“Thank you for volunteering. Most of our volunteers are college students so I don’t have them for very many hours. You’ve been the biggest help and I appreciate you.”
Eva transported many of the animals, when needed, in the company van. She was exactly the kind of woman he would want as a companion. Someone who had a love and concern for animals as much or even more than he did.
“Would you like to get a bite to eat?” he asked her one Friday afternoon after they finished up at the shelter earlier than usual.
Eva wanted to tell him yes, but Harper was supposed to be home later that evening and she didn’t want to do anything that would cause him to catch an attitude or give him suspicion about where she was and what she was doing. She shuttered at the thought of another merciless beating at his hands.
“We can go to one of the restaurants across the street on the strip,” he said, “and celebrate our rescue of those cats and dogs from that abandoned house.”
She thought about it. What could it hurt? It was just past one o’clock and Harper wasn’t due in until at least eight o’clock. She accepted his offer and they went to lunch.
“I want you to know that you are a huge part of the rescue team, Eva. I’m so glad you came along. You’re the best help I have. I mean that. I should put you on payroll but I wouldn’t want to insult you,” he complimented as he sat across the table from her staring into her eyes.
He smiled and she felt her heart melting. She would love to be on somebody’s payroll. That way she could save money without Harper knowing. “Are you serious?” she asked as they ate their sandwiches.
“Serious about what? Putting you on payroll?” he looked curiously at her.
“Yes.”
“Like I said, I wouldn’t insult you like that.”
“What if I told you it wouldn’t be an insult?”
He looked at her strangely and thought about what his grandmother had told him about Eva’s troubled marriage. Peering into her soft eyes he could see she was serious. She looked almost as if she was pleading with him to help her.
“Look, can I be honest with you?”
“Yeah, you can.” Quentin responded.
“If you’re going to run back and tell Harper then let me know now. But I want to—”
“Stop. Stop right there,” Quentin said. Reaching across the table that separated them, he took one of her hands and held it in his.
Eva felt a bolt of electricity rush through her. She looked at his hand holding hers and then looked up and into his eyes.
“Let’s get something straight right now. I don’t betray my friends, and we are friends. At least, I consider us friends. Do you?”
“Yes,” she said, pausing.
“Okay, then believe it or not, I’m a trustworthy guy, Eva. If you tell me something, it goes no farther. As for your husband, Harper is my grandmother’s friend, not mine. We’re acquaintances strictly because of his relationship with her. My grandmother is also a woman of integrity. She is not a gossip or an instigator, and she taught me and my brother well, know what I mean?”
Eva nodded.
His voice dropped in volume as he said, “It may take you some time, but you’ll find out that you can trust me, Eva.” He looked deep into her eyes and he felt like she was holding a lot of hurt and pain back. He didn’t know how bad her marriage was, but something told him there was more to Eva Stenberg than what meets the eye.
Eva inhaled deeply and then slowly released a long sigh before she began to speak. “Harper doesn’t know that I’m volunteering at your shelter. I would like to keep it that way. If he finds out then he would be upset, and I do not want to upset my husband.” She paused, pinched her lower lip with her teeth, then proceeded to speak slowly, almost cautiously. “Next, I would like to make my own money. I haven’t made money of my own since I left Bolivia four years ago.”
“Say no more. I’d like to offer you the position as my right hand man, or should I say, right hand woman.” He laughed, hoping to lighten up the seriousness of what he heard her say.
“Your right hand woman?” Her eyebrows rose in obvious pleasure. “What exactly does that mean?” she replied, smiling while putting a bite of food inside her mouth.
“I need a part-time assistant director for the store and shelter. I’ve been actively looking for someone like you who understands animals and with the same mindset as I have when it comes to doing whatever possible to protect and care for them. Since Lisa has to return to college in a few weeks, you’ll be the perfect person to take her place. She’ll only be able to work at the store a few hours in the evening twice a week, as part of her work-study. You’re here far more than she is already. It’ll be perfect. I’m willing to pay you handsomely for your time, and I’m willing to work around your hours. If Harper demands your time and you are unable to come in, then I’ll understand. Your schedule will be totally flexible…and I promise, mum’s the word. Scout’s honor,” he said, smiling while he displayed the two-finger Scout sign.
He saw her eyes grow large with excitement. He could tell she must have really needed the money for whatever reason. He suspected she was in some type of marital trouble probably far worse than his grandmother had told him. He wanted to do whatever he could to help her.
Quentin was attracted to her that he couldn’t deny. She was not only beautiful, she was different than many of the women he had dated, and he had dated women from all over the world because of his businesses. Eva was demure, shy like, and he could tell she was the kind of woman that would be easy to love. What she had going on in her marriage, he didn’t know, and he wasn’t the kind of fellow who wanted to cause a rift in anyone’s relationship, whether it was a marriage or a courtship. However with her, and the way she caused his desire to peak, he hoped he would be able to control his urges. He imagined taking her into his arms, holding her, kissing her, and making love to her over and over again. Knowing that wasn’t possible, the only thing he could do since she was a taken woman, was to be as good a friend to her as he possibly could. “So, what do you say?”
