My eyes got heavy while I waited. I didn't want her to get into an accident from coming over to my house late at night. It was reckless to ask her to do that for me. But I couldn't feel guilty about that kiss.
A few minutes later, she responded.
Eve: I'm home.
Maddox: Thanks for tonight.
For that kiss and for agreeing to be my fake girl for the foreseeable future. Was that something that you thanked someone for?
Eve: You're a good man. You deserve that promotion.
I was overwhelmed by her praise. Right now, I didn't feel like a good man. I felt like someone who was taking advantage of a nice girl who wanted to help. She probably pitied me because I was a widower and a single dad.
But I hadn’t felt pity emanating off her when she was straddling my lap.
Maddox: I want to be that guy.
Eve: You already are.
I dropped the phone on the spare pillow, my eyes drifting shut. I felt warm and content. I liked having her in my life, and I was relieved that we'd come up with a way to keep her there for a little while longer.
I didn't know what I wanted when it came to relationships, but like Frank said, she made me less grumpy. A few months ago, I wouldn't have thought that was possible.
But Eve had given me hope. Maybe I could come out of this grief and live a little. Maybe life wasn't so bad after all.
Over the next week, I attempted to be less grumpy. I listened to the guys' concerns without dismissing them. I was more patient when I interacted with anyone in the community.
In my free time, I answered Eve's questions about the fire department's participation in the parade, promising to wear the big guy's suit on one of the fire trucks.
Eve wanted us to be in position early in the parade in case there was a call. We did our best to fulfill our commitments, but we couldn't predict if we'd be needed for a call.
I scheduled more people to be on call during that time, but we still needed the trucks to do our job. I hoped for Eve's sake that the morning was quiet.
The holidays were always a little rough for Sofia and me. I had a hard time enjoying the day because thoughts of what Sofia had lost were never far from my mind.
On Thanksgiving morning, I worked with several guys from the department at a local mission, preparing food and serving it. Sofia wasn't old enough yet to volunteer, so she spent the morning with my parents. The plan was that I'd be home in time for dinner.
Eve mentioned that she and her sister served a meal at the inn at lunchtime. I wondered what her plans were for Thanksgiving dinner.
The Palmer women suffered a more recent loss, and it was their first Thanksgiving without their parents. I was positive Eve was feeling a swirl of emotions that she wasn't ready to discuss.
I wasn't going to press her on Thanksgiving though. It had to be a tough day for her. I hadn't heard much from her in the morning since she was busy at the inn.
We were serving a late lunch at the mission when I saw Eve standing at the end of the counter, balancing a few small bakery boxes.
I motioned for my coworker Nathan to take my spot, then moved over to her. "What are you doing here?"
Eve lifted the boxes. "We had pies left over. Would you be able to serve these?"
"Of course. We can offer them at the dessert counter." We worked together to put slices on plates.
"How was lunch at the inn?" I asked her when the counter was filled with pie plates.
Eve leaned a hip against the counter, watching the families move down the line, choosing their food. "It was good. Some people don't have anyone to share the day with, you know?"
"Did you want to come by my family's place for dinner? That's where I'm headed after I'm done here."
"I promised Natasha I'd spend the day with her. I thought we'd do our own thing, but then the Sterlings invited her over. She dated Ford back in high school, so she's close with them still." She shrugged, falling silent.
