Secret Identity (15 page)

Straightening her shoulders, she was determined to find out more about herself now, and she knew just where to start: with her job. Even though Mitch had tried to convince her that she didn't need to rush it, she was determined to make it into the office in the morning.

Walking into her bedroom, she started unpacking her clothes from her suitcases. In her huge walk-in closet, she found a mixture of clothing she'd made and some she'd purchased. There was everything from formal to very casual, all of which she found very appealing and to her taste.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, she looked in each drawer of her nightstand. She found a diary and decided to get comfortable and sit back to start reading and learning about herself. When she was sure she was nice and comfortable, she opened the small book and read the first line and felt like crying.

“I think I'm in love with Carter.”

C
arter watched Eve walk into the office that next morning. The tight black skirt clung to every curve, and the bright blouse called for every man to look at her chest, which was presented beautifully. The gold earrings matched the bracelets and necklace she wore; they'd been a gift from him and Mitch when they'd still been in college.

Eve hadn't known it, but Carter had followed them all the way back to New York. He’d tried to stay out of sight the entire trip, but Mitch had shown up at his place shortly after he'd gotten home.

Eve looked a little intimidated. He could tell she was trying to hide it, but just the way she held her shoulders told him she felt uncomfortable. Lesley, Eve's secretary, greeted her at the elevators with a cup of coffee. Everyone in the office had been warned about Eve's condition and told they should treat her the same, with a few minor adjustments.

“Good morning Eve, I'm Lesley, your personal assistant. I've got your morning messages and meetings all lined up for you. Just let me know if you're not feeling up to something, and we can always reschedule.” Lesley was in her early twenties, short and very blonde. She was a whirlwind of efficiency, just like Eve wanted. Now, however, Eve was looking at her like she was too much to handle. Carter chose that moment to step out of his office door and wave off Lesley.

“Eve? Would you mind coming into my office for a few minutes?” He turned and waited for her to follow him into his office. He noticed her chin went up slightly as she walked towards him. He also saw heat come into her eyes.

Shutting the door behind him, he motioned for her to sit. When she did, he walked around and sat on the edge of his desk, looking down at her.

“How are you feeling?” He'd been dying to know if she'd missed him as much as he'd missed her last night. His apartment felt empty, even though Mitch had stayed for an hour, watching a ball game and drinking beer. He knew his friend was just trying to keep him company during his heartbreak. Mitch had claimed Sandi had kicked him out when she'd felt inspired to paint, but he knew his friend too well to believe it. Eve was right; Mitch couldn't lie.

“I'm fine. I'm here and I don't expect any special treatment. I'd like to get back to work. I
need
to get back to work.” He noticed how tense she was sitting in the chair. Her back was straight, her shoulders back, and her eyes were full of determination.

“I have no problem with you going back to work, provided you take it easy.” He looked at her a little longer. She was wearing one of his favorite shirts. The red brought out the deepness of her skin and the richness of her hair. He'd always like her best in red. Her eyes looked clear and he could see that she was telling the truth—she looked like she was ready to get back to work. He started to stand back up.

“I found a diary,” she said, looking down at her hands.

He leaned back on the table and crossed his arms. “Yes, we figured you would. So? Anything I should know about?” He'd dreaded this moment. Why wasn't she yelling at him yet?

“No!” She looked up and he had the pleasure of seeing her cheeks heat.

He'd thought her diary would have shed some light on the true nature of their relationship. Maybe there was something in it that even he hadn't seen coming.

“She was pretty mean to you.” She looked back down at her hands. Even though they were still in her lap, he could tell she was mentally fidgeting.

“She?”

“I, well…Eve, the other Eve.” She looked at him and raised and lowered her shoulders. “It's hard to explain, since I don't think the same way that she did. I can't…I guess it's hard to explain,” she repeated and looked back at her hands.

“I understand. She wasn't too mean. I think she enjoyed seeing me flustered.” He smiled a little. “Actually, I'd like to hope that she enjoyed some of the arguments we had. I know I did.”

She looked at him and smiled a little. “Yes, she said it was a step in the relationship.”

His smile dropped away. “Eve, I'd like to explain about…”

She quickly stood and shook her head. “No, you don't have to. I read her diary. She had it all planned out. How she would buy into the company.” She frowned and started walking towards the door. “I… I should get to work.”

He quickly walked over to her and took her shoulders, waiting for her to look at him. “If you know, why do I get the feeling you're trying to avoid me? That you’re avoiding talking about the one thing we need to talk about.”

“I just can't deal with this right now. I've just found out who she…who I was, how I feel. I need to find out again for myself. And this time, make some pretty big decisions. For now, I'd like it if we can be friends again.”

He didn't think his heart could break again, but hearing those words from her caused a pain he didn't know if he'd ever recover from.

