After that strange encounter with her sister, Evelyn went to spend the rest of her lunch break at the summer festival.
A glowing tan! This was what she needed to really further her singing career!
Then it was back to work. Apparently she was also expected to sing in the street for tips, mainly to advertise the Sing-A-Gram business. Still, Evelyn put her heart into every note, hoping to stand out as a performer, rather than just a Sing-A-Gram deliverer.
All the while, she kept glancing over at the giant billboard, imagining it was her standing on that big stage. This was actually pretty fun!
But soon, another phone call had her driving across town to deliver yet another Sing-A-Gram. What a huge house! Yes, those would be exactly the type of people who could afford ordering a Sing-A-Gram to congratulate their teenage daughter on finishing her homework.
During her performance, Evelyn's heel got stuck on the carpet flooring and she fell over, landing on her behind painfully hard. Mandy Best only complained about her cheap parents hiring a sucky performer, instead of trying to help her up.
Her next job that day was for another family member again. Congratulations on your workout, Bridgette! Evelyn appreciated that Eric would want to support her by giving her business, but she hoped that she would be able to leave Sing-A-Grams behind her altogether soon.
After her work day was over, Evelyn received a call from Emily asking to meet at a local restaurant for dinner. Apparently she had something important to tell her.
"Evelyn," she started, then suddenly went quiet and looked at her feet. Oh no. Where had the new, happy Emmy gone?
"What is it, Em?" Evelyn asked finally, fearing the worst. Had their mother dug her claws into Emily again? Did she want to return to Hidden Springs to get back to a life of crime?
"Uhm... Let's get something to eat first, alright?"
"Don't freak out, ok?" Uh oh. That did not sound good. Evelyn put down her fork as she listened to her sister continue, "I did some digging on this Finnegan Sawyer guy and--"
"You did what? Emily, what the heck? I mean, it's cool that you're into that whole investigator thing now, but seriously?"
"I know, I know! I'm sorry, Evie! It's just... You know I can be a bit neurotic... I worry about you, is all."
Evelyn looked at her sister intently for a moment. She could not be mad at her. "So... what did you find out then? Is it something to do with that... organization... thing?"
"What? Oh no, no no!" Emily was suddenly even more flustered than before. "It's nothing like that. He doesn't have a... uhm... criminal record."
Anything to do with their mother and her business still made Emily extremely nervous, and Evelyn was sorry to have brought it up. "So what then? Tell me."
"Well... I've heard rumors that he might have a girlfriend. There's something going on with him and this elderly lady and--"
Evelyn laughed in surprise and relief. "Rumors? But Em, he's a celebrity! Aren't there fake rumors about them all the time? It's probably just a crazy fan, making up a story!"
"Yes, that's a possibility I guess, but..." Emily sighed deeply. "Just promise me you'll be careful, alright? Don't get too involved with this guy before you know him better. I don't want to see you get hurt."
Evelyn smiled. That was Emily alright, always worrying about her family. "Sure thing, sis. You know me, I'm always careful!" She winked, and Emily looked happy again for the first time that evening.
It had been a long day, and once she was home, Evelyn fell into an exhausted, dreamless sleep.
The next morning, she had just gotten out of the shower and into her dumb uniform when she received a phone call from her boss. There were no Sing-A-Grams scheduled for that day and she was to go out and perform for tips instead. This was a great opportunity to take a day off!
By the time she had changed out of her uniform and made her way to the park, Finnegan's show had already started.
When he turned toward Evelyn and looked her directly in the eyes, her heart skipped a beat. It was as if he was singing only for her alone!
The other women in the crowd seemed to share her thoughts.
But Evelyn did not notice that. She was busy daydreaming about a life beside this fascinating man. A nice little house, a couple of children... Evelyn Sawyer. It had a ring to it.
His baritone voice, amplified through the large speakers, brought shivers down her spine.
"You were amazing!" Evelyn gushed. "You have such a great voice! And the way you spun in the end? Super cool!"
"Don't I know it," he said, flashing that dazzling smirk of his. "Tell you what babe, performing always gets me all fired up. Let's head into that photo booth over there and snap some romantic pics."
Before she could even pause to think what these two things had to do with each other, Evelyn followed Finnegan into the stuffy booth. He instantly embraced and kissed her, while Evelyn giggled and repelled him playfully, trying to pose for the camera.
However, it soon became clean that Finnegan wanted more than a few pictures to hang on his wall. Evelyn did not resist this gorgeous man's passionate advances.
It didn't take long, but Finnegan looked very pleased with himself.
Evelyn grabbed the photos excitedly. "Look! They actually turned out really cute."
"Sure, babe."
"Hey Finnegan, I'm meeting some friends at The Brightmore later tonight. It'd be awesome if you could come too!"
"Sure, babe."
He didn't show up.
Evelyn had hoped to introduce Finnegan to her sister that night. She was sure that if Emily only knew him, she would see that the rumors she had heard were just that - rumors. She was a bit bummed, to be honest, but it was a party and she tried to put on a brave face. After a few cocktails with her favorite Sims, the whole world looked a lot better.
With party girl Karen Kerman in attendance, it was a wild night.
Back in her apartment, in the wee hours of the morning, Evelyn took another glance at the pictures of her and Finnegan before falling into bed.
A few days went by without a word from Finnegan.
Evelyn was ecstatic when he finally called her and invited her over to his house.
