I laugh, though I think I’d much rather see Evan Westwithouta jersey than with one.
22: Evan
“Are you ready?”
Flo lets out a shaky breath. “I think so.”
The road dips and curves beneath us. The sun is setting low, just peeking over the top of the landscape enough to emit a soft, orange glow. In a matter of minutes, the darkness will begin rolling in. She’s got both hands locked around her Honda’s wheel, knuckles pale, eyes fixed on the exit of my land—now we’re back in Montana—straight ahead as we creep over it slowly.
I want to tell her that she’s safe. That she’s driving along a familiar path she’s driven over many times before in the daylight, but I know talking too much about how okay she’ll be can sometimes make anxiety worse. Often, silence is a more comforting environment.
“Evan, I don’t know about this.” Flo freezes up.
“Just keep your hands steady. Once around the corner, and then we’ll be done.” I keep my voice quiet and calm.
Flo doesn’t answer, just swallows hard. The worry is etched into her usually smug features, and it hits me justhow brave she’s being right now. Driving in the dark is a normal thing for me, something I do most days, but she hasn’t done it in years, and this must feel like scaling a mountain to her.
“What if it starts raining?” she asks at the exact moment she turns the wheel off my property onto the country road.
“I’ve checked the weather forty times. There’s no chance of rain, trouble.”
“Okay, sorry.” She pushes her large glasses higher up onto her face before returning her hand to the wheel, shuffling in the seat.
“Don’t apologise. You’re doing great.”
The sun finally nestles itself behind the ridge of land behind us, and a wave of darkness settles upon us. Flo’s car headlights are blinding, and with twitchy fingers, she attempts to brighten them, but they’re already at their max.
Her mouth turns downwards, and I try to calm her by saying, “Usually, roads will be lit at night. It’s just because this is a back road that it isn’t. Barely anyone uses it at this time, though, so take it at your pace.”
We’re moving at well under the speed limit, but the chance that we’ll meet another car on this journey is slim, and even if we were to, I’d wave at them to overtake us so Flo isn’t pressured into driving faster than she’s comfortable with.
The fact that she’s behind the wheel at this time is a win in itself.
“I need a distraction.”
“That’s why I wore shorts,” I chuckle, and her eyes dart down to my thighs for a brief second before she lets the corners of her lips curve.
“Okay, too distracting.”
“Fine, can we talk about that jersey you made for Leo?”
Flo nods, slowing the car down once we reach a bend in the road, craning her neck to check for other drivers a few more times than necessary before pulling around it.
“Thank you. He absolutely loves it.”
“Just doing my job,” she responds.
“I’m pretty sure getting my son to fall head over heels for you wasn’t in the job description.”
“It just comes so naturally.” I can tell Flo isn’t fully paying attention to the conversation, though, since her eyes continue to glaze over and her throat keeps bobbing. She’s swallowing her anxiety, or attempting to, at least.
“You’re allowed to be nervous doing this, Flo. Don’t try to force it down as if it’s an emotion you should be ashamed of. If you need to stop, we can.”
Nodding her head, she smiles and pulls over on the side of the road, ensuring we’re far enough off it so we don’t block it. She turns to me, pulling her knees to her chest. “I just need a minute.” She laughs now. “I can’t believe I’m driving in the dark, though. What the fuck?”
My cheeks pinch with a grin. “It’s all you.”
God, do I want to smother her in kisses. My chest swells with pride, and it warms my entire body. Without thinkingabout it, I place my hand on her sweatpant-covered thigh, and a flush of want colours her cheeks in the dimly lit car.
