Page 78 of The Match

She just laughs. “But for real, Evie. Hold your ground no matter how good that man looks. If he treated you badly, he doesn’t deserve you.” I nod and she walks away to go mingle with the many guests already gathered.

I steel myself and then turn to look at Jake again. He’s on the opposite side of the crowded room, but then he sets down his glass and moves slowly through the center of the venue toward me. My heart races, and I have to remind myself that I now hate him. I do. I hate him. I don’t want a man who’s not going to cherish me—who’s going to sleep with other women to make himself feel good when we’ve had a fight. No, I don’t like this man anymore.

I don’t like his dimples when he smiles.

I don’t like his tousled hair.

I don’t like the way his muscles fill out that suit.

Okay, I like all of those things, but those are just physical attributes. And muscles aren’t forever, my friends.

I decide that Jake is not going to have all of the upper hand here, so I lift the front hem of my floor-length evening gown and begin to meet him in the middle with Charlie at my side. Jake’s eyes scan over me as we approach each other, and I can see that he likes the way my black satin gown is clinging to my curves. He hasn’t even seen the plunging back yet.

Eat your heart out, Jacob Broaden.

We stop right in front of each other in the center of the room, but Jake doesn’t make a move to touch me. Smart. He can probably read the murderous scowl on my face and knows I’ll bite if he does.

“You look”—his eyes rush over me again—“gorgeous.”

His flattery is not going to work on me. I cut right to the chase. “Why are you here? I told you we’re done.”

“I’m your date.”

“You most certainly are not my date. Not anymore. Not after . . . last night.” Those last two words come out in a whisper because I know my voice will shake if I try to say it at my normal volume.

Jake’s shoulders sink a little. “Evie. I’ve been trying to call you all day. I’m so sorry. Can we go somewhere and talk?”

I shake my head. I don’t want to hear anything he has to say. You slept with another woman last night. I saw her with my own eyes. That told me everything I needed to know. “I’m busy tonight, and I need to focus on the event.”

His lips press together, and he nods slowly. “Of course. I understand. Maybe after?”

I look away from him toward the tables where vendors are set up. A few couples are starting to slow dance near us, and everyone else is beginning to mill around the room and place their bids on various vendors’ items and services. We have a live string quartet playing in the corner, a cocktail bar where all proceeds go directly to Southern Service Paws, and later in the night there will be a sit-down dinner. All in all, everything is going well, and I’m hopeful that it will be a success.

“I won’t have time,” I say, giving Jake my best cold shoulder. “If you’ll excuse me, I see a few people I need to speak to.”

I brush by him as I walk away, and I wish so badly that my whole body didn’t hum from this small connection of our bodies. I want to lean into him. I want to lift up on my toes and press warm kisses up his neck all the way to his mouth. But I don’t . . . because I am done with Jake.

For the next hour, I try to pretend that Jake doesn’t exist. I laugh too loudly with guests, I check in on all the vendors and am pleased to see that every clipboard is nearly full with bids, and I field about a thousand questions about our company and Charlie, who has been dutifully standing at my side all night.

I’m exhausted from keeping up this fake smile, and I just need a minute to myself to let my mask fall off. I look down at Charlie, and I can tell that he is exhausted too, so I do something that I very rarely do and hand off his leash to Joanna, who is sitting at a table with Gary and a few other guests. I’m going to let him have a five-minute break to lay at Joanna’s feet while I get some air, and then he and I will face the rest of the night together.

I open the main doors and let the fresh air wrap around me and fill my lungs. I wish it were cooler, but it’s the middle of July, and even after sunset it’s still a balmy eighty degrees out here. I move toward the side of the building and cross my arms, staring at nothing in particular.

My thoughts wander to Jake. He’s been hanging around, which means he might try to talk to me again. I hate that I’ll have to tell him not to attempt to contact me anymore. But I mean business—I’m not playing around with my heart. I’m not sure I’d ever be able to fully trust him again. And yes, I know that, technically, we were both keeping it casual, but what Jake did was just sleazy. He had told me he wasn’t going to sleep with anyone else while we were seeing each other, and I like to be able to take people at their word.

I’m pulled from my thoughts when a warm hand suddenly lands on my lower back. I turn, thinking I’ll meet Jake’s eyes, when instead I’m faced with Tyler’s annoying smirk.

“Ugh,” I say, pulling away from him. “What are you doing here? I thought I made myself clear that you were not invited tonight.”

“I know not to take your temper seriously.” He starts advancing toward me until he has me backed up against the wall of the building. His hands move to rest on my hips, and I try to push him away, but he doesn’t budge.

“Get your hands off me, Tyler!” I say, feeling more annoyed than frightened.

“Just give me one chance to show you what you’re missing.” He’s dipping his head down while I’m still trying to squirm out of his grasp and away from his lethal-potency cologne.

But I’m so tired of this. I’m tired of feeling like my voice isn’t heard. Like my opinion means nothing to my family or Tyler and his family. It’s time to make them listen. I don’t wait for him to magically become an upstanding man and make the right decision on his own. I kick my knee up right between his legs, hitting him as hard as I can in the crotch.

He grunts in pain, falling two steps backward while holding his junk. “Dammit, Evie. You didn’t have to kick me in the balls!”

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