“It’s more than I could ever ask, Quentin.”
“So, what’s the answer?”
“I say, meet your new assistant director, Mr. Winters.” She extended her manicured hand toward his and he gladly accepted it, kissed the back of it, and gave her that deep, sensual dynamite smile of his.
“One more thing,” she said, laughing.
“What is that?” Quentin responded with a grin on his face.
“Were you really a boy scout?”
Chapter 27
“Cheating is often more efficient.” Jeri Ryan
Carlton made the drive to Coleman, Florida to see Klay. Everything was as he planned. He had already made his monthly deposit into Klay’s account so his best friend could live the best life possible considering he was behind bars. Carlton spoke to Ryker while they were at Derek’s birthday party about Klay. He wanted to do everything he could to get the case retried with the reason being that Klay was temporarily insane at the time he committed murder. Ryker had heard of the case from Carlton once before, but that had been some time ago, and they hadn’t talked seriously about it at the time.
After listening to Carlton, Ryker wasn’t sure if there was justification for reopening the case and petitioning the court for a new trial, but he promised Carlton that he would look into it and if there was anything he could do, then he would.
“How are things going?” Carlton asked his best friend.
“It’s going as well as it can you know, being locked up. I’m glad I have much more freedom than some of these other cats in here” Klay said. “Being a master electrician has proven to have its perks.”
“Yeah, I know. You’re not actually tied down to one place. They send you to different prisons and jails, and that’s almost unheard of.”
“Yeah, it’s called cheap labor,” Klay said and the two of them laughed as they sat across from each other in the controlled visitation are
a. The good thing was Klay didn’t have to receive visitors from behind bars. He’d been deemed a low risk in spite of his brutal crime so he was able to sit out in the open with other prisoners and their loved ones who came to visit.
“Everything still straight?” Klay asked.
“Yeah. They closed the case.”
“Good for you,” Klay said. “What about that kid? Is he yours?”
“I thought I told you. No, turned out that broad was lying. Don’t know who the heck his daddy is, and it’s not my concern, but I went and got myself messed up with this other crazy woman.”
“Man, that’s all you attract, ain’t it?” Klay said, jokingly.
“Looks like it. Anyway, she’s one of Meesha’s friends. We messed around a couple of times, now she’s got a kid and she’s trying to pin it on me. Not.”
“Man, you need to wrap it up. You’re too old for this kind of crap. You know you’ve never been able to stay faithful to one broad, so do like you gone tell your sons to do, keep that umbrella on. In your positon, you can’t afford to blow in the wind. Know what I mean?”
“Yeah. I hear you and you’re right. But you know me, when it’s given to me on a silver platter when I least expect it, I can’t say no.” Carlton laughed.
“You handling her or nah?” Klay asked.
“Yeah, I made it clear that she better not cross me. She’s backed off and she’s married with kids so she has just as much to lose as I do.”
“Bruh, you got to be more careful.” Klay leaned back in his steel chair and chuckled. “What about me? You got me that hook-up yet?”
“Do I even have to answer that?”
“No, just tell me when.”
“I can’t say, but just know in the next week or two you’re going to get a lot of tension relieved. Believe that.”
The two men fist bumped each other, talked some more until it was time for the visit to end.
They stood, gave each other dap. ‘I’ll see you next month,” Carlton said. “Maybe next time I can get those two knuckle head brothers of mine to come. Kingston’s nose is wide opened so he’s doing everything his gal tells him to do so she won’t leave him at the altar.” Carlton and Klay laughed. “Martin is still being Martin. He’s wrapped up in the church and with his family much like me, except I think he’s a one woman man.”
“Yeah, that’s definitely not like you,” Klay said and chuckled. “Good to see you, bruh. I appreciate everything you do to keep me straight in here. I love you, man.”
“I love you. And seriously, putting all the bull aside, you know that I’m praying for you always, man.
“Yeah, I know. Take it light, and remember what I said. Strap up.”
“I gotcha.”
Carlton exited the prison. When he got inside his car, he made the phone call. “I’m on my way back to the city. You still straight with getting out?” he asked the female he spoke to earlier.
“Yeah, what time?”
“What about seven thirty? I won’t go home. I’ll call and tell Meesha something came up and I’m going to have to stay where I am overnight. I’ll stop in Miami and get a room at our usual spot. You sure you can get out?”
“Yes, my weekend is free. I told Martin I changed my mind about going on the trip. I told him I wanted to chill, take advantage of the house being quiet without the kids. He was cool with that. That’s why I called you earlier. I wanted to see you and I knew this would be the perfect weekend. One thing about my husband, I don’t have to worry about him constantly ringing my phone. He’s going to be too busy anyway. I told him if anything came up, I would call him. So, I’m good to go. You can always come over here, you know?”
“No way. That’s too close for comfort. I’ll see you at the same place. Seven thirty.”
“Okay, bye, love. I can’t wait to see you.”
Carlton ended the call and then spoke into his phone and told it to call the Hilton Miami. He made the room reservations and next he called Meesha.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said.
