“Not Kitty, and she’d kick your ass if she heard you refer to her as old.”
I smiled and stuffed my phone back in my pocket. “How did your first day go?”
“It went well. I think I got a lot accomplished. I went around and met everyone, started reading employee files, and made my first few appointments.”
“Good.” I nodded and thumbed behind me. “I should get going. Don’t stay too long.”
“I won’t. I was just cleaning up to head out.”
“See you tomorrow.” I turned, but Evie’s voice stopped me after my first step.
“Also, I’ll make sure to tell Kitty you didn’t take me to get that bite to eat.”
I squinted. “You heard that?”
Evie shrugged. “Kitty talks loud on the phone.”
“Are you blackmailing me for a meal?”
She opened a drawer, pulled out her purse, and shut her laptop. “I’m starving and broke. Plus, I have questions about the hierarchy here at the company and the structure of compensation. I’d like to understand where all the different pressures come from.”
“What if I say it’s not appropriate for us to have dinner?”
She rolled her eyes. “You’ve seen me in my bra, and you told me you hired me because I was the least-competent person. Plus, this is a business meal, not for pleasure. You’re not my type.”
I felt oddly offended. “Why not?”
“Because you have a penis. At least I assume you do. And I haven’t forgiven your kind for all the wrongs they’ve caused.”
I couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Good. You’re not my type either.”
She batted her eyelashes. “Not into hot girls who are batshit crazy?”
I grinned. “Definitely not.”
“Perfect. Then let’s go.” She flashed a gloating smile and walked toward the door. I stepped aside for her to exit first, but she stopped in front of me. “If you want to go to Wendy’s, I’ll treat.”
“Keep walking, wiseass.”
• • •
“So what brought you to New York after you finished school down south?” I asked after the waiter brought our drinks.
Evie shrugged. “My ex-fiancé—well, sort of. Christian and I met when we were both students at Emory. I applied for my doctoral internship year in New York because he was planning on moving back to work for his family’s company, which has its corporate offices in Midtown. My sister also lives up here, so it worked out well at the time.”
“Is she still here?”
Evie nodded. “She and her husband are up in Morningside Heights. But we actually lived in New York for a few years when we were kids. My mom moved us around a lot. I lived in eleven different states before I was thirteen.”
“Wow. Did she move for work or something?”
She shook her head. “No, usually we moved when my mom left my dad, which happened every few months.”
My brows pulled together. “They didn’t get along?”
“Oh, sorry. I assumed you knew since Kitty and my grandmother were so close. Kitty was the one who finally got my mom to leave my dad for good. Almost thirty years ago, my mother stayed at Kitty’s women’s shelter for the first time. My father was abusive. My grandmother didn’t know what was going on back then. Mom kept it from everyone until Kitty encouraged her to speak to family. After she did, my grandmother came down to the shelter to get my mom, and she and Kitty hit it off. They became friends, and a year or two later, the house next door to Kitty went on the market. My grandmother had been looking for a one-story house, so she bought it. The two of them were inseparable after that.”
Shit. Evie’s mom was someone from the DV shelter my grandmother had run for most of her life? “I knew your grandmother was Kitty’s neighbor and close friend, but she never mentioned anything about your mom being…”