“That’s what it sounded like to me. ‘I have a more successful career. I have the accolades. I have Evie.’ As if I’m just an item on a scorecard you’ve been keeping.”
A nerve ticked in his jaw. “You know that’s not the case.”
“So you’re not in competition with Cameron? Explain it to me, Bryson.”
“Look, you wouldn’t understand.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t?”
“No, Ev, you wouldn’t! How would you understand what it’s like to have to deal with people like Cameron day after day when youarea person like Cameron?”
“Excuse me? Didn’t you just tell me last night that I’mnotlike the people who were at my parents’ party?”
“It’s what I told myself.” He shook his head and huffed out a humorless laugh. “But we both know it isn’t true. Goout and ask the average unemployed person on the street if they can just decide not to look for a new job because they’d rather work on a little pet project in order to feel better about themselves. People who are not like you and Cameron have to work for a living. We don’t get to just play at it when the mood hits us.”
The anguish that struck her was sharp and debilitating, rendering her momentarily speechless. She had to swallow several times before she could speak.
“You can leave,” she told him. “Now.”
Bryson’s eyes slid closed. He brought his hand behind his head and kneaded the back of his neck.
“Ev.”
“I don’t want to hear anything else you have to say, Bryson. You convinced yourself a long time ago that we could never be together because we’re from two different worlds, and you were not going to stop until you proved it. Congratulations. You proved it.”
“Evie.”
She pointed to the back door. “Just go.”
He stared at her, his eyes a storm of hurt, despair, and disbelief. But he didn’t say anything. He went over to where Bella and Waffles sniffed at a pile of leaves, scooped his dog into his arms, and walked right past her.
Evie wrapped her arms around her middle and pulled her trembling bottom lip between her teeth. The pain in the back of her throat made it difficult to swallow, but the pain in her chest made it difficult to breathe.
Where was the numbness? She needed the numbness now!
“No.” She shook her head.
She was not going through this again. She would notspend the next two days spiraling, watching breakup scenes from her favorite rom-coms on the couch while the rest of the world passed her by. She had a gala to produce.
Two hours later, Evie sat on Ridley’s sofa, cradling a glass of wine and massaging Waffles’s back with her bare toes. Ashanti sat on the floor with Duchess, feeding her blueberries from the carton she’d brought with her.
Ridley came in from the kitchen, carrying a mug. “The dogs have their own room. Why are they not in it?” she asked.
“Because Waffles really likes your rug,” Evie said. “He keeps rubbing his belly against it.”
Ridley pointed at Waffles. “Don’t get fresh with my rug, dog. I just had it cleaned.”
She sat on the other side of the sofa and brought her mug to her lips.
“Are you drinking tea again?” Evie asked.
“I like it.” She shrugged as she took a sip. She nodded at Evie. “So, the fine basketball player from LSU turned out to be just a man like all the rest of them, huh?”
“I guess he did,” Evie said, a fresh stab of misery piercing her chest. “Surprised the hell out of me.” She kneaded her left temple with her thumb and forefinger, still working to overcome the shock of what happened today. “I really thought Bryson was different.”
Ashanti raised her hand. “Uh, I know I don’t have to point out that it’s not all men.”
“You are not about to ‘not all men’ her,” Ridley said.
