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Lake leaned up against the door jam and smiled at Matt.
“You look like Evie, so I’m guessing you’re her brother?” Matt asked.
“That would be me. The one she loves and hates at the same time!” he chuckled.
“I have a feeling that is something she is good at,” Matt mused as he turned in the direction Evie disappeared. “So, are you guys Jewish or not?”
“Can they be talking about religion?” Brian asked Tom.
“Lake’s not a candidate,” replied Tom as he shrugged his shoulders.
“Let’s just say we both belong to the tribe of Ephraim.”
Lake let that comment sit for a while as he looked at Matt to see if Matt processed what had just been said. While Lake was in court, he had his office manager run a background check on Matt and came up with some very interesting information.
By the look on Matt’s face, the light bulb went on. Matt sat down hard on a chair that was luckily right behind him.
“Get out!” Matt uttered in disbelief. “No way! But I totally see it… now!”
Lake gathered his belongings from Brian’s office and then shook hands with Brian and Tom. He then looked at Matt, who still sat looking stunned. “Be careful with my sister's heart. She has four other brothers… two who will beat you to a pulp if you hurt her.”
“Tom, if we survive this show and end up doing another, you’re getting your own office!” Brian uttered as Lake walked himself out of the tented building.
While walking to his car, Lake took out his phone and tapped on his mom’s name. Then he shut the phone off and said aloud, “I’ll wait until this thing with Evie is over before I begin my new journey.”
Chapter 10
Evie stretched her body awake on her bed as her eyes stayed shut. The night before was emotionally exhausting. She lay quietly listening for any sounds of her two remaining roommates.
Evie recollected the previous night's events as she once again stood in front of Matt as he had only one invitation left in his hand. She stood with Fran, Zoe, Sarah, Bonnie, and Crystal. She could sense his internal struggle as he looked at each woman and then rested his gaze on her. He told her he would send her home, but after their eyes locked upon each other, she knew he wouldn’t do it.
To be honest with herself, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go home… not yet.
She was drawn to him… in a way she had never been drawn to anyone before. She hadn’t really dated in high school, mainly because she was all elbows and knees and had a hard time thinking she was attractive while standing next to her sister Saylor.
It wasn’t until her freshman year at BYU that she realized guys on campus were looking at her despite standing next to her sister. Her self-confidence soared and she rarely had a weekend that she didn’t go out. She even had enough confidence to apply to be a contestant as the Woodlake Rodeo Queen between her freshman and sophomore years at BYU.
She won, but COVID shut everything down, so she didn’t get to do anything as Rodeo Queen, but the Lions Club did give her a belt buckle, sash, and an amazing brand-new saddle with her name etched in the leather. Her parents also purchased a cowboy hat with a crown. Eventually, she got to take some professional pictures, but she never did get to ride in her hometown rodeo.
Evie stretched one more time and then got up. She padded her way to the bathroom, ran her fingers through her hair and put it up in a messy bun, and then walked back to her suitcase. She put on a pair of shorts and a simple puffy short-sleeved blouse and then headed downstairs.
Her stomach was growling once again. She was going to ask for some kind of plasticware so she could store food in between meals. Callie motioned for her to sit next to her, so she piled the food on her plate and then sat next to Callie.
“How was your night?” Callie asked. “I barely got to see you yesterday.”
“It was a very long day,” Evie sighed.
“To be honest, I thought you were able to get out of your contract until Baylor told me you were invited to have dinner with him. When Devanee and Fran returned from dinner with pouts on their faces, I overheard them tell Neveah that he asked you for a one-on-one. When Matt didn’t hand you an invitation right away, I was sure he was going to send you home.”
“So did I,” Evie giggled.
“Do you know why he didn’t?”
Evie shook her head. “I don’t know why, but I don’t have $100,000 to pay the fine if I do leave, so until he releases me, I’m here.”
“If you really do want to go home, you could make it so he doesn’t like you,” Callie suggested.
“I thought I did,” Evie squinted her face. “I yelled at him last night?”
