Ticket To Love

by Lacey Wolfe

  Ticket To Love

  By Lacey Wolfe

  Ticket To Love

  Copyright © 2015 by Lacey Wolfe. All rights reserved.

  First Print Edition: March 2015

  Limitless Publishing, LLC

  Kailua, HI 96734

  www.limitlesspublishing.com

  Formatting: Limitless Publishing

  ISBN-13: 978-1-68058-062-4

  ISBN-10: 1-68058-062-0

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  To Emma Lai—without your wonderful idea, this story wouldn’t be here today.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  “Happy birthday!” her two best friends cheered from around the table.

  Evelyn smiled as her cheeks burned. Patrons of the restaurant stared in her direction while a small piece of cake sat in front of her with a single candle lit, waiting on her wish.

  “Make a wish,” Carrie said before sipping from her drink.

  Eve took a deep breath. What to wish for? Love? Ha, she’d been wishing every year for Mr. Right and was nowhere close to finding him. The happiness her friends had with their husbands left her green with envy. Not to mention they had started families, making her want their lives that much more. However, she kind of needed that man first to get the kids, but she still wanted what her friends had. This year, she’d wish for something different.

  She stared at the small chocolate cake. I wish for more money than I can count. Eve blew out the candle.

  Her friends clapped.

  “What did you wish for?” Sara asked as she stabbed her fork into Eve’s cake, stealing a bite.

  “If I tell, it won’t come true.” Not that it would anyway.

  Eve stared at the dessert. It looked good, but she was stuffed from dinner. She’d box it up after her friend picked at it then eat the cake later as she sat alone in her house. Hell, I have a freaking mortgage payment, but no husband and kid.

  “Time to open presents!” Carrie jumped up and held out a gold, glittery bag to Eve.

  “You guys didn’t have to get me anything.” Eve couldn’t believe they’d gone to such lengths to make her thirty-fifth birthday so special. She pulled the tissue back and peered into the bag. The shirt she’d been eyeing the other day was tucked inside. She glanced up at Carrie. “Thank you so much.”

  Sara handed her a package across the table. “Sorry, I’ve got to pee and don’t want to waddle over just yet.”

  Carrie chuckled. Sara was seven months pregnant and at that point where she was uncomfortable. Eve pulled the wrapping away to reveal a book from one of her favorite authors.

  “Open it,” Sara urged.

  Eve did. The book was autographed to her. “Oh my gosh. How did you get this?”

  Sara smiled. “She was at Barnes & Noble last month, near Randy’s mom’s house.”

  If there was one thing Eve had, it was the best of friends. They were always there for her, no matter what. “You two, thank you so much.”

  “We love you and wanted to make today special.” Carrie, her OCD kicking in, cleaned up the table around her. “What else have you gotten?”

  Birthdays had never been a big thing for Eve. She tried to pretend it was just another day, but that was hard, because in truth, they weren’t just another day. But with no family, she usually found herself depressed. “I’ve got a present at home from my grandmother. She gave it to me today when I visited her at the nursing home.”

  “I bet it’s a cool scarf,” Sara said.

  “Just because she’s old, it doesn’t mean she knits.” Her grandmother did knit, but the size of the small package didn’t exactly say blanket or scarf.

  “I’m gonna use the restroom and get home.” Sara stood, rubbing her big belly.

  “Thanks for coming and the gifts.” Eve went over and hugged her friend. “Take a nap when you get home.”

  “Oh, I will.” Sara headed in the direction of the bathrooms.

  “I rode with her.” Carrie embraced Eve. “Call me later.”

  “All right. I’m gonna track down the server to get a box for this cake. See ya soon.” Eve turned and saw the waitress who’d helped them. When she raised her hand, the girl came over. “I need a to-go box.”

  “Sure thing. And happy birthday! I hope the rest of your day is special with your loved ones.”

  Eve grinned. If only that were true.

  ***

  “What the…” Eve parked the car in her driveway, flung the door open, and stared at the mess in her driveway. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  Her garbage can lay on its side and the two trash bags that had been inside were torn open and trash was everywhere. Movement caught her attention.

  “Bo.” She glared at the Labrador lying beside her house, licking his paws after obviously having a delicious dinner from her garbage.

  She’d had enough. This wasn’t the first time Bo had been in her trash. In fact, this was happening more and more. Her lazy-ass neighbor Brad simply let the dog out to roam. She was sick and tired of cleaning up Bo’s messes. In fact, she wasn’t going to do it this time. Eve marched over to Brad’s, loudly climbed the steps, and then banged on the front door.

  The door swung open and Brad appeared, groggy-eyed, his dark hair a mess, and his clothes wrinkled. “Damn. What?”

  He obviously didn’t like being woken up from his nap, but she didn’t care. “Your dog was in my trash again.”

  “How do you know it was my dog?” he argued.

  Eve clenched her fists. “He’s in my yard now, licking his paws next to the leftovers.”

