A Way Out

Chapter 10

It took me exactly a week to make up my mind. I wrote a list of the positives and negatives of the offer. The positives outweighed the negatives and the fact that Raleigh had called me a 'wimp' repeatedly if I wouldn't take it helped a bit in making the decision.

Now I sat on the couch with my phone in my hand and stared at it for the last fifteen minutes. For the first five minutes, Raleigh encouraged me to call, but when it took too long, she turned on the TV and let me handle this on my own. She sat on the sofa across from me with her legs dangling over the armrest. My hand shook when I took another look at the piece of paper, which had Donovan Dane's phone number written on it.

I took a deep breath while mentally preparing myself. With a quiver in my fingers, I finally started dialing his phone number and placed the phone to my ear when it started ringing. I looked at Raleigh, who was completely clueless to the fact that I had mustered up the courage to call him. Instead, her eyes were on the TV.

"Donovan Dane." My heart dropped. There it was, the 'cold'.

"I-It's Everly," I stammered. Raleigh's eyes snapped in my direction before she jumped off the sofa and plopped down next to me like a grasshopper. She glued her ear to the other side of my phone and turned the volume of the TV down. I rolled my eyes at her but said nothing, too nervous about the conversation that would transpire.

"Hi."  I knew the 'cold' too well, because of studying it when he spent his time at the coffee shop. I knew the times it resided in his eyes, but also his voice, and right now the 'cold' was melting again, making me feel victorious.

"I thought about your offer."

I heard a chuckle through the phone, and it caused my heart to flutter a bit. "Is this you making your move, Ms. Florence?" My breathing ceased in my throat for a second and Raleigh gasped at his words. She started bouncing up and down on the couch like some little child on a Christmas morning. I waved my hand at her, indicating for her to be quiet. Luckily, she did as I asked, but unluckily, she glued her ear back to my phone.

"Yes, but I do have some conditions,"  I told him.

It was silent at the other end for a moment until he said, "That's okay. Can you stop by my office today?"  My heart was already beating fast, but now it picked up even more speed and I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"Today?"

"Is that a problem?"  he asked. I felt Raleigh furiously shake her head beside me, and I lightly nudged her with my elbow.

"No, it won't be a problem,"  I answered, trying to sound calm and collected.

"Then I'll see you today. Call me when you arrive and I will come to get you."  That was it. The call that could change my life, ended, and I stared at my phone for a second, processing what just happened.

"Yeeees!!! And damn that voice. Smooth like butter. This guy is hot as hell, Eve. You need to marry him and have his babies," Raleigh rambled as she started jumping up and down on the couch. I swear this girl was nuts.

"Sit your butt down. I'm not marrying anyone," I told her.

"You are such a buzzkill," she pouted as she sat down. "Can't I be happy for my best friend? You are finally getting what you wanted. Your writing dreams are finally coming true and a tremendous bonus is the fact that this hot piece of man has his eyes on you."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "What are you most happy about?"

Raleigh set her lips in a thin line and looked away, out of the window. "Maybe that hot piece of a man." She turned to me. "But you deserve someone who makes you feel like you can be yourself. Someone that brings out the old Eve. The one before Jake," she admitted.