Evie
Evie
E vie sat at her desk, rethinking everything that had happened to her in the last twenty-four hours. How could she have foolishly agreed to Rod’s plan to tell Nova that they were dating? She was an idiot, that’s how. All she wanted to do was call a redo of the whole day, but that wasn’t possible unless she suddenly found a time machine.
She had spent half her day in HR, filling out their paperwork, and the other half of the day trying to avoid Nova. It sucked that she was going to have to either avoid or lie to her best friend, but what choice did she have? None because Rod left her with no choice and that just plain pissed her off. Now, she was just waiting for the time to tick away so that she could go home and rethink the past twenty-four hours.
“There you are,” Nova said. She walked into Evie’s office and sat down in one of the two extra chairs. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. How was your first day?” she asked.
“Oh—you know how first days go,” Evie said. “I spent most of my day in HR, filling out their mountain of paperwork.”
Nova giggled, “Yeah, Alex had me throw out their handbook because he told me that he planned on breaking most of their rules with me, and we did. I’m betting Rod will have the same take on HR’s rules.”
“Not really,” Evie said. “I mean, we’re keeping things under wraps. You and Alex are the only ones who know and we’re hoping to keep things that way. This thing between us is so new, I don’t want it to mess up our work relationship. We’ve agreed to keep work and our personal lives separate.” Evie thought back over every word she just said and tried to count up the lies she had just told her best friend. After she got rid of Nova, she was going to march down into Rod’s office and punch him in the nuts for putting her through all of this.
“Well, I can keep a secret,” Nova promised. “And I’m sure that Alex will be willing to do so too. But sooner or later, people are going to find out,” Nova said. Evie wasn’t betting on that happening. Before anyone else could find out about her and Rod’s supposed relationship, she planned on staging a breakup. It was the only way to end this crazy ruse without too much collateral damage.
“You all right?” Nova asked.
“Of course I am, why?” Evie countered.
“Because you look angry,” Nova said.
“Oh, I’m just exhausted,” Evie covered. “I think that I’m coming down with one of my migraines,” she lied. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to find Rod and let him know that I’m going to head home a little early.” She stood and gathered her things, not waiting for Nova to answer her.
Nova pulled her in for a quick hug, “Feel better,” she said. “I’ll call you later to check on how you’re doing.”
“Thanks,” Evie said. She knew exactly how she’d be doing though—she’d still be pissed at her new boss for putting her in this position, and she had a feeling that nothing would change that—well, except maybe a break-up.
Nova searched most of the top floor for Rod and finally found him in the employee breakroom having a coffee. She plopped down next to him on the sofa and sighed. “What’s up?” he asked her.
“I didn’t picture you as a break room kind of guy, Rod,” she said. “I’ve looked everywhere for you.”
“Well, you found me,” he said. “So, what’s up?”
“I’m leaving early,” she said. “I have a headache.”
“Do you need for me to drive you back to your place?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “I just need to get out of here before Nova finds me again and asks me questions that I can only answer by lying to her.”
“Shit,” Rod growled. “What happened?”
“My best friend is so happy for us, she had to let me know. How do I respond to her questions? How do I look her dead in the eyes and lie to her? I hate the position that you put me in, Rod,” she insisted.
“Hey, I didn’t come up with the plan for the two of us to go on a blind date together. That was all Nova’s doing. She’s the one who pushed us together and honestly, if we have to lie to her to keep the peace around here, I say that falls on her shoulders, not mine.” A part of her knew that Rod was right, it still sucked that she had to lie to Nova, and blaming him was easy since he was the one who came up with the plan.
“I just don’t think that I can stick with plan A anymore,” she said. “What’s plan B?” she asked.
“Hell, Evie,” he said, “I don’t have a plan B. I barely had a plan A. I’m winging it here,” he said.
“Great, so we’re both screwed,” she mumbled.
“How about you go out to dinner with me and we can talk about all of this—maybe even come up with a new plan,” he offered.
“No,” she quickly said. “Going out to dinner with you is how we ended up here in the first place. Besides, I already have dinner plans,” she said. She had planned to have dinner with one of her old college friends tonight. Evie was supposed to meet Tyler at six at the same place she and Rod had dinner, and she had to admit, she was looking forward to seeing him.
“You have a date?” he asked.
She wouldn’t call it a date, but there was no way she’d let Rod off the hook that easily. She liked the way her “date” made him squirm a bit. “Yes,” she lied. “I have a date.”
“Well, you rebounded quickly from your whole stance on dating,” he accused.
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“It means, that when you and I went out just three days ago, you told me that you weren’t interested in dating. It was the one thing we had in common,” he said.
“I wouldn’t say it like that,” she said. “We had other things in common, Rod.”
“Not the point, honey,” he said. “You said that you didn’t want to date because you were going to concentrate on your job search,” he reminded. She did say that.
“Sure, but now I have a job,” she said. “So, problem solved, and I have a date,” she lied again.
