My desk phone rings and snaps me away from the text. Recognizing the number, I pick it up quickly and hope it’s the answer I need to turn this big disaster around.
An hour later, I’ve completely forgotten about Rex’s text. I find myself engulfed in work and too stressed over my deadline to think straight when someone knocks on my door. I look up, but they don’t enter, so I go back to typing an email and ignore it. A second later, the knock sounds again.
“Come in,” I yell.
“Well, hello to you, too,” Eva says as she strolls into my office.
I smile as I stand and quickly stride toward her. “What the hell are you doing here?” I ask, having not seen her since her wedding four months earlier.
She smiles at me, and I can’t help but notice how she’s glowing. Marriage looks good on her.
“Got a visit from an old friend stopping through town,” she says as she hugs me back. “Asked me if I was too busy to take a trip with him down south. I figured I’ve never seen New Orleans, and it’s been too long since I’ve seen your beautiful face, so why not.”
She backs away, and I grin. She’s a much-needed distraction from everything happening in my life these last few weeks.
“It’s good to see you,” she smiles.
“Damn it, woman. It’s good to see you, too.” I motion to the chair in front of my desk. “How was Europe? How was Italy? Shit, how is it being married?”
She laughs, “Oh, it has its ups and downs. But luckily, after the downs comes delicious makeup sex, so I can’t complain.”
I smile, my heart warms seeing her so happy. There was a time she fought too hard against things she couldn’t control, and always needed to call the shots. It’s good she found someone like Noah to balance her out and bring her back to reality. You can’t always control life. Sometimes, you have to enjoy the ride. If only I could make myself believe that when it comes to Rex.
“It’s good to see you so happy, Eva.”
“I can’t take all the credit,” she says. “A lot of this smile belongs to Noah.”
I grin knowingly.
“So,” she starts. “Rex said I just had to get down here and see what you were up to.” My heart rate spikes. “What are you up to, Gwen?”
My face blushes, and I know I’m caught. “I don’t know what you mean,” I stutter, swiveling in my chair and trying to dodge the question by going back to my email.
“Bullshit,” Eva laughs. “Come on. Please save me from having Rex tell me all the juicy details. You know how he likes to tell stories.”
Rolling my eyes, I glance back at her and smile. “Well, what has he said?”
“I knew it,” she shouts. “I told Noah, and he was like, ‘There is no way.’ But I called this one!”
I laugh at her but still try and fake innocence. “Called what?”
“Oh shut it, Gwen,” Eva demands, pointing a finger at me. “Rex had this silly ass smirk on his face, and now you look like you’re on cloud nine and have been fucked thoroughly and often. Neither of you will pick up the damn phone, and when you do, you are vague. What is going on?”
I laugh. With a shrug, I say, “To be honest, I don’t know. But whatever it is, words can’t describe it.”
A more factual statement has never been spoken.
I don’t know how to describe what is happening between Rex and me. Is it just a quick flame off an old spark that would eventually die out? Or has it been simmering on low all this time and will only grow bigger the more we explore its heat?
Eva cocks her head to one side. “Are you okay? Because I will willingly kick his ass. I don’t care how far back our family goes.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “I’m fully capable of kicking Rex’s ass if I need to.”
“Are either of you ever going to tell me your secret?” she asks, shocking me a little.
I swallow hard and look at the wall to my left. Now is not the time. Only after Rex and I have cleared the air between us first. And maybe not even then. I still haven’t told Rex I was pregnant with his baby ten years ago, or the events that followed me finding out. If anyone is going to hear about it first, it’s going to be him.
“One day,” I say, looking back with a sad smile. She smiles a weary one at me as a head pokes around the corner into my office.
