I grit my teeth. Why is he doing this to me? “Zach, let’s be real. Once I’m CEO, I won’t have any capacity for a relationship.” Especially not the kind that a woman like Eva deserves.
Zach shrugs. “Well, okay. If you’re convinced you can get through this havoc without hurting Eva or getting hurt, then go for it.” Zach glances at his watch. “I’ve gotta go now, there is Robert waiting for me. Catch you another time, okay? Send me a text when you’re ready to go over my final draft for Richmond and Green.”
My eyes zoom in on the clock on my table.
Is it this late? “Sure, just go. I also have to hurry up. I invited Eva to come over to my place this afternoon. I have to call her and see if she can actually make it.”
“To your fortress? Wow, okay, if this is not a sign that…” Zach shoots a mocking smirk at me. “I won’t comment. Bye.”
“Bye,” I echo and press the red button to end our call.
Zach’s coy smile is still in front of my eyes as I bend to collect the papers. I’ve proposed that Eva come to my house because she asked about where I live.
Not because…because I want….or do I?
I arrange the sheets in a neat pile and lift them back to the table. I raise my eyes to the ceiling.
Zach knows that I have never taken any girl into my apartment in New York. Nor to my condo in San Sebastian, in fact. Mostly because the women I usually see are flings. There is no point in them seeing where I live, since they aren’t going to stay in my life for good.
Eva won’t either. This sudden thought stings more than I care to admit.
My eyes glaze over as I recall her charcoal glance. Last night they were acting upon me like a vortex. If her grandmother had only appeared a second later, my body would have surely responded to Eva’s magnetic power and claimed her lips, no matter what. And at some point I’ll need to do that. If we’re to move to the next phase, one that surpasses the limits of friendship, I’ll have to kiss her soon. Maybe today.
My heart gives a thump out of rhythm, and I swallow hard.
What is it with me? It’s not like I don’t want to kiss her. Or that I haven’t fantasized about it a few times. Or perhaps constantly since we parted last night. Then what’s my problem? That Zach might be right about my feelings for her?
I squeeze my hands into fists and inhale deeply.
Fine, this is the point where I’ll stop evaluating each minute, fleeting sensation that ripples through me. So what if I like Eva…a bit? As long as I’m not falling in love with her, I’m safe.
And that won’t happen. I’m not the falling-in-love type. And not even a special woman like Eva can change one’s nature.
I pull out the Richmond and Green file from the pile. I’ll just read its first twenty pages and then I’ll recommence my efforts with calling Eva. I start to read the draft Zach has set up, and this time my mind is centered on the content like a laser beam.
I don’t stop to ask if it’s the reward of hearing Eva’s voice after I’m done that motivates me this much. I just roll with it and enjoy being able to work again like I used to before setting foot in the Desert Rose.
Chapter 20
(Eva - Day 5)
The pile of bills that Abuelita collects below the ceramic cookie jar on the kitchen counter has grown slightly taller since last week. It doesn’t matter, though. Soon I’ll get my next paycheck and those insidious little papers will vanish…only to reappear a few weeks later. But that’s just life, right?
“Are you ready to go? Where is Nathan taking you?” Abuelita’s voice jars me out of my thoughts.
She stands at the entrance of our orange painted kitchen leaning on her stick. Her polka-dotted gown and freshly curled hair suggests she plans to see me off personally and get another glimpse at Nathan.
I smooth down the fit and flare blue-jersey dress I picked for myself. It has a smocked bodice and off-shoulder neckline. I bought it when I got my first job in Silver Hills—almost four years ago—and it has been my favorite ever since. Thanks to its good fabric, it washes well and the print hasn’t faded.
“Nathan invited me to his house.” Abuelita’s brows draw together, and I add immediately, “Just to check out his place. He apparently has a climbing wall at home. But don’t worry, I won’t stay long. I have to work tonight.”
My grandmother eyes me from head to toe, then smiles. “You look lovely, my dear. I’m sure your suitor will like it too.”
I cringe inwardly at her old-fashioned choice of word. It gives me the impression that I’m some kind of prize that he’s supposed to obtain by courtship, even if I know Abuelita didn’t mean it like that.
“Aren’t you upset that I’m going over to his place?” I ask.
Abuelita shakes her head. “Why would I be? Nathan is a fine gentleman, Eva. You’ll be safe with him.”
Safe? The yearning I felt when I stared into Nathan’s grey eyes the second before my grandmother burst out of the house in her nightgown last night comes to mind. Safe might not be the best word to describe how Nathan makes me feel.
I swallow to get rid of the memory. “How can you be sure Nathan is a true gentleman? You just met him yesterday.”
Which wasn’t even supposed to happen. I hadn’t planned on any official introduction, but my sneaky grandmother had double-crossed me by waiting up for me. After surprising us, she gathered as many facts about Nathan and his family as she could in a five minute conversation. Then once we came inside, she began her real interrogation with me.
Weirdly enough, everything I’ve told
