Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
EVE
T he screen glowing in front of me failed to hold my interest. I’d made decent progress with my translation tasks this morning before the odd situation from yesterday crept back into my mind. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, recalling the bizarre moment.
In fact, my life had been strange since I’d met Louise Montgomery-Whitaker. An image of the feisty redhead floated through my mind. I’d never met anyone so forward or confident. She moved through the world like a force, a complete contrast to me who slinked through it with an apology constantly ready.
I wasn’t certain why, but the world seemed to trample on me most times. I didn’t mind, it just made me keep to myself.
Louise hadn’t taken advantage of me, though. She’d been far too kind, actually. I twisted to glance at the bags still on my dining room table. I hadn’t unpacked them yet, still wondering if I should return them.
Louise would never let me do that, but I felt odd accepting such lavish gifts from a new friend. It wasn’t the strangest bit of the day, though. That had been when she’d asked me to go on a date with her husband.
I sensed reluctance on his part, but he’d played along. I wondered if it had only been for Louise’s sake.
To be honest, I was surprised they were divorcing. She’d said they’d married for legal purposes. My mind whirled at what that meant. I’d been too flabbergasted to ask what those reasons were, though I supposed they were none of my business.
Wait, I thought, my eyebrows furrowing, I was about to go on a date with this man. Maybe it was my business to know. What if they’d married because he’d committed a crime?
A million nightmare scenarios shot through my mind as I started to talk myself out of this dinner. I could be going out with a serial killer…or something equally as bad.
Why was Louise so insistent on marrying him off to someone before the ink was even…well…printed on her divorce papers?
My mind wandered to how close to divorcing they were. Was it already in the works or months away?
“Does it matter, Eve?” I asked aloud with a sigh as I typed a few more French words into the document.
I decided it didn’t. It felt odd to even hope for a good outcome in this situation. I couldn’t honestly believe I’d find love and eternal happiness dating another woman’s husband, no matter how okay she said she was with it.
This was trouble waiting to happen.
I pushed back from my desk and rose from my seat. I wandered into my tiny kitchen and filled my tea kettle, setting it on the stove and turning on the heat.
As I waited for it to boil, I snatched my phone from the charger and opened my text message string with Louise. My shaky fingers hovered over the virtual keyboard as I tried to figure out a way to tell her I wanted to cancel my date with her husband.
As I stared blankly at it, the scream of the kettle drew me away. I poured the steaming liquid into my mug and dunked a tea bag into it.
My phone chimed, and I scooped it from the marred dining table tucked against the wall on my way back to my desk.
I spotted Louise’s name on my lock screen, sending my heart into a frantic rhythm. I swallowed hard as I swiped into it. Morning, sugar. I’m on my way to your place with two iced coffees. Prepare your closet!
My pulse quickened as I remembered she was heading over to pick out an outfit for the date. “Looks like I’m not off the hook.”
As I waited for her to arrive, I tried to come up with a good way to tell her I preferred to cancel. “Louise,” I practiced, “I’m not certain this is a great idea.”
I rose and paced the floor, the warm mug clutched in my hands. “No, that’s not going to work. Louise, this is not a good idea.”
I tried to sound firm, but it didn’t work. Instead, I sounded uncertain and pleading.
With a sigh, I tried again. “This is a terrible idea.”
The knock at my door sent my heart into my throat and with a startled, deer-caught-in-headlights glance over my shoulder, I wondered if I could hide.
With a shake of my head, I set my mug down and squashed my fight-or-flight instincts as I crossed to the door and pulled it open.
“Hi!” Louise said with a giant grin.
“Hi, Lou,” I answered, motioning for her to come inside.
She sashayed through my door, lowering her chin to peer over her sunglasses. “Well, isn’t this cute.”
She twisted and thrust an iced coffee my way.
“Thanks,” I said as I accepted it and took a sip, its sweetness a sharp contrast to the bitter tea I’d been drinking.
She pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. “Which way to your closet?”
