She shivered at the promise in his voice and watched appreciatively as he turned and walked naked to the bathroom. She lay there in his bed long after he’d kissed her good-bye and departed, not wanting to leave the warmth from his body still imprinted into the mattress.
Finally, she summoned her courage and slid her cell phone from the nightstand and brought up Lana’s name. She’d start there and rotate. Eventually someone would answer. Days off usually started slow because of the late night before, so she was certain at least one, if not all three, would be home.
Taking a deep breath, she hit connect and waited to see if Lana would answer.
To her shock, Lana picked up on the second ring.
“Hello?”
Evangeline’s enthusiasm waned, and she scolded herself for her paranoia rising in proportion. Lana sounded groggy and as though she’d been asleep, so she likely hadn’t even seen who was calling. Oh well. Evangeline was going to make the most of an opportunity.
“Lana, hi! It’s Evangeline. I’ve been trying to call you guys.”
There was a hesitation, and a period of quiet descended.
“Vangie?”
“Yes, it’s me. Did I wake you?”
Evangeline silently urged Lana not to take the out she was giving her and nearly did a fist pump when Lana said no.
“How are you?” Evangeline asked. “How is everyone? I miss you guys so much. Drake has an important meeting tonight, and I thought we could all get together since it’s your night off.”
“Uh, Vangie, give me a second, okay?”
Evangeline’s brow creased as the line went silent, and then she heard muffled sounds, Lana obviously getting out of bed and then the sound of a door shutting. A faucet running? Had she gone into the bathroom?
Understanding dawned, and directly on its heels came dread and deep sadness. Lana didn’t want Steph and Nikki to know she was talking to Evangeline. She closed her eyes, tears stinging the lids. Why did it have to be a choice between Drake and her best friends? Why couldn’t they be happy for her and wish her well?
“Uh, look, Vangie. I don’t want this to come across the wrong way, but Steph is pretty hurt over the way things went down. I don’t think it’s a good idea for us all to get together yet. Give it a few more weeks. Let her chill.”
“Why can’t she be happy for me?” Evangeline whispered. “Why can’t all of you be happy for me?”
Lana sighed. “We want what’s best for you. We’re just not sure this Drake guy is what’s best.”
“Shouldn’t that be my decision?”
Lana sighed again. “I’m just telling you like it is. You know how Steph is. She holds a grudge a long time, but eventually she’ll let go of it. Just give it time.”
“Would you and Nikki meet me somewhere this evening?” Evangeline asked, desperate to salvage something out of this whole fiasco.
“It’s not even an issue,” Lana said with a hint of impatience in her voice. “We have to work tonight. Open to close.”
Evangeline frowned. “But this is y’all’s day off. It’s always been your day off.”
“Not anymore,” Lana said bitterly. “Not since you left. We’re short staffed and everyone is having to take extra shifts to cover until management hires a replacement, and he’s a little too happy to be pocketing that extra salary, so he’s in no hurry to hire someone new.”
Evangeline closed her eyes, guilt and grief vying for equal attention. Despite Lana’s assertion that Steph was the one holding a grudge and she was the one “unhappy” with Evangeline, it was obvious that Lana wasn’t any more eager to reconcile than the others.
“I’m sorry to have bothered you,” Evangeline whispered. “I’ll let you go so you can go back to sleep. You have a long shift tonight.”
Before Lana could respond, Evangeline slid her finger over the button to end the call and cradled the phone to her chest, lying still, staring sightlessly up at the ceiling. The tears that had threatened during the call fell freely now, sliding from the corners of her eyes, over her temples and into her hair, dampening the pillow her head rested on.
Never in a million years would she have imagined herself to be a woman who chose a man over her best girlfriends, and yet that was exactly what she’d done. She couldn’t blame her friends for being upset or feeling betrayed. One day things had been normal, and the next everything had changed.
“I don’t regret it,” she whispered fiercely.
Drake was worth it. And if Steph, Lana and Nikki were true friends, they would have supported her from the start. They would have wanted her to be happy instead of remaining stuck in the same mundane, going-nowhere life she’d led.