Rod stood and took his coffee mug over to the sink, rinsed it out, and put it into the dishwasher. “Doesn’t matter to me, really,” he lied. She could tell that her having a date was pissing him off, for some reason, and she took some sick satisfaction in knowing that. “I’m just saying that you move fast for a woman who didn’t want a date just days ago.”
Evie stood, “While I’d love to stick around and discuss how fast I am with you, Rod, I do have to get home. I’ll need to take some medication for my intensifying headache, and then get ready for my date. I’ll see you in the morning,” she said. She walked out of the breakroom before he could say anything else to her. She knew that Rod would argue with her until she confessed that her dinner plans weren’t a date, and that was the last thing that she wanted to do. Let him believe what he wanted to about her—she really didn’t care anymore.
Tyler met Evie at the restaurant, and she had to admit—seeing his smiling face standing at the front entrance was a welcome sight. “Hey, you,” he said, pulling her in for a hug.
“I’ve missed your hugs,” she breathed against his neck. “You smell good too.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I borrowed some of Doug’s cologne. I love smelling like my man when I’m not with him. It makes me want to hurry home to him.”
“You know, Doug could have joined us tonight,” she offered.
“Not on your life,” Tyler said. “He said that when the two of us get together, we cackle like hens and while he loves both of us, it’s annoying.” She giggled, knowing that was true. They were kind of awful when they were together. “He sends his love though.”
“Well, send it right back to him when you get home tonight,” she said. “I miss him. I think the last time the three of us were together was your wedding.” It was a beautiful wedding, and she was lucky enough to be Tyler’s “Best woman” for the ceremony. She loved being a part of his special day, but now that her two very best friends were married, she longed for something she never thought she wanted. Watching first Tyler, and then Nova, tie the knot with the person of their dreams made her want the same. She’d just need to find the person first and her dating track record wasn’t the best.
They walked into the restaurant and were quickly seated in the back corner, adjacent to where she and Rod sat just days earlier. Seeing their table made her feel the same butterflies that she had when she met him there for their “date.”
“You all right?” Tyler asked as if picking up on her mood change.
“Yeah,” she said. “I was just here on a date a few days ago and well, we sat there,” she said, nodding to the table across the aisle.
“I take it that the date didn’t go very well, judging by your sour expression,” Tyler said.
“It wasn’t that bad,” she insisted. “I mean, it did end with me getting a pretty great job out of it,” she said.
“You got a new job?” he asked. “That’s great. It’s been a few months now, right.”
“Yes,” she said. “I was beginning to worry, honestly, but then, I went out with Rod and he offered me a paralegal position. I couldn’t say no.”
“So, you didn’t say no to the job, but what about the guy?” Tyler asked.
“Well, that’s a complicated story,” she said.
“I’m yours for the whole night, Evie,” he assured.
“Nova set us up,” she said. “Rod is her new husband’s younger brother. He works at Alex’s firm, and you know how pushy Nova is, right?” She asked.
“Um, yeah,” he said. “Nova’s the reason why I have a sexy ass husband waiting for me at home.” She knew that Nova had set up Tyler and Doug. She had just selectively chosen to forget that part when Nova was insisting that she go out with Rod McTavish.
“We went out last Friday and he admitted that he wasn’t doing a whole lot of dating right now because he’s concentrating on building his career at Alex’s firm. I told him that I wasn’t really interested in dating either, you know because I was job hunting. He’d heard what I did to help Nova and Alex get Jack back, and he offered me a job on the spot.”
“So, you gave up the chance of dating the hunky McTavish brother for a job?” he asked.
“I didn’t give up anything,” she insisted. “Rod made it very clear that he wasn’t interested in dating anyone right now, and I wasn’t about to sit there and spill my guts, telling him that I’m looking for Mr. Right.”
“You’re still looking for him then?” Tyler asked.
“Yeah,” she admitted. “I mean, things definitely slowed down while I was searching for a job, but I’m still looking for the right man. I’ll just have to find someone who can get past my little problem.”
Tyler grabbed her hand from across the table and held it under his own. “Evie, being a virgin isn’t a problem. And if it turns out to be a problem for your date, then, he’s not your Mr. Right.”
“I know that, Tyler,” she admitted. “I’m just worried that I’ll never find a man who thinks that me being a virgin is a good thing.” Tyler’s eyes looked at something behind her and when she heard a man clear his throat, letting her know that they weren’t alone, she wanted to hide under the table.
“Please tell me that Rod isn’t standing behind me,” she mock whispered to Tyler.
“Well, the guy behind you looks a lot like Alex McTavish, but I don’t want to make assumptions,” Tyler said.
“Hi,” Rod said, stepping from behind her. She groaned and sunk into her seat as low as she could go, trying to avoid making eye contact with Rod. She was sure that he had overheard what she had just said about being a virgin to Tyler. The question now was would she be able to live through the humiliation and come back from it?
