I had almost forgotten about the incident at the gala. The woman that I encountered wasn’t the woman I remembered, or maybe she was exactly who she’s always been. Her mistreatment of Evelyn rubbed me the wrong way, so I made sure the message was received loud and clear. I just hadn’t expected Evelyn to go along with it. When her hand met mine, and she smiled at me, I almost forgot we weren’t the real deal.
“If those two gossips haven’t given you all the details, Denise and I were high school sweethearts. Our parents were really good friends, so we spent a lot of time together. Everyone assumed that we would get married after high school.”
“But you didn’t,” she said with a tilt of her head. I could tell she was trying to read between the lines. I could see the wheels turning in her head, but she wasn't one to pry.
“When I told Denise that I didn’t want to go to college and I was planning to go to New York, she didn’t take the news well. Our parents had ingrained the plan in us from a young age. We had a strict playbook. We were supposed to graduate at the top of our class, go to our parents’ alma maters, get married, have a house—everything. I would take my place at the family business, and Denise would join my mother in running the foundation.”
I paused for a moment, reliving the memory of the day Denise and I parted ways. I didn’t have feelings for her anymore. Shortly after we broke up, I realized we would never have worked in the long run. What hurt me was the fact that I had lost one of my best friends. Denise and I grew up together. I knew her, or at least I thought I did, before she turned into the person I barely recognized the other day.
“She didn’t want to be the wife of a firefighter; she wanted to be the wife of a tycoon. To her, I was wrong for trying to change the plan and derail everything we were “meant” for. I couldn’t stay here and turn into my dad, so I left.”
Evelyn's hand had made its way into mine as I was talking, and satisfaction bloomed in my chest.
“Do you still have feelings for her?” She asked with trepidation.
I didn’t want to read into the question or her actions. But hope stirred in me that she might care, that she was asking for herself.
I didn’t hesitate.
“No. After a few months in New York and the time to think, I realized we would have never worked out. There were things I ignored because of our history and the plan we had committed ourselves to make our parents happy.” Shaking my head. “Afterthe way she behaved a few weeks ago, I have no regrets. I’m sorry she treated you that way.”
I could’ve sworn I saw relief in her expression.
A moment later, Dee was skating to the car with the food we had ordered, the smell making my mouth water.
Evelyn and I promptly dug in. There was complete silence as we dug into our food.
Taking the last bite of my cheeseburger, I looked over at Evelyn, and she was finishing up too. The moment our eyes met, we burst out laughing.
“I don’t think I took a single breath between bites. That was actually delicious, you were right. Thank you, Parker.”
“You never have to thank me, baby girl.” And she didn't. I would do whatever was necessary to keep her smiling and laughing, just like this.
We joked and laughed as we finished the rest of our food. My mind was still lingering on our earlier conversation, so I decided to ask the question I was burning to know the answer to.
“Have you ever been in love?”
Evelyn looked taken aback by my question at first, but her face morphed into one of introspection.
We sat in comfortable silence as I waited for her response. I took the time to appreciate her. She had let her hair down earlier, and her bouncy auburn coils fell gently around her face. Her skin was slightly tanned, and freckles mingled with the crescent-shaped scars on her shoulders. The hem of her yellow dress shifted, revealing more tawny skin as she crossed her legs, still caught up in her thoughts. This woman had no idea the effect she had on me, as much as I tried to steer my thoughts away from pursuing her, I couldn’t get her out of my head. Now I was sitting here wondering if she had space in her heart for another person, another person who couldn’t promise to make it home every night because of the nature of my job.
“I thought I was at one point. I was young, and I didn’t know any better. I didn’t know how a man—really a boy—was supposed to treat me. He was the first boy to ever pay attention, really see me. Younger me latched on to that.”
She paused and wrung her hands nervously. Reaching over the middle console, I took her hand, interlacing our fingers.
“There were two versions of him. He was sweet, but then something would switch in him. I had stars in my eyes when it came to him, but he would get jealous at the sight of me talking to another man. At first, it was endearing. I didn’t know any better. Then our relationship turned toxic. It was the most draining two years of my life. I walked away from him and never looked back.”
She shrugged, shaking her head as if to dispel the thought of him.
“Since then, I haven't really connected to anyone in that way…”
My heart was beating fast, but I had to ask. Truthfully, I didn't know if I had the right to ask. Here we were trying to make the best of a crazy situation, feelings and attraction should be the last thing on my mind.
“Do you think that’s something we could explore?”
The more I learned about Evelyn and her past, the more I wanted to be in her life to be her protector, to care for her the way she deserved. She was smart, kind, a bit stubborn, and damn hilarious. The world had been unkind to her, and yet she still cared for others even when they treated her unfairly.
I couldn't take her pain away, but I could carry some of it.
