only half-dressed. By the time she made it up the front steps of the hospital, Karen emerged through the glass doors. As Evie neared, she slowed, her brows knitting together.
Karen gave Evie a once over. “What is with the get up? Wait, don’t answer that yet.” She pulled her phone from the pocket of her scrubs and snapped a picture.
Evie scowled. “What the hell, Karen?”
“I needed proof that a fun-Evie exists. I’ll show it to prudish-Evie tomorrow, I’m sure she’ll be back by then,” Karen said.
“I don’t like fun-Evie,” Evie muttered. “She ruined everything.”
“Alright. What happened? Is this emergency about old man Davis?”
Snorting, she shook her head. “Not in the least.” She’d spent months avoiding her father, only interacting with him at work when it was absolutely necessary.
“Hmm.” Karen rubbed her chin. “Then this must be about Jared. I hope I get an explanation for that outfit, too, by the way. You may begin.”
Evie sighed and looked around. They stood almost in the middle of the hospital’s entrance. “Not here. I don’t have anything on under this coat. If a stiff wind kicks up, I’m screwed.”
Karen’s mouth dropped open before she dissolved into a fit of laughter. “Oh my god … You did not pull the naked-under-a-trench-coat move?”
“I did,” Evie said, miserably. “My clothes are in my car. I didn’t have time to change.”
“This night just gets more intriguing by the minute,” Karen said. “Alright, let’s go to that corner over there.” She pointed to a wall where the street lights, and the lights of the building, didn’t quite reach. “I need to hear what’s going on before another emergency comes in.”
Evie followed Karen, noticing the interested looks she was receiving from more than a few men, some of them wearing scrubs like Karen. “Great,” she told Karen, “all those men are probably wondering what my hourly rate is …”
Karen laughed. “Well, you do look like a lady of the night. I still can’t believe you’re naked under that coat. Let me get a peek to make sure you’re not lying.” She playfully reached for the tightly-tied belt around Evie’s waist.
“I will kill you, Karen. I swear.”
“I was kidding,” Karen said. She leaned against the wall beside Evie and shoved her hands into her pockets. “Okay, let’s be serious ... What happened?”
Gazing into the night, Evie gathered her thoughts. “I told you … Yesterday, Jared invited me to his place for drinks. I was pretty excited because during the time we’ve been ... dating, I had never been invited to his home. I didn’t really think anything of it because I knew he had commitment issues. I knew I had to expect things to progress slowly with him, and I fully accepted that. Of course, based on the trajectory of our relationship so far, I assumed being invited over for drinks was just an excuse for sex.”
“Makes sense,” Karen said. “You said you two weren’t all that ‘serious.’”
“Yeah ... I mean, I assumed things weren’t ‘serious.’”
Karen sent Evie a look of disbelief. “What do you mean you ‘assumed?’ Isn’t that something you and Jared should have made clear by now?”
Lifting her shoulders and studying the tip of her toes peeking out through her strappy heels, Evie said, “He never said anything after we decided we were dating, and I never asked. I just felt like I had to move carefully with him.”
“Oh, god …,” Karen said. “For two adults, you two sure go about things childishly.”
Evie glared at Karen, but she couldn’t muster the energy to really be upset. Karen wasn’t entirely wrong. “I’m aware of that now, Karen, and I made things worse by acting even more like a child. I showed up at his place, dressed like this to seduce him, but his reaction wasn’t at all what I expected. I assumed he wanted to end things. The first thing I thought was, okay, he had reverted back to playboy mode, and he wanted a new girl-toy. I covered my hurt and dismay by telling him that I understood that he wanted to move on.”
Karen had turned to Evie, fully engrossed in her tale. “And?”
“And … it turned out that I was wrong. He didn’t want to end things. He said he wanted to ‘talk’ instead, to get to know me better because he wanted more out of our relationship.”
Karen’s brows lifted, then pulled together. Her bewildered expression turned to dismay. “The best thing happened tonight, and you screwed it up. How? What the hell did you do?”
“I panicked! I heard the words, and as they sunk in, I felt happiness along with disbelief. Then, doubt kicked in, and I had a flashback of my last relationship, and I freaked out. I pretty much told him that I didn’t want more, and that he was full of himself for thinking I did.
Karen’s disgusted expression intensified. “Come a little closer so I slap some sense into you.”
Evie took a step back. “You took an oath to do no harm, doc. Although, I want to slap myself right now. I can’t believe I reacted that way.” She let out a long breath and sagged against the wall. “Why would I do that?”
“Because you haven’t let go of your idiot ex, and you’ve allowed him to stand in the way of your new relationship. That’s why.”
