EvanAnn
“How’s school going, Evan?”Mom asks.
I look up at my name and meet Damon’s eyes across the table. He looks bored. I look away quickly. Drawing in a breath, I refocus on the room. Wednesday night dinner with the family. My mind had wandered while Mom talked about her work.
There’s this scene between Desdemona and Othello that’s missing something. I’ve been struggling to figure out what it is. Running the scene over and over again in my head. Changing perspective to try to see what it is I’m missing. Is it something that Mark or Mia isn’t doing?
Maybe I should call Keira. She might know what I’m talking about. Or I could call an emergency rehearsal with Mark and Mia.
“Evan?” Mom touches my hand and glances toward Adam with a rueful smile. “Sorry, she gets like this when she’s got a production going. Head in the clouds is what Jason always said.”
My heart clenches at the reminder of my dad. It may have been years, but sometimes his death and the grief feels as fresh as yesterday. Sometimes the memories will make me smile or sometimes they’ll make me cry, but I love that I still remember him.
“Evan.” Damon’s voice is soft.
I lift my gaze, and his blue eyes center me, bringing me back here. Back to him.
“Sorry, Mom.” I glance down at my half-eaten dinner, trying not to let how I feel about Damon come out. “School’s going well. There’s this problem with a scene that’s using up most of my brain right now.”
“Othellois a big production.” Adam glances at Damon before focusing on me. His eyes narrow thoughtfully. “I’m surprised they let you take it on.”
“The school likes to challenge the seniors. There will be a few other plays this year. Smaller casts. Shorter scripts. And then the spring showcase.” I inhale because I’m comfortable talking about this. It’s easier than trying to make small talk or just talking about my day.
Because my days and my nights are filled with the Devil’s trio, but I’m not about to tell my mother about that. I can’t tell her how I laughed with Cam at lunch when he told me a story about a party gone wrong. Or how Hawk can just touch my hand and settle my thoughts. Or how Damon holds me at night and makes sure I have something to eat during long rehearsals.
“The thing that’s on my mind is how weird it was that you had a reaction to that rose.” Mom cuts her chicken and takes a bite. “Maybe we should get you to an allergist. Make sure it isn’t something that you’ll come into contact with again.”
My panicked gaze lifts to Damon before I bury the feeling. “I don’t have time to go to a doctor right now, Mom. Maybe we can do it in late November or early December when things have calmed down.”
I give my mom a smile and hope she lets it go.
“We should have had someone collect the rose.” Mom shakes her head. “Maybe there was something on it.”
“Unfortunately, someone must have thrown it away.” I touch the back of her hand and smile when she meets my eyes. “I’m okay. It burned, but the rinsing and the antihistamines made it better. It’s not like we have someone who could analyze it on speed dial.”
Though my guys do.
“I might know someone.” Adam smirks and, for a second, he looks so much like Damon my breath catches. “If something happens like this again, we should definitely take it to the police. Without the rose, we don’t know if someone tampered with it or you just had a bad reaction.”
Damon’s foot presses against mine under the table, and I release the breath I was holding. The rose is safely with Cam. There’s not more to it besides the oil. The note was written in block print, and Cam’s guy did a test for fingerprints. We knew whoever put it down had to handle it with care or use gloves to make sure they didn’t get pricked.
The guys and I talked about it, but right now, it just looks like a prank gone wrong to everyone else. I’ve gotten some mysterious texts, but that’s it. There’s no proof of the car in the parking lot—it was outside the range of the school cameras. The police have more important things to do than to analyze a rose when we already know what was on it. It wasn’t anything illegal either.
“Hopefully nothing like that happens again.” Mom shakes her head. “I don’t know how I’d deal with another trip to the hospital.”
Adam takes her hand, threading their fingers together, and smiles softly at her. “I’m sure you did fine.”
“I’m sure I sounded like a maniac.” Mom shakes her head with a wry smile. “I had no idea what happened. Just that Mr. Watson called and said they had taken Evan to urgent care. Pretty sure I broke a few traffic laws to get there.”
“I also know a guy who can fix tickets.” Adam brings her hand up to his lips and kisses her knuckles. My mom’s cheeks turn pink. It’s kind of sweet and also a little disturbing at the same time.
“I need to go...” Damon stands and gestures to our parents. “Anywhere else.”
He walks away from the table, and Adam sighs.
“He’ll get used to having you around.” He picks up his wine glass and takes a sip. “His mother’s death was devastating to both of us. I got him into therapy, but it doesn’t help if you don’t want help.” Adam glances at me, and I swallow. “He seems calmer with you here. Maybe it’s because he knows you went through the same thing. You’re solid and thriving just like him. Thank you.”
“Uh, sure.” I blot my lips with my napkin. “I should go work on my homework. If you’ll excuse me?”
