“No, not me…” Molly nibbled at the side of her lip. “He didn’t bring them to me. We’re…um…only friends.”
Crap. Rachel rubbed at her hairline.
Evelyn’s gaze traveled around the circle of women, taking stock of who else might have been Travis’s mysterious margarita mama.
Sadie raised her eyebrows at Rachel.
“He made them for me,” Rachel said, to end Evelyn’s awkward perusal. “Last night he brought them over,since the party was kind of rough,and the sign on the door mentioned them.”
Well, that didn’t quite sound right, either.
April started to speak.“What she means is—”
“Travis isn’t good for you.” Balancing the baby in one arm, Evelyn grabbed Rachel’s other hand and squeezed. “He shouldn’t be bringing you drinks.That’s not entirely appropriate, is it, now?”
“It’s really nothing.” Rachel studied her tumbler. Why did she feel like she’d been hauled into the discipline office at work? “I mean, it’s not nothing because it was really nice of him. It’s just not what you’re thinking…”
Evelyn’s expression darkened as Rachel spoke. She looked practically fit to be tied.
Molly sidled up next to Evelyn. “Travis was being kind to Rachel only because she was having a bad day.”
“You have to know,” Evelyn said, her tone more serious than Rachel had ever heard it,“Travis and Gavin have always had a bit of a rivalry.”
Yes, Rachel was aware of this. Gavin had been clear about his frustrations with his brother. He hadn’t been a jerk with his remarks, but there was always an undercurrent of discontent there. It didn’t help that Travis sometimes didn’t show up to work and left Gavin taking up the slack.
“They always tried for the same things. Wanted the same things.” Evelyn situated herself so she leaned toward Rachel. “You don’t want to get tangled up in that.”
“Of course I don’t,” Rachel assured her. “We shouldn’t even be having this conversation because it wasn’t what you’re thinking it was.”
“Do you think my intuition is faulty?” Evelyn asked, apparently turning on the full mother-in-law effect.
“That’s not what she’s saying,” Sadie chimed in,and thank goodness she was all fired up to go attorney on the situation. “She’s simply explaining that Travis brought them to her only to be friendly. As a member of the same family. He didn’t bring them to her so she’d get all liquored up and take off her top.”
Rachel’s mouth dropped like Molly’s did when she was trying to be comical. Rachel was not, however, going for comedy. “Sadie…”
“I assure you, she didn’t take off her top,” April said, trying to be helpful, Rachel was certain, but her friends needed to stop talking about her taking off her clothing.
“Family is a funny thing,” Evelyn said.
Rachel could totally be on board with that.
“Amen to that.” Molly raised her travel mug.
Evelyn smiled, but it was of the variety that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Sometimes family bonds are the strongest thing there is—harder than granite, tighter than woven silk.” Evelyn paused. It didn’t seem like it was for dramatic effect, but rather so she could pick her words carefully. “But sometimes when pressure hits just the right spot, a small fracture forms.”
Rachel knew all about family fractures. She’d experienced it firsthand in her own when she’d found out she was pregnant and hers practically disowned her.
She’d learned two things from that experience. The first, she’d never do that to her boys. Ever. And the second? Always use caution when it came to family.
“That is not what Travis was doing.” Rachel crossed her arms because she didn’t have the energy to defend Travis’s kindness to Evelyn. Even with a full night of sleep under her belt.
“Hear me out,” Evelyn said.
Rachel nodded because she had a feeling Evelyn wouldn’t give her a choice.
“The crack, the frayed stitch, it’s tiny, but it threatens the integrity of the entire thing.” Lost in her own thoughts, Evelyn drew along the seam of the blanket with her fingertip in illustration. “When relationships are tested,or promises broken, it’s our job to ensure that we do everything we can to prevent those teeny tiny imperfections. Because with a small,frayed stitch,it takes only one quick tug for the entire fabric of the family to pull apart.”
