Fool Me Once by Sandra Lee

see myself making love to someone who despises me.”
    “Hmmm, I see how that could be a problem. I wish I had a solution for you, or that I could help you out with that. But I’m not a man.” She laughed.” Are you positive he doesn’t like you?”
    “Oh yes, he couldn’t have made it any clearer.”
    “I know” Alex said excitedly.” I will introduce you to one of Alan’s friends. He is cute, he is funny, and he has a great job. You could have fun. Try and take your mind off Jake, and hopefully have you thinking about someone else.
    “Do you really think that’s the solution; a blind date? Eva asked skeptical.
    “Well, maybe not the solution, but it can’t hurt. Plus the date isn’t really blind, I know the guy, and he is great! How bad can it be? Can it be worse then now? At best you could fall for him and forget all about Mr. Wrong. At worse, you could just have a great evening with a nice man, then go back to your present frustrated state.”
    Eva smiled against her will, and reluctantly agreed to have the date set up.
    “But let’s plan it for after the charity ball, I will be very busy until then.
    “Sure, consider it done.” Alex smiled brightly and winked.” You will see, we will bring some sparkle back in your eyes, and a blush you never had on your cheeks.”

Chapter nine
     
    Eva’s laughter echoed through the busy kitchen. James’ antics could have made a dead man wake up and chuckle. His clowning around was a welcome respite from the stress they were all under. The ball was tonight, and after a full week of hard work, she could finally see the end results and it made all worth it. After many arguments with James, they had finally agreed that the guests would have a choice of two entrées. There was the simple, yet loved grapefruit risotto with roasted chicken breast, and for those who didn’t eat meat or preferred fish there was the grilled trout with lemon caper cream sauce, served with the delightful mini potatoes with herb butter stuffing. James was a master at making these potatoes; he made them so they melted in a burst of flavor. The guests would also have the option to substitute the potatoes with sautéed asparagus if they found the potatoes to be too heavy for them. The desert trays were filled with mini cheesecake, crème brulées, as well as a sinful collection of all that is chocolate. The aromas filled the kitchen and created a heady atmosphere sure to make you hungry. Although the heat was almost unbearable, none of them complained. Eva, although laughing and smiling with the others, was anxious for the evening to get started; yet she was also scared that something would go wrong. Tonight was the night that would determine whether she would remain the co-owner of a struggling business or of a successful one. She was scared to fail.” A Bite of Paradise” was the one thing she had done that made her proud. She had opened her business and kept it going with hard work and perseverance and no one could ever take that away from her, but they could take away her business. She was good at what she did, and she wasn’t afraid to admit it, yet so many things could happen, could go wrong. She hated that she couldn’t control it all, felt that her future and happiness were completely out of her hand. Frustrated, she blew on a strand of hair that had come out of her French braid. She couldn’t think of failure now, she had cooking to see to.
     
     
     
     
    Eva looked happily around; everything seemed to go well. The fears from the morning had mostly dissipated. The evening was a success. The hours of work, the stress and the sweat, all of it had paid of. Quite a few people had come around earlier to ask her for her business card, she smiled. For the first time in the evening, she was able to take a few seconds to appreciate it all. She took in the glittering gowns, the man in their tuxedos. She always liked to see men dressed up. She listened to peals of laughter erupting here