Bogum Park had the size of a standard football field, 100m by 65m.
A pathway traced its rectangular shape. Branches and leaves from tall sugar maple trees shaded the trail from the summer sun. They lined up on either side of the path. In the middle, vibrant green grass covered the open space. Picnic tables had been set up under a few trees.
A playground occupied one end. Children took over the monkey bars, slides, seesaws, swings and more. Their guardians watched nearby. A few old women chattered among themselves from a table. They shared stories about their families.
Eri and Ede broke through the trees.
Their short legs carried them to the nearest empty table.
"Ha! I won!" Eri cheered. She kneeled on the bench. Two braids framed the sides of her face. The top part stuck to her scalp. The ends pressed against her back, reaching the middle. She wore a pink plaid dress that reached her knees.
Beside her, Ede wore the same outfit but in a mint green color. Her hair only had one braid, fixed at the center. She stuck out her bottom lip.
"It was a tie!" She defended, crossing her arms over her chest, "Don't cheat. We both won."
"So who won?" Andie asked them. She walked towards the other bench and placed the picnic basket on the table. Eve and her mother followed soon after.
"It was me!" Eri raised her hand, declaring it proudly.
Ede yanked it down. "It was a tie!"
"No, it was not!"
"Yes, it was!"
"Woah!" Eve cut in. She raised her hands in surrender. Her brown eyes twinkled with mischief while her face feigned innocence. "That's too bad. The loser was going to get a chocolate bar."
"Wh-What about the winner?" Eri asked.
Her older sister shrugged. "Winner gets bragging rights."
"But if we tied then, no one won or lost." Ede pointed out.
Eri nodded at her words. "Yeah! So we both get chocolate bars!"
Eve cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you were the winner?"
"We both did!"
She tapped her chin, glancing up the sky. "So neither of you get a chocolate?"
"EVE!" The twins whined.
Their older sister dropped her act and doubled over in laughter. She pulled out two chocolate bars from the basket, presenting their prizes. "You can eat these after we eat lunch, okay?"
"Yay! Thank you, Eve!" Eri said. She clapped her hands in delight.
Ede smiled cheekily. "You're the best older sister, Eve!"
Frowning, Eve hit her head with a chocolate bar. "You only say that whenever I give you sweets."
"No, I don't."
She put the chocolates back where she found them. "Come on, let's go fly kites."
Georgie stayed by the picnic table, transferring to the other bench. Her right elbow rested on the picnic basket next to her. They had moved it so she could keep watch. She brought out a book and a pair of reading glasses. Her shoulders relaxed as she sighed in satisfaction.
She immersed herself in the world of chicken soup stories.
At the open field, Eve and Eri paired up while Andie partnered with Ede. The older generation held the kites from a distance. The kids each held a spool of string. They trained their eyes on the kites, placing their feet apart. They waited for the go signal from their partners.
After a few seconds, a wind came down and flew by. It rattled the leaves of the trees. The grass swayed under its weight. Skirts flapped against legs. Hair fluttered in the air.
It was the perfect moment.
"Run!" Eve shouted. She threw the kite in the air and let it catch the wind.
Andie did the same.
The twins made a run for it.
They had one hand on the spool. The other held onto the string. Red kites floated up in the air. Their tails slithered like a snake. They struggled to take control. Troubled expressions painted their faces.
Andie cupped her hands around her mouth. "Follow the wind! Don't fight it!"
Ede stopped running. She stood still and let her kite tug her hand. She stepped whenever it changed direction, doing exactly what they were told. A red diamond hovered in the sky. It drifted flat like the ground. Air puffed out its covering upwards.
"I did it!" She exclaimed. Her twin immediately asked for help from her.
She explained what she did in detail.
"Way to go, Ede! You can do it, girls!" Andie clapped. She kept her eyes at the twins and crossed her arms over her chest. Her voice dropped to a normal volume. "So… what's the problem?"
Eve shifted her gaze towards her best friend's direction. She had her hands clasped behind her. She tilted her head to one side, confusion painted over her face. "What problem? Who said I have a problem?"
