by Laura Gates
Evie went through her entire house collecting all of the keys that would unlock the bedroom doors from the outside including hers, gathered sleep stuff for Levi and Harper to sleep in her room, and began preparing for the big move. She would call her parents in the morning, telling them that Jude filed for divorce and see if she could move back home, tell her school she would not be coming back the following year, and begin job hunting.
When she went into Levi's room, Levi and Harper were curled up on Levi's bed crying. Evie rushed to them. "Hey, guys, what's wrong?" she asked.
"Daddy doesn't love us anymore," Levi said bawling.
Evie's tears streamed down her face again as she held both children in her arms. "Would you guys like to sleep in my room tonight?" she asked them.
Both of them nodded. "All right. Let's go downstairs and have some dinner. Then shall we get ready for bed?" Evie asked. Levi sniffled and nodded his head. "All right. I will finish taking your stuff to my room, and I will meet you downstairs for dinner. Okay?"
"Okay," both kids said, still sounding sad.
Evie took the keys into her room besides one that she kept in her pants pocket. She prepared a burrito for Jude and took it to his office. She set the plate down away from his computer. "Here is dinner for you. I figured you would want to eat in here," she said. Jude nodded his head without looking up from his computer. "All right. I will have the kids come to say goodnight to you before they go to bed." Jude acted like he didn't hear that last part. Or not, Evie thought to herself.
Evie felt sorry for this man who was the father of her children because he uninvolved himself from his family. The kids met her in the kitchen, and they ate sweet pork burritos. Somehow, all three of them left the table smiling with some of the funny things that happened at preschool to Levi and Harper's stories about the pretty butterflies she and the nanny caught. After Levi and Harper helped their mom clean the kitchen, bath time started. Evie washed them up and helped them get ready for bed all dressed in pajamas.
"Do you guys want to go say goodnight to Daddy?" Evie asked.
Harper shook her head, and Levi said firmly, "No."
Evie's heart sank even more. "All right. How about we go to bed in my room, I turn a movie on, and we watch it?" she asked.
"Yeah!" the kids said enthusiastically. Evie knew that it was a lot of TV watching that day, but it was just one of those days. They went into her room, positioned themselves on the bed, and Evie turned on Coco for them. As the movie started, she changed into a large tee shirt she had had since college and some joggers she bought at the store. Evie brushed her teeth and washed her face hoping to wash the day away. Before climbing into bed with her kids, she made sure her bedroom door was locked.
Just as the kids were about to nod off, three loud thuds sounded at the door, causing everyone to jump. "I thought you said they would say goodnight to me!" Jude shouted.
"They chose not to," Evie responded calmly but scared.
"Yeah, right. You are keeping them from me!" he shouted.
"Go away, Daddy!" Levi shouted.
"Levi, shh!" Evie scolded.
"He hates you, and doesn't love me and Harper!" he said, trying not to cry again.
"What makes you think that, Buddy?" Jude said, trying to sound calm.
"You pushed us down, and yelled at Mommy," Levi yelled before finally starting to cry causing Harper to cry, too.
"Son, I…"
"Jude, go away! You wanted the clean break. It starts now!" Evie raised her voice a little.
"Nowhere does it say I cannot sleep in my bed."
"You haven't slept in your bed in months, almost years, actually; so why does it matter now?"
"Because it's my house!"
"You're right, it is your house, but nowhere does it say that the belongings are yours except your office. You could have new papers drawn up that say so, but it would take longer for the divorce to process. So it's either have the house with nothing but your office furniture and belongings while I get everything else, or you wait longer to divorce me." Jude grumbled and stormed off.
Just as the movie ended, Levi and Harper were sound asleep. Evie decided to peruse her library on Netflix. She found a fascinating documentary about a heavy metal band she admired throughout high school and college, Death Toll. Since her kids were deep sleepers, Evie could watch it without the kids waking up.
She always found their life interesting since they no longer lived as wild and crazy as they use to. The lead singer turned his whole life around for his wife and kids. She admired this band for making their careers all about the music rather than the lifestyle.
By the time the documentary was over, it was time for Evie to go to bed. She quickly made a to-do list of all the things she needed to get done like finding a hotel for her and the kids to stay in until the school year was over, find a storage unit to store all her belongings, pack up the kids' rooms and clothes, pack her belongings, and look for a new job somewhere else.
The next morning when Evie's alarm went off, she startled awake. She remembered the events of the previous day and hoped it wasn't real. She went downstairs into Jude's office. He was already gone, but the divorce attorney's business card was sitting on his desk as were the carbon copies of the divorce papers. She quickly got ready for work, went through to see if she had her to-do list, updated the nanny on what was going on, and left for work. She did her best to hide what was going on in her personal life from her students.
During her prep, she called her parents letting them know what was going on to see if she could move home for a while until she finds a new job. Her parents showed so much support for her during this tough time in her life. She went and told the administration that she would be moving back to her hometown. The administration said they would miss her, and she said she would miss them. She quickly prepared lesson plans for the next two days for all classes. She then found a hotel she and the kids could check into that evening that was relatively close to work and where the nanny lived. She also called movers to come that Friday to move her belongings, including furniture, TVs, and pictures into the storage unit.
That night after her kids fell asleep in the big king size bed at the hotel, she was looking up jobs. Evie was determined to get as far away from Maryland as humanly possible, so she began searching for any job on the West Coast. In her social media feed, she noticed that Death Toll's lead singer had been checked back into rehab, and their tour manager had quit. They had a link to apply for the position. The requirements were a Bachelor's degree, but any Music degree was preferred. As she read more information, the lead singer, Beau Halstead, was expected to be in rehab for the next four months and then spending the next ten months in therapy giving the new tour manager and the band a chance to put together an album and set up a tour. The job would require her to relocate to San Francisco. Evie had always wanted to see the West Coast. She applied for the job giving her availability date, which was one month. It was precisely the day she was needed. It would give her time for her parents to spend time with her kids, spend time with her sister's family, find an apartment, and enroll Levi in Kindergarten.
She wondered why the lead singer had relapsed. She quickly found an article. His sweet little family was killed in a car accident on their way to the library. Evie felt very empathetic towards Beau because just like her life, everything changed overnight, and things would continue to change for her.
The last two weeks of school ran smoothly, and the last day of working at the high school had approached. Evie chaperoned the students as they signed yearbooks and gave hugs to all her band and orchestra students who kept telling her things like, "We will miss you, Ms. Long." "You are the best teacher ever!" "I don't know what we will do without you."
All of these statements broke Evie's heart. She wished with all of her heart that things didn't have to change, but they did. Her students had been such an important part in her life besides her own kids. The students soon went home, and Evie checked o
ut with her team. They all said goodbye to her as well as her principal.
Evie drove to Levi's preschool and picked him up. The car was packed and ready for the drive to Annapolis. After picking up Levi, Evie went to the nanny's house to pick up Harper. Soon, the journey to Annapolis began. Suddenly, Evie felt like she needed to take the kids to say goodbye to their father, so Evie took a little detour to Jude's office building. After getting her kids out of the car, they walked inside, waved to the security guards, and got on the elevator up to Jude's office. They walked down the hallway, and Evie opened the Jude's office door.
To her utter horror, Evie saw Jude sitting in his office chair with his pants undone, shirt opened, and a woman with dark hair, and olive skin in lingerie straddling him. They