His nerves tangled into knots. She’d thrown him off guard with her request, and question after question ran through his mind. Did she want to clear the air between them so they could be friends again? Maybe she had feelings for him … maybe she didn’t need him anymore—even as a friend.Whoa.He cut off his thoughts before he went crazy. Wondering had no purpose except to give him a headache. He’d find out soon enough.
He went to his bedroom and examined the clothes hanging in his closet. Nothing jumped out at him. Anything too nice or too casual and he might give off the wrong impression. Finally, he settled on a navy rugby shirt with gold stripes, and a pair of fitted jeans. His short haircut didn’t offer many options for styling, so he simply ran a comb through it to flatten the few strands out of place.
Thoughts of Janie stayed with him on the drive to her house. More than anything he wanted back their easy camaraderie. The emotional distance between them left a gaping hole in his life.
Five minutes shy of the thirty she’d asked for, Evan parked in her driveway. He took a deep breath before walking to the door.
She greeted him with a cautious smile. “You’re early. Come in and wait while I find a pair of shoes.”
Her appearance stunned him. She’d gotten a haircut and added layers that made her hair bounce.Don’t think about running your hands through it. She wore a pair of skinny jeans and a sheer black top with white and pink flowers. Her outfit captured his attention, but what she didn’t wear stole the breath from his lungs.
She’d removed her wedding band. Because she’d been painting, or because she’d decided to move on? Would she tell him why? She left the room and returned a minute later wearing a pair of black ankle boots. “I’m ready.”
“How are your classes?” she asked once they hit the road.
“Good, except econ.”
“Didn’t Kate major in business? Maybe she could help.”
He laughed. “Yes, and I already thought of her, but her focus was on the human resources end. Besides, she’s been suffering from terrible morning sickness, and I don’t want to bother her.”
“She mentioned that yesterday when I talked to her. Most women don’t suffer as much in the second trimester, but she said it’s hit her worse now than in earlier stages.”
The communication between Kate and Janie shouldn’t have surprised him. They’d hit it off, but now he wondered if they’d had any conversations about him. Considering Kate had brought up Janie multiple times, he already knew the answer. “You know it’s bad when she’s had to miss work.”
“Have you heard from Jared since he left?”
“No. They weren’t allowed to take phones on this exercise.”
“I hated those trainings.” Janie wrinkled her nose. “Mike snuck his phone on the last one and would call me at night.”
“Until he got caught.” Evan glanced at her, realized she’d had no idea. “The last call cost him an extra twenty-mile hike in full equipment.”
“That explains why he didn’t call me at all the last week you guys were there. He never told me.”
“Probably didn’t want you to feel guilty on his behalf.” Stopped at a red light, he looked at her and saw a speck of paint in her hair. “You decided on sage green for the room?”
She arched a brow. “How did you know?”
“You have some in your hair.”
Her hands flew to her head and patted it. “Oh goodness. Where? How bad is it?”
“Barely noticeable.” He chuckled at her frantic reaction and pointed to the spot. “Smaller than a breadbox.”
“Very funny.” She lowered the visor and flipped open the mirror. Peered into it, then used her fingertips to scrape the paint. “Is that any better?”
Since he was driving again, he only gave her hair a cursory glance. “If I didn’t know what I was looking for, I wouldn’t know it was there at all.”
“Good.”
As expected, the restaurant was packed. He saw the line waiting outside before he entered the parking lot. “Do you mind waiting?”
“No. If the word around town is to be believed, it’s well worth the wait.”
Thanks to an exceptionally large parking lot, he found a space without circling. Opening the door, he sniffed. “I can smell the butter and salt from here.”
Janie grinned. “That’s what makes it amazing.”
