CHAPTER SIX
Evelyn.
.
.
I shot Daphne a glare, grabbing the tomatoes from the fridge and setting them down on the chopping board. “Wow. I had no clue that was all it took. Why couldn't I possibly think about this before?”
She giggled, grabbing some onions to slice as well. We worked based on muscle memory, and our sync in the kitchen was almost God given. “Sarcasm isn't your thing Ev.” She smirked. “And I'm just saying. You're always cooped up in here, or nose deep in work. When was the last time you actually went out with someone…you know, like that?”
I started cutting the tomatoes aggressively, but was still careful enough not to chop my fingers. “Getting a boyfriend isn't easy business, Daphne. It's not like I can just walk into a store and tell the manager, hi, I'm looking for a boyfriend. Can I buy one off you?”
Daphne giggled again, and let out a dramatic sigh. “You're such a handful.” She murmured.
“Exactly! I don't have the capacity for a ‘man’ right now.” I made sure to do airquotes around the word ‘man’.
“Well, maybe. But you could still try something. Go on one of those dating apps. Go out more, maybe the club, or even the park.” She started again, and I groaned inwardly. “You can even make a move on Liam.”
My aggressive chopping faltered, and the knife slipped, almost slicing my finger. “Liam? Are you fucking crazy? He's my boss. Do you have any idea how many codes I would be breaking if I tried that? Besides, he's..welll…him.” And not ‘him’ in a good way. But of course, Daphne always had to see the good side.
“Of course he's him. Who else would he be? A rich, handsome CEO who looks like he stepped right out of a Wattpad novel.” She grinned, raising her eyebrows teasingly. “Come on Ev, you have a front row seat to breeding all that hotness every single day.” She grabbed my arm, and acted as though we were a couple, walking the runway.
I rolled my eyes so hard I was surprised they didn't fall into my head. “You’re saying this because you have no idea what it's like to work for him. And trust me, he's not some dreamy male lead out of a fancy romance novel. He's cold, ruthless, intimidating, and
….almost impossible to understand.” I returned to chopping the tomatoes. “You know, I'm pretty sure he hated me most days.” I muttered, finishing up the last one.
Daphne tossed the onions into the pan she had already preheated with oil, and hopped onto the counter. “Who knows,” she shrugged. “Maybe he's just waiting for you to make the first move.”
I scoffed, dropping the chopping board into the sink. “Yeah right. After I grow wings and learn to fly.”
She grinned. “Never say never Ev. Who knows…” she said dramatically.
“Daphne, I've had a pretty long day. You and your boyfriend that you already have, should leave me out of this.” I said lowly. My head was beginning to ache from all the pressure.
Daphne raised her hands in surrender. “Fine fine. I'll stop. But mark my words Evelyn, one day, you'll thank me for giving you the best advice ever.” She said giggling mischievously again.
“In a thousand years maybe.” I murmured as she left the kitchen.
“I heard that!” She yelled.
I shook my head and focused on making the spaghetti. The last thing I needed was Daphne putting ideas about Liam into my head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Guess what?
That's exactly what happened.
Later that night, after the most delicious dinner I had in a while, I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling as Daphne's words came to mind again.
Make a move on Liam?
Ridiculous.
He had enough women at his beck and call already.
But I couldn't stop thinking about his icy stare earlier today. There was something about his tone that just didn't sit right with me.
What did he think I knew?
Suddenly, my phone vibrated on the nightstand, jolting me out of my thoughts. I got up, grabbed it, and saw a text message from Avery.
“We need to talk. Tomorrow. I'll send address.”
I frowned, staring at the message, but refrained from texting her back. Her behavior had started to worry me. What was wrong? I felt like I was caught up in something huge that I didn't know about, and it was eating me up inside.
I dropped my phone on the nightstand, turned off the lights and pulled the covers over my head. I tried desperately not to think about it.
But sleep didn't come as easily as I'd have wanted.
The next morning, I got up early, had a light breakfast, avoided yet another boyfriend based argument with Daphne, and headed to work. The only thing I wanted today was to be productive, and if possible, avoid any weird moments with Liam.
It was already weird enough as it was.
I got to the office, where Gina sat, looking….gloomy.
That was odd.
“Hey. Gigi, what's up? You look like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” I joked, dropping my laptop and handbag beside my desk.
A small sniffle made me pause my movements, and I glanced up at Gina. “Hey hey hey…” I said softly, cradling her into my arms. “What happened Gigi?”
She sniffled a bit more. “My boyfriend broke up with me. I don't even know what I did wrong.” She said, fresh tears sliding down her cheeks.
“There there. You'll be fine.” I said, trying to soothe her.
But what did I even know about being heartbroken?
I hadn't dated a guy since….forever. I only knew so much. I exhaled, cradling Gina until she calmed down. Her eyes were still red and puffy, but she was able to get herself together and start work for the day.
I focused on mine, going through emails, meeting schedules, follow-ups from clients, and a few requests for appointments with Liam. But one email, dated to….last night, made me pause in my perusal.
Subject: Regarding Last Month's Event.
I checked the sender, and my heart jumped into my throat.
It was from Liam.
Last month's event? What event? I didn't attend any event with him… what did he mean?
Why did this man always have me on edge? My mind was a myriad of emotions as I tried to figure out what went wrong.
I sucked in a breath and opened the mail. I expected to see a long list of complaints, but it was short and concise.
“Evelyn, clear out your schedule for this morning. Meet me at the conference room by 10. We need to discuss the aftermath of last month's event. Bring all related files.”
-Liam.
Shit.
What aftermath could he be talking about? Avery had given me every single note she took at the wedding last month, and I had gone over them time and time again. Everything looked perfectly normal to me, or so I thought.
I glanced at the clock at the far end of the office.
8:30.
An hour and thirty minutes for me
to gather my thoughts and not explode into a nervous wreck. Totally doable right?
Not when it's Liam.