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“Does it also pay for school?”
“It’s going to take longer now,” Eve admitted. She finished the last of her wine and set her mug down with aclink.“Thank you for checking up on me. If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late for my appointment.”
Lauren caught her wrist.
Eve heaved an impatient sigh.“What?”
“Do you love him?”
Yes.
“I don’t know.” Eve stared at the floor.
“I call BS. Give him a chance. You don’t owe it to him, Evie; you owe it to yourself. Before you throw it all away, see if something is still worth salvaging.”
She couldn’t believe what her friend was saying.“You are the one who told me to avoid—”
“I know what I said. It’s too late now. You’re miserable. Clearly, you’ve already fallen for the guy. And if he’s trying so hard and refusing to give up, maybe you’ve got your Prince Charming with the fairy-tale ending, after all.” Lauren’s blue gaze was steady.“How long ago did his wife dump him?”
Eve blinked. She hadn’t thought of it as Adam getting dumped.“Seven years ago.”
Lauren’s eyes widened.“That long ago? And he hasn’t seen her since?”
“I don’t know if he has.”
Lauren squeezed Eve’s hand.“Don’t you think you should find out exactly what he wants to do?”
Adam had said things about papers and a divorce. But she’d just come apart and had been too deep in her own head to hear him.
Eve didn’t look up.“I’m already really late.”
Lauren was silent for a beat.“Yeah. I’m done lecturing. Come here.” She held out her arms and gave Eve a tight hug.“Now, you go onto work. I’ll wash these mugs and lock the door behind me.”
Chapter 23
Eve
Eve dropped her clutch in the entry and made a beeline for the bathroom, kicking off her stilettos before she even slammed the door behind her.
She made quick work of the hidden zipper along the side of her dress, then tossed the sparkly garment to the floor, grimacing at the throbbing pain in her feet from being in spiked heels all evening.
Trudging to the shower, she turned on the water, adjusting the temperature to extra hot.
She quickly removed the thigh-high stockings, then the panties. They’d been the last clean black ones, and she’d been in such a hurry, she’d put them on without even looking.
She stared at the fleur-de-lis fine lace dangling from her fingertips.
“I brought you something.”
“What did you bring this time?”
That slow, seductive smile. “Open it.”
She took the gold box, lifted the lid, and parted the delicate white tissue.“Ah, how nice. You bought yourself gifts.”
That deep, low chuckle. “I guess I did. I hadn’t thought of it that way.” He came to stand behind her and swept away her hair to press his warm lips to her neck.
She shivered under his mouth. “They’re black.”