Her phone rang and she smiled faintly as she picked up the call.
"Hey beautiful"
"Hey handsome"
They both chuckled at the same time.
"How are the kids? Gone to school? I hope they did not stress you out?"
Evelyn coughed awkwardly as shook her head, she had forgotten that he can't see her.
"No of course"
"I was wondering if you could have a dinner date with me today?"
Eve was confused, why was he so nice of recent? She has been rejecting his dinner and lunch dates, she can just go and use this opportunity to thank him for all his attention and care towards her and the kids.
"Ok, sure".
"Perfect, I will pick you up by seven. Are you ok by that time?"
"Sure, sure"
She sighed immediately the call ended, Riya cut off hee train of thought.
"So who was that?"
"That was Trent"
"You seriously need to consider that guy, I mean he is such a cool guy. The guy is interested in you".
Eve looked at her in disbelief, " you must be joking, that can't be true. That Trent guy and I are just friends"
" Ok I get it, just friends", she did an air quote on friends.
" Seriously he has a girlfriend, I don't think he can be interested in a single mom like me"
" Babe, you are an asset in case you don't know. Men are rushing for you ok, just let go of the past and accept this Trent guy. Honestly your emotional intelligence is very low. Whatever that Adrian guy did to you must be so crazy"
Eve flared up at the mention of his name.
"I think that guy's hold on you is so strong that no other man can hold a candle to him. You need to let go of yourself, you have been so uptight for so long".
"I have a dinner date with this guy, so you will help me babysit these kids for me"
"Of course, am at your service maam. Just get something sexy to wear, you can never say never. You guys may get down even if you did not plan for it"
"I hate you", she blushed
"I love you.....", she blew her a kiss and ran out of the room.
Evelyn knew deep down within her that she still hold a candle for Adrian even after many years, why can't she forget him once and for all and move on with her life? This is becoming too hard for her, she needs a man not just a man but the one who can make her feel loved.
She went about her duty as she went to take orders from customers. She has always had men surrounding her at the hotel restaurant but she did not give a hoot about it. Luckily for her, she got a lot of money from the tips the regular customers gave her. She made a mental note to go for shopping for the kids weekend meals although she did not have much she had always made sure to give the best to her kids. Her daughter's appetite and likes bore resemblance to Adrian but the son resembled him facially.
As she was clearing and cleaning the tables, a call came into her phone, "Hey, have you gotten off work?"
"Almost done with my work".
" Just called you to remind you about our date, dress up well for me". He whispered the last part of the sentence but it came as a shock to her that she did not feel anything or blushed on hearing that.
She had really outdone herself this time, she gave herself mental thumbs up.
"Hello, are you there?"
"Yes.....Sure, I will dress up well", she chuckled awkwardly.
"Ok, I will pick you up in the next 2hrs"
She hanged up and rested on the wall, Riya was right. This guy is in love with her, what will she do now?
She need to clear things up with him tonight, she should not keep leading him on.
Riya had been watching her friend for a long time, she walked up to her and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. the later jumped up in fright.
"You scared me..."
"You were no more on this planet, so care to share your experience over there?"
'Where"? Raised her brows ignorantly.
"Mars.....", Riya dragged the word. Both of them burst into laughter.
"Riya, am now certain this guy is interested in me but the feelings is not mutual, am done for", she rubbed her aching shoulders.
" It's fine but it's not compulsory to live him. Just talk it out with him, am sure he will understand", she rubbed Evelyn's hair.
" This guy has done so much for me.....Sigh, I will think about it".
Riya helped her to finish the work and both boarded a bus to Eve's apartment.
The school bus had already dropped the kids and their nanny was taking care of them when she was not at home. She gave the kids a bear hug and rubbed their hair dotingly.
"Mom will be out in a while, just be good and wait for mom"
" Hello Miss Evelyn, good evening"
" Hello Miss Mary, I hope they did not give you so much trouble?"
