To say that Eve was a little put out with the more than obvious coddling of Abby could very well be an understatement. It wasn’t that Evelyn didn’t like the redheaded girl. She did, she liked Abby as much as she did any of the other girls that worked in the saloon.  That’s not to say she didn’t like the other girls, it was more that she tolerated their existence.  However, Lola’s sudden “handling with care” reeked of guilt and if there was one thing Eve rarely ever cow down to was guilt. There was no point to it. Guilt didn’t bring relief to your worries, nor would it bring a positive outcome to the situation that had now presented itself.  King was now openly claiming to be the rightful owner of Lola’s so the real question here was, where would that leave Eve? That was the only worry the blonde would concern herself with today. Whatever happened to Jackson, Abby, and now it seemed even to Lola, was out of her control, or so she told herself.<br/><br/>Luckily for Eve she had options. She could excuse herself from the table and the discussion that would soon unfold and retreat to her room. There she could easily pack her things and collect the substantial amount of money she had been squirreling away over the years and leave behind the saloon and its question of ownership. The idea of moving to a nearby town and making a clean start held a strong appeal, so much so that she pushed her chair away from the table and stood without ever making a conscious decision for her future.<strong>”You can have my seat”</strong>Eve announced turning smoothly to the side in order to face  King  head on as he stood behind Lola.<br/><br/>The moment the words tripped from her lips, so the guilt set in causing Eve to curse under her breath as she turned her eyes away from King and connected with Lola. Had it been anyone else but Lola, Evelyn would have been able to turn her back upon the entire situation, as she had planned to,  and stride proudly across the room, gracefully ascending the staircase leaving the whole sordid mess behind her.  However, it wasn’t just anyone. It was Lola, and no matter how much Eve tried to talk herself into believing that she was alone in this world, she knew, deep down that she owed Lola a great deal more than simply her respect. She owed the woman her loyalty.<br/><br/>Lola had saved her from a life time of misery.  It was true that she lived a solitary life, even though she was surrounded by women close enough to become her sisters. However, her love and affection for Lola had been true. The two women had bonded over the saloon and formed a bond that seemed stronger than mere blood. They were sisters in every sense of the word and Evelyn knew without a doubt that she would rather die before disappointing Lola and leaving her to dance alone to Kings tune.<br/><br/>Eve willed Lola to see the truth behind her actions, hoping against hope that the older woman would trust in their friendship and cling to the faith that they had for each other before breaking the contact and returning her gaze to King.  Rolling her shoulders back in a subtle movement, Eve smoothed the black silk of her daring dress along the curves of her body. Unlike the others, Eve had chosen a dress that accentuated her curves, displaying her figure to its fullest.  She had needed the ego boost that morning, and was glad to feel prepared, dressed in her "working" clothes to deal with the men that had invaded their morning meal.<br/><br/>Her smile warmed as she purposely allowed her gaze to drop, following the lines of Kings powerful frame before returning to his curious stare. Glancing over her shoulder at the door she offered the new sheriff an even brighter smile before turning back to Lola.<strong>“I’ll gather a plate for Mr. King. I know you wouldn’t want him thinking us inhospitable.  Should I fix a little something for the Sheriff?”</strong>Turning to look at the menacing third man that had entered the saloon with King and the Sheriff, Eve tossed a playful wink at the stoic man before adding<strong>”and one for Mr. Mysterious here as well?”</strong>Returning her gaze back to their unscheduled visitor Evelyn offered her best and brightest smile to Mr. King, hoping he had not seen her earlier moment of weakness. Eve was determined to find a way out of this mess. If that meant she had to get close to the devil then so be it.<br/>