The Rules of the Red - 2014 Watty Award Winner |✓|

Chapter Seventeen - Part Three

hand, and I was determined to help her get what it was that she claimed she wanted. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t happy about it – at all – but it was too late, and I had already resigned myself to it. It was underhanded, and it was shady too. But from a few hard lessons that I had learned in the past, I knew that sometimes a clear conscious just wasn’t conducive for getting a tough job done.

I deleted Eve’s message, but refused to go through his phone to read the others. If Eve had texted him anything about our plans before now, Ethan would have confronted me already. And so with a quick look to the still vacant entrance of the coffee shop, I removed the battery to Ethan’s phone, and then stuffed it and the other pieces inside the glove box. I took a deep breath, rearranged my hair on my shoulders, and tried not to think too hard about what I had just done.

*  *  *

“Ok,” Ethan said later, when he was back inside the car. He had a small paper bag of food in his lap, and two coffees in a cardboard holder, indicating them with pride. “So, I got you this muffin-thing with cranberries and oats instead of blueberries. Now, I know what you’re thinking, and I know it sounds gross, but the chick behind the counter assured me they’re good.”

“Thank you.” I said, gratefully accepting the coffee that he offered. “That’s really sweet – even if I paid for it.”

“Hey, isn’t it the thought that counts?” Ethan said, digging in the bag to pull out a large, yummy-looking muffin. He took an enormous bite out of it, and then passed it along to me before turning his attentions to whatever else it was that remained in the bag. “Oh, Mimi, that’s good. You gotta try that.”

“Mmm, will do…” I said, hoping he wouldn’t notice if I didn’t eat it. “So, I saw Eve last night at the gala.”

“Great,” Ethan said, with a pained expression, as I began to drive. “She didn’t say anything to you, did she?”

“Actually, she did. But not anything that hurt my feelings, if that’s what you’re wondering. It’s pretty obvious the girl still has feelings for you though. Otherwise she wouldn’t go through all this trouble just to keep your attention, or use me to get to you.”

“Wait a minute, she’s trying to use you to get to me?”

“Wait a minute, that came out wrong. What I meant is that she cares about you. Hell, she probably loves you…”

“That crazy female never loved anything or anyone more than she loves herself,” Ethan said. His voice was casual, but his heart was full of resentment. “Over the past few weeks she’s been sending me constant texts and emails, flooding my phone with calls… But you know what? They’re just a cry for attention. Eve can’t stand being ignored.”

“But you two were together for a really long time, Ethan. I mean, she’s told you she loved you before, hasn’t she? She’s at least said it to you, right?”