" Of course not, go do your thing".
" Really?"
The middle aged woman nodded and she went upstairs to shower and get ready for the dinner date.
Miss Mary has been with her as long as she could remember, she had been the one she hired with the little savings she had immediately after putting to birth. she changed their diapers, bathe and fed them while she went out to look for jobs on shifting. luckily she landed a day and night job and that helped to sustain her and the kids.
She never knew what it meant to birth kids, when she was basking in the throes of pleasure she never knew it would be that hard. she practically had no one to guide her until the woman popped out of nowhere and then told her to breathe in and out, she was with her in the labour room until the twins came out. She had always been grateful to her.
Riya squealed as soon as Eve wore the gown she chose for her.
"Come on, how do I look?"
"You want to know?"
Eve nodded subconsciously
"Well, not bad. You look delicious and I think that your Trent friend won't be able to hold himself back".
"Idiot", She glared at her
"Okay, you look too beautiful babe for a mother of two".
"Stop sprouting nonsense, I think I heard a car horn outside"
Riya checked through the window and grinned foolishly, " Mr lover boy is here"
Evelyn Shok her head at her craziness and waved her goodbye as she opened the door to the living room.
" Mom, you look beautiful", her daughter Mia commented
"Of course she must look beautiful for her boyfriend", the five year old son added.
Eve turned red as she blushed. "No, he is not my boyfriend. Uncle Trent is just having a dinner with me"
"I do not like him, I don't want him to be my Dad", he looked displeased.
Eve was shocked as he realized her son Mark was behaving in a matured way. Whoever taught him that has done a good job at this point in time.
" I never said he will be your Dad ok".
" Then don't go out with him, tell him you are busy".
She held her forehead and wondered why a little boy will hold such animosity for an adult who has always treated them likke his own kids.
" But I want him to be my Dad, I don't have a Dad like my other classmates. They tell me stories of how their parents take them out to have fun during the weekends"
" What do you know? You always think about food all the time" he scolded the sister who pouted and glared at him.
"You know what, we will talk about this when I get back", she hurried out of the house.
Trent has been resting on his car and waiting patiently.
"So sorry for keeping you waiting"
The raised his head to behold the beautiful sight before him and his ears turned pink. Such a beautiful woman! He is very lucky.
"Can we move now?"
"Sure, sure", he recollected himself as he opened the car for her as a gentleman.
"You look so beautiful, you should dress up more often"
"Thanks Trent, how can I dress up more often when I have kids to take care of?"
Trent steered his car towards the parking lot as he replied, "You have put in so much effort in bringing up the kids all these years, it's time you give yourself a breather".
They entered the restaurant and were guided towards a private space Trent had already reserved.
" Let's order some of their signature dishes", he took the menu and ordered the most expensive meals. Meanwhile Eve had been glancing around for a while, she caught sight of a familiar figure which was as fresh as ever in her memory. That can't be Adrian, What is he doing here?
Of course not, Adrian can't be here. She focused on the meals which were served and she realized she didn't have appetite for most of the meals.
"How are the meals?", Trent looked proud
" They are very delicious but too expensive", she added on a lighter note.
He became more smug and raised his brows proudly. " I can't allow you to have a meal in a shabby place"
" Oh, it doesn't matter. it's the thought that counts".
He reached out his hands to hold hers out of the blue, "I want to treat you well, just give me a chance to do so. You are a very beautiful woman and I hope to be the man by your side" .
Eve felt uncomfortable but she managed an awkward smile. "I have to think about it, you know the kids have to know about it as well"
" No, no, no, the kids will have to take it. You can't be single forever, they need a father and am ready to be one", he sounded overbearing.
Eve lost her appetite and thought that the dinner has gone a wrong way ever since they brought up the relationship issue.
" Trent, don't you think we are better off being friends?"
" I don't want to be friends with you, I want to be more than friends. Don't you get it? I love you Eve, just give me a chance to prove it".