Chapter 32
Edward held Eva’s hand tightly as he led her out of the administration building. He needed to come clean with her before the situation got any worse.
“Eddie, please. Stop. Talk to me.” Eva felt like she was being dragged along when she just wanted to find out why he was acting so strangely. She felt that it was her fault they got caught. She stopped being careful in public, she stopped caring what other people thought. She finally found a man she was truly in love with and she wanted to be free to love him the way she knew how.
She tried pulling away from him when they got to the sidewalk at the bottom of the stairs of the administration building, but he was adamant on getting her someplace private before spilling the truth all over her. He was adamant that was, until he heard the lilt in her voice and the pain in her words.
“Eddie? I can’t take much more of this. Please talk to me?”
He stopped and let her hand go. Turning toward her, he saw the tears well up in her eyes. He cupped her face and pulled her to him, feeling the tremble in her.
“Oh,” he whispered. “My dearest Eva. Don’t cry.”
“You are scaring me.”
He leaned into her and left a small kiss on her forehead, then her nose. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay. I shouldn’t have been so careless. This is all my fault.”
“No, don’t say that. It wasn’t you.”
“It was.” She put her head down. “This is going to change everything. How can you just quit without a fight? You barely make enough to support yourself.”
Just tell her.
He stepped back and looked at her. The hurt in her eyes stabbed him like a knife. He shook his head. I can’t tell her. It will crumble her. Not yet. He took a deep breath.
“I can go anywhere. I have never had a problem getting work. I will talk to the Dean. Maybe I can get transferred someplace close. There are plenty of universities close by.”
“But, it’s already mid semester. They won’t be looking for anyone, will they?”
“You never know.” He pulled her in and hugged her tightly. “You never know,” he repeated.
How was he going to tell her he didn’t need to work? How was he going to admit to her that he had his own fortune knowing that she would never have given him the time of day back in Paris if he tried introducing himself as Edward Caldwell, successful entrepreneur instead of Eddie Caldwell, struggling professor? He had her heart, but was it strong enough to endure such a truth? He held her closer.
“I got you something.” Edward watched Eva’s face for approval, knowing she didn’t like elaborate gifts. When she put another bite of her dinner into her mouth instead of acknowledging him, he knew he needed to play it down. “It isn’t much. I just thought it could come in handy for you.” He pulled a small wrapped box out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her. The light blue and white wrapping hugged the box perfectly and the small white ribbon gave it the perfect delicate touch.
Eva just looked at it, remembering the necklace still in her bag.
“It’s a cell phone,” he said before she reached for it. “A used one,” he lied.
“A cell phone?” She took the small gift and unwrapped it.
“I know you were talking about getting one eventually.”
“It looks so new.”
“Yeah. I couldn’t believe it either. Got it for a steal.”
Eva smiled. “Thank you, Eddie. It’s so nice. Now I guess I can step up into the real world.”
“You don’t mind that I got it?”
“No. It was very thoughtful. The necklace, on the other hand, is going back.”
Edward wanted to protest, but he felt it was better to agree at this point.
“So, did you talk to the Dean yet?”
“No. I sent him an email after we talked, letting him know I wanted to talk with him about my situation. I’m not sure whether he got it or not.”
“Why?”
“I received my resignation papers just before dinner.”
She looked down. “I see.”
“I haven’t even opened the envelope yet. First thing tomorrow I will go and see him. I just figured I’d give him a little time.”
“We may not have a little time, Eddie.” Her eyes pleaded with him. “I love you,” she whispered. Her eyes shone when she spoke the words and his heart swelled.
“I will make everything right,” he said taking her hand from across the table. “You just have to trust me.”
“I do trust you. I just… I walked away from you once. I don’t want to watch you have to walk away from me at least without a fight.”
He squeezed her hand in reassurance. “Don’t worry. I have a way of making things happen.”
An argument just outside the restaurant interrupted their intimate conversation.
“Well, apparently, someone doesn’t like the food here,” he said, trying to lighten the situation.