“Lou,” I said, my voice more hesitant than I hoped, “can we talk?”
Her eyes lit up as she plopped onto my couch and patted the cushion next to her. “Of course, darlin’. What do you want to talk about? Spencer? Ohhhhh…do you think he’s cute? I think he’s a doll. And those blue eyes…”
She grinned at me as I eased onto the seat next to her, setting my coffee down on the coffee table so the ice didn’t rattle around when my hands shook. “Lou…I…I really think this date might be a bad idea.”
The smile slid from her features, replaced with concern. “Why, sugar?”
“Well…Spencer…is married.”
She giggled. “Of course, he is. To me. And you have my blessing. I told you we’re getting divorced. And don’t worry, we’re not…involved or anything. There’s nothing untoward between us.”
I shifted in my seat, desperately trying to win this argument.
“Darlin’? Something wrong?”
“I just…you said you married for legal reasons?”
“Uh-huh,” she said before a sip of her coffee.
“Was there…a crime involved?”
Louise threw herself back against my throw pillows, slapping her thigh. After a moment, she wiped a tear from her eye. “Oh, I do like you. No. There was a snafu with my inheritance. My mama had control of everything, and she was just spending it all after she blew through what my daddy left her. I needed a closer next-of-kin. Spence and I are old friends. He agreed to help me out.”
I scrunched my eyebrows as I processed the information. At least neither of them had killed anyone or done something else horrible. “Oh.”
She leaned closer, rubbing my arm. “See? It’s just a simple matter. And after he did me that solid, I just…I want to make sure he’s happy. It’s my gift to him.”
I tried to force a smile, my gut reaction screaming to tell her I was the wrong person for the job.
“Now, where is your closet?”
“Oh, uh…” I licked my lips, still seeking a path away from this ridiculous gambit.
Louise clicked her tongue at me. “Please don’t tell me you’re still concerned. Now, I just know you and Spencer are going to have a great time. There’s nothing to worry about. I could tell just by looking at you two yesterday. Now, come on. We need to find the perfect outfit.”
I bobbed my head as I collected my coffee and rose. “Okay.”
Louise grinned at me, sliding her arm through mine. “Just trust your big sister, Lou-Lou. She’s got everything under control.”
The tension in my shoulders eased a little, though I didn’t know why. I still didn’t trust this plan, but Louise had this way of setting people around her at ease.
I led her into my tiny bedroom and tugged open the closet door before I tugged the chain to toggle on the bare light bulb that lit the tiny space.
Louise edged me out, hovering in the door as she quickly sorted through the few clothing items I had. She twisted to face me. “Where’s the rest?”
“Uhh…” I began.
Her expression went blank. “That’s it? Well, this just won’t do.”
“I’m sure I have something that’ll work.” I skirted around her, sipping the iced coffee nervously.
I tugged a white blouse with a few frills from inside and wiggled it. “This is nice. With some black pants and a pair of flats–”
She ripped it from my hands, her features unimpressed, before stuffing it back into the closet.
“Oh, I could wear the dress you bought me for lunch yesterday.” I poked my finger at the dress I’d hung on the back of my door so it wouldn’t get wrinkled in my tiny closet.
“Eve, be serious. He’s seen you in that.”
“Okay, the pink one, although, I was seriously considering returning that. It’s too extravagant of a gift,” I answered.
Louise huffed out a breath. “Darlin’, that dress is for the beach date, not this one. Spencer is taking you to the club. Now, you’ve just got to have a nice cocktail dress for that.”
“Oh, I have just the thing,” I said with a smile. I dug into my closet and pulled out a simple black dress. I’d worn it to a funeral once, and since black was now acceptable at weddings, I could wear it there, too.
With a grin, I held the dress up to my body and looked expectantly at Louise.
She arched an eyebrow. “No.”
I winced. “Well, this may have to do. I’m not sure I have anything else fancier. I–”
“Don’t worry,” Louise said, grabbing me by the arm and tugging me toward my living room. “I have it under control.”
