Page 18 of The One I Love

“Great.” Anson forced a smile. “Have a good weekend.”

He was already out the door and nearly to his vehicle when he heard the door to the headquarters slam shut with such force the windows rattled.

* * *

Eve’s body thrummed with nervous energy as she got ready for the evening’s event at the Brown Palace Hotel. The goal of tonight’s event was to raise awareness and money to support people with alopecia.

As Eve’s college roommate had suffered from alopecia areata, or hair loss, this particular charity was near and dear to her heart. The organizer, Jyl Lorenzen, had been thrilled when Eve had agreed to not only fit the function into her schedule, but to hype the event on her social media platforms.

Eve had carefully considered what to wear tonight. Jyl had stressed the event wasn’t formal, that attendees would be wearing everything from leggings and tunic tops to suits and heels.

Conscious of her image, Eve chose a Pari midi skirt with a tee and a Miu Miu jacket in pale pink. She did her hair in a one-sided peekaboo ladder braid, liking the edgy vibe it gave her.

Staring at herself in the full-length mirror, Eve gave a satisfied nod. Looking her best gave her confidence. She’d need every bit of that confidence tonight.

Though the attendees at this gathering were likely to be supportive, the press covering the event might not be as kind.

Her phone rang, and she swiped it up from the counter, a smile already forming on her lips.Anson.

Spending the evening with him would be the best part of this evening. “Hey, you.”

“Eve?”

Not Anson, but a woman. “Yes, this is Eve.”

“Eve, this is Jyl. I—”

“Jyl. How nice to hear from you. I’m excited about tonight’s event and—”

“Eve,” Jyl interrupted. “I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

“Oh no.” Eve tightened her grip on the phone. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Jyl cleared her throat. “The thing is, if you don’t mind, could you not come to the event this time?”

“What?”

“We appreciate all the promotion you have done, sincerely, but the committee and I feel that having you there, ah, in light of everything going on, might be too much of a distraction.”

For several seconds, Eve couldn’t find her voice, simply couldn’t find it. Then she took a deep breath and tried again. “Sure, if that’s what you want.”

“It isn’t what I want. Your support has meant so much to us, but—”

“It’s okay, Jyl.” Eve forced herself to be calm. “You have to do what you think is best. I hope your event is a huge success.”

“Thank you, and good luck with…with everything.”

As Eve clicked off the call, she wondered if Jason was being uninvited to events, if he was facing censure and embarrassment. Or was it just her, the victim in all this? A fact that seemed to be easily forgotten.

Staring at her phone, Eve knew she should call Anson, tell him the plans for tonight had fallen apart. But the tightness around her chest told her she either needed to text him or get her emotions under better control before speaking with him.

The knock at the door had her jerking.

She hoped it wasn’t any of her family, though she knew it had to be one of them or Anson. They were the only ones who had access to this level.

Looking through the peep, she saw Anson holding a bouquet of spring flowers.

She opened the door, and her heart gave a solid thump. In his trim-fitting gray suit with a black shirt and black tie, he looked positively yummy.

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