Chapter 12
Jessica came into work in her usual nice get-up every day that week, looking every bit the businesswoman Lisa Allen. It tripped her out that Evan never once referred to her by name and seemed to have a hard time called her “Miss Allen.” It seemed to sound so unnatural. She wanted more than anything for him to know her real name, but he would kill her if he knew the truth. They would never speak again. On the other hand, how could she continue this scam on a guy that she was developing feelings for? She gave herself by the end of the week to figure out her feelings. If she couldn’t shut them off, then she needed to bail and forget the money. This was a huge score, her biggest yet, but the idea of hurting Evan that way killed her. If he could only slip up somehow and hurt her, then it would be easier.
Linda certainly didn’t help things. The way she appraised Jessica with an evil honey-sweet smile on her face always disconcerted her extremely. It seemed like Linda knew something and was planning something. She was always there at the office, getting overinvolved and asking Jessica the most uncomfortable, pointed questions. Even Isaac, the development manager, was beginning to notice Linda’s erratic and even predatory behavior toward Jessica.
Jessica tried to have lunch with the other girls in the office, but she felt so awkward. It was never easy for her to make friends. The other women seemed to regard her with a mixture of envy and dislike. They tolerated her for Evan’s sake, but their smiles were fake and they left her out of things as much as possible. It was like high school all over again.
But Evan was like a shining beacon over it all. A perfect man, inside and out. He made her feel happy and complete. On Friday, she returned to her apartment from another week at Davis Enterprises, feeling both exhausted and conflicted. She kicked off her heels and settled into her couch with a microwaved cup of tea to watch Netflix. Instead, she stared at the photo collage of her mother that she had hung up on her wall behind the TV, where she could always see it.
“Mom, I sure wish you were here right now. Life is so hard without you. You would be able to tell me what to do,” she told her mom’s beautiful image. “Of course, I wouldn’t be in any of this mess if you were here. You wouldn’t like the life I lead.” That last fact sobered Jessica. “What if I stopped scamming? What if I tried to get a legitimate job? But what place would hire me? I would get minimum wage and lose this place. And I know that I couldn’t get a job at Davis. I don’t know how you did it, Mom, because I hate it there. And Evan will hate me when he learns the truth.”
Somehow, Jessica felt that he wouldn’t hate her. She felt his love was so strong and pure that it could never turn into hate. He was incapable of hating anyone, even his own horrid mother who had ruined his past relationships. That woman was certainly miserable.
That night he had wanted to take her out, but she mysteriously told him that she was busy. Really, she just needed time away from him to think. She had to decide how to handle this. The only thing that was clear to her was the fact that Evan was too sweet for her to hurt. Maybe he was imperfect, maybe he had some flaw, but she couldn’t go through with this. She had wasted a lot of time, but it was no use trying anymore to pull off this scam.
She needed to flee. It was time to move on to a new scam and scrap this one. This was her best one yet, but she was already doomed.
What she currently wrestled with was whether or not to come clean to him. Should she say goodbye? What scam should she pull next to survive? She was running low on money. There were the earrings he had given her; maybe she could pawn them. Las Vegas was full of crooked pawn owners, looking to make a quick buck off of desperate gambling addicts who owed the wrong people money. She knew she wouldn’t get what they were worth and she loved the way they looked on her and the way they tickled her neck. They were the nicest things anyone had ever gotten her – just her taste and style.
When she looked at her mother’s photo again, she knew it was time to leave this lifestyle. Time to start leading an honorable life and start over. But she just didn’t know how. She hadn’t had any guidance in her formative years. All her mother had really taught her was to do what you could to survive, though she had always done that honorably and legally. She had been too busy to teach Jessica much about life, not that it was her fault.
The true fault was Linda Davis’s.
Jessica began to feel her anger boil as she thought about Linda Davis, that snide diva who walked around in heels and furs. That woman was responsible for everything. Was there some way she could pull a fast one on Linda and clean out her bank account, without touching Evan? She plotted for a while but couldn’t come up with anything.
Her phone went off. It was a text from Evan. Miss you. What’s your address so that I can send you some flowers?
Jessica knew better than to disclose her address to her mark. How could she get out of this one? Suddenly, she just couldn’t take it anymore. She broke down crying. Life was too heavy of a burden. If only she could be a normal girl, the type of girl who might date Evan Davis without having to lie about every element of her person and life. If only she could have a normal job, like the one she said she had, and some type of higher education. Just anything to give her a leg up.
