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“Yes. Eve, it’s my turn.”
She turns to me, her eyes shining with understanding.
“I’m in love with someone else,” I confess. “Her name is Jasmine. I’ve loved her for years, but we just got together, and I want everything to go smoothly.”
Eve shakes her head and takes a deep breath. “I understand,” she says finally. “And whoever she is, I really envy her. I wish I had a man who would stand up for me like this.”
“Eve.” I touch her face lightly, eliciting a smile. “You’re beautiful, and I’m sure you’ll find someone soon enough. He may not be as handsome as me, but you’ll have to manage.”
She erupts into laughter. “Oh, Alec, I wish we were better friends. Why didn’t we try to reach out more to each other?”
“Because deep down, we were afraid.” I nod. “I know I was.”
“You’re right.” She nods. “I was terrified, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt because you are handsome, charismatic, and honestly, I don’t know if I would have picked better if given the choice.”
“Now you have the choice,” I tell her. “Let’s see how well you do.”
“Thank God you’re not a therapist. You suck at this.” She holds out her arms, and we embrace each other for a long moment. “Friends?”
“Sure.” I smile.
“One more thing,” she says softly. “I owe you an apology.”
“Why? You didn’t do anything.”
“I called the paparazzi.”
“I knew it.”
“I’m sorry.” She lowers her head, and I can tell she’s truly remorseful. “I was already falling for you, Alec, and wanted the relationship to become public because I could feel you stalling.”
“Eve…”
“But it’ll go away,” she smiles reassuringly. “Because there’s no substance to it. We don’t even know each other that well.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I should have handled things better, but I went straight to Lillian and told her everything. She was so mad. Did I do permanent damage?”
I think about how my relationship with my mother has deteriorated since that day and smile. “It’s nothing new.”
“I’ll talk to my dad,” she says. “I’ll try my best to make things right.”
“Thank you, Eve.”
“Take care, Alec.” She kisses my cheek and walks away.
When my father finds me minutes later, the hall is almost empty. “I wanted you to meet the Governor of New York since you love to spend so much time there, but he was in a hurry and couldn’t wait.”
“He was here?”
“Of course, he was here. He promised to meet up with me next week for lunch, and you’re coming with me.”
“If I’m still in France, that is. I’ll let you know if I’m free.”
“You’re free,” my father says as we head to the garage. “So, you talked to Eve.”
“Yup.”
