Page 5 of Second Chance Saloon

“Don’t worry. It’ll be out of there today.”

He recognized Eve’s voice straight away. Only an hour earlier, it had been the sweetest melody in the world, but now the sound felt like an injection of liquid nitrogen straight into his heart.

“Caroline, can you give us a moment?” Eve asked.

Caroline touched Mitch’s forearm. “Are you okay to talk to her?”

“I’ll be fine. Thanks, Caroline,” he replied.

Caroline squeezed his forearm and then her click-clacking heels walked away.

“Mitch,” Eve said, her voice sorrowful. “I’m sorry.”

Anger bubbled in the pit of his stomach. “You’re sorry?’ He turned to look at her, his chest heaving. “You’re sorry? What the fuck, Eve?”

A mask of weird stoic calm descended over her face. She perched herself up on the bar stool next to him, the swish of her white satin dress driving a knife deeper into his heart with every flicker of movement.

“How could you?” Mitch croaked, fighting to keep furious tears at bay.

Eve took a deep breath. “I’ve been sleeping with Lionel for over six months now. It’s … It just happened, when we were on tour.”

“Six months!” He blinked, taking in her smudged make-up and messed-up hair.

She was meant to be the last woman he was ever going to kiss. They were meant to fall asleep in each other’s arms until the end of time, take turns getting up at night when they had children, and most of all, they were meant to be there for each other. Always. Now it seemed like all those hopeful plans had been one-sided.

Eve bit her lip and swallowed, but didn’t say anything.

He must’ve been the dumbest of dumb idiots, as he hadn’t suspected anything.

“What is he even doing here?” Mitch distinctively remembered that Lionel wasn’t invited. Eve insisted on keeping her professional and private lives separate—what a fucking irony that was now.

She remained quiet.

“Answer me, damn it. I think I deserve at least that much.”

“He came to tell me he loves me. He asked me not to marry you, to leave and be with him.”

“And is that why you made a complete fool out of me? Because you love him too?”

His chest constricted, every word a needle piercing his lungs. If she said “yes”, it’d hurt him even more. An additional epic insult poked into his already brutally broken heart. But at least if it was about love, maybe he could somehow rationalize what had happened. Maybe he could even understand.

Stop it. There’s no excuse for what she did. Get a grip.

“That was the last time. I broke things off with him. He completely misunderstood our arrangement.” Eve paused. “I don’t love him.”

Mitch let out a distorted laugh. “Wow. I mean … Wow.” He shook his head, placing both palms on top of the mahogany bar. “I don’t even know what to say.”

Except that he did, but none of the adjectives he had were ones he’d ever call a woman, even in this situation. He wouldn’t lower himself to that.

Eve shrugged. She fucking shrugged, and Mitch wanted to scream. While his life, their carefully planned future, had fallen apart, she didn’t seem bothered.

“You don’t have to say anything. I know I screwed up and that it’s over between us,” she said.

He snorted, again. That was an understatement. She’d carelessly doused his heart in gasoline and thrown a lit match without looking back.

“But don’t act like it’s all my fault. I tried; I really did. You never fully let me in.”

Confusion washed through him, like someone had tipped a cold bucket of water over his head. “What are you talking about?”