chapter 10

The morning sun seeped between tinted car windows as Shawn smoothly stopped the vehicle outside Wadsley's Jewels. Eva wriggled in her seat, brushing a strand of hair back behind her ear as she readied herself to exit.

"You really don't have to do this each day," Eva said, her voice low, but insistent. "I can manage myself with my car."

Shawn leaned on the steering wheel, his eyes softening to hers. "I like doing it. Seeing you start your day like this makes mine better."

Eva rolled her eyes, but the rising heat in her cheeks told otherwise. "I am being serious, Shawn. This isn't necessary."

He leaned over and gently took her hand. "Consider it my way of spending a few extra moments with you."

Eva's color deepened further and she fiddled with the strap of her handbag. "You're impossible," she muttered, unable to hide her smile.

He grinned. "And you're adorable when you blush."

Eva huffed, feigning offense, but her lips curving upwards. "Fine, suit yourself. But don't let it interfere with your work."

"Trust me, Mrs. Darlington, my schedule revolves around you," Shawn said, his tone teasing

Her heart skittered and she tugged her hand loose, climbed out of the car and tried to conceal her reddening face. "Fine. But don't make it a habit," she called back over her shoulder in the sternest tone she could manage.

“See you in the evening.” He called behind her.

She walked into the dazzling glass office of Wadsley's Jewels with a fresh spring in her shoulders. Her bubbly personality thus equipped her to mow down morning, as she was faced with a pile of papers and compiled an inventory of priorities for the day. The chores were incredibly going so well until Samantha marched in just before noon, carrying her cloak of deception discreetly above the cutting edge of her reason.

"Lunch?" Samantha asked, much too casual, holding up two take-out bags.

Eva hesitated for the barest of seconds before nodding. "Sure, why not? I could use a break

Samantha set the food out on Eva's desk and sat down across from her, unwrapping a sandwich with deliberate slowness. "You seem. happier today," she said conversationally.

Eva opened the container of her salad and shrugged. "I guess. Shawn's been really sweet lately. Hard not to feel good with someone like that around."

Samantha took a mouthful and chewed thoughtfully. "Sweet, huh? That's new with you. I clearly remember you saying he'd never win the 'Boyfriend of the Year' award."

Eva laughed lightly, trying to steer the subject of conversation. "I guess I underestimated him."

"Guess so." Samantha leaned back, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "Speaking of underestimating, remember that time we crashed that gala just to meet the CEO of Verity Designs? What was his name again?"

Eva froze half a second, fork poised in midair. Racking her brain, she went through anything Ava might have mentioned about said incident. "Uh. Gerald? Gerald Morton, right?

The smile on Samantha's face spread a little. "Good memory. That night was a disaster, though-you were so confident you'd charm him into a partnership, and we got thrown out."

Eva laughed rather self-consciously. "Well, some plans just don't pan out."

"True, but you weren't fazed," Samantha said airily, though her eyes were lasers, watching each of Eva's reactions.

Eva promptly changed the subject. "How's your department? I heard the new collection did very well."

Sam yielded to the shift, but not without a glance that lingered. "It's doing good. We're hoping to top last quarter's numbers. But enough of work, do you remember that summer in Italy?"

Eva's grip on the fork tightened. Italy. Ava had mentioned one summer she'd spent with Samantha in Italy, but details were fuzzy.

"Of course," Eva said with caution. "How could I forget? That trip was memorable."

Samantha lifted an eyebrow, her smile inscrutable. "Memorable, indeed. Especially the time you tried to flirt with that gondolier and he thought you were trying to hire him for a private tour."

Eva laughed, more grateful than she could say for Ava telling that story all those years ago. "I was mortified! But, hey, it made for a good story, right?”

"Definitely," Samantha agreed, though her face remained impassive.

And the conversation went on like this, with Samantha, amiable, stirring in bits about reminiscences and questions about their common past. Most of them, Eva could answer well enough with these snippets of information Ava had furnished her through the years. But there were moments when Samantha's questions grew sharper, more specific, and Eva had to dodge them skillfully.

By the time lunch was over, Eva felt drained. Samantha's questions had come with the relentlessness of a tsunami, her eyes too piercing for comfort.

"Thanks for lunch," Eva said as Samantha stood to leave.

"Anytime," Samantha replied, her lips curled up in a smile. "Really nice catching up. We haven't done this in a while.”

“Yeah, the workloads and busy schedule.” Eva commented.

Samantha walked towards the door, her lingering on the doorknob.”We should create more time to catch up, hmm?”

Eva nodded, trying to ward off her jitters. She knew Samantha suspected something, and she just couldn't afford to slip again.

*********

Days passed; Eva tried her best to avoid Samantha whenever possible. Eva plunged into work, trying to hold on to her cover firmly.

She scheduled meetings, buried herself in reports, and even opted to eat her lunch in a quiet conference room rather than taking chances to eat her lunch in the cafeteria and risk her friend finding her. Every time her cell phone buzzed with a text, her heart would leap, but Samantha didn't follow up.

It wasn't until the end of the day that Eva gave herself permission to exhale. She'd gotten through a whole entire workday without a passing encounter with Samantha. Still, deep inside, she knew it was but a temporary victory.

The last straw came on Friday afternoon

Eva managed to get through the day incident-free, but the tension refused to dissipate. She found herself catching herself looking over her shoulder, half-expecting Samantha to pop up at any moment.

At five o'clock Eva didn't screw around gathering her things and leaving. But as she reached the elevator, she heard Samantha's voice behind her.

"Headed out already?”

Eva turned and forced a smile onto her lips. "Long day. I need some rest."

Samantha nodded, falling into step beside her as they walked toward the exit.

"You've been avoiding me," Samantha said lightly, though there was an edge to her voice.

Eva's gut twisted. "Don't be ridiculous. I've just been busy."

"Busy avoiding me," Samantha pressed on, a sly smile spreading in her lips. "It's okay. I get it. You are a married woman now."

Eva opened her mouth to respond, but Samantha plunged ahead before she could.

"By the way," Samantha said casually, "do you remember what this weekend is?"

The bottom fell out of Eva's stomach. She stared blankly at Samantha, her mind racing with a growing panic.

Samantha's smile grew wider, though void of any warmth. "Our friend-versary," she whispered. "Don't tell me you forgot about that.”

The words hung in the air-weighted in their meaning, suffocating her. Eva's response caught in her throat, her carefully constructed facade crumbling beneath the unyielding intensity in Samantha's gaze.