My thoughts are anything but professional. While she looks for her size, I imagine the way those shorts would hug her hips and expose her long legs. I wouldn’t mind being behind her as she walked away either.
There was no ignoring it. Evelyn is gorgeous, with long, curly black hair, hazel-colored eyes, and curves that could rival those of a Roman statue. She turned heads when she walked by. Pair all of that with her smile, and I had no doubt that she stopped hearts.
I cleared my throat in an attempt to rejoin the conversation with the hopes she didn’t notice me staring. Again. “Yup, sounds like home. Don’t worry too much about getting everything,though. I’m sure my sisters will have some things that you can borrow.”
A shadow fell across her expression, and the corners of her mouth turned down in a frown.
“Oh, Parker, that’s too much. I’ll get a few items now and figure out the rest later. I can’t have you paying my way, doing all this for me, and then taking from your family too.”
I shook my head in disbelief. This woman had lost everything but the clothing on her body. Eric had offered her a flannel shirt before we left, and she had been reluctant to take it. However, Eric wouldn’t take no for an answer, so she swapped out her top for his. I took his lead and basically had to drag her into the women’s clothing section of store so she could pick up a few more things.
I decided to drop the subject. I wouldn’t be able to convince her that it was no skin off their back to help her. The twins had more than enough clothing, and they were happy to share. Once I’d let them know I was on my way with a friend and she’d need a couple of things, they had asked one of the housekeepers to bring over some clothes and toiletries fto the pool house.
I raised my hands in surrender, giving the illusion that I had given up. But not before suggesting she get another pair of shorts just to be safe. It was for her benefit, but I wouldn’t lie and say I wouldn’t benefit from seeing her in them.
We shopped around some more before heading back to the car to make the rest of the 8-hour-long journey to Oakland Ridge. Evelyn still hadn’t been chatty, but I did learn some things about her on our little detour. She preferred salty snacks over sweet, and while she didn’t indulge in soda, she loved a Blackberry seltzer to scratch that itch of a fizzy drink.
Before we left, I made her take on the responsibility of being the car DJ.
The sky was a mix of purple and orange hues as the sun began to set. The humidity has lessened, and there was more than a hint of a breeze. I decided to open the window, enjoying the fresh air as we cruised down the freeway.
“Thank you, by the way, for grabbing my phone.” She says as she connects her phone to Bluetooth.
“If you hadn’t been sleeping with it, I might not have seen it, given the way the smoke had darkened the room.”
We lived in an era where people didn’t memorize phone numbers or carry wallets because it was all on their phones. It had become increasingly common for firefighters and EMTs to grab whatever device we could when on a call. Preservation of life came first, but if we had the opportunity, we would take it. Luckily, her phone had been on the bed beside her, so it was easy for me to access.
Missing Youby Case played through the speakers. I gave Evelyn a questioning look.
“If you were expecting some Lil Baby song to play, then I should disconnect my phone right now.” A hint of sass in her tone.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “No, I definitely wasn’t expecting that. I guess I just misjudged you. Isn’t this song a little before your time?” I teased her.
Now she looked offended, and somehow that made me laugh harder.
“I told you I liked Luther Vandross, and you thought I was going to put on some Jojo Siwa or something,” she said incredulously, followed by the sound of her kissing her teeth.
“Oh, I would’ve had to turn this car around if that were the case,” I said with a wink.
That managed to get a laugh out of her. “I may not be an old head like you, but I know good music.”
She had jokes. “Whoa, whoa, when did twenty-eight become old? I am in my prime.”
Glancing at her, I noticed the blush staining her cheeks before she shrugged and said, “Whatever, old man.”
The more we drove, the more I realized we had similar taste in music. I smiled to myself every time a song I recognized came through the speakers. She may not have been talkative, but each song felt like it told me a little about her.
21 Questionsby 50 Cent had just finished playing. Evelyn had a song from every decade and genre on this playlist. There were moments when we nodded our heads along and times when we both took turns reciting the lyrics bar for bar.
The beat faded out and transitioned into Candi Stanton’sYoung Hearts Run Free.
“This song brings back some memories for me. I remember my mother playing this song a lot as she got ready for events with my dad.” I mused as I listened to Candi belt out about how she just couldn’t break away.
“My mother loved this song, too,” she said so softly I almost didn’t hear her over the music. I reached for the dial to turn the music down, but her hand reached out to stop me.
“This song was always in rotation. I could expect to hear Candi Stanton and Lena Horne’sStormy Weatherany given Sunday while she directed me to whichever room needed to be cleaned next. My mother loved music and made me love it too,” she said, louder than before. “It was only when I got older that I realized what she was saying. Such sad lyrics tied to a disco beat.”
I reached across the console tentatively to give her hand a squeeze, hoping to bring some comfort, but she slipped her hand from underneath mine at the last moment. Her sad eyes briefly met mine, accompanied by a sad smile, before she turned awayfrom me, looking out the window as she quietly sang along to the song until it's finished.