Denial, like a thick wall was erected in Evie’s mind. “No,” she shook her head, vehemently. “I’m not hung up on James. How many times do I have to tell you that?”
“I didn’t say you were ‘hung up’ on him. But … You haven’t quite let him go because there was no closure. You do realize that you just up and left Los Angeles within days without really confronting him about what he did to you, right? I thought that was crazy. I wanted you to give that ass a piece of your mind, maybe throw a vase or two at his head, damage his testicles, something, but I kept my mouth shut. Mostly because I was happy as hell to have you back in Seattle, and I thought with the distance betw
een you and James, you’d move on, but I was wrong. I cannot, as your friend, stay silent and watch you ruin a relationship with a great guy because you’re still feeling insecure because you were cheated on.”
“What makes you think Jared is so ‘great?’”
Karen let out a humorless laugh. “Any man that would get you to agree to a one-night stand, followed by a hot and heavy affair, who gets you all out of sorts, and has you prancing around Seattle, naked under a coat, has to be one hell of a guy. He must have a magic dick because you, my friend, never behave like I’ve seen you behave for the last few months. You’ve been happy, and I like the Evelyn I’ve been seeing recently. Jared is like the perfect balance to your uptight nature.”
“I’m not ‘uptight.’”
“Girl, I’ve known you since we were kids. You’re damn ‘uptight,’ and he’s the only one that has gotten you to let your hair down and drop those tight-ass panties. Now, you are going to take out your phone, call him, and apologize.”
“I will do no such thing. You should have seen his face, Karen.” His shocked and hurt expression would haunt Evie for all eternity. “He hates me now. He won’t talk to me. I have an idea. How about you and I take a few weeks off from work and drive on up to Vancouver to visit your parents. I haven’t visited them since they moved. Since they practically raised me. I really should visit more often. It’ll be fun, and I won’t have to face Jared for a while.”
Folding her arms across her chest, Karen fixed Evie with a disappointed glare. “You’ve hit a new low, Evelyn Marie. An all-time low on the coward scale. I am disgusted.”
“It was worth a try. Ugh, I hate it when you’re right.” Taking a deep breath, she turned her phone over to stare at the screen. She could feel Karen staring at her every move. “What? Are you going to stand there and listen?”
“Damn straight. I want make sure you actually go through with this, and that you don’t say something to make things worse.”
“Gee, thanks mom,” she said. Evie’s heart was in her throat as the phone rang. It then plummeted to her stomach when there was no answer.
“Try again,” Karen said.
She did, twice more and was devastated each time the phone rang out. “He’s not answering,” she stated the obvious with defeat. Sad eyes met Karen’s. “Looks like I severely messed things up.”
“Don’t be too hasty. Maybe he just needs some time. Give him the rest of the night and talk to him tomorrow.”
Evie nodded. “Yes, I think he needs time.”
***
Evie gave Jared as much time as she could before she started to go crazy. One week, she thought miserably. He’d managed to avoid her for an entire week. The night after the incident, as she now referred to it, she thought she would see him, but he’d had his assistant email her documents, clearly letting Evie know it wasn’t necessary to go to his office. That was how the entire week went. There was a meeting that she was scheduled to attend the following week, so she would see how he would avoid her then.
Evie would bide her time, give Jared his space until he could no longer use his assistant and emails as a buffer. She shut down her laptop and rested her forehead on her desk. All week, she’d been miserable. First, from the guilt for hurting Jared’s feelings, and the fact that she missed him, was her undoing. It was hard to focus on work if she didn’t absolutely force herself to compartmentalize. Not to mention that Karen’s words constantly echoed in her mind. She needed closure where her last relationship was concerned. After thinking about it for days, Evie realized that she hadn't gone about things the right way with James. She’d run, like a coward instead of confronting the dirt bag, and she’d run carrying all of the emotional baggage that she should have left with James rather than bringing it all the way to Seattle and dumping it on Jared’s doorstep.
Letting out an aggravated growl, Evie jumped up. If she sat in her office any longer, she would start bouncing off the walls. Gathering her things, she marched out of the office. She was at her car, tossing her laptop bag and handbag unceremoniously into the passenger’s seat when she heard her father’s voice. Shocked, she wheeled around.
“Evelyn, goodness, I shouted your name at least three times.” Garrison approached her, huffing as if he’d been running.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was distracted.”
“Always have your mind on work, like your old man, huh?”
Nodding and forcing out a smile, she said, “Yes, ‘work.’” If only Garrison knew what or who she was actually thinking about. She’d avoided her father for so long, she’d forgotten that she had been fooling around with Jared behind his back for months. No, it became more than fooling around over time. She missed him so much, and there were times when she felt like her heart would explode if she didn’t hear from him.
Evie gazed at Garrison, confused. “Were we supposed to meet about something?”