Eva smiled and looked out through the front window. “Who could be making so much commotion?”
Edward spotted the familiar white Audi hatchback and soda he just sipped got sucked down his wind pipe and blocked off his airway. He coughed uncontrollably, pushing away from the table and standing up.
“Are you okay?” Eva’s eyes grew wide.
After a few moments, he nodded and reached for Eva’s hand.
“We should go,” he said,
“Eddie? Why?” She looked, wide-eyed in the direction of the commotion that was now inside the restaurant and saw Gracie walking quickly in their direction.
“Oh, shit.”
A man in a blue apron gave every effort to stop her while trying to keep a hand on her.
“Ma’am! You cannot come in here!”
“Get the hell out of my way!” she screamed. She stopped long enough to turn toward the employee and shove him backwards causing him to trip over the leg of a chair and fall to the floor. Edward watched her scan the room and lock her eyes on his.
He sat down with a thud in his chair and braced himself for the worst.
“How could you?” Gracie sneered as she bellied up to their table.
Edward looked around the restaurant and noticed a few patrons stealing a peek in their direction but quickly turning away when caught. He looked back at Eva and silently prayed Gracie would disappear, not bothering to look up at her until he felt her slap the side of his face. His ear rang with the impact and he had all he could do not to jump out of his chair and grab her by her neck, squeezing her slowly until she dropped to the floor in a heap.
Eva, frozen in her seat, did not take her eyes off Edward.
“Do you have any idea what I went through for you?” she howled. “The dinner, the reservations, this!” she screamed as she waved a lacy garment in his face.
Most of the patrons had stopped trying to be discreet at this point and turned to watch the festivities.
“Gracie,” he whispered. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about our plans for last night.” Tears welled up in Gracie’s eyes as she started to fidget and tap her foot.
Edward looked at her, confused on how she was making herself cry over something completely fictitious. “Please, don’t do this,” he whispered again. “You are only going to end up hurting yourself.”
“Oh, am I? I’m going to hurt myself? I think you already did that, you son-of-a-bitch. I waited for you last night,” she sobbed. “Why did you stand me up? You could have at least called me to tell me I wasn’t good enough to be with you.”
Edward watched Gracie’s face and he began to believe she honestly thought they had plans to be together. Anything was possible in this woman’s warped little mind.
“Gracie, I think you have it all wrong.” He scooted back away from the table and put his hand up to stop her from making a fool out of herself. “I don’t recall having any plans with you. Believe me, I wouldn’t have stood you up if we had.”
“Bullshit! It was your idea. Tell me, Eddie. Did you ever plan on meeting me or was ripping my heart out part of the plan all along?”
“Gracie, please.”
“Don’t touch me.” She rubbed her face with the lacy lingerie, smearing her eye makeup down her cheeks. “All you men are alike.” She looked at Eva and straightened up. “Who is this?”
Eva gasped and quickly looked down at her plate.
“Is this the reason you stood me up?” She picked up Eva’s fork and wiggled it in the air before stabbing it into her food.
“Come on,” Edward said jumping up out of his chair. “Let’s go outside and talk. I’m sure we can work this out.”
The moment he put his hands on her arms to reassure her, her face lit up before distorting into anger. She pushed his hands away and lashed out at him.
“No!” she screamed, walking up to him until her chest touched his. She looked directly in his eyes. “Don’t make me sick my big brother on you again,” she whispered. “You are treading on thin ice, buster.”
Edward’s words stuck in his throat as she stepped back away from him.
“And you can keep your cheap hooker suit!” She threw the lingerie at him and stormed out the door, knocking into the same man she pushed to the floor.
Edward looked around the restaurant again in the aftermath of Gracie Honor and attempted to smile at the others. “I apologize for her behavior,” he said aloud. “I’m not sure what brought that on, but I do hope she gets help.”
The patrons slowly turned their attention away from Edward and he turned back to Eva. She had folded her hands into her lap, the fork still protruding out of her food, her eyes looking down at her hands and a solemn look on her face.
“Eva?”