Page 25 of You've Got Male

“Let me guess,” Evie said. “His name is Art.”

“No, it’s Dwane. He’s twenty-seven, with biceps like he lifts tanks daily, and has a core of steel.”

Evie found herself rolling her eyes just like Camila had moments ago. “Mom, I’m not dating a guy whose, uh, steely core you’ve considered.”

“ClickByte isn’t going to go away. In fact, your followers have doubled since Tasha Hart got involved,” Julie said.

“I don’t want followers,” Evie said.

“Think of it as streamlining the dating pool. It will make your dating life easier.”

Evie snorted. “You seriously think this will make my life easier? Between Cami, the shop, dialysis and, well, other stuff”—like going back to college—“I don’t have time for suitors interrupting my workflow and sucking up whatever bandwidth Ihave left after a long day.”

They all shared a look and it was as if a whole conversation was going on between them, with Evie on the outside.

“Girl, you so need to get laid,” Julie said.

“I think what they’re trying to say is we just want you to find happiness,” Lenard said quietly, resting his hand on Evie’s knee in that supportive way he always did when her mom started applying the pressure and sharing her opinions. Her mom might be a busybody but her dad was her rock and protector. “You don’t have to find it in a relationship. But I don’t want you to live your life being afraid, sweetheart. I can’t remember the last time I saw you happy.”

Evie’s heart sank.When was the last time she’d been happy?She couldn’t remember, either. That her parents noticed made her heart ache. The last thing she wanted was to worry them and she could tell they were worried. Worried with the same fierceness that Evie was about Camila.

“I get that,” she said to the group. “But this is getting out of hand.”

Julie snorted. “Are you kidding, you have thousands of guys wanting to date you.”

“Plus, look at the shop. It hasn’t been this busy in years,” Lenard said with a huge smile. “I wasn’t sure about your idea of expanding our customer base, but I have to admit I see your reasoning. This week proved it.”

“All it proved is that you guys have your nose too far into my business,” Evie said. “Plus, this kind of traffic is temporary. As soon as I pick a guy people lose interest in this stunt and we’ll have the same problem.”

“Not if we make your dating life a novelty. Something people can follow. America loves a good love story, like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle,” Moira said.

“I doubt a prince will come and whisk me off my feet.”

“But a man courting you, a man found online couldn’t be more perfect in today’s day and age,” Julie said.

“We don’t know that.”

“This is why you need to get laid, Miss Debbie Downer,” Julie said.

“I counted this week’s earnings and if we keep this up we won’t have to lay anyone off,” Lenard said with so much hope in his eyes Evie felt it all the way in her soul.

Julie’s mouth fell open. “You were going to fire people? We’re a family.”

Moira crossed her arms. “See.”

All that Evie could see was that she needed a beard—and ASAP. It was the only way to get her family and America off her back. Plus, she needed a break from all the crazy.

Chapter Nine

Jonah

Jonah wiped the sweat off his brow and took a long sip of iced tea. Maybe if that Beautification Board deadline wasn’t counting down like the timer on a nuclear bomb, he could have justified staying inside today and playing hooky from adulting. Instead of his Sunday routine of staying in his pjs until noon, napping with Waverly after lunch, and watching football with Ryan, he was sweating it out under the blistering September sun—which wouldn’t let up until fall came on the scene—trimming back the damn pomegranate tree.

His sudden motivation had nothing to do with the way Evie looked holding Waverly and everything to do with needing to make some headway in his life—and this was an actionable goal. It was also a reminder of just how badly life had chewed him up.

He didn’t need to do the work himself. He could focus on the job search instead, and then once he got one, he could hire a company to come and make his yard look like Martha Stewart lived here…no. That kind of thinking had led to his problems,and to the garden that had been Amber’s baby going to shit on his watch.

The flowerbeds were filled with weeds, the hedges and trees overgrown, and her roses were bare branches. Three of the many things he was going to fix. Maybe fixing the yard would jumpstart fixing his life. One thing at a time.

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