Chapter Thirty-Four
Evangeline
Ihaveto catch my breath for a second after I open the door. I’m still shocked that this is Carter, and he’s here in my place. After years of yearning for him and also trying to forget about him, everything still seems so surreal.
We stare at each other for a little longer than we should, and when his lips curl up into a small smile, I pull the door open further, silently inviting him into my home for the first time. He leans in to kiss my cheek hello then sets the Mexican food he brought down on my counter.
“I hope you like burritos. There’s a killer place on 24thand Mission, so I stopped by real quick before coming here, with no sour cream, of course.” He winks, and I love that he remembers my distaste for sour cream.
It’s so stupid that something so small could mean so much, but it does. Maybe we haven’t changed as much as I thought.
I grab two plates out of the cupboard along with some forks and knives when the size of these things catches my attention. “There’s no way I can eat all of that,” I exclaim as I motion to the monstrosity he just set on my plate.
“Then good, you’ll have leftovers for tomorrow. Where should we sit?”
I motion to the nook that holds a tiny table for two. I live in a small studio apartment in the Mission District. The place is only a few hundred square feet, but the rent is cheap, and the neighborhood is full of people my age, so it’s been perfect.
“Let me get the box of letters,” I say as I start to walk to my closet, but he stops me.
“We can eat first. There’s no rush. We’ve waited for ten years. We can wait for a few more minutes. I want to hear more about you. What have you been up to these last ten years? I hear you work for a law firm.”
“How did you know that?”
He looks my way, and I stop short. Cole. Right, of course, he knew that from him. I shake my head. I don’t want to go there right now, so I continue like that moment didn’t just happen.
“Yes, I’m a legal assistant for this amazing attorney who has taught me so much that I’ve really grown to love the legal system. That’s why I enrolled in the Intro to Law class. I’m thinking of going back to school, but wanted to make sure I was up for it before I jumped in feet first.”
“I’ll have to admit, the girl who wanted to break the law at any opportunity she could becoming a lawyer makes me laugh, but honestly, I think you’d be really good at it. You always knew how to outrun the law, so I can see you being able to solve it just the same.”
I laugh out loud because he’s so right. It does take a criminal mind to be able to solve a crime, and though I never got arrested or anything, I was able to have my share of fun and never got caught.
“I’ve really enjoyed the class so far, and if I can pull it off, I’m going to enroll and start working my way toward my degree.”
“I would say with your background of already working at a firm you’d have a head start on the system and how it works.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. You can read all you want but nothing compares to real life experience and that I have plenty of. Plus, my boss, Kamii, is so supportive, and I know she’ll help me at every step.”
“Man, Evangeline.” He shakes his head, raising his eyebrows slightly. “I’m so proud to see what you’ve become. I’ve been afraid all this time that you were alone, barely making ends meet and here, this whole time, you’ve been kicking ass and taking names. I’m really impressed.”
“That means a lot to me to hear you say. I was lost for a few years but something led me to the firm, and things took off from there. Everything happens for a reason, right?”
He smiles, slowly nodding his head. “Right.”
Carter inhales his entire burrito as I can barely finish a third of mine. We crack up at old memories and even about stories we’ve experienced while apart. Our friendship is like we haven’t skipped a day, and a small part of me is hoping this is the beginning to us again.
After we wash our dishes, we both grab a beer from the fridge and head to the couch to finally open a box that has haunted me for years. With my hands hovering over the lid, I look at him for his final approval before I lift it, knowing we can never go back.
He doesn’t nod or even smile. Instead, he puts down his beer, stands up to where I am, kissing me on my head, and places his hands over mine, so we lift the lid together.
I blink away the tears that fill my eyes when I see the letters I’ve seen for the last ten years that have piled up. On every envelope, up in the corner is their address in Sonoma.
When Carter sees the address, he turns to me. “They live that close?”
I let out a much-needed laugh of relief. “Yes. I had him here in San Francisco. I chose them because they owned a winery, and I knew they’d be able to give him a life you and I only dreamed of having.”
Our eyes meet, and I can see his understanding in my thinking, which makes me hopeful.
“Should we start at the top or go by the dates and start at the beginning?” I ask, pulling all the letters out of the box.
