Betrayed by Love (5 page)

“Cheryl is on line one. I told her Trevor was out in the field, so she insisted on talking with you,” Caroline said over the intercom.

Garth
stared at his computer. “Pass her through.”

He had been unable to concentrate ever since leaving
Eva’s. The sight of her in her apron and the way she licked her lips when she was trying to convince him to participate in her scheme almost sent him over the edge.

“Are you there?”
Cheryl shrieked from the other line.

“What’s up?”

“Tre hasn’t slept with me in a few days.  I know he’s messing around with that no talented Eva again?”

“If you suspect that, then why are you insisting on marrying him?”

Garth had to move the phone receiver away from his ear. Cheryl went on a tantrum. “I’ve invested too much time in Tre. I love him. He loves me. I just need Eva to stay away from my man.”

“Let me give you a little advice; you’re not ready for marriage. Why don’t you postpone it?”

“Oh, hell naw. In fact, I’m having a party to celebrate our upcoming nuptials. You’re invited. Bring a date.”

“You got to be kidding.”

“I’m not. And you know what, since you and Ms. Thang are friends; why don’t you bring her as your date. Let her see that me and my man are solid and he doesn’t want her anymore.”

“
Cheryl, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Why would you invite who you deem to be the other woman to your party?”

“To show her I’m not intimidated by her celebrity status.
Trevor is mine and its about time that heifer knew it.”

“You got issues.”

“And its spelled H-a-i-l-e-y.”

Garth
glanced at the clock. “I got to go. Stop stressing. Stop calling me and by all means, talk to Tre about your suspicions.”

He hung up without waiting for her to respond.
Women. They all have issues.

***

“That’s a wrap,” John said, through her earpiece.

Eva
greeted the people in the audience before retreating to her office back stage. While she went over her notes for the next day’s show, Brenda sat at a table going through her recently sent fan mail. Eva hadn’t heard from Trevor nor Garth. Her personal life was in shambles and it was beginning to affect her daily routine.

John burst through the door as if someone was after him. Brenda shot up on alert.

“Sorry, I was just excited,” John said, as he handed Eva a faxed sheet of paper. “You did it.” Eva jumped up and down. She hugged John and continued to jump up and down. “I’m nominated. I’m nominated,” she repeated over and over.

Brenda said, “I hate to rain on your parade, but nominated for what.”

John opened his mouth to say something, but Eva stopped him. “No, let me. I’m nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for not only The Best Talk Show, but for the Best Talk Show host.”

“Congratulations,” she responded.

“Thanks. I have a People’s Choice Award, but this is my first Emmy nomination.” She turned to address John. “Did you tell the staff?”

“You’re the first one I told,” John responded.

After John left, Eva reached for the phone to call Trevor but stopped before dialing the last digit. It pained her to know that although she had a successful career, she really didn’t have anyone to share the fruits of her labor with. If she really thought about it; it had been like that for awhile. Maybe Garth was right. Maybe she should think about just moving on and letting Trevor go on with his life.

She hung up and dialed
Garth’s number. “The favor I was asking. Forget it. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Garth
responded, “You would change your mind after I got us an invitation to the party of the year.”

Eva
looked to make sure Brenda wasn’t watching her and she wasn’t. “I don’t understand.”

“I’ve been invited to a party hosted by Tre and his fiancé and I want you to go as my date.”

“You got to be a kidding.”

“I’m not joking.”

Eva contemplated the idea for a moment before responding.

“Are you still there? I can always pull out my little black book and get someone else to go.”

“You wouldn’t dare. Count me in. Email me the details.” Eva hung up the phone and forgot about leaving Trevor alone. She knew Garth would come through for her.

Brenda commented. “You look like you got some more good news.”

“If you only knew,” she responded, as she logged on her computer to wait on Garth’s email.

***

Garth could kick himself for agreeing to attend the party with Eva. He hadn’t planned on it, but when he heard Eva’s voice, he couldn’t resist an excuse to spend more time with her on a social basis. What he was doing was playing with fire. Trevor had no idea what both women were up to and he debated on whether or not to warn him.

“Man, life is good,”
Trevor said, after bursting through his office door.

“You need to learn how to knock first.” 
Garth hit the send button in his email to Eva and turned off his monitor as Trevor took a seat across from him.

“Whatever. I just came by to tell you that I just got off the phone with our next big client. We’re to handle security at the Grammy’s.”

“Good job man.”

“It was your proposal that got us in the door.”

Garth stuck out his chest. “Well, you know I can’t take all of the credit.”

“True, true. It was a team thing.”

“We do make a good team,” Garth admitted.

“Since grade school.”

Garth felt guilty about not telling him about his plans on crashing his party with Eva. He thought about how to break the news to him. “There’s something I want to tell you.”

“Me first.  I’ve decided to let
Eva go.”

“For real.”

“No. But it does sound good doesn’t it.” Trevor laughed.

Garth
didn’t. “Tre, you need to let her go and this is the last time I’m going to say it to you.”

“What man in his right mind would give up having
Eva Ward? Man, do you know how many men wish they were in my situation?”

“Sometimes you disgust me.
Eva is a human being. She does not deserve to be used.”

“
Eva is selfish. Always has been. If she wasn’t, it would be her I’m marrying and not Cheryl.”

“The only person I see being selfish is you. Don’t you think your future wife deserves all of you and not just a piece of you?”

