Page 27 of Engaging Evelyn (Blissful Bets)

The smell circulated around her, clouding the steamy restroom, and still her mind pulled at a reason why the words on the bottle were so important. “Cherry blossoms and almond extract…”

Had someone said something about her soap? She felt like they had. Was it the same person who drugged her? Had she been drugged? Fuck, Evelyn wished she could remember.

The soap trailed down her back while she washed out her shampoo. The feel of Brandon caressing her brought a moan. From what she could remember, he had been amazing. She was definitely going to have to break her rules and “make love” to him again. That was just an offer too good for her to pass up.

* * * *

Brandon paced the living room nervously. “Drugged? Are you serious, Stephen? You couldn’t have come up with something other than that? And what the hell were you writing down?”

“Bill’s information, that’s what the hell I was writing down. It wouldn’t hurt to make sure the guy’s not a wanted serial killer or rapist,” Stephen snapped.

“She seems a lot better, don’t you think?” Brandon stopped long enough to look over at Stephen lounging on the couch.

“Yeah, she seems happy,” Stephen whispered. “So do you think it worked?”

Brandon gave up pacing to go sit down on the couch, too. “I don’t know, we’ll have to see. She’s better than I thought she was going be. I’m not sure I like it so much. Evelyn’s memories are gone, but I’m not a miracle worker. She should be feeling something.”

The water from the shower turned off, and the guys looked at each other. With Brandon sensitive to sound he could hear almost all of her movement from the next room. He didn’t doubt Stephen could hear the same thing.

“So what now,” Stephen asked wearily.

“Now we wait until she kicks us out, or you’re free to leave now if you want. I’ll stay with her as long as she allows it. She’s probably hungry. You feel like eating?” Brandon asked. Even though he didn’t eat much human food, he still could enjoy some of it. It might not be very appetizing, but it was more habit than anything.

“I’m fucking starving. I feel like steak. What do you think?” Stephen looked toward him, but before Brandon could answer, footsteps against the carpet grabbed his attention.

“Mmm, that sounds great. I’m starving too. How about we all go to lunch?” Evelyn said, walking in and drying her hair with a towel.

“You do owe me so I guess we’ll call this even.” Brandon said, laughing.

“That’s right, I remember.” Evelyn laughed. “I believe I rejected you, repeatedly if I’m not mistaken.”

“You’re absolutely right. You did.” Brandon looked at how beautiful she appeared without any makeup. Not very many women could look just as good with or without, but she could. Her skin was flawless. Everything about her made him want to gravitate toward her, if not to touch her, then to at least be closer to her presence.

Evelyn reached for her black flip-flops by the front door. Watching her slide them on, he noticed her pause. She stood rooted to the floor, her mouth slightly parted. Brandon could feel panic start to take over while he waited for her to do or say something.

“What’s wrong,” Stephen asked, walking up to her. Concern was etched on his face.

The way she shook her head back and forth gave him the impression that she was confused. “I don’t know. The smell of my soap and the words on my bottle, they keep playing over and over in my mind. I think someone mentioned it. Maybe they liked it. I’m not sure. I can’t remember. I just keep hearing cherry blossoms and almond extract, repeatedly. The words want to follow, but they won’t come.”

Brandon cleared his throat. “So whose car? I’d say mine, but I don’t see how three of us are going to fit in a two-seater. What are you driving, Stephen?”

“Cruiser. My car’s at the house,” he said quietly.

“My car it is.” Evelyn fished her keys out from her purse. “Maybe I shouldn’t drive. Here, Stephen, you drive.” Evelyn handed her keys over. “Brandon can sit in the back for trying to sidetrack me, and he can kindly explain why in the world he tried to distract me from not remembering about the soap.”

Brandon opened his mouth and then closed it. “Fuck, all right. I said the information about the soap. Once I tell you this, you will remember.” Brandon kept eye contact with her while he approached.

“Think back to when we were on our way home from the bar. You told me to tell you something that I wouldn’t know. I told you…” Brandon looked over at Stephen, who was paying extra attention. “I told you,” he started over, “that you weren’t wearing any panties, that your soap was cherry blossoms with almond extract, and…”

He watched as Evelyn’s face transformed. The memory Brandon had just placed back in her head was one he really didn’t want there. It was what had started her doubt in the first place. Well, shit. Not much he could do now. It was better than her searching for something that wasn’t there. But if she had recalled the soap, what else would she recall?

“You said I was ovulating. I slammed on the brakes. I remember!” She laughed. Then her smile twisted slightly. “That was really creepy, you know? You shouldn’t joke around like that. I was sure you weren’t real. Wow, I was really drunk, wasn’t I.”

“I would have thought the same thing,” Stephen said, glaring at Brandon, who just smiled back at him. “Shall we go eat?” He held the door open for Evelyn.

Giving Stephen a smile, he watched Evelyn walk out into the salty sea air. The waves could be heard crashing even from the second-floor walkway. It was windier than usual. There was definitely a chill in the air, too.

He tried not to think of the consequences for what he’d done as they headed for the parking lot. If he knew one thing it was that locking someone’s memory wasn’t always permanent. But hopefully they could reach some sort of a conclusion before things backfired in all of their faces.

---