Alyssa’s face flared red. Over the course of the past few weeks, Evelyn had been invading her mind more often. To the point Alyssa thought of her when she woke up, or grabbed a coffee, or lunch. It didn’t seem to matter the time of day. Evelyn Crawford was never far from Alyssa’s mind.
“Shit,” she hissed.
“Stop fretting. It’s not the end of the world to like someone, Al. Look, you know I have respected your choices regarding relationships and all that jazz, but I’d be a shitty friend if I didn’t give it to you straight.”
Well, this sounds ominous.
“The shelter isn’t going anywhere, Alyssa. You have a crack team of people behind you, all willing to put in the hard work. I think we’ve all proven how valuable we are. I totally understood your aversion to relationships when you first got Four Paws up and running. There was a lot to do, and you needed to focus. But the thing is, you don’t need to focus that hard anymore.”
“This place is my home, Lil,” Alyssa argued.
“Of course it is, and no one is saying otherwise. But the truth is you could, if you wanted to, dedicate some of your fierce focus on a woman. Obviously, the right lady has never come along, but I think that’s changed. Evelyn likes you, that’s plain to see, and you like her. Refusing to do anything about it is just stubbornness on your part. But it’s your choice.”
“Christ, tell me how you really feel, Lil,” Alyssa groaned. She was feeling pissy because her friend was right.
“I always will. Now, will you stop moping and help me get this finance shite out of the way so I can go home?”
“Who’s collecting the dogs?”
“You are. Get the pack and talk to Evelyn whilst you’re there.”
“Ricky, what are you doing here?” It was almost half five, and Alyssa had just arrived to collect the dogs.
“I’m taking the dogs back. Lil called me earlier, asked if I could stop by. Said you would drop the van off and she’d give me a lift into work tomorrow.”
Lil, you conniving so and so!
“Oh, my mistake. I thought I was taking them back.” Lil had set her up knowing full well that without the excuse of getting the dogs, Alyssa wouldnothave come to Crawford’s today.
“No worries. I’ll get them loaded. You okay getting home?”
Lil hadn’t thought it through at all. How was Alyssa supposed to get home? Well, she could take Ricky’s car, she supposed. Oh, hang on a minute, Alyssa understood now. Lil expected her to talk to Evelyn with the hope that more would happen and that she would either go back to Evelyn’s or ask her for a lift home. Neither one was going to happen.
“I’ll drive your car back if that’s cool. You get everyone ready and I’ll meet you back there. Don’t worry about Bug, I’ll bring him with me.”
“Roger Dodger! See you later, Al.”
Alyssa waited for Ricky to leave. She needed a moment to gather herself. Even though she had no intention of going anywhere with Evelyn tonight, she wanted to clear the airbetween them. When Evelyn found out Alyssa was not with Lil, she acted a little oddly. Alyssa couldn’t quite put her finger on it. However, the fact Alyssa felt Evelyn was avoiding her was enough to warrant a discussion. They were becoming fast friends, and no matter how Alyssa’s feeling evolved, she didn’t want to lose that friendship.
As usual, the top floor was quiet when Alyssa arrived. Only a couple of employees lingered, but they were chatting amongst themselves, too busy discussing EastEnders to take notice of her.
Evelyn’s raised voice echoed through the door to her office. “Daniel, I don’t care. I have no time to plan a bloody Christmas event. It should have been done months ago.”
Alyssa stopped and listened.
“Dad might have always organised it, but he isn’t here and this is the first I’m hearing about it.”
Alyssa could make out the garbled noise coming from the other end of the phone.
“Whatever, Daniel, I’ll sort it out. Goodbye.” The sound of a phone being slammed into its cradle signalled the call’s end.
“Hey,” Alyssa called quietly. Approaching Evelyn cautiously. The CEO looked wired, maybe a little manic.
“Alyssa,” Evelyn barked, causing her to jump. “Sorry, didn’t see you there. Have we got an appointment?”
The hot poker of disappointment jabbed Alyssa in her gut. They’d never needed an appointment before.
“No, sorry, I just came to grab Bug.” Not a lie. Yes, she hoped they could chat, but this clearly wasn’t the time. Evelyn’s face visibly dropped, which confused Alyssa. Was Evelyn upset she was taking Bug, or because Alyssa hadn’t come up to see her specifically? Blimey, all this falling for someone was ridiculous and complicated.