“I didn’t want to get you all up in my business, but since you are. Cheryl’s not all that innocent.”

Garth
shook his head in disbelief. “You two deserve each other.”

“Well,
Cheryl’s who I want as my wife. Eva can either get with the program or bounce.”

“You’re selfish. I don’t know what either one of them sees in you,”
Garth admitted.

Trevor
stood up. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you were jealous.”

“For what. Man, I can get any woman I wanted and believe me,
Cheryl isn’t one I would call wife material.”

“Watch your mouth. That’s the woman that I love.”

“You need some help for real. You’re so confused, you don’t know who you love.”

“I better go before this gets out of hand.”

“Yes, you better.”

Trevor
was at the door and was about to leave out, when he stopped, turned and asked, “What did you want to talk to me about?”

Garth
changed his mind about warning him. He was a big boy; let him deal with the situation. “Nothing. I figured it out myself.”

“Whatever man. I’m out of here.”

Garth threw up his two fingers making the peace sign.

“Eva, I have a rep on hold from Entertainment Tonight,” Jackie entered Eva’s office and said.

She put her hand on the phone receiver. “Take a message. I’m on the phone with my designer.”

“But, they want to set up an interview.”

“You’re my assistant. You know more about what’s on my calendar than I do. Make the appointment.”

Eva could hear Jackie saying a few things under her breath. Eva didn’t mean to snap at her, but Jackie got paid good money to be her assistant and she was tired of holding her hand. “Back to you. I need the dress pronto. The event is this weekend.”

“Anything for you dear,”
Fazio said, from the other end.

“Don’t make me regret it. I saw that last dress you designed for Parris Mitchell, Casper’s wife, and I want mine to look even better.”

“I have one that I designed with you in mind. I’ll send someone over to take your measurements and it’ll be ready for Saturday.”

“Thank you Fazio. You’re a dear.”

“Smooches to you too.”

Eva
scratched off finding a dress on her to do list. She was confident that Fazio would come through. She should credit R & B singer Parris for turning her on to his designs. There weren’t enough people of color behind the scenes of fashion.

Speaking of Parris, she thought it was past time, she gave her new friend a call.

“Has Casper been staying out of trouble?” she asked, after going through the pleasantries.

“You know your friend. He’s a handful but I love him.”

“No mushy stuff please,” Eva teased. “Tell CJ, the hit maker I called. I don’t want to hold you long. Just called to see how you were doing.”

“We need to get together. Girl, it’s been far too long,” Parris responded.

“I know. Let’s do lunch. My treat,” Eva said.

“I have a better idea. Why don’t you and a date come over next week for dinner?”

Eva didn’t know how to respond. She wasn’t sure she would have a date. Folks would laugh if she admitted that. Most men looked at her as a trophy piece but she was looking for more. “I’m free Thursday. How about then?”

“Sounds good to me. We’ll see you around seven,” Parris confirmed before getting off the phone.

Trevor, next week, it’ll be you and I going to that dinner. You’ll see.

***

Garth rarely got a chance to see Eva in her work element. She seemed to light up when she was on stage talking to her guests and studio audience. He watched the taping from a room not far from the stage.

He listened as Brenda gave him an update on
Eva’s case. “It’s good to hear that the fan mail has stopped. Let’s think about re-assigning you.”

Brenda said, “I would keep me on for at least another few weeks.”

“Oh no. I know you didn’t say that. Working for the diva Eva.”

Brenda laughed. “I admit when I’m wrong. She’s not as bad as I thought she would be. Don’t get me wrong; she does have her moments; but for the most part, she’s down to earth.”

“Wow. I’m shocked,” he said, as he handed Brenda an envelope containing her payroll check.

“Thanks Boss man.”

“If anything comes up, let me know. On Saturday, you can have the day off. I’ll be escorting Ms. Ward to a party.”

“It wouldn’t be the same party I’ve been invited to now would it?”

“You’ll have to wait and see,” Garth responded.

“I wasn’t going to attend. But I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

He ignored Brenda’s curiosity.  The show was about to end and he wanted to avoid Eva until Saturday. He made a quick get away. He heard Eva yelling his name as he turned the corner, but he pretended like he didn’t.

After dropping off Brenda’s check, he returned to his office. He was spending too much time here lately. He needed a life outside of work. His rash decision to stop living the player’s life offered him more free time. Time that he wasn’t used to having. He had to admit that he was less stressed. He no longer worried about whether one of the women he was messing with would have a disgruntle lover lurking near by.

“Hi handsome,” Cheryl’s voice bounced through the room.

He was surprised to see her there. “Where’s
Trevor?”

“He’s getting something out of his office. Thought I would come by and say hi to the best man,” she purred. She walked around to where he was sitting. She leaned in for a kiss. He pushed her away.

“You’re playing on dangerous territory. I told you it was over.”

“Can’t blame a woman for trying.”
Cheryl moved closer to him.

“You best back up.”

“Or what?”

“What’s going on here?”
Trevor asked.

Cheryl
walked from behind the desk and wrapped her arm around Trevor. “I was trying to convince our best man to not cancel out on coming to our party on Saturday.”

“Yes, man. How would that look? My own best man, not showing up.”

Garth looked from one to another. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Great. Now that it’s settled, Tre and I must be going.”

Tre shrugged his shoulders as he followed Cheryl out.

Garth
said out loud, “You two deserve each other.”