Cupid's Contract

Command Central

The rest of the week passed so quickly that Eve didn't even have time to adequately function, never mind over think to her usual degree.

If someone gave her a funny look in the hallway, she chalked it up to gas, instead of worrying that she had somehow offended someone she didn't actually know. When Polly dropped by to "say hello", with a smirk on her face as she took in Daniel and Eve's harried faces, Eve pleasantly greeted her and enquired about her new department. She didn't have the energy to waste on snappy comebacks and petty jibes.

She was trying to kick Johnny's butt. That was a much bigger fish to gut.

By Wednesday Daniel and Eve had realised that they would never complete their plans if they kept being interrupted, so they snuck into one of the empty conference rooms and set up their base of operations. The hallway had been abandoned when it became clear that nobody needed eight conference rooms, and the lack of comfortable chairs meant nobody would relax in there, for fear of bruising their coccyx.

In hindsight, it was the perfect hideaway. The only person who wandered regularly down that side was the janitor, who kept his spare mops and bleach in the closet just before the conference room. Furthermore, they had access to the disabled toilets, which were never used as they were far away from the actual toilets and there was no wheelchair access to them. Eve made a note to look into that after she had won the bet, kept her job and stopped enjoying what was essentially her own private loo.

She had not yet recovered from Sarah cornering her and was ashamed to admit that the use of the all but abandoned toilet helped with the bladder anxiety she had now developed. She would never make fun of Veronica again.

Unfortunately, even Veronica had been banned from their new lair. Previously, Veronica's presence had been welcome. She had a solid head on her shoulders and a good eye for marketing and organisation.

Except that solid head was now long gone.

No, Veronica who suggested various methods of alphabetising files was long gone. In her place was a giggly, hair flipping, love struck moron and Eve couldn't deal.

It was unfortunate, really. All Eve had ever wanted, since her best friend had her heart broken by Cranky Craig, was to see her happy with a man. It was a shallow hope, but when Eve had stumbled across Craig, huddled in a corner with a female decidedly not Veronica, she had been given the terrible responsibility of telling her pal that her boyfriend was cheating on her. When Eve finally got the words out, she had felt like she was the culprit and not just the messenger.

Veronica had taken it quite well, at first. Sure, at first her face had crumpled and Eve thought she could see her heart deflate, but then she had been strong and stoic and very relaxed. If her boyfriend of two years wanted to mess around, he could. Just not with her waiting on the sidelines.

Ron had cut the cord and she had been fine. For a whole two days, that is.

Then she had fallen apart and tried to move into her parents' basement. Well, her dad's 'man cave', to be precise. Eve had been there every step of the way, pushing ice cream and blocking phone numbers and generally being a good friend, and it had sealed their friendship. They went from friendly work mates to besties and every failed relationship Eve had suffered Veronica had suffered along with her.

Girl spirit, and all that.

But where as Eve had a penchant for getting back up on the horse, Veronica had sworn off men and actually adhered to her promise.

Luke was the first guy Ron had seemed interested in, and he was interested too.

It was so lovely and the best thing Eve could have ever wished for her friend.

Just not right now.

Not when she was drowning in work and the blonde beauty kept popping in to blush and repeat verbatim the most recent text conversation she had with the no-longer-barista.

Eve would squeal and coo after this weekend. For now, Veronica needed to keep her lovey dovey ways to herself, unless she could somehow convert said flirting into solving the issue of two of Eve's vendors backing out of the festival.

Unless Luke could summon enough food for a hungry mob, he was going on the back burner.

When Eve messed up this event and got fired she would have all the time in the world to talk about Luke's eyelashes. She'd even look forward to it.