Evie's Work Trip

[Mal and Evie's home. 7:12 pm]

Mal's POV

A few days have passed since our fishing trip and winning the lottery. I never did tell Evie that day and I'm not sure why I'm keeping it a secret. But I'm getting a strong feeling in my gut to do so. And I'll soon find out a good reason why I should.

But the next day after our trip, we bought our first car. With the money we got from the fish, we used it on a down payment for a nice silver compact car. Naturally Evie wanted a blue car, but this silver car was the perfect price since it was gently used with not very many miles on it. So we settled for it, noting that we can get it painted later. So no more renting a car. Because that took a lot of money from us.

Anyway, remember that last big event I mentioned a little while back? Well, it's going to begin right now. It was shortly after seven at night, and Evie and I were doing a little cleaning in our house on the first floor. I was sweeping, while Evie was vacuuming. But then, as we were about to take a little break, our doorbell rang.

"Now who would be here at this time?" I asked.

"I don't know." Evie replied.

Evie walked up to the door and looked through the peephole.

"Oh my god." she said.

Evie opened the door to reveal her boss Gabi on the other side.

"Gabi! Hi!" Evie said.

"Hi, Evie. I'm so sorry to bother you at this time. But I have something to tell you. May I come in for a moment?" Gabi asked.

"Of course! Come in." Evie said.

After letting Gabi in, Evie closed the door.

"And you couldn't have just given her a call?" I asked Gabi.

"Mal, be nice." Evie said.

Gabi laughed.

"It's okay, Evie. She's right, I probably should have. But I felt this is too big to say over the phone." Gabi said.

"What is it?" Evie asked.

"Well...how do I begin this? Umm…"

Evie smiled and grabbed Gabi's hand.

"Come with us to the living room." Evie said.

"Okay. I'm sorry for arriving unexpectedly. I see I disturbed you from cleaning." Gabi said as we were walking from the foyer to the living room.

"No, it's alright. We were about to rest a little." Evie said.

"So really your timing is perfect." I said.

Evie led Gabi to the couch and they sat next to each other on it, while I sat in the loveseat we got recently nearby.

"So what's up?" Evie asked.

"Well, there is this fashion convention coming up I have been invited to. It's an event where a lot of designers, entrepreneurs, lots of business people participate in. In Paris." Gabi said.

"Paris?" Evie asked.

"In France?" I asked.

"Yes. It's going to happen in a couple weeks and I will be going. It's an event that will last over a few days so I'll be gone for many days." Gabi explained.

"I get it. So you'll need someone to cover for you while you're gone. Gabi, I would be honored to be your substitute until you get back." Evie said.

Gabi softly laughed.

"No, Evie. I already got someone to cover for me." she said.

"Oh." Evie said.

"So then why are you here? Just to tell Evie this?" I asked.

"Yes. But also I want to ask her to join me." Gabi replied.

That got us.

"What?" Evie and I asked at the same time.

Apparently we were amusing Gabi, because she laughed again.

"Yes. Evie, I want you to come along with me to Paris. Afterall, you are my personal assistant. And I can't travel across the world without you." Gabi said.

"You want me to go to Paris with you? Wow. I mean, that would be a bigger honor, but…"

Evie then focused her attention on me.

"How long will we be gone for?" Evie asked while looking at me.

"A week. Seven days." Gabi replied.

"E, what is it?" I asked.

"I can't. I'm sorry, Gabi, but I can't." Evie said, looking back at her.

"Evie." I said.

"Why not?" Gabi asked.

"Because…"

Evie got up and walked over to me and sat closely by me.

"I can't." Evie said.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Evie is saying no to this?

"Evie, what's wrong with you? Don't you realize what you're saying no to? It's a fashion convention. Something that's right up your alley. Imagine all that you could learn from this. And it's in Paris? Evie, you have to go with her. You just have to." I said.

"But, I don't want to leave you for a week. A few days, sure. But not a whole week."

"Evie-"

"Who will take care of you? Who will be here for you? You'll be all alone. And I don't want to do that to you."

"Evie...Yes, I'll be alone. But I'll be fine. I'll be alright. You know I can take care of myself." I said.

"Yes, but-"

"Shhh." I said as I put my hand over Evie's mouth.

I admired the beautiful face in front of me and looked into her brown eyes.

"I want you to go with Gabi. You have a nice boss who's wanting you to join her for a trip to one of the most amazing cities in the world. Think about it. She's giving you an amazing opportunity in your career. Think of all that you can learn from this event." I said.

"Yes!" Gabi said.

"I want you to go and have a great time. I will be perfectly fine. I'm in a warm home with everything I need. Sure I'll miss you dearly, as you will miss me. But I'm telling you, you have nothing to worry about. I will be perfectly alright. You trust me, sweetness?" I asked.

I moved my hand away from Evie and gave her a soft kiss on her right cheek. Evie smiled and nodded. I smiled back and gently made Evie look at Gabi by turning her head.

"Then tell her." I whispered.

Evie got up and sat next to Gabi.

"I'll be happy to join you, Gabi." she said.

"Thank you, Evie. It means a lot to me. I appreciate it." Gabi said.

Evie smiled and nodded.

"You're welcome, Gabi. It will be my pleasure." Evie said.

After Gabi left, we finished our cleaning and got ready for bed. After we brushed our teeth, we changed into our nightdresses, turned off the lights, and cuddled closely in bed.

"I want to reassure you that I will be okay." I said.

"I know you will. I guess I worry about you too much sometimes." Evie said.

"And that's alright. I appreciate your concern for me. I really do. But I just want to tell you that I will be okay because, well, since this will be nothing like it was back in Auradon. Those feelings have not come back since the last time. Probably because I'm actually happy again. But my point is...well, you see…"

I lost my train of thought. Evie smiled and gave me a nice kiss on the lips.

"I get what you're saying, baby. And I love you so much." she said.

"I love you so much as well, E." I said.

"You're a good girl, Mal. I'm not worried at all now. And hey, maybe while I'm gone, you could fix this house up a bit. You know, make it a little nicer by painting some walls and adding some decor. And maybe some more furniture. Don't push yourself. Just do what you feel is right."

What Evie just said got me. When she's gone, I could fix the house up a bit.

"Yeah, okay. Good idea, Evie. You're so smart." I said.

"I know. Now let's get some rest. Sweet dreams, Mal and I love you." Evie said.

"I love you too, Evie. Sweet dreams." I said.

We kissed goodnight and Evie turned over on the bed with her back facing me. I laid on the bed, facing up, looking up into the ceiling. I looked to my left and saw the moonlight peeking through the blinds. That's when I began to have the perfect idea. The perfect plan. The last part of my dream. The missing piece that hasn't come true yet.

Evie going away for a week is perfect. I've been wanting to do something nice for Evie since she's done so many nice things for me. And now, I will have my chance to do the nicest thing I could think of for her. And I know exactly what to do with our winning lottery ticket too. While Evie's away in Paris, I will have the house remodeled to be luxurious like the house in my dreams. Guided by the drawing in my sketchbook.