  Brad brushed past her and whistled. “Come on, Bo.”

  The yellow lab ran up the steps, tail wagging, and into the house. Brad followed the dog.

  “Um, excuse me.” She placed her hands on her hips. “You need to clean that up.”

  “Now?” He raked a hand through his dark hair. “I just woke up.”

  “I don’t care. It’s irresponsible to let your dog out and take a nap. There are leash laws. If I didn’t like the dog, I’d report you.”

  Brad groaned. “What’s the matter with you? You’re usually the sweet, quiet neighbor.”

  She was sick of being taken advantage of. “Today’s my birthday.”

  “Ah, that explains it.” A smart-ass smirk crossed his face.

  “Explains what?”

  “You’re obviously one of those people who think the world must stop for you today. We all must cater to your needs.” He bowed slightly, ticking her off even more.

  “No, I’m not one of those people.” Or at least I don’t think I am. “I don’t think it’s so much for me to ask you to clean up after your dog. You know what? The next time B
o gets into my trash, I’m calling animal control. I’m done.” She turned to go down the steps.

  Brad laughed, and she wasn’t sure what was so funny, but she’d show him something funny. She stopped by his trash can and glanced over her shoulder. Then she pushed it over.

  “Evelyn!” he yelled.

  Lifting her hand in the air, she flipped him off and walked home.

  Inside, she plopped down on her couch before remembering she’d left her cake in the car. Damn it! She could really eat that now. The sound of cussing came from her front yard, and she assumed that was Brad cleaning up his dog’s mess. The cake could definitely wait. She didn’t want to have another run in with him right now.

  So instead, she grabbed the package Grams had given her. About the size of a necklace box, Eve couldn’t imagine what her grandmother would’ve given her that was so small. She’d already passed on all the family jewelry.

  Eve peeled off the shiny green paper to reveal a white box. Opening it, she noticed two sheets of paper inside. One was a lottery ticket. She laughed, not believing it. She then thought back to her wish at lunch. As if. There was no way she held the winning lottery ticket. The drawing was currently at three hundred and fifty million dollars. Whoever won tonight was set for life.

  Evelyn unfolded the note and read it.

  My dear Eve,

  Today I decided to play the lottery, and well, at my age, I don’t need a fortune. But you my dear, my only grandchild, you still have a whole life ahead of you. I feel good about these numbers. They represent numbers special to your grandfather and me. I just know they are the winning numbers. Happy birthday and spend this money wisely.

  Love,

  Grams

  Eve stared at the note. Oh God, Grams is going insane. There was no other way to explain it. Instead of getting a lovely scarf, or even a gift card, Grams thought she’d just given her three hundred and fifty million dollars.

  Eve set the note down. What were the chances she was the winner? Point eight-eight-eight, or something like that. And what was she supposed to do when she didn’t win? Lie to her grandmother?

  “I need that cake.”

  When she went out the front door, Bo greeted her. Brad was putting the lid on her garbage can. She’d forgotten about the mess.

  She smirked. “All done?”

  “Yeah. Happy?” He was irritated, but she didn’t care. “Happy birthday. Come on, Bo.”

  Brad walked toward his home without a glance back. It wasn’t as though they disliked one another as neighbors, but they weren’t the best of pals, either. They usually only spoke to one another a few times a year.

  Not giving it another thought, she grabbed her cake from the passenger seat and went back inside to spend the rest of her birthday lounging out and stuffing her face. She had a whole carton of rocky road with her name on it, too.

  ***

  Eve woke the next morning with her stomach rumbling, and not because she was hungry. Putting a hand over her mouth, she ran toward the bathroom and made it just in time as the junk food she’d consumed during her movie fest fought its way back out.

  Thirty-five was going to be no better than thirty-four.

  In the kitchen, she filled a glass of water and then went into the living room. Picking up the remote, she turned the TV on and sipped her water. After flipping through the channels, she stopped on the news to see if any events might be happening locally.

  “The winner of last night’s lottery ticket still has not come forward. Who wouldn’t want three hundred and fifty thousand dollars?” The news anchor said. “Let’s flash the numbers up once more.”

  To humor herself, Eve picked up her ticket.

  The screen showed: 4, 5, 12, 18, 22, 36

  She looked at her ticket: 4, 5, 12, 18, 22, 36

  “Oh. My. God.”

  Chapter Two

  Around the ham sandwich he’d made, Brad filled his plate with chips. All morning, he’d been outside doing yard work. Bo had taken off—again. He really needed to invest in a fence, but truth be told, he couldn’t afford one. The neighborhood had a covenant and a chain-linked fence wouldn’t do. It had to be wooden. And with Bo, Brad needed it at least six feet high. Right now, he just hoped like hell the damn dog didn’t get into Evelyn’s trash.