“No, I don't want to go back to square one. I know you're going through some things, but I want to be here, with you. I know who I am, how I feel about you. That's been clear for a very long time.” He felt her pull against his hold. Releasing her shoulders, he watched her step back.

“Carter, I just can't right now. I have to trust before I can decide if I want to continue with anything further.” She had one hand on the door and looked like she was trying to run from a fire. He'd never seen her like this before. Even after her big break up with Steve, she'd always appeared calm. Never had she acted like she was panicked. “I have to get to work.”

He must have sat there looking at the closed door for a while. When Mitch walked in, he was too deep in thought to realize.

“Hello? Earth to Carter.” Mitch knocked his knuckles on his forehead.

“Hmm? What do you want?” Carter walked around his desk and sat down. He didn't trust himself to stand too close to anyone at the moment. He wanted to punch someone, and right now, Mitch was being just the right amount of annoying.

“I said…Do you want to go to the movies with Sandi and I this weekend? We're seeing the new zombie movie.” His friend smiled. “Sandi has never seen a zombie movie and I think it's about time she was introduced to the walking dead.”

“Sure, whatever.” He looked down at the stack of papers on his desk, not really hearing his friend. Paperwork had stacked up during his month hiatus. It was going to take him three months just to get back on top of everything, especially since his mind was not focused on the task. He felt like throwing it all in the trash. Taking up a folder, he tossed it across the room. When it hit the wall, he smiled.

“That bad, huh?” Mitch sat in the chair Eve had just vacated.

Carter stood up and started to pace. “She wants to be friends. Just friends. She read her diary and found out that she was the reason that number was so high on the buy-in. But that doesn't change her mind. She has to trust before she can go further with our relationship. Trust!” Carter ran his hands through his hair, wishing he could pull it out. “Trust has never been an issue between us before. She's always trusted us, ever since that event when we were kids. Why is she telling me she has to trust now?” He paced across the room, gaining speed in his steps. What he wanted was to take a run. Looking out the large window, he saw the snow falling and felt even more frustrated.

“Take it easy.” Mitch stood and stopped him from pacing. “We need to look at this differently. We have to see her as a completely new person. She isn't our old Eve. We're complete strangers to her. She's a complete stranger to us.”

He pushed his friend’s hands off him. “No, not to me.” He stormed from the room, stopping briefly at his assistant’s desk and telling her he was heading to the gym and he'd be back later.

That night, he lay awake in bed. When his phone rang around midnight, he was still awake.

“Yo?”

“Carter? Someone's trying to break into my apartment.” Eve's voice sounded distant. Instantly he was out of bed, putting on his shoes.

“Stay where you are. I'll be right there.” He grabbed a sweatshirt and rushed out the door.

Eve put a hand over her mouth, trying to hush her breathing. She watched a dark form cross in front of her hiding spot. Fear caused her to freeze. She felt pins all over her skin, like she was being poked by a million needles. The shadow crossed again, and she heard a male voice cuss. Then she heard her front door slam open and Carter's voice as he called to her. She was still frozen. The person was right in front of her; if she called out, he'd find her. Then she heard Carter running towards her bedroom and closed her eyes.

What had she done? She'd called him instead of the police. What if the man had a weapon? What if Carter got shot and died? Before she knew what she was doing, she opened her closet door and flung herself at the man.

When their bodies hit, his legs hit the side of the bed and they tumbled over the side. She landed on his chest and started hitting him while screaming for Carter.

She realized two things at once. First, the man wasn't fighting her back. Second, Carter was laughing. She looked up and saw him standing over them, his hands on his hips as he looked down.

She glared at him, then turned to look at the man. He was gorgeous. His dark hair had been slicked back, and his eyes were a crystal blue. He had a slight dimple in his chin and from what she could tell, he was solid muscle under her. He was frowning, causing her to notice his perfect lips.

“If you're quite done, would you mind leaving us alone? We'd like to get reacquainted,” he said with a rich accent.

“Oh, no you don't.” Carter's voice turned dark. “You broke her heart once. Don't think we'll stand by to let it happen again.” Eve looked back up at Carter and could see the humor had left his face. “Eve, you can continue pummeling him now.” He crossed his arms over his chest as she pulled herself off the man.

“Would someone please tell me what's going on?” She sat on the floor, trying to stand up. Carter reached over and, putting a hand under each of her arms, lifted her with ease.

“Well, you've just met your ex-fiancé. The man who left you at the altar, literally.” Carter tried to keep a protective arm around her shoulders, but she pushed him away.

“I don't have an ex-fiancé.” She crossed her arms.

“Yes,” the man said as he pulled himself off the floor, “you do. Me, Steve Hopper. We were engaged for eight years, three months and four days.”