“What do you mean?”
Louise let go of me just outside of the bedroom door before she pranced to the front door and yanked it open. She motioned to someone outside to enter.
My forehead creased as a woman paraded in with a rack filled with dresses, shoe boxes on the rack under them, and other accessories on the top.
“What is this?” I asked.
“The selection of dresses for your dinner date, silly.” Louise offered me a teasing grin as she swung the door shut. “I figured you’d want to stay in and shop since you’re not a shopper.”
“Louise, I can’t…accept this.”
“Of course, you can,” she said with a dismissive wave. “And you need it. Now, I’m also thinking that we should plan ahead. Lynette, did you bring any evening gowns? There’s an event coming up mid-summer that we’ll need…”
“Ahh,” I said, interrupting her and pulling her away from the attendant, “Louise, I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves here.”
“I don’t think so. I just know you two are going to hit it off. Now, let’s get trying. We’ll start with the cocktail dresses first. Lynette, what do you have for us?”
“Well, Mrs. Montgomery-Whitaker, I pulled several in the styles and colors you mentioned.” The woman squeezed together a set of a dozen hangars. “We’ll start here.”
I tried to protest again, but it seemed futile to do so. Instead, I marched into the bedroom with the haul of dresses and Lynette to assist me.
After a few minutes, I had the first one on: a rose-pink number with lace overlays and velvet insets. The price tag made my head spin, and I knew I had to find a way out of this—even though a glance in the mirror had me swooning.
Lynette sent me out the door to Louise, who tapped her lips with a finger. “Well, that’s pretty. And it compliments your skin, too. Okay, next one.”
“This one is pretty expen–” I began.
“Oh, hush, darlin’, the cost isn’t an issue. Now, get in there and try the next one.”
We spent the next forty-five minutes gushing over dress details and comparing and contrasting each one. For me, nothing held a candle to the rose pink outside of a gold one that came in at a close second.
“Well, I think the pink is just the best one, but that gold is really pretty,” Louise said. “We’ll take both.”
“No!” I shouted helplessly as Lynette bobbed her head and returned to my bedroom. “No, Lou, we won’t take both. I don’t even think it’s appropriate for me to take the one, but not two.”
“You need a back-up. What if there’s a second date at the club or a similar venue?”
I clicked my tongue. “We’re getting pretty far ahead of ourselves here.”
“We’re not,” she warned with a wag of her finger. “Now, let’s work on evening gowns. Lynette? Evening gowns next, then we’ll pick shoes and handbags.”
My mind spun as overwhelm crushed down around me. “Louise, I cannot keep accepting these gifts from you.”
“You won’t. After you marry Spencer, you can buy your dresses.” She offered me a teasing grin.
My shoulders slumped. “Now, you’re really getting ahead of yourself. I’m really not the type of woman men fall madly in love with.”
“Darlin’, I am not going to listen to any more of this negative talk. Now, get in there and get those evening gowns on.” She swatted me on the rear with a wink.
Louise’s strong personality coupled with my backward one was a recipe for me to do whatever she said.
It took another hour to go through all the options Lynette brought from the dress shop.
As I waddled out in the last tight number, I ran my hands over my hips. “This one is a little–”
“Eye-popping. My goodness, Spencer’s tongue is going to roll out of his mouth.”
“Louise, no, it’s too much. I feel…exposed.” I pressed a hand over my cleavage.
She laughed as she pulled my hand away. “That’s the idea, sugar. Lynette, this is a keeper.”
“No, what about that plain black one.”
“This one,” Louise said, pointing to it. “Now, we’ll move on to shoes and–”
My door popped open before it slammed shut, drawing both of our attention to it. Heat washed over me as I spotted my sister, Audrey.
Her eyes traveled up and down my form before her lips curled with disdain. “What in the world are you doing?”
Outgoing Louise didn’t miss a beat. With a broad grin, she stuck her hand out toward my sister. “Hi, I’m Louise. I’m Eve’s new bestie. We’re just trying on a few dresses to round out her wardrobe.”