“I’m Rod McTavish,” he said. She could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment as he held his hand out to Tyler. “Sorry to interrupt your date.”
“I’m Tyler Anderson, one of Evie’s best friends from college. She, Nova, and I go way back. And this isn’t a date-date,” he said. “My husband doesn’t allow me to date,” he teased.
“I see,” Rod said. She could feel him staring her down. “Sorry, I was made to believe that Evie had a date tonight,” he said. “I guess that I was mistaken.”
“It’s good to finally meet you, Rod,” Tyler said. “We ran into each other at Alex and Nova’s wedding, but I didn’t get the chance to introduce myself that night. It was a beautiful affair though.” Evie agreed, Nova’s wedding was gorgeous. It was held in Alex’s house, in the ballroom that his grandfather had thrown so many beautiful parties in. Her best friend’s wedding had a certain old-world charm, and even though she hadn’t met Rod at the affair, she had noticed him. He had shown up stag and every woman in the place had their eye on him.
“Yes,” Rod agreed, “that was quite a night. And I got a fantastic new sister from it. Nova is really good for my brother, even if she is a bit pushy with her new brother-in-law.”
Tyler laughed, “You have no idea how pushy Nova can be when she wants something. If she wants the two of you together, she’ll find a way to make it happen. Might as well just reside yourselves to being together now.”
Evie groaned again. “Now, you’re just trying to piss me off, Tyler,” she said. “You see, I didn’t get to the point where Rod lied to Nova and told her that I not only work for him now, but we’re also together.”
Tyler gasped, “You didn’t,” he said.
“Oh, he did,” Evie hummed. “Now, I have to lie to Nova and pretend to be in a relationship with him,” she said, pointing to Rod.
“Him has a name and feelings,” Rod insisted. “Besides, pretending to be involved with you is no picnic, honey.”
“Perfect,” she said. “I say we count this as our first official spat, it’s just a shame that Nova isn’t here to witness it. How about we save the rest for when we’re at the office tomorrow and really give her the full effect.”
“Is that your plan?” Tyler asked. “To pretend to break up so that Nova will leave you alone?”
“Pretty much,” Rod said.
“That’s as far as we’ve gotten with plan A,” Evie said.
“Honestly, this is a shit storm and Nova will see right through it, Evie,” Tyler said. “She knows you better than anyone and she’ll see right through this little ruse” Evie knew that he was right. If Nova thought that she was lying about being with Rod, she’d call her on her shit, and then, neither of them would ever hear the end of it.
She looked over at Rod who was staring her down. “Why are you even here, Rod?” she asked. “Are you following me?”
“What? No,” Rod said. “I came here to get a bite to eat. I had no idea that you’d bring Tyler to the same place that we had our first date.”
“For your information, Tyler was the one who suggested this place and that was our only date, Rodrick. Saying that it was our first implies that there will be a second, and there won’t be.”
Tyler smirked over at her, Rod sitting next to him with the same look on his handsome face, and she wanted to slap both of them. “You two are asses,” she said. “I’m not going to sit here and let you both make fun of me.”
“How are we making fun of you?” Tyler asked.
“I can see it in your eyes, you’re laughing at me,” Evie insisted. “And I don’t have to sit here and take it. I’ll see you in the morning,” she said to Rod. “And I’ll see you at our Saturday game night. Remember, don’t tell Nova anything about our plan,” she reminded.
“Jesus, Evie,” Tyler said. “You know I hate keeping secrets. I wish the two of you never told me any of this. And you can’t show up at my house alone, Nova will know that something’s up. If he’s not with you for our couple’s game night, she’ll wonder why.”
“I always show up alone to them,” Evie reminded.
“Right, but now, Nova believes that you have a partner to bring. She’ll wonder why he’s not there,” Tyler insisted.
“He’s right,” Rod agreed.
“We’ll just have to break up before Saturday then,” she said. “Game night is the one time a month that I look forward to going out. I won’t have to worry about lying to my friend on my favorite night of the month.”
“First, that’s kind of sad,” Rod said. “And second, we can’t break up in less than a week of being together. Nova will know that we’re lying.” It sounded to her that no matter what they did, Nova would figure out that they were lying, and with no end in sight, and no plan B, Evie worried that there wouldn’t be any way out of this.
“I can’t do this right now,” she breathed. “I’m sorry to leave before we eat, but I just need to go home Tyler,” she said. “Raincheck?”
“Of course,” he agreed. “I’ll grab some take-out and bring some home to Doug. He loves this place.” Tyler stood and pulled her in for a hug, “Talk soon,” he promised.
“Absolutely,” she agreed, turning back to Rod. “Good night, Rod,” she coldly said. He nodded and she turned to leave. She should have stuck with her original plan and just gone home early with a headache but canceling on Tyler wasn’t something she wanted to do. Now, she really did have a headache and all she wanted to do was take some pain reliever and slip into her comfy bed. Tomorrow would come soon enough and then; she’d have to deal with Rod all over again.