But she felt trapped in a cycle. Trapped in this life. There was no mercy for her. So she had to make life bend to her will. It made her feel horrible that her mother wouldn’t approve if she were alive, but how could she properly get out of this life? Gary had ensured that she never could.
It was sad that she was relegated to this. It was beneath her. It was also sad that she had morals. Criminals with morals had the hardest life of all. This scam was to be her biggest score yet. There were three weeks left until the office closed for Christmas and she had planned to get her money sometime during that period. Then she’d planned to have a nice Christmas, by herself, probably at some casino, drunk and stuffing her face on bland buffet food. Nevertheless, she had imagined all that she would buy herself. And then maybe, just maybe, she would use that money to get out of here and into a better life.
But now life was so complicated. She couldn’t follow through with this. Yet if she didn’t, she would be left doing her old overdosed hooker routine. Maybe some “Help me” scams. That was it. She would never get ahead that way.
With a groan, she asked Evan if she could go see him. She knew she should not. She knew she needed to clear her head. But he always made her feel better and she craved his company like a drug, like warm milk on a cold night.
A few moments later, she was taking a cab to his place. He had already bought the flowers and arranged them on the table for her. Speaking of warm milk, that was exactly what he was making, with strawberries and chocolate to put on top.
“Hey, honey,” he greeted her as if she were his actual girlfriend. And in a way, she was. But her heart broke knowing that this beautiful period could not last.
Apparently her face betrayed her feelings because Evan quickly cupped her cheek in the curve of his palm and asked her what was wrong. She sniffled and then quickly explained that she had a cold. “I didn’t want to come over and get you sick.”
“I’m pretty immune to everything,” he replied. “That’s the benefit of a good diet and staying fit.” He offered her a mug of warm milk and pointed at the syrups on the counter. “Gourmet syrups.”
“You are just too sweet,” she smiled as she blew on the milk. She surveyed the bouquet. It was clearly expensive, with a large variety of flowers. “You always think of me, don’t you?”
“I do. I try to. If I ever slack off or do something wrong, just tell me. We men need to be trained to be good boyfriends.”
Jessica suddenly set her milk down. “Evan, I have to tell you something.”
“What’s that, doll?”
“I…I have something really bad to tell you.” The tears started flowing and she couldn’t contain them. She felt her heart cracking. This was all about to be over, she knew it. Every time she had something good, it was taken from her. In this case, it was her own fault. But it wasn’t like she planned for things to happen like this. “Evan, you’re going to hate me. And I don’t want you to hate me.”
“What is it?” He stooped before her and he seemed…excited? As if he were eager to hear what she had to tell him.
“I have to tell you the truth,” she managed. “But it’s really hard.”
“Well, take your time. I am here to listen.”
“No. After you hear this….” She took a deep breath. What was she doing? Why was she doing this? Love makes you act in funny ways, she scolded herself. “I’m not who I say I am.”
Evan looked relieved. “Really?”
Jessica was confused by the look on his face. “Well, I…I have a lot of explaining to do. And this will ruin everything.”
“Nothing that you say to me will ruin anything.”
“This will.” She nodded with conviction. “You will hate me.”
“Why would I hate you?”
“Because I’m trying to do a very bad thing to you. And I have been lying to you this whole time.” Now that she was speaking, the words flowed out like oil. There was no stopping her confession now. Evan looked wide open, ready to receive her news. She dreaded how his face would transform when she told him the full and final truth.
“I can’t imagine ever hating you,” he said.
She took a deep breath. “I’m not Lisa Allen. I’m not who I say I am. I don’t work for any agency with children and I’m not legitimate.”
“I know. Jessica.”
Jessica froze. “What did you just call me?” she demanded.
“I know that you have a fake name,” he went on. He didn’t seem to have wanted to reveal what he knew. “I had a background done on you before working with you. I know your true identity.”
“So you….” Jessica stammered, staring at him as the shock rippled through her body. “What do you mean? You’ve just been playing along this whole entire time?”
“More or less. I wanted you to fall in love with me. I wanted to hear the truth from you.”
Jessica collapsed back into her chair and Evan caught the cup of warm milk from spilling. This was so unbelievably anticlimactic.
Just then, the doorman buzzed and announced that Linda Davis was there to see Evan.
“Please tell her to come back later,” Evan called.
But Linda barged in right at that moment. She fixed Jessica with her nastiest expression. “I was hoping you would be here,” she snarled.
Jessica cringed. She was already reeling. Now she had to deal with this monstrous woman? She was so confused that she couldn’t see straight.