The address was a fancy one - far up in the hills overlooking the city. Still, Evelyn was floored when she saw the magnificent mansion.
She greeted him through the heavy iron gate. "That's quite the fence you've got there!"
"Gotta keep those fans out somehow. They obsess over me, you know?" He grinned. "Once a chick even broke in here and when I came home, I found her cooking heart-shaped pancakes in my kitchen. Completely crazy. Can't blame them, of course. They see this good-looking guy, living the dream and performing on stage, so they come up with all these fantasies in their heads." He unlocked the gate and ushered Evelyn through. "It's been better since I had this special fence for celebrities from Bridgeport installed though. The fans just leave their gifts outside. It's kinder for them too, you know? I don't need to call the cops on them, but they still get a glimpse of their fantasy. They just can't come in."
"I'm glad you're letting me in then, Finnegan," Evelyn tried to sound nonchalant, but she was just too excited. "Your house is incredible!"
"Well yeah babe, when you're living in the public eye as much as I am, you've got to represent." He grinned. "Now come on inside and I'll show you something even more incredible."
The view from up here was really amazing. (Gratuitous reflective water shot!)
Finnegan gave Evelyn a grand tour, proudly showcasing the many lavishly decorated rooms - punctuated by flirtations that made her blush. It was so exciting to get a glimpse of this intriguing man's life. He had achieved so much, just with his amazing talent! And he was taking an interest in her!
"And next up," he said, flashing that wolfish grin of his again, "is the master bedroom."
Evelyn giggled.
"But first, why don't you go downstairs and get us a bottle of nectar while I freshen up, babe."
What an irresistible man. Evelyn was so lucky.
When she had made her way to the kitchen, Evelyn was surprised to find someone preparing food inside.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I just came to get a bottle of nectar. Are you the housekeeper?"
The woman put down the bowl she had been holding, turned around and stared blankly at Evelyn. "Housekeeper?"
"Wait a moment... then what are you doing inside Finnegan's house? Are you one of his crazy fans?! Oh no, he's told me about this. I should call the police right away!"
The woman bristled at that. "No, I am going to call the police. This is my house."
"Heeyyyy" Finnegan's voice was unnaturally high as he entered the kitchen and crossed the distance to the two women quickly. "I can explain."
"Finnykins," the blonde woman screeched, "We've talked about this! You promised! And here you go again, bringing another bimbo into my house!"
Finnegan tensed like a cornered animal. He looked back and forth between the two women, then glanced at the door. "I--"
Evelyn did not wait to see what he had to say. She stormed out of the room, feeling tears pricking the back of her eyes. How could she have been so stupid? Emily had been right all along.
"Yeah, that's right," the older woman called after her. "Get outta here, bimbo. Get out of my house! And keep your filthy hands of my Finnykins!"
Finnegan caught up with Evelyn before she could reach the front door. "Babe, wait! I can explain!"
"Oh yeah?" she wheeled around to face him. "This should be good. So she's just an obsessed fan, right?"
"Well, no, babe. She's kind of this woman I'm living with and--"
"So she's your girlfriend?! Dammit, Finnegan! When were you planning on telling me? Is this the part where you say you'll break up with her to be with me?"
He snorted. "Not unless you have a mansion stashed away somewhere, babe."
Evelyn stared at him incredulously, stunned into silence.
"What? You know the housing market in Starlight Shores. It's crazy," he explained indignantly. "I'd be a fool to give all this up. But babe, that doesn't mean we can't be together! I mean, you're hot and a man does have his needs..."
"Come on," He lowered his voice and stepped closer to Evelyn, reaching for her hand and looking deeply into her furious eyes. "You can't just leave like that, babe. Gimme a goodnight kiss."
She pulled her hand away and stepped back, "Quit calling me 'babe'!"
"Tell you what," he continued, unperturbed. "I'll take you out tomorrow, somewhere nice. It'll be just us. Just Finnegan and... uh... and you, babe."
"Stop calling me that," she snapped. "Wait... do you... Do you even know my name?!"
"Your name? Well, heh, of course babe. It's... uh... Ella?"
"That's IT!"
"You are an unbelievable douche, Finnegan Sawyer! Don't ever dare to call me again!"
"Psh, so what if I don't know your name. You chicks are all the same anyway. Drama, drama. But in the end, babe, you know you'll be back for this," he said, gesturing to his face.
She didn't even feel like crying anymore. Evelyn was just furious at herself for having been so naïve.
---
"You've been a naughty boy again!"
"That? Psh. It was nothing, babe, really. She was just a crazy fan. You know how it goes."
"Aw, it's alright, Finnykins. I know you love me. Nothing a little make-up woohoo can't fix!"
_____________________________
Notes:
Notice the difference between these two?
It's the difference of playing the Sims 3 on Mac OS versus Windows. Same hardware. It's crazy how badly the Mac version is coded! There's no way to play with good settings.
Anyway, from now on we're on Windows with pretty pretty graphics and reflective water!!!
That break-up with Finnegan was a bit annoying. Evelyn actually ran into him and Madeline Buckshot at Rodeo-Go-Go and got the "Accuse of Cheating" action lined up. Lucky for me! I prepared to take some great dramatic pictures. But then Finnegan went and hid in the male restroom! He didn't even go, he just stood there, waiting! Hiding. That coward. So Evelyn's action got cancelled and being a Sim, she completely forgot about everything. Then Madeline left and my chance was gone. So I had to go over to their house later that day!