“Hi. You on your way home?”
“No, that’s why I was calling. I’m going to spend the night in Coleman. I want to see Klay again tomorrow. He’s going to be shipped out for a few months to some other prison on some big electrical project. Since I’m up here, I told him I would come back. Is that okay with you?”
“Yeah, sure. How is he doing?” she asked.
“He’s good. The kids and my little princess doing okay?”
“Yes. Makena is in my arms as we speak. The nanny took the boys for ice cream. They’ll be back in an hour or so.”
“Okay, well, I gotta go. I’m going to find a hotel. I’ll call you later when I get settled.”
“Okay, get some rest. We’ll see you tomorrow,” Meesha said.
“Yeah, tomorrow. Love you.”
“I love you too, Carlton.”
Carlton and Martin’s wife had been seeing each other on and off for two and half years. She was his knock off and he was hers. That much was understood. What he liked about her was that she didn’t want to mess up her marriage any more than he wanted to mess up his. She was nothing like crazy Avery. He thanked God that he had gotten her out of his life. All he had to do was make sure she kept her big mouth shut and not step to him about that kid of hers being his. He was glad he didn’t have that concern with Evelyn. Evelyn loved Martin but like Carlton, one man was never enough for her. They saw each other whenever they could, neither demanding anything more than good sex from one another without commitment.
Carlton made the drive back to Miami in well under three hours. He always had a just in case bag packed in his trunk with a change of clothes and toiletries. He never knew what could happen when he traveled on the road in his car. He was always prepared for whatever came up. He checked into the hotel, took a shower, and started to get a bite to eat. He changed his mind about that and decided he would wait on Evelyn to come and they could grab something together.
“Hey, I’m here,” he said after he got out of the shower and called his wife.
“Good, have you eaten?” Meesha asked.
“I’m about to do that now and then I’m going to call it a night. I’m beat,” He did a fake yawn into the phone loud enough for her to hear.
“Okay, have a good night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Immediately after ending his call with Meesha, his phone rang. “I should be there in half an hour.”
“Have you had dinner?” Carlton asked.
“No, I had a bite earlier.”
“Okay, we’ll order room service when you get here.”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
“See ya.”
He turned on the radio in the room. Carlton smiled when he heard the song by Ella James. “Summertime and the living is easy…” He sat in the plush leather reclining chair, laid back so his legs were stretched out, then reached for the shot of bourbon sitting next to him on the table. He took a sip and smiled.
Chapter 28
“Good friends help you find the important things when you have lost them: Your smile, Your hope, Your courage.” Homean quotes
Two months had passed since the ladies gathered for their last ladies’ day out. Peyton was walking almost normal again although she still had some limited mobility. She experienced pain in her ankles from time to time but she had not returned to the bottle to nurse her wounds.
Her relationship with Derek was almost as if they were newlyweds. A smile was plastered on her face almost every time anyone saw Peyton. She and Liam’s relationship was practically fully restored. Things were looking up for her and she couldn’t have been more grateful.
Eva remained busy with school and trying to keep her mind off the trauma she suffered at the hands of Harper. He had recently returned from his book tour and remained busier than ever. This couldn’t have worked out any better for Eva. She and Harper rarely saw one another, except on occasions late at night or in passing. It was almost as if she li
ved in their huge house all alone. He hadn’t struck her since he returned from on the road, another blessing for Eva, and as far as she could tell, he hadn’t discovered that she was working for Quentin Winters.
True to his word, Quentin paid her a generous salary for the few hours she worked at the shelter. No one had to tell her it was because he suspected that she really needed the money. She made sure she worked hard and did her best to show her gratitude for him giving her the chance to put money away. Plus, she loved working with the animals and next to him.
Knowing she could end up in a world of trouble, she occasionally had lunch and there was one other time she had dinner with Quentin after they had a long day rescuing animals. They had a fabulous time laughing and talking. She told him about her dreams to become a master chef and own her own restaurant. She learned so much from him about the restaurant business and how to achieve her dreams. He even promised to help her in any way he could once she finished school. Everything he shared with her she soaked up, eager to learn as much as possible for her own restaurant one day. He was pleasant and kind. He hadn’t tried to push up on her, and for that she grew to respect and like him even more. Still she told herself to be extra careful and not take anything for granted. She couldn’t chance Harper finding out what she was doing and going to that dark, dangerous place. Anything to keep the peace is what she told herself she needed to do when it came to Harper, while she carefully developed her plan.
Meesha’s cell phone rang. She smiled when she saw the familiar face displayed on her screen. “Hey, what’s up, Peyton?”
“Girl, too much to tell over this phone. Why don’t I see if I can get in touch with Eva and Avery. Maybe we can have an impromptu ladies’ day out. I’m about to go stir crazy up in this big ole house by myself.”
“I feel ya. I’m at the beach with the boys right now. I had to have some time out of the house. I would like to see everyone, too. We haven’t talked, I mean really talked, in what seems like ages. Other than at church, but that doesn’t count.”
The Real Housewives of Adverse city 3 Page 16
