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Chapter8
Eva
I'm miserable.
It's a rainy Saturday afternoon, and I'm curled up on the sofa watching Casa Blanca for the gazillionth time. At least I'm not alone. Monty is curled up in my lap, purring like a steam engine. I still remember the scrawny little kitten we brought home seven years ago. Mum and I rescued him when he was six weeks old. His owners had cut off his whiskers, and he had cat flu and an eye infection. I dread to think what would've happened to him had we left him in the squalor we found him in.
I'm so glad to have him. He's a great source of comfort right now because I know I'm wallowing. I can't stop thinking about Max. About that kiss and the bombshell he dropped on me. He's the owner of Sutherland's, for God's sake. The big cheese. Top dog. Big gun. All the synonyms. And I'm Eva, the sales assistant who wants to be so much more. Don't get me wrong, I'm damned proud of how far I've come. I just wish someone would see my potential because Gerald sure as shit doesn't.
Max does,my wayward mind whispers.
Does he, though? Can I believe anything that came out of his mouth, or was it all part of his plan to charm information from me?
"What do you think, Monty?" I ask, stroking his silky fur.
Monty yawns and lifts his leg to clean his arsehole.
I sigh. "Right. Thanks for the advice."
My phone pings next to me on the sofa, and I grab it to see a text message from my friend, Maddie.
Maddie:Grace and I are staging an intervention.
Me:An intervention? What do you mean?
Maddie:We haven't seen you for weeks. You know all work and no play makes Eva a dull girl. Answer your door.
Me:What do you me—
The loud knocking at the front door halts my thumbs on the keypad. Monty skedaddles from my lap as I stand and head down the hallway. My jaw drops as I throw open the door to see my two best friends on my doorstep. "What ...? How ...?"
Maddie pushes past me and turns to face me with a grin. Her long blonde hair is piled in a messy bun on her head, and her blue eyes sparkle with mischief. "Grace has a rare weekend off, and Jacob is spending some daddy-daughter time with Kaitlyn, so we decided an impulsive girl's night in was long overdue."
"But ... I ..." I shake my head and try to swallow the lump in my throat. Seeing my girls so unexpectedly unravels me, and I burst into tears.
"Oh, love! What's happened?" Grace croons, gathering me into a warm hug.
Her soft words of comfort make me cry harder. God, I love these two women! It's as if they knew I needed them today.
"It's okay, sweet pea. We're here now, and we've brought shitloads of wine, pizza, and chocolate. Well, lemonade for Maddie." Grace grins, glancing at Maddie's baby bump.
Maddie is six months pregnant with her second child, a boy. Her daughter, Kaitlyn, is almost four and can't wait to meet her baby brother.
"Come on. Let's grab some plates, and you can tell us all about it," Maddie says, heading for the kitchen.
Five minutes later, we're all sitting in the living room with three open pizza boxes on the coffee table.
"So, spill, Super Starling," Maddie says, drawing her feet beneath her in the chair.
I smile at the nickname Maddie gave me when we met five years ago. She was one of the nurses Mum and I saw regularly at the hospital when Mum was having chemo. Maddie was an amazing support to me when Mum was poorly, always there with a friendly smile, a box of tissues, and a hug. After Mum died, we stayed in touch, and Maddie even came to the funeral. She later introduced me to Grace, who lived with Maddie and her husband, Jacob, for a while when she had nowhere else to go. Since then, our friendship has grown, and we've all become close.
I take a deep breath and blurt, "I think I'm falling for my boss."
"Oh, shit," Grace mumbles around a mouthful of pizza.
Both women know about my Mum's relationship with her boss and his lack of interest in keeping me when she told him she was pregnant.
"Only I didn't know he was my boss when I was falling for him. I tried to keep him at arm's length. You know I have my rule about not dating co-workers."
