Chapter 5
As the holidays began to fill Vegas with cheesy Christmas decorations and every store and shopping center started piping Christmas music, Evan went shopping with his assistant. Every year, he bought a huge haul of presents well before Black Friday. He made sure to fulfill Christmas wish lists for the troubled youth at homes around the city and for orphans and homeless shelters. Now he also wanted to buy some things for Jessica’s fictional orphanage to see if he could get her to finally be honest with him. It was hard for him to continue calling her Lisa when he knew her real name. He just wanted to find out who she really was and speak to her without the veil of lies that she erected over her person around him.
Meanwhile, at home Linda began to plan her annual huge Thanksgiving party, where she would entertain powerful and influential people from all over the country in her mansion. Thanksgiving was always a huge affair for her, though she never seemed interested in giving to the needy, only to other rich people she hoped to impress with her lavishness and splendor. Evan seldom played any part in the celebrations, but this year his mother was hell-bent on enlisting his help. Really, Evan just wanted to make his own holiday dinner and stay home.
Evan arrived at work late after a long morning of Christmas shopping. His assistant had already put his gifts away at his place and was going to be a bit later. “How are you?” he asked Jessica when he saw her in the conference room, drawing up blueprints with the company’s chief architect.
“Fine,” she beamed at him. She looked dazzling in a green wrap dress that scooped down to reveal the creamy top of her perfect, perky chest.
“I was busy Christmas shopping,” he explained. “That’s why I’m late.”
“Christmas shopping? It’s not even Thanksgiving yet,” Jessica replied with a small laugh. But the way she looked at him had a new level of sweetness that was not previously there. She had been more giggly and more tender toward him since he had showed her his Santa hat, which he still hoped to get to wear this year, along with his Santa suit, white cottony beard, and fake, plastic paunch.
“I always start now because I have so many gifts to buy,” he replied with a boyish grin. His excitement for Christmas was unmistakable; he couldn’t contain it.
She just smiled and looked down quickly, letting her hair cover her face. In that moment, she was so unbelievably beautiful that Evan wanted to take her face in his hands and plant a firm kiss on her lips. He was a professional, however, and didn’t believe in affairs in the workplace.
He decided to retired to his office at that moment to calm down his passion and try to puzzle out why he was falling for this con artist. Sure there was more to the story, but shouldn’t he be angry that this woman was pretending to represent a cause he cared deeply about just to rip him off for money he had worked hard to earn? Perhaps his mother was right and there was some magical power in these Collins women that he and his father couldn’t resist. Perhaps he was being a fool, letting her bamboozle him with her sexy ways. Perhaps she would even get away with it.
But perhaps there was more to her. And by being near her and working with her, he could get her to stop scamming him. He could create solid justice for her past and her poor mother, without letting her con him for millions of dollars.
Then the bright idea popped into his head. He didn’t like workplace affairs. But what if they met outside of the workplace? What if he invited her over for Thanksgiving at his place and appealed to her good heart, which he was certain existed deep inside of her somewhere? Thanksgiving could be his chance to change her mind and make her a good person.
He smiled as he went to the coffee bar to get two black coffees.
“Do you have anywhere to go for Thanksgiving? I know you said you have no family so I was worried about you,” Evan asked Jessica that night as he walked her to her cab. They had all stayed late at the office and it was now dark out.
Jessica paused with her hand on the door handle of the cab. “Thanksgiving? Oh, I’m sure I’ll find somewhere to go.”
“Well, my mom always has lavish Thanksgiving dinners at her house. But they are too commercial for me. This year I just want to stay home and make a little something for myself. You are welcome to join me. It would be nice to have some good company.”
Jessica laughed and there was some incredulity in her tone. “Are you serious?” she asked finally.
“I’m very serious. I assure you, I may be a bachelor, but I am a very good cook. I will make a heavenly feast for us.”
She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. “And you don’t have any other hot young women to invite over?”
Evan laughed, though he hated how she seemed to peg him for some kind of player with dozens of women on his sleeve. “No, dear, no one else. You are the only one I’m going to invite. Which is why,” he tucked a card into her coat pocket with his address and personal cell phone number written on it, “I really want you to come.”
“I’ll think about it,” she finally decided.
