"What's going on, Evie?" Posy asked, her voice gentler now as she took in Evie's disheveled appearance. "You've been avoiding everyone for days."
Evie shook her head. “I’ve been busy, that’s all. You know how hectic it is on the run-up to Christmas, and with the thermostat on the bakery oven playing up…”
“Don’t think you can snowball us with that twaddle,” Iris argued as the three women exchanged skeptical glances.
"Evie," Posy said gently. "We know what happened with Gabriel."
Evie's stomach plummeted. Of course they knew. Nothing stayed secret for long in Frostvale.
Evie's shoulders slumped. The adrenaline from their sudden arrival faded, leaving her feeling drained. "I just... I needed some time to myself."
"Time to wallow, you mean," Iris said bluntly.
Evie flinched. Leave it to Iris to cut right to the heart of things.
"We're worried about you, dear," Marigold added, reaching out to pat Evie's arm. "It's not like you to hide away like this."
Evie's eyes stung with sudden tears. She blinked rapidly, willing them not to fall. "I'm fine," she insisted weakly. "Really. I've just been busy with Christmas orders, and the thermostat at the bakery really is playing up."
Evie's protests sounded hollow even to her own ears. She could feel the concerned gazes of the three women boring into her, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"Sweetheart, we know there's more to it than that," Marigold said gently. "Why don't we sit down and have a nice cup of tea? You look like you could use one."
Before Evie could object, Iris was already bustling toward the kitchen. "I'll put the kettle on. Posy, be a dear and find us some of Evie’s delicious cookies, would you?"
Evie found herself being steered to the living room sofa by Marigold's firm but gentle hand on her back. She sank down onto the cushions, suddenly aware of how exhausted she felt. The past few days of hiding away and stress-baking had taken their toll.
"Now then," Marigold said, settling beside her. "Why don't you tell us what's really going on?"
Evie's throat tightened. She stared down at her flour-dusted hands, twisting them in her lap. "I made a complete fool of myself… like you don’t already know.” Her tone bordered on belligerent, and she wanted to roll her eyes, but didn’t dare. These two women were like your granny, headmistress, and pastor all rolled into one.
Evie swallowed hard, her cheeks burning with renewed embarrassment as she forced herself to meet Marigold's kind eyes. "I... I threw myself at Gabe, like some desperate, drunken fool. He was so nice, walking me home, making sure I got in safely. And I repaid him by... by mauling him."
Her voice cracked on the last words.
"Oh, sweetheart," Marigold soothed, patting Evie's hand. "I'm sure it wasn't as bad as all that."
Evie shook her head vehemently, wincing as the motion made her temples throb. "It was. I practically attacked him. And he... he rejected me. Gently, but still. Holy sheet cake, how can I ever face him again?"
The clink of china signaled Iris's return with the tea tray. Evie gratefully accepted a steaming mug, wrapping her hands around the comforting warmth.
“And that on top of the whole debacle with Shepherd and Asher. I should have learned my lesson when Adrian decided saving a whole damn fifteen minutes on his commute was more important than me and stayed in my lane.”
Isis and Marigold shared a worried look.
“Evie!” Posy exclaimed, her tone somewhere between shocked and strict school-marm. “Don’t you dare let me hear you speak about yourself like that again. You’re better than that. Since when did you drown yourself in a lack of self-worth? This is not who you are.”
“Well, this is who I feel like right now,” Evie retorted. “I’m a mom, and that’s what I should stick to being, and I don’t even feel like I’m doing a very good job at that, either.”
“Stop it, right now,” Iris demanded, but Evie was in a mood.
“Oh, come on, Iris. I’m sure everyone’s thinking the same thing.” She threw up her hands. “I let Adrian bully me into allowing him to take Ollie on holiday. Then I let him take our son before it was time, so he missed Santa. I’m living with my parents and relying on them to take care of Ollie while I open the bakery. And I depend on Posy bringing him home from school.”
She sucked in a breath, but her rant wasn’t finished. “And then what happens? Oh yeah, my kid has to occupy himself, playing in the back room of the bakery before I close out for the day, and then my parents give him his dinner while I set things up for the following day. I get home in time to put him to bed, then I start over again. What sort of life is that for a kid?”
Evie blinked, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. She took a shaky breath, trying to compose herself but the weight of her perceived failures pressed down on her, making her shoulders slump.
"Oh, honey," Marigold said softly, reaching out to pat Evie's hand. "You're being far too hard on yourself."
