Chapter 9 Eva
My eyes are glued to the door.
It’s just after ten, and I texted Aston last night confirming the time to meet. I kept it formal, reminding myself who I was dealing with. His response was an infuriating thumbs-up.
A group of tourists comes in, and I smile politely before welcoming them. After they take a seat, Chloe, who covers the weekend shifts, takes their order, and a few more customers enter.
Time passes, and so does my ability to accept Aston’s poor behavior. I recheck my phone an hour after our meet time, only to see no missed calls or messages. The decent thing to do would be to send me a message to tell me he couldn’t make it.
My fingers tap against the screen, typing out exactly what I think of him and his disregard for my time, but then I delete it. I’m too angry to get my words out without calling him the biggest jerk to ever exist .
The café becomes busier in the lead-up to lunchtime, forcing me to help Chloe. Billie came in earlier to bake but left before we opened. We have enough fresh donuts to last us the whole day, but given the sudden rain carrying over from yesterday, it’s a lot quieter than our usual Sunday crowd.
I head into the kitchen to call Maddy, but I play it cool like I’m not about to rip her brother’s head off. The last thing Maddy needs is more stress on her plate.
The call lasts all of two minutes. Maddy left early this morning to head into the city for some important meeting with her cast. Apparently, one of the leads broke her leg skiing, and the understudy is freaking out. She promises to be back tomorrow morning and informs me Aston is at home.
It’s all I need to hear.
“Chloe, I need to take care of something.” I grab my keys and phone. “I’ll be back in an hour.”
My tire was fixed late yesterday afternoon, thankfully, since buses barely run in Cinnamon Springs.
Burt, the town mechanic, told me he saw it in the parking lot.
He replaced the tire, then drove it to my apartment.
I tried to pay him, but he refused to accept my money and told me he’ll gladly accept a lemon sprinkled donut the next time he grabs coffee.
It’s a twenty-minute drive to Maddy’s parents’ house, and I manage to work myself up even more in that twenty minutes. By the time I arrive at the front of the house, I’ve already memorized precisely what I’m going to say to him.
The front door is unlocked, so without hesitating, I enter the house and close the door behind me. It’s quiet inside the foyer with no signs of anyone home.
Aston’s room is two doors down from Maddy’s old room. Of course I remember it, along with the bathroom, where I accidentally saw him get out of the shower.
With every step closer, Aston’s voice becomes louder. I stand at his door, watching him with my arms crossed. He is pacing the room while running his hands through his hair in frustration, dressed in what appear to be yesterday’s clothes. If I’m being honest, he looks like he hasn’t slept.
The moment he notices me, he rubs the back of his neck, tension radiating from him. He gives me a terse warning that his call will take a while, but I’m not about to leave. So, I stay by the door, listening as a group of men argue over the speaker, their voices a chaotic mix of frustration and ego.
“Gentlemen, please,” he commands while pinching the bridge of his nose. “Let’s focus on the next step rather than this back-and-forth. I’ll get my team on it today, and we’ll see what our rights are before we make the next move.”
“Beaumont, there is a lot riding on this,” a man warns.
“Yes, John. I’m acutely aware.”
The conversation continues for another few minutes before Aston puts his foot down and tells everyone he’s hanging up.
As soon as it ends, I raise my arms in frustration. “Have you heard of text messages? You know, like… sorry, I can’t make it ?”
“Sorry, I couldn’t make it” is all he says.
“I sat there for over an hour waiting for you. You don’t think I have better things to do? God, you’re such a jerk.”
“This is business, Everleigh,” he bellows while resting his hands on his desk with his head down. “Not some frivolous party to be planned.”
“Oh, so sorry. Yes, of course, the billionaire has business to do. You don’t think my time is as important, right? I also run a business, Aston. I may not be a billionaire, but it’s my livelihood and the livelihood of my employees.”
Aston’s back is toward me. He doesn’t say a word as I stand in complete silence.
My eyes scan the room, noticing it hasn’t changed one bit.
Once, Maddy made us sneak in here to steal some money from him so we could go to the movies.
I remember the moment so vividly, the way I stood frozen with my breath caught in my throat from the fear of being caught.
His phone begins to ring, and the thought of him answering another call while our conversation remains unfinished is enough to make me exhale loudly.
“Madelina,” he answers in a tired voice, placing the call on speaker.
“Is everything okay?” she asks, worried. “I had to rush to the city, but I heard you on the phone all night.”
“Yes,” Aston replies, looking directly at me. “Everleigh is at the house, and we are just about to sit down to discuss some details.”
“Thank God. I’ll be back tomorrow. See you guys then.”
The call ends, but our argument hasn’t.
Aston turns his back to me again, this time staring out the window. If I thought he was rude before, I obviously haven’t seen just how much of a jerk he can be.
“I’m giving you one more chance,” I warn him. “You either want to do this for your sister, or you don’t.”
“You make it sound so easy,” he says in a low voice.
I place my hands on my hips. “I’m sorry spending time with me is such a drag. Do you really hate me this much ? This is all for Maddy!”
Slowly, he turns around to stare into my eyes. His gaze is penetrating, so much so that I desperately want to spin away, but his pull is much stronger than I care to admit. A fluttery, empty feeling sits in the pit of my stomach.
His eyes look almost as if they’ve turned dark as he whispers, “Everleigh, you have no idea what I would do for my sister.”
Every time he says my name, my chest pounds uncontrollably, leaving me breathless.
And now, I have no idea what to think or how to feel.
“I… I think we should—”
“I need to shower,” he interrupts, then begins unbuttoning his shirt.
Is he for real right now?
I let out a huff. “We aren’t finished talking.”
“I’m more than happy to carry the conversation into the shower.” He observes my reaction, and his smug expression is annoying as hell. “I mean, this is important, is it not?”
“I don’t get you, Aston. One minute I think I can work with you, and the next, you remind me why men are assholes.”
“Jerk,” he corrects me with a serious expression. “I believe you called me a jerk. And by the way, I’d like to add that your so-called theory is incorrect. I can prove it if you’d like to join me in the shower.”
I shake my head in confusion. “Wait, what theory?”
“Guys who drive Porsches have small dicks,” he states smugly. “I’m more than happy to prove just how wrong you are.”
My eyes widen in disbelief, and at the same time, my cheeks burn with mixed rage and embarrassment.
“We’re done,” I tell him. “I have a wedding to plan, and it’s obvious you get off on making my life hell.
Goodbye, Aston.” I storm out of the room, rushing down the stairs with a desperate need to lock myself in my car.
The moment my driver’s-side door closes, I let out the breath I’ve been holding in.
He will be the death of me.
Despite my animosity toward him, I can’t ignore the fact my mind pictured exactly how he would look inside that shower.
My hand grips the steering wheel tight as if it holds some magic power to make this all go away the tighter I squeeze.
But nothing, I mean nothing, will erase my wandering thoughts.
My imagination has betrayed me, along with my body, but the rest of me refuses to let him win. Whatever game he’s playing, I’m going to beat him to the finish line. Make his life just as miserable as he enjoys making mine.
I glance out the window to the house’s first floor, where his room is located.
“Game on, Beaumont,” I whisper with a grin. “Payback is going to be sweet.”