The cab driver started to glare at them. “You’d better go,” Evan said, intercepting her hand on the door to open it for her. “I can’t wait for you to come try my turkey and cranberry.”
“My favorite,” she licked her lips seductively as she swung into the backseat and clutched her purse to her belly.
Evan waltzed back into the office. Tonight he decided to go to a hot yoga class instead of his usual CrossFit. He briefly wondered if a bad girl like Jessica Collins would like a yuppie like him. She didn’t seem to be the yoga type of gal.
Thanksgiving was a mandatory holiday at Davis Enterprises. Evan made sure of that, despite his mother’s insistence that construction crews should at least continue pulling hours on that day. He set the TV on his favorite music station and began cooking at seven in the morning. Though he still had not heard from Jessica about whether or not she was coming, he had his hopes up. The idea of seeing her face bathed in candlelight as she moaned about how good his food tasted made his heart start hammering. While the turkey roasted, he took a shower and shaved, making sure that his hair was gelled perfectly, and every part of his body smelled divine. He felt like a nervous high schooler preparing for a really stunning prom date. I might as well rent a limo, he laughed at his reflection in the mirror.
By five, Evan’s hopes started to wane as he basted the turkey. By six, he was sad. His phone kept going off as his mother begged him to join her. She had become frosty when he had informed her that he didn’t feel like attending her party that night in favor of a more intimate Thanksgiving dinner, like what they used to enjoy when Cole Davis was still around. But now she was getting desperate. “How bad will I look if my own son doesn’t come to my Thanksgiving soiree?” she had demanded. Evan just ignored the calls. Thanksgiving should be about being grateful and spending time with those you love, not about creating an impressive public image.
Just at 7:30, when he had decided to start eating by himself, his phone rang. “Hello?” he answered.
“Do you still need someone to eat dinner with?” It was Jessica’s slightly smoky voice.
Evan grinned. “I was just about to eat by myself. Yes, I would like that.”
Half an hour later, the doorman showed Jessica in. She looked radiant in her dress, with her hair elaborately curled and styled over her head, and a pearl necklace clasped around her neck. While she was always pretty in Evan’s eyes, tonight she was particularly beautiful.
“Wow, it smells amazing,” she commented.
Evan began to describe the menu as he served her a plate.
“You don’t have a maid? Or a cook?” she asked as she took in his apartment. It was far nicer than hers, with a stunning view of the city, but it was not as luxurious as she had pictured. In fact, it was rather plain, with the bare essentials. His kitchen, however, was fully stocked with multiple counters and chef’s knives on display.
“I have a cleaning lady who comes in every day. She does my shopping for me. I always cook myself.” He winked as he set her plate before her. “Now I’ll give you a tour, but first I’m starving.”
“Me too.” She looked down at the perfect white turkey and rich, golden stuffing. “Yum.”
“So what made you have a change of heart?”
“What makes you think I didn’t plan on coming?” she shot back.
“Because you didn’t call until 7:30.”
She relented. “I didn’t want to impose. But I went to this buffet and….” She shrugged. “It made me miss my family.”
“I understand. I miss my dad terribly around the holidays, too.”
“Yes, so do I.”
“I thought you never knew your father?”
Jessica recoiled, staring at him. “You must have me confused with someone else.”
Evan realized that he had given away a little too much. But maybe this was what he needed to pry the truth out of Jessica. “I believe that’s what you told me.”
“No. My father died when I was twelve. My mother died when I was sixteen. All I told you was that I entered foster care at sixteen.” She seemed shaken. Her hand even trembled as she cut into her turkey.
“Sorry to bring it up. I just understand that you have a lot of pain regarding your family.”
“Yes, well, it hurts but I have survived. I’ll be fine.”
“So will I. But it’s always better to have a friend who listens.”
“So that’s what we are? Friends? I thought we were just associates.”
“We can always be more.” He tilted his wine glass toward her. “Of course, I like to keep things professional.”
“Sure. I am sure that you bed everyone in that office.”
“Why do you think that of me?” Evan set his glass down. “I don’t understand why you have that impression of me.”
“I know how guys like you are,” Jessica responded.
“But you don’t clearly. You don’t even know me. I think you’re mad at me for some reason. Could you tell me why?”
“I’m not mad. There’s nothing personal between us. Look, this dinner is great but I really think I should leave.”