Evie Ever After. Beth Ciotta

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      “Shite.”

      “You can say that again.” I placed the ape head on the floor between my big furry feet then tried to fasten my seat belt and failed.

      Arch reached over, made some adjustments and slid the buckle home. He stayed close, his face hovering near mine, his gorgeous gray-green eyes shining with concern. “You dinnae have to do this.”

      “Jayne will lose her job if I don’t.”

      He gave me the once-over. “This monkey suit looks a bit big, Sunshine. Bet it’ll fit me.”

      Tears pricked my eyes. “You’d do that for me?”

      “Cannae think of much I wouldnae do for you, lass.”

      I kissed him. Hard. My heart pounded with affection as I cupped his gorgeous face with my furry paws and ravished his mouth. He matched my fervor, holding my head captive while conquering my tongue. Possessive. Seductive. The kind of kiss I would have dragged out forever if I weren’t under the gun.

      I broke off with a groan. “We have to go.”

      “My loss.”

      “Sweet talk like this is going to pay off big-time when I get you back to my place,” I said with a little smile.

      Grinning, he pulled back into the one-way traffic. “Never shagged a gorilla before.”

      I snorted. “Good to know.”

      He turned the corner and headed toward the boardwalk. “Didnae know Stone and Sasha were back from their honeymoon.”

      “Neither did I.” Over a week ago, Michael had called me from Paris, drunk and lamenting a fight he’d had with his blushing bride over me. Given the nature of this gig, I guess they made up. Whoop-te-do. “They’re celebrating the second anniversary of their first date,” I said, folding my furry arms over my gnarled stomach. “Michael and I weren’t even separated then.”

      He reached over and smoothed the backs of his fingers over my cheek.

      Sizzle.

      That tender gesture was even hotter than that five-alarm kiss. I was definitely besotted. “To top things off,” I said, squirming in my seat, “the casino they’re dining in is the last casino I auditioned at. I’m not even sure I’m allowed on property after the stunt I pulled.”

      “All the more reason for me to take this on.”

      “Can you sing ‘Born in the U.S. APE’?”

      He slid me a look.

      “Never mind. I can do this. I need to do this. For Jayne. For me. Call me crazy, but it feels like some kind of test.” I plucked the gorilla head from the floor and fluffed the fur. “Just let me out at the main entrance. Park up there along the side. I’ll be in and out in ten minutes. Fifteen tops.”

      He didn’t look happy, but he didn’t argue. A phone chimed—his.

      I fiddled with the tickets and the flower while he took the call.

      “Yeah?” He listened and frowned. “Bloody hell. No, I didnae know. Do some digging. See what you can find oot. I’ll be there within the half hour.”

      “Who was that?” I asked as he pocketed the cell and pulled into the valet entrance.

      “The Kid.”

      “Bad news?”

      “Unexpected.”

      “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

      He reached over and squeezed my hairy thigh. “Let’s get through the gig for Jayne, yeah?”

      “Then you’ll tell me?”

      “Aye.”

      “Okay.” I forced a smile and lassoed my imagination. One problem at a time.

      By the time Arch rounded the car and opened the door I had the head on, tickets and rose in paw—full gorilla regalia. Just like that I was on. Suddenly, it was just like any one of the hundreds of goofy gigs I’d done in the past. I was even on home turf. A casino I knew inside and out. All I had to do was stroll in and act as if I belonged. It helped that I was incognito. No one, not even the man I’d been married to for fifteen years, was going to recognize me in this monkey suit.

      I gave Arch a cocky salute and waltzed toward the doors, enjoying the chuckles I heard as a doorman ushered me inside. I liked making people laugh. Bringing joy had always been a thrill and the top perk of being an entertainer.

      I crossed the main concourse and headed for a bank of elevators, waving to customers as I passed by. Good thing I knew where I was going. My vision was compromised. The ape eyes were a creation of fabric and grill work. I could see, but not clearly, and only the things directly in front of me. Luckily, it didn’t smell too bad in here. In fact, it smelled as if it had just been sprayed with some sort of cleaner. Pine scent. Not a personal favorite, but anything was better than stinky sweat.

      I bolstered my nerve as I neared the gourmet Italian restaurant. It’s not like I loved Michael anymore, but I had to admit, it was going to be rough seeing him with Sasha for the first time as man and wife. And worse, seeing her pregnant. Sadly, he hadn’t been interested in having children with me. So, yeah, I was a little bitter about the kid thing. But they lived in this town and I lived in this town so it’s not as if I could avoid them forever. In a weird way, getting my first look at them without them seeing me was a bonus. I could scowl or cry or roll my eyes and all they’d see is the stony pug-faced expression of a stuffed gorilla.

      The hostess didn’t stop me so obviously she was in on the joke. I saw Michael and Sasha right off—the handsome, sharp-suited agent and the much-too-young for him lingerie model. They were seated directly in front of me, at a table with an ocean view. Only they weren’t alone. I recognized the casino’s entertainment coordinator and the VP of marketing. Two of the execs who’d been present during my disastrous audition.

      Pile it on, cosmos.

      I wasn’t anxious or intimidated. I was hopped up on indignation. I was going to be the best damned singing gorilla they’d ever seen. Put that in your banana and smoke it!

      I marched up to the table and launched into song. The lyrics of the first verse actually matched my mind-set a few bitter months back. I sang them with a Southern accent and a gritty quality so Michael wouldn’t recognize my voice. Although I suppose it was muffled anyway. I sang with gusto, gyrated my hips, and wiggled my big monkey butt. By the time I made it to the chorus, the surrounding customers were clapping in time.

      “Born in the U.S. APE. I was born in the U.S. APE…”

      After a double chorus, I ended with a bow and extended the long-stemmed rose and concert tickets to Michael. He looked half bewildered, half amused. Then he focused on those front row and center tickets and broke out in a face-splitting smile. The comments from the surrounding tables blurred into white noise. I only had eyes and ears for Michael and his new wife, whose belly was concealed by the table. I watched them kiss and hug, listened to their СКАЧАТЬ