  What the hell had been up with her yesterday? Usually she was the soft, sweet-spoken Southern girl. The perfect girl next door—if a guy was into that sort of thing. But yesterday, it was as though something had lit her on fire. Birthdays could do that to a woman. He’d learned this from his first wife. Whenever her big day came around, it was all about her. Breakfast in bed, lunch and dinner out, and presents needed to be given throughout the day. It had driven him crazy. Lord, don’t even get him started on Christmas. Personally, he hated holidays. What a waste of freaking money. Why wait for a so-called special day to buy something you want? Freaking buy it when you want it if you have the money, and if you don’t, save for it.

  Brad plopped down on the couch. He picked up the remote next to him and turned on the TV. The news channel he’d been watching last night was still on. Yeah, he was one of those people who’d played the lottery. Hey, what did he have to lose besides five dollars?

  “Someone finally came forward to claim last night’s winnings. However, they’ve decided to remain anonymous for now. All I can tell you is it was someone local for once—not someone from out of state,” the hot blonde news anchor said. “Don’t worry, folks, the lottery starts over this week, so be sure to get your tickets.”

  It wouldn’t be long before the town knew who’d won it. After all, that person was surely going to start shopping like crazy. He could only hope that whoever won it was someone who needed the money.

  Brad ate his sandwich and watched the highlights of the sports games. Once lunch was finished, he needed to go find Bo. Usually by now, one of his neighbors had called, letting him know his dog was visiting.

  After putting his dirty dish in the sink, he grabbed the leash by the front door and went outside into the crisp air. The leaves were changing quickly this year. Damn, that meant Evelyn would be complaining to him again about the tree on his property that hung over onto hers, dropping tons of acorns.

  “Bo,” he called loudly. “Come here, boy.”

  “Lose your dog?”

  He turned slowly to see Evelyn standing there. “Uh, yeah. He got away from me while I was doing yard work.”

  She glared at him. “You really need a fence.”

  No shit. “Yup, I know. It’s on my to-do list.”

  “How about I buy you one?” she suggested.

  He raised an eyebrow. Had she just offered to buy him a fence like it was nothing at all? “Uh, that’s okay.”

  She shrugged. “Really. It’s no big deal, and while we’re at it, we’ll chop down that tree I hate, too.”

  He smirked and rubbed his hands together. The tree. “That’s a really great shade tree. I’m thinking of getting a hammock for it.”

  “It also makes a huge mess that I have to clean up.”

  He didn’t particularly care for the tree, but he also couldn’t see why they should chop down a healthy one. “How about I clean it up for you?”

  “That works.” She smiled and returned to sorting the mail in her hands, which was located right in front of her perky breasts.

  “Anyway, I’ve got to find Bo.” He started to walk away.

  “He’s over at Ms. Davis’s, sharing her lunch.”

  Brad glanced back at Evelyn, but she was already strutting toward her house, with her blonde ponytail bouncing. His gaze wandered down, watching her backside as she climbed the steps. She was always easy on the eyes.

  ***

  The next few days went by in a whirl. Between lawyers and everyone else she met with about the money, Eve still hadn’t really had a chance to sit down and grasp what had happened.

  She’d won the lottery. She was the jackpot winner. She was a millionaire!

  Wow.
>
  What in the world was she going to do with all that money? In the midst of it all, she hadn’t even called her grandmother yet to thank her and ask her how in the world she knew what numbers would win. People would pay Grams for that info.

  After picking up her phone, she dialed the assisted living home. She told the receptionist who she was calling for and finally got to her grandmother.

  “I was wondering when you would call.” Grams sounded amused.

  “How did you know?” Eve blurted out.

  Grams chuckled. “Sometimes you just know.”

  Eve sighed. More like they had gotten really damn lucky. “You have to let me give you some of the money.”

  “No. I’ve lived a full, long life. I don’t need money. What am I going to do with it at my age?”

  She hated when her grandmother talked that way. The thought of losing her nearly killed Eve. Sure, it was a fact of life, but it didn’t make it any easier to realize that one day she wouldn’t have Grams anymore, couldn’t call her or pop in for visits. It would be one more person leaving her. “I don’t even know what I’m going to do with it all.”

  “Don’t quit your job. You’ll draw attention to yourself. Buy yourself something you want, then save it. After all, one day you’ll be married and have kids. You can keep passing the money along.”

  Eve huffed. Her biological clock’s ticking was slowing down each day. It wouldn’t be long before the batteries just died. “Yeah, so far I’m doing real well on that whole marriage thing.”

  “It’ll happen. You kids nowadays want to have your life all figured before you settle down. It used to be you settled down, had kids, and grew up together.”

  Eve hadn’t planned on starting her adult life without a husband. The opposite actually. She’d wanted to get married early. She just hadn’t found the right guy. Was she picky? That was a whole other story. She wanted to find the right guy, not one who would just pass the time with her. She wanted a man who couldn’t live without her. “Maybe I can order a husband.”