Liar! That’s not what you feel at all.
Nope - not going there. The woman had barely been divorced for six months.
When Iris finally wrapped up, Gabe made his way over to where Evie was gathering her things. "Quite the marathon tonight," he said lightly. "I was starting to wonder if we'd make it out before sunrise."
Evie looked up, seeming startled to find him there. "Oh, um, yes. Lots to plan for this year's festival." She managed a tired smile. "Did you need something?"
Gabe hesitated, suddenly unsure why he'd approached her, except that he used to see a lot of her at one time. The sympathy he felt warred with his usual pragmatic nature. "I just wanted to check if you're alright," he said finally. "You seemed... distracted during the meeting."
Evie's shoulders tensed slightly. "I'm fine," she said, her tone polite but distant. "Just a bit overworked with the holiday rush at the bakery."
He nodded, knowing there was more to it than that. The dark circles under her eyes spoke of sleepless nights, likely spent worrying about her son and the mess Adrian had created. Gabe felt a familiar surge of anger towards his former friend.
"Listen," he said, lowering his voice. "I know things are tough right now. If you need any help with the bakery or... anything else, don't hesitate to ask."
Evie looked up at him, surprise flickering across her features. For a moment, Gabriel thought he saw a hint of vulnerability in her eyes, but it was quickly masked by a practiced smile.
"That's very kind of you, Gabriel," she said. "But I'm managing just fine." She zipped up her bag with a finality that signaled the end of the conversation.
Gabe felt a flicker of frustration. He'd never been good at offering comfort, and Evie's polite rebuff left him feeling oddly wrong-footed.
Sod it, he just needed to be direct, like he normally was. “Evie, I hope you know that after all these years, I consider you my friend as much as Adrian. Maybe more, in fact, since Adrian’s gone and doesn’t seem all that interested in keeping in touch.”
He provided that last truth so she’d hopefully understand he had no loyalty to Adrian as much as it was the truth. More than the truth, since he’d been attracted to Evie from the moment he met her, before he even knew she was married.
Evie opened her mouth to respond, undoubtedly with another polite brush off he didn’t want to hear, when a deep voice interrupted.
"Evie! I was hoping to catch you before you left."
Gabe turned to see Shepherd Lawson striding towards them, his broad shoulders filling out his stylish wool coat in a way that made Gabe acutely aware of his own slim build and conservative business suit.
What the heck? Since when did that sort of thing bother him?
The handsome local barista’s perpetual scowl made Evie tense, so Gabe deliberately stood his ground instead of giving them privacy.
"Shepherd," Evie said, her voice cautious. "What can I do for you?"
"I noticed the bakery side of the front step is a bit wobbly.”
The bakery and the coffee shop were side by side, with the doors adjacent and a shared step.
“A bit of a hazard with the craziness of the coming holiday season. We wouldn’t want anyone to trip.”
Evie’s shoulders slumped so much, Gabe was surprised she didn’t fold in on herself completely. He was about to intervene and tell Shepherd to back off when she spoke up.
“I’m sorry. I’ll add it to my to-do list…”
Shepherd’s scowl deepened. “I’m not sure what’s going on in your head, Evie, but I was actually stopping by to tell you I planned to deal with it on Sunday. I just wanted to let you know because we’ll both need to keep off it for the day, and I wasn’t sure if you planned to visit the shop.”
Frosted Sugar was closed on a Sunday, but Gabe knew Evie usually set her ovens up the night before.
Evie flushed and closed her eyes, and Gabe felt the weirdest urge to hug her. She looked like she could do with one.
“Oh fudge! Sorry - again. It’s been a crappy day, and I’ve reverted to thinking the worst, I’m afraid. I apologize.”
“Ah, I guess I didn’t make myself very clear,” Shepherd muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
And the habitual glare didn’t help matters either, though Gabe didn’t say as much.
