“What?” He nearly slammed on the brakes. She’d been a lifesaver for the girl tonight, a place Tosha could go for counsel and comfort. Not to mention the help she’d offered—despite his protests. “How?” he demanded.
She pressed her lips into a thin line. “We talked about a youth group over a month ago, and I haven’t done a thing for it. Maybe if I’d acted when I had the prompting, she wouldn’t be in this mess.”
Seth stared out the windshield. “I don’t think this is your fault in any way.” It was his fault. Maybe he could use this example to show the board how important a tutoring group would be—except he’d promised Mr. Henderson he’d keep this to himself. He wished he hadn’t done that.
Evie yawned. “What are you up to tomorrow … well, later this morning?”
Seth glanced at the clock to find a new day had started while they’d been at the Hendersons’. “I’m visiting Mr. Garrison at the hospital.”
“Right.” She yawned again. “Do you want me to go with you?”
He shook his head. “Sleep in. You earned it.”
She leaned her head back. Her eyes drifted shut, even though she tried to fight them.
Seth took in her profile. She was so beautiful. He wished he had one tenth of her peace. He opened his mouth to tell her about the board and the money and the decisions facing them for the future of the ministry, but she snored softly—a sweet little hum in the back of her throat.
He couldn’t bring himself to wake her.
His mind couldn’t even come up with a good place to start the conversation that needed to happen. He didn’t feel good about her moving forward with the youth group while the board was still considering if there should be one, but what harm could a few tutoring sessions do? And Tosha needed help. The Henderson family was counting on them.
It took over an hour for his mind to settle enough for him to fall asleep. The half-truths and hiding things didn’t sit well with his soul. Being married was hard—harder than he’d thought it would be.
Chapter Twenty
Evie
Evie sat on a plastic chair the color of an aged avocado. The cinderblock wall behind her was painted a light gray color, and the floor was white laminate—the kind that could withstand a bleach bath by a harried janitor. Or an inmate working as a janitor, as the case may be.
She glanced across the room to where Terri talked on the phone to her husband, who sat on the other side of a thick piece of glass. They were leaning into one another; their foreheads would leave marks on the not-so-clean surface.
Scott wore an orange prison jumpsuit. His hair was awry, and his whiskers were longer than they’d been the last time Evie had seen him. But it was his eyes that she couldn’t stop checking. They were defiant, hard, and calculating.
Terri suddenly slammed the phone back into the receiver and bustled across the room toward Evie. Evie stood to greet her, ready to offer whatever support was needed.
“I’ve never wanted a smoke so bad in my life,” said Terri as she adjusted her purse strap on her shoulder. She snapped her fingers as she walked, as if they needed something to occupy them to take her mind off the craving. Her constant fidgeting and muttering under her breath made it clear that Evie didn’t need to respond at the moment.
Truly, her mind was blank. She’d never been in this situation before, never had to have consoling words inside prison walls. Thank goodness they were on this side of the glass, though. The very atmosphere was stifling with the sense of freedom removed. She couldn’t wait to breathe fresh air again.
They stopped at the door for the guard to check them out.
Terri sighed as she waited, her entire body slumping like too many cupcakes stacked together. “He’s not at all sorry. It makes me ache right here.” She pounded her fist heavily against her chest. “He doesn’t want to change, not even for me.” Her voice cracked on the last word, and she looked like a dam about to break.
Evie rubbed her back. “I’m so sorry.”
They were cleared and allowed to make their way through the lobby and out to the parking lot. Both women lifted their faces to the sun and drew in deep breaths. They turned and shared a sad smile.
“I love him more than he loves me,” Terri announced.
“I’m sure that’s not true.” Evie hit the button to unlock their doors, and they climbed in. The car smelled like piña colada air freshener and happiness. She might never take the freedom to hop in and go for a burger for granted again.
“It is true. I’ve changed so much of who I am to be with him.” Terri rolled down the window and hung her arm out in the wind. She contemplated the scenery for a moment. “You wouldn’t know it, but I was quite the catch. I had this long hair that flowed like honey, and perfect skin. I was so innocent when I married him. So trusting and believing that a man would want love and want to give it as much as I wanted to. I changed. Grew up, grew wiser.” She dropped her hand as it surfed the wind. “I’m going to have to face it, though: he took advantage of my unconditional love and didn’t return it. I don’t know what hurts more, the loss of my innocence or knowing he didn’t really love me.”
Terri glanced over at her. “I don’t expect you to understand. Your man is so in love with you, he can hardly see straight. But thanks for coming anyway.”
Evie started at her last comment. “No! He’s … I … That’s not true.”
Terri rubbed her forehead. “What am I going to do?”
