Evie’s phone buzzed in her pocket yet again. She didn’t have to look to know it was Cameron, although she took it out and glanced at it on the off chance that it wasn’t.
“Is that him?” Ashanti nodded toward the phone.
“Yes,” Evie said with a sigh.
“Tell him to shove his phone up his raggedy ass,” Ridley said.
Evie read the text. “He says we need to talk.”
“Is he honestly trying to get back together with you?” Ashanti asked.
“He knows that isn’t a possibility,” Evie said. “I think he’s more concerned about the practice.”
“Maybe you should talk to him, just to hear what excuse he tries to give you,” Ashanti suggested.
“The fuck she should!” Ridley said. “Let his ass rot in the men’s section at Nordstrom where he belongs.”
Evie and Ashanti looked at each other and simultaneously rolled their eyes. They’d both known how Ridley would react, and she hadn’t disappointed.
“No, I know what you should do,” Ridley continued. “You should find the finest man in New Orleans and fuck him in front of Cameron.”
“No!” Ashanti and Evie screamed at the same time.
“Why not?” Ridley asked.
“Jumping in bed with some random stranger is the last thing I need right now,” Evie said.
Unbidden, Bryson’s face popped into her mind, but shequickly pushed the image away. He may not have been a random stranger, but he held the second to last spot on her list of potential candidates for a one-night stand, right above Cameron.
“I think it’s best I take a break from dating for a bit,” Evie said. “Jumping into another relationship so soon doesn’t seem like a smart move.”
“Who said anything about a relationship?” Ridley asked. “I said you should find someone to fuck, not marry.”
Evie massaged her right temple. “It’s late for you, Rid. We should let you go.”
“Late? Girl, please. I’ll be here until midnight,” she answered. “Keep me up-to-date on that fool’s shenanigans. Make him get on his knees and beg you to take him back, then kick him in the teeth.”
“It’s a wonder you’ve never been arrested,” Evie said.
“She was that one time, remember?” Ashanti said.
“It was Mardi Gras!” Ridley defended. “Who hasn’t been arrested during Mardi Gras?”
Ashanti and Evie both raised their hands and burst out laughing. This was why she loved these two. Even when her life was a shit show, she could always count on them to lift her spirits.
“I’ll call tomorrow with an update,” Evie said.
“I will be expecting one,” Ridley told her.
“You’re still coming back to the States next week, aren’t you?” Ashanti asked. “I want to make sure you’re back for the grand opening of The PX now that it’s finally happening. Dom has been great with building buzz for it. Thad and Von are gearing up for a full house.”
Ridley’s entire demeanor changed, and Evie had no doubt it was because Ashanti had brought up Von Montgomery.
Von and Ashanti’s new boyfriend, Thaddeus Sims, had served in the military together. Last year they retired and moved to New Orleans to open a sports bar geared toward active-duty military and veterans. They’d had a soft opening for their bar, The PX, late last year, but a bunch of setbacks had delayed the grand opening of the entire complex.
It was after that soft opening that Ridley had gotten weird whenever Von’s name was mentioned. Ashanti was convinced the two had hooked up, even though neither Von nor Ridley had owned up to it. Soon after, out of the blue, Ridley took this assignment at her company’s London office.
Evie never thought she’d see the day when a man sent Ridley King running clear across the ocean, but it was obvious that’s what had happened.