The pinch of Audrey’s features as she ran a hand through her dark hair had me bracing myself for what she’d say. I skirted around Louise, an apologetic smile on my face. “We’re just…playing around.”
“Yeah, because the last I checked you couldn’t afford something like that.”
“Of course, she can. She’s dating–” I whipped around, pressing a hand over Louise’s lips.
Audrey scoffed as she tossed her purse on the table next to my boutique bag. “Eve’s dating someone?”
Louise’s features turned stony as she set a hand on her hip. “Yes, she is.”
“And she needs to dress like a tramp to do it?”
Heat rose in my cheeks as I wrapped my hands around my waist, suddenly wanting to be out of the dress.
“Why, you little–”
“It’s okay, it’s fine. She has a point,” I interrupted before things could erupt into a full-blown fight.
I crossed back to Louise, who grabbed my hands and leaned closer to whisper, “Keep this one, darlin’, you look like a class act.”
I forced a smile on my face before hurrying into my bedroom. A glance in the mirror sent mixed feelings through me. The dress wasn’t unbecoming; it showed off the figure I’d never realized I’d had.
With a shake of my head, I let Lynette unzip it and slipped it off, returning to my leggings and t-shirt. I hurried out to make sure World War III hadn’t started in my living room.
I found both women in a tense silence with Louise drumming her fingers against her forearm as she stared at my sister.
“Lynette, leave the evening gown and a few pairs of shoes and purses. We’ll return the ones we don’t want,” Louise said before she grabbed her purse and crossed to me, pulling me in a tight embrace. “I’ll let you visit with your sister, we’ll talk soon.”
I said goodbye to her as Lynette dragged the items she wasn’t leaving with me from my apartment. Louise waved and winked at me before she pulled the door closed behind her.
“What was that about?” Audrey asked.
“Sorry, Louise is a little overwhelming.”
“I’ll say. When did you two become best friends?”
“Want some tea?” I asked as I filled the kettle, needing something to distract me.
My sister settled at my tiny table, her fingers drumming against it. “I want some answers.”
“To?”
“Who this Louise is, when she became your self-proclaimed bestie, and who in the world you are dating that you need an evening gown that looks like it’ll take you a year to pay off.”
“Louise is a little overzealous at times, but she means well,” I explained. “And…I’m not dating anyone.”
I waved a dismissive hand in the air as I set the kettle on to boil and busied myself with readying the mugs.
“She said you were dating someone. Last I checked, you weren’t seeing anyone. Aren’t you unlucky in love?”
I slid my eyes sideways, reminded of how true that statement was as I changed the subject. “Exactly. So, how are things with Steve, speaking of love?”
“Don’t ask. We broke up.”
“Oh,” I said as the tea kettle screamed and I grabbed it to pour our tea. The memory of my own disastrous date with Steve, which ended with an awkward goodbye and an unreturned call still felt too fresh. I wasn’t just unlucky in love, I was practically jinxed.
The last man I’d dated had dumped me for my sister. “I’m sorry, sis.”
She lifted a shoulder, a smirk on her face. “He’ll be back.”
I settled at the table across from her. “You sound pretty certain.”
“I am,” she said, her sultry dark eyes settling on me. We couldn’t be more different despite being sisters. Outside of our dark hair and eyes, we were nothing alike. I’d never been able to pull off the sexy look my sister achieved with ease.
And she reminded me at every turn that men preferred her to me. I’d always just been the little sister tagging along.
“Well, that’s good, then.”
“I still want to know who you’re dating.”
“No one,” I assured her as I stared in my tea. “It’s nothing. Louise wanted to set me up on a date. But like you said, I’m unlucky in love. It’ll never work.”
“Probably for the best. You’ve never been good with men.”
The conversation turned to Audrey’s latest argument with Steve and their anticipated reunion, but my mind was stuck on my upcoming date. My sister was right. I was almost certainly walking into heartache.