Chapter 84

With the dog wash fundraiser gaining momentum, my determination to make it a success was stronger than ever. The next morning, I dialed Penny’s number and anxiously waited for her to pick up. When her voice finally came through the line, I wasted no time.

“Penny, I need your help with something.”

Her response was immediate, her tone business–like. “Of course, Evie. What do you need?”

“I want to make sure the paparazzi are there at the dog wash fundraiser,” I explained. “Can you arrange it?”

There was a pause on the other end, followed by a thoughtful hum. “Consider it done, Evie. I’ll make sure the best of the best are there.”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “We appreciate it.”

After the call with Penny, I decided to use that day to get to work on the fliers. Creating the fliers for the dog wash fundraiser was a hefty task. Armed with my trusty laptop, I spent hours designing a visually appealing flier that would catch. people’s attention.

The images of happy dogs splashing in water and the details of the event were carefully arranged to convey the spirit of the fundraiser. Once satisfied with the design, I went to the local print shop. The print shop was a small, cozy space filled with the hum of machines and the scent of freshly printed paper. I stepped in, greeted by a friendly clerk who was eager to assist us. I handed over the digital files, watching as he expertly loaded the paper into the printer. As the fliers began to emerge, I felt a surge of satisfaction at seeing the vibrant colors and crisp details.

After thanking the clerk and gathering the stack of fliers, I headed back to the apartment. Lucas and Aria were already there, sitting on the couch, their laptops placed between them. I spread the fliers out on the coffee table and their attention was quickly drawn to them, “They look fantastic, Evie!” Lucas remarked, giving me a thumbs up.

“Thanks, Lucas. I’m glad I was able to get them printed so quickly,” I said chipperly. “I can’t wait to post these around town!”

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“Those are perfect!” Aria said, clapping her hands together. “Send me the images so that I can post them on my fan page.”

Lucas rolled his gaze over to Aria with a sigh. “I still can’t believe you dedicated a whole social media page to the guy. It’s a bit extreme.”

“Lucas, please,” Aria began, “As his number one fan, I’m obligated to keep tabs on his achievements. You wouldn’t understand.” “I certainly don’t,” Lucas answered with a snort.

The days following were a whirlwind of activity. Aria’s infectious enthusiasm had a way of spreading like wildfire, and soon enough, the news of the event was rippling through social media, shared by Timothy’s fans and dog lovers alike.

With the fliers in hand, I wasted no time in calling for a meeting in the city so that we could spread the fliers. Timothy and Lucas arrived at my apartment, still humorously awkward around each other as they stood side by side. Timothy had brought Duke along as both moral support and a friendly face.

Aria entered the living room with plenty of duct tape and thumbtacks to go around.

“Are we ready to spread the word?” she asked with a grin.

“Absolutely,” I said, handing each of them a stack of fliers. “Let’s cover the city with these, even the most obscure places.”

Timothy glanced at the flier, his smile widening. “I have a feeling this is going to have a great turn out.

As we headed out onto the bustling streets of the city, Duke eagerly trotting alongside us, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of purpose. Our faces were lit up with smiles as we merrily stuck up poster after poster. Duke alone seemed to draw interest toward our group as people would occasionally stop to pet him before asking about the fundraiser.

One by one, we visited local coffee shops, community centers, and bulletin boards, carefully affixing the fliers to catch the eye of passersby. Timothy drew his own. form of attention, pulling in dedicated fans who had lucked out with finding him in the streets.

As I affixed a flier to a library bulletin board, Timothy’s voice broke through my 12:24 Fri, 22 Mar T concentration. “Evie, can we talk for a moment?”

I turned towards him, slightly concerned by his neutral tone. “Sure, what’s on your mind?”

He offered a genuine smile, his eyes warm. “I just wanted to say thank you. For everything.”

I felt my cheeks heat up slightly, a bashful smile forming. “Oh, it’s nothing, really. I just wanted to help.”

Timothy’s gaze held a hint of s held a hint of sincerity. “Well, it means a lot to me. I feel bad for doubting you, especially since you’ve been good at finding solutions.”

I shrugged, trying to downplay it. “Hey, I can’t control it if the solutions sometimes. run into me.

Literally.”

Timothy’s eyes twinkled as he looked at me. “You’ve helped me more than you. know. And speaking of which, I’ve noticed something interesting. Since the news. about the fundraiser started spreading, I’ve gained more followers than I have in years.”

I couldn’t help but grin at that, giving the poster one more strip of tape to keep it secure. “That’s great to hear! I guess you’re really gaining traction with this.”

Aria and Lucas had wandered a bit ahead, giving us a moment of privacy. Timothy’s expression turned more serious. “Speaking of fan attention, I haven’t seen Linda since our last encounter.”

Relief washed over me, although it was. fleeting once the image of my shattered sculpture reemerged. “That’s a relief. I was worried she might keep bothering you.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Nah, she’s been a ghost ever since she posted those. photos.

Have you seen her?”

Timothy’s question hung in the air like a weight, tugging at the corners of my conscience. His gaze so sincere, but I didn’t know if I was so willing to include in more of my personal issues.

I met his eyes, doing my best to hide the turmoil churning within me. “No, Timothy,” I replied, my voice steady despite the unease gnawing at me. “I haven’t seen or heard from her since that night at the apartment.”

His expression softened with relief, and I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.

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After cornering Linda that one night, I was still shaken and even riled up. From the hattered gift to her twisted sense of triumph, Linda was an issue that I wanted to handle personally.

As Timothy’s eyes held mine, I forced a smile that I hoped seemed genuine. ‘Honestly, I’m glad she’s out of the picture,” I said, the words tinged with false- cheer. “It’s been quieter without her around.”

Timothy nodded in agreement, seemingly reassured by my words. “Yeah.”

Inwardly, my anger surged anew. Linda’s audacity to lay claim to something that was never hers, to manipulate and deceive it was infuriating. But I knew that revealing the truth now would only complicate matters further, and I had to protect Timothy from any unnecessary stress before the event.

“Hey, you two!”

to se Aria’s voice cut through our moment of silence and we both looked up to see Aria and Lucas a few paces ahead, waving us forward.

“Keep up! We’re almost at the edge of town,” she said, putting a skip in her step as she walked on.

“We’re catching up!” Timothy called back, laughing it off.

I tried to laugh along, but a great pressure had begun to settle in my chest. I couldn’t worry about Linda right now, or any of the women that enter and exit Timothy’s life. His reputation was at stake. I had to try my hardest not to screw it up either.

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