Page 68 of The Challenge

“It’s a late night for a kid, right? But you’re the coolest dad ever for taking her to a bar. Wish I had stories like that from my childhood.”

“Well, if your mom had abandoned you, maybe it would’ve driven your dad to write songs and perform them in front of virtual strangers, too.”

I flashed a sympathetic smile and sat with his words for a moment. I wondered if it was all about Effie, or if Evan had abandonment issues, too. Had he somehow equated that situation to his father abandoning his mom before he was even born? Evan had never known his father and had always said he didn’t care—or at least he’d pretended not to. Evan had been the result of a one-night stand after his mother, Carmen, had met a man traveling through town for a rodeo. Months later, she’d managed to track him down, but the guy wanted nothing to do with her or the pregnancy.

Evan took a deep breath in, interrupting my thoughts. “So, that guy…Brendan…”

“What about him?”

“I saw him entering his number into your phone. I take it he asked you out.”

“Yes.”

His jaw tightened. “You gonna go?”

“I don’t know, to be honest.” I paused. “Depends on some things.”

Evan nodded in silence, like maybe he was letting that information simmer in his head.

Back at the house, Evan carried Effie to her bedroom while I went back to my room, took off all of my makeup, brushed my hair out, and slipped into a T-shirt and shorts.

Evan was in the kitchen when I went to get a glass of water before bed.

“Effie’s still out, huh?” I said as I poured a glass.

“She woke up briefly after I laid her down.” He paused. “You know what she said?”

“What?”

“Chloe looked so beautiful tonight, didn’t she?” Evan smiled.

“Aw.” I put my hand on my chest. “My heart.”

“She’s so much happier with you around.” Evan looked down a moment. “So am I…”

I wanted to melt at those words, but I’d learned to be more cautious than that. “If only you knew what to do with that knowledge,” I finally said, unsure what the hell I even meant.

“Clearly, the other night showed you how weak I am for you, Chloe. And it’s not just physical. But suppose Effie wasn’t here, and I let myself do what felt natural right now, said fuck it all to the consequences. You seriously good with what comes next? You good with what it would mean for you once you head back to Chicago? You’ve been putting this on me, like I’m policing the situation with us. But could you really handle it if I fully let go?”

I’d never seriously pondered whether I would be ready for anything more serious with Evan, given that my life was in upheaval right now. The question had been lurking at the back of my mind from almost the moment I got here, but I didn’t have an answer.

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

Several seconds of silence passed. “I want to show you something,” Evan said. “Come to my room.” He narrowed his eyes. “And get your head out of the gutter. That’s not what this is about.”

Chapter 26

CHLOE

I braced myself without even knowing what I was anticipating. Then I watched as Evan took a small box out of his closet. It was dark cherry wood and looked like a humidor.

“Are we smoking cigars?”

“This is technically supposed to hold cigars, but that’s not what I keep in it. Wherever I’m staying, I bring this with me because it contains my mother’s jewelry and a few other valuable mementos. It comes everywhere with me.”

Evan sat on the foot of the bed, and I joined him. He opened the box, and a slight cedar smell wafted out. In addition to small velvet bags, inside the box were about a dozen neon pink sticky notes.

I wanted to cry. My mouth fell open as I turned to him. “You saved them all?”