Page 1 of Secrets in Love
Evie
Everyone called me Evie, but that wasn’t my real name.
It was actually Aoife. Aoife Mary Austen.
Pronounced Ee-fa, it was Irish Gaelic for beautiful and radiant. It had something to do with a badass warrior princess in Irish mythology and was kind of beautiful. But it was also peculiar. Especially when you didn’t grow up in Ireland but on a beachside farm in Australia.
Depending on who you asked or what you Googled, Aoife was anglicized into Ava, Eva, Eve, sometimes Alfie, or as my little brother Finn used to say, Evie. Of all the names, little Finn’s was my favorite. Like him, it was cute. People smiled when they said Evie. They didn’t pause, have a crack, get it wrong, and then ask me to repeat myself fifty-two times. “It’s EEEEFFFAAAAAA. EEEEFFFAAAAAA.”
Formative years filled with people contorting their faces when saying your name could leave you a little…well, bitter, and may have influenced my sometimes-prickly disposition. Hence, when a dance teacher called me Foofa in a packed ballet class, seven-year-old me proudly declared, “I’ve had enough of this shit!No one is ever going to call me Aoife again!”
Since then, only one idiot has had big enough cojones to call me Aoife—my brother’s best friend, Nate.
Little did I know, a lighthearted, innocuous exchange between me and my brother, regarding said idiot, was about to rock my world, proving that the most nonsensical conversations could impact your life in the most unexpected and monumental ways.
New York had been our home for a few months, but Finn still insisted on taking his precious Jeep everywhere instead of walking. Considering no one claimed to drive in this city, the traffic was hideous, and I had been keeping myself entertained by upholding a long-standing Austen tradition—mocking Finn for his overly emotional nature. At 6’4”, he was a sweet mound of muscle and tears that I wouldn’t change for the world. Mainly because nothing made me happier than teasing him about crying. Nate loved it too and was not shy about applying a notorious Australian nickname for one so fragile—Sooky Sooky La La—to his bestie.
Unsurprisingly, Finn didn’t take the reminder well. “Bloody Nate could talk. He was always sooking to me about you, but did I tease him? Nope.”
All giggling ceased. “Nate was sooking about me? Why would he be sooking about me?”
“Uhh, because he liked you and was madly in love with you?”
“What?”I snapped and delivered a sharp blow to the side of Finn’s head. “Nate liked me? Loved me? Since when?”
“Since we were, like, born.” Finn’s bulging eyes darted between me and the road, which was more than concerning as he was a shitty driver. “You’re honestly telling me you didn’t know?”
“No, I didn’t know! Why would I know? How did you know? Why would you know and never tell me?”
Condescension, protectiveness, and perhaps a touch of love resulted in an eye roll only my freakishly large brother could muster. “Well, I knew because I was his best friend, my girlfriend was his twin, and he talked about you constantly. We even made a deal when we were fifteen. Neither of us was to go near the other’s sister. Obviously, I broke that deal, but Nate didn’t.” Guilt replaced the disdain on Finn’s face. “That’s part of the reason he was so upset when Shelby and I got together.”
A steady and loud stream of what was undoubtedly crap continued to flow from Finn’s mouth, but I could only concentrate on the synchronicity formed between the rain pounding against my window and the fierce beating of my heart.
Nate liked me. Had the hots for me? Me.
Finn pulled into the parking lot, and I hastily jumped from the still-moving Jeep, classically landing with a splash in the largest puddle in the lot. Carrying the weight of a million thoughts, my head was down, my mind focused on the cold water now trickling down the backs of my legs and pooling in my shoes, when another voice added to the chaos.
“Evie, wait! Let me help you!”
Armed with an open umbrella and a sexy twinkle in his eye, Christian Alarie, my potential new boss, and owner of my niece Iris’s dance studio, raced to my side, sheltering me for the three paces it took to make it inside. Normally, I’d have thought him a tool and taken great joy in pointing out the uselessness of his actions. Three things stopped me. One, too much Nate on the brain. Two, Christian may be in command of my future earnings. And three, the man’s sheer hotness, because damn, he was hummina-hummina hot. The most beautiful man I’d seen since arriving in New York. Hot.
As we did that silly, twisty foot shuffle to dry our shoes, he lowered the umbrella, looked between me and the car, and winced. “That was a bit pointless, wasn’t it?”
“Pointless? No. Not at all. I was just thinking how gentlemanly of you it was. Though, you’ll look like a drowned rat if you do that for every parent.”
The smile, which could only lead to trouble, returned as he loomed over me. “I guess it’s good there’s only one parent I’m doing it for.”
I didn’t know if hearing yourself blush was possible, but I could have sworn every capillary in my face exploded, and each snap, crackle, and pop was audible. Christian’s voice dropped a good octave or two lower as he continued, and it hit my already-on-alert girly bits hard. “I was hoping you would pick Iris up tonight. I also hope you won’t sue me for sexual harassment when I ask you this.”
“What? Sue you? Why would I do such a thing?”
“Because, Evie, I want to ask you out. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you since you began your teaching trial.” It had been three days, and I think we had spoken three times. “And I’d like to learn more. It’s fine if you want to say no. There is no pressure or obligation. I have officially handed over all my boss-like responsibilities concerning you to my second in charge, Jody, who is fully aware of what I am asking for legal purposes.”
Soaked socks squelched as I bounced on the balls of my feet. “Okay… While I’m glad Jody knows, I would also like to ‘cause you’re kind of freaking me out.”
“Oh, God, Evie. Sorry for rambling. I’ve been doing that lately when I’m nervous. I talk and talk and talk, and people get so annoyed—”
He was right. It was annoying. So, to stop it, I held my hand on his broad chest, trying not to place any meaning to the rapidly pounding heart I could feel beneath my fingers. “You’re still rambling.”