Garrison frowned, his sharp blue eyes assessing her closely. “No. Is everything alright?”
“Uh …, of course. Just tired.”
He nodded. “Right, well, I hope you aren’t too tired to join me for dinner tomorrow.”
The jingle and thud of Evie’s car keys hitting the pavement was the only sound that was heard. Bending to swoop them up, she frowned. “Dinner? Where?” She couldn’t help staring at her father in awe. Perhaps not trying too hard, and pretty much ignoring his existence, was what it took for her to get his attention.
“My place. Tomorrow evening at six.”
A Saturday evening dinner with her father. Evie was stunned by the invitation but managed to accept. “Sure.”
“I’ll see you then.” Garrison nodded curtly and spun around. She watched his stiff, no nonsense gait until he disappeared inside the building.
“That was ... unexpected,” she whispered to herself.
Chapter Eighteen
Jared
His fingers drummed in a rapid staccato on the mantle of the old fireplace. It made him think of Evie. About how she would love a fireplace. He could tell by the way her place was decorated that she preferred cozy and rustic over modern. He scowled, annoyed with himself for thinking about her. Of course, he was in her childhood home, so thoughts of her were unavoidable. His eyes swept the large living room for signs of her ever dwelling in the place as a child even though he knew he would find none.
Jared didn’t know if there were ever any family pictures or if Garrison had gone out of his way to remove all evidence of his family. The man obviously had a few issues. More than a few because if it hadn’t been for Jared, there would be no dinner at Garrison’s house. He was the one who planted the idea of inviting Evie over for dinner. Now that he thought about it, it was a terrible idea. He should never have inserted himself in Evie and Garrison’s family drama. At the time, he’d had two ulterior motives: to see Evie, and to make her evening hell as payback for ripping his heart out and trampling it into the ground.
He’d gotten sick pleasure thinking about taunting Evie—as she would sit through dinner with both him and her father. Jared had even brought a friend along to add to his entertainment. He glanced at Chelsea who gave him a sweet smile—a very fake one. Jared let out a long, quiet breath. It was all a horrible idea. He was horrible. Everything had been orchestrated to make Evie miserable, but he no longer wanted to go through with his ludicrous plan. It occurred to him that although she’d hurt him, he didn’t really want to hurt her in return. Evie had done to him what he’d done to countless women. He should have sat back and taken the hand Karma dealt him.
Jared straightened, ready to get Chelsea, give Garrison an excuse for having to leave, and allow father and daughter to have their time alone. Although Garrison wouldn’t have invited his daughter over if Jared hadn’t suggested it. That made him scowl even more. Evie was amazing, and his friend, Garrison, was an idiot. Before he could make his escape, voices filtered in from the foyer. Jared froze as Evie’s voice reached his ears.
“Dad, hi ... Thanks again for i
nviting me over. This was unexpected.”
“Yes,” Garrison said. “I suppose you could say this makes up for the dinner that I had missed at your place.”
Unadulterated guilt swept through Jared. If Evie found out Garrison hadn’t miraculously come to his senses, and decided to make things right with her, and this entire dinner was due to Jared’s meddling, she was going to kill him. He stood still and waited for her to appear. When she did, his breath escaped in a whoosh. As always, she was flawless in one of the dresses she loved to wear that never failed to drive him crazy in the best way. Her eyes rounded at the sight of him and then clouded with confusion. Evie’s lips parted as if to say something, but nothing came out.
Jared wondered how long they would stare at each other before Chelsea intervened. He didn’t even remember her presence, until she appeared beside him, and Evie’s gaze shifted her with dismay. For a split-second her face crumbled, and her shoulders sagged, but she recovered so quickly. He was sure no one else saw her subtle reaction to Chelsea’s presence. Suddenly, the urge to rush out an explanation, to let Evie know he had nothing going on with this other woman, overwhelmed him. Ridiculous since Evie was the one to break things off—and very harshly at that.
“Now that Evelyn is here, we can eat,” Garrison said. “Evelyn you’re well acquainted with Jared, of course. The lovely young lady at his side is Chelsea his …” He glanced at Jared.
Before Jared could respond, Chelsea piped up. “His girlfriend.”
Evie’s eyes narrowed, as she delivered him the most withering glare he’d ever been on the receiving end of. He knew what she was thinking. It hadn’t even been two weeks, and it appeared that he’d already moved on so, obviously, he’d been seeing Chelsea the entire time he was with her. She thought she was right for comparing him with her ex, and he probably saw it in her eyes. Jared gritted his teeth and resisted reprimanding Chelsea. She knew damn well they weren’t in any kind of relationship. Of course, he had walked right into that one, contacting Chelsea just to be petty.