Nicole had had a good feeling about Ursula and she felt even better after their early morning face-to-face. She’d planned to give herself a few more days before she jumped back into work, but when Ursula had to reschedule a last-minute trip to Paris and asked Nicole if she could move up their meeting, Nicole jumped at the chance.
Jane had been a saint, done her best to get Nicole to relax, distracting her with good food, great sex, and some A-plus quality time. But there was nothing Jane could do to distract Nicole from the accidental group text Evie had sent.
I slipped and had sex with Zach. We didn’t do any cowgirl positions I don’t think. But it was amazing.
Nicole’s brain hopped offline for just a moment and then her fingers kicked into gear. She typed out the words Oh Really??? and hit Send. Seconds later Evie responded.
I am so sorry. That text was just for Blaire. I thought I was just texting her.
Nicole checked the group conversation and saw where Evie had gone wrong. Blaire’s name was listed first before her own name and then Raquelle’s.Firstbeing the operative word. She really hoped Evie hadn’t texted anyone else anything that could be used as a Page Six hot take.
Nicole:See the three circles at the top of the screen? That’s a group text.
Evie:Got it. So sorry. Please don’t hate me.
Nicole:I could never. Please tell me he wore a condom.
Evie:Yes. The sex was very safe. I promise.
Nicole:Good.And congrats on the sex.
Evie:Thank you.
Evie signed off with a blushing emoji. Nicole was sure Evie was thoroughly mortified and turned right to Blaire to discuss what had just happened. Nicole wanted to ignore it. Evie was allowed to have sex. She was allowed to have sex with Zach Pleasant. Based on looks and sheer charisma alone, Nicole couldn’t blame her, but three days later the text was still burned into her mind.
Evie was now sleeping with a hunky rancher from Southern California. This was not a part of the plan. The Pleasant brothers seemed like good guys and she appreciated how much they’d done for Evie, but the more time Evie spent with Zach, the more time Evie had to consider that she might want to stay with him. And Nicole couldn’t honestly say she could blame her. Evie had been through hell. Busted her head open and woken up surrounded by strangers with no clue of who she was or how she’d gotten there. It was small miracle that she was up and about, well enough to find time for extracurricular activities like what Nicole hoped was very gentle missionary-style sex.
Nicole stopped on the corner and waited for the light to turn before she crossed. Her apartment was just a few blocks away, but she took a detour to the newly constructed Whole Foods not far from her place. Damn gentrification, but neither she or Jane could resist their hot bar.
Everything would be fine, she reminded herself as she made her way up the street. Evie was in good health and doing better every day, but when Nicole woke up that morning and started to get ready for her meeting with Ursula, she couldn’t shake this sense of impending doom. Something in her gut was telling her the rug was about to be ripped out from under her and Evie both.
She walked into the Whole Foods, only a little bit grateful the store had switched back to regular adult contemporary music after almost three straight months of Christmas tunes. She was headed right for the mac and cheese in the hot bar when her phone rang. She fished her cell out of her bag and smiled at the name on the screen as she hit Accept.
“Evie, hey. I was just thinking about you. What’s up?”
“Nothing, I just—are you busy?” The tone in Evie’s voice stopped her in her tracks. “I can call back another time.”
“Nope. Not at all. Just doing a little shopping.” Nicole stepped out of the way and tucked herself beside the cookie display case. “What’s going on?”
“Well, I’ve been wondering—did I ever tell you why I took the job onThe Dish? Obviously I needed a paycheck. Blaire explained that I’d been let go from a restaurant called Nighly and this job came along at the right time, but if I was such a good chef why did I take a job that didn’t involve any real cooking?”
“Oh. You wanted to open your own restaurant, but that’s an expensive undertaking and you just didn’t have the capital yet. Beyond a lack of funds we both thought a successful run onThe Dishwould give you enough name-recognition to start working on making that dream come true.”
“So I wasn’t planning on being onThe Dishforever?”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t let you stay onThe Dishforever. This was just part one of a larger plan. I make sure I know what my clients are picturing for the long term, even if those plans change. The goal is always to level up while chasing your dreams, and I’m here to help you get there.”
“Thank you, Nicole,” Evie said with a sigh. Nicole could feel her relief through the phone. “I guess I just needed a little reassurance.”
“No problem. What’s going on? What did you think I was going to say?”
“I was afraid you were going to say that I gave up on being a chef, off-camera. I’ve been cooking with Miss Leona and I absolutely love it. It makes me feel like I have a purpose. Zach pointed out that I was teaching people how to cook onThe Dish, but I don’t know, I just didn’t feel passionate about the . . . performance of it all.”
“Do you want to back out now? Give your notice to the producers?”
“No, no. I’m trying not to make any rushed decisions, like sending texts without looking first.”
“We all have our teachable moments.”