Andie rolled her eyes.
"Eve, those bags under your eyes didn't just magically appear." She sneaked a peek to her right. "Tell me what's troubling you."
At that, Eve bit her inner cheek. She should have known Andie saw through her. They had been roommates throughout their university years. They also had been friends for longer than that. They went through several celebrations and breakdowns together.
When her mother died, Andie and her family were the ones who reached out to her.
She blew on her bangs and bowed her head.
She knew that her best wouldn't let it go easily.
"Fine. You see…"
Eve proceeded to summarize what happened. She started by narrating the conversation between her boss and his mother. She still remembered the exchange clearly. Then, she moved on to her own conversation with Avery. She stuttered a few times—especially when she reached the part about the offer.
Her voice became small, fading as she finished the retelling.
...
…
…
…
…
Andie hit her upper arm.
"Ow!" Eve gasped, rubbing the sore spot. She glared at her best friend. Her brown eyes called for an explanation.
"Why haven't you accepted it?" Andie demanded. To her, the deal sounded like a gold mine. It covered two of her worries when it came to Eve. Not only did it involve a ton of money but also her best friend would finally experience dating.
"Excuse me?" Eve scoffed. She blinked several times, wondering what world did Andie live in. "Why would I even accept it? It could be a scam!"
"But you overheard their conversation," her best friend reminded, "So you know it's true."
Eve squeezed her eyes shut. She knew that was a long shot. Mrs. Hathaway wasn't that type of person. It wasn't the first time she heard about her boss' dating life. She could feel how troubled his mother was over it.
In other words, she was truly in hot water.
"Maybe." She shrugged, opening her eyes. "Anyway, Ambryan is my boss. There has to be some ethical code that disallows us to date."
"Unless it's in the Employment Contract you signed, I'm pretty sure there isn't or no pair of coworkers." Andie squinted her eyes. She leaned her head a bit, taking a closer look at her best friend's face. "What's wrong with accepting it? He's bound to reject you if you'd join as yourself."
Then, she said. "Actually, he might do the opposite too."
If that CEO would stick by one woman, he'd likely choose Eve out of the candidates. He knew her. They saw each other often. For him, it would be the easiest way to live out 9 months.
Eve shook her head. "I don't even know the details. Avery could ask me to take up a pseudonym for all I know."
'A new identity for Eve?' Andie thought. She pursued her lips, straightening her posture. If Ambryan's mother wanted him to date, she would most likely do something like that. Otherwise, he wouldn't treat Eve any different.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."
"A good idea?" Her best friend's eyes popped out of their sockets. "Andie, I'd be lying to him! I'm sure that one is a wrong thing to do."
Andie pinched the bridge of her nose.
She loved her best friend. She really did. One of the good things about Eve was her honesty. Andie appreciated it a lot and so did many others. Yet… sometimes she'd want to strangle her best friend over it.
"Look, Eve." She began to say when she opened her eyes. She shifted her feet so she could face Eve fully. "We don't know anything other than what you heard. If you ask me, you should go to that cafe. Ask questions. Know every detail before you make a choice. You might end up regretting it if you don't go. The fact that you stayed up all night means you wouldn't move on until you get to the bottom of it."
"Also, 9 months vs 10 years more of work? That's practically gold served on a platter for you."
Andie paused. She watched as Eve scrunched her face. A somewhat defeated expression washed over it. That proved to her that her best friend was already aware of these things. Eve just didn't want to acknowledge them.
Now that she said them aloud, Eve could no longer ignore her points.
She grabbed her best friend's shoulders. Her hands massaged them in comfort.
When Andie spoke again, her voice used a soft and understanding tone. "I know you don't feel comfortable with the idea that you might have to lie to your boss but… you don't have to."
Eve raised her eyebrows. She didn't agree with the statement.
In response, her best friend merely shrugged.
"You can work around it. Just be yourself when he chats you. Don't talk about work at all. Besides, I think he'd also be unwilling to share personal information about himself. You'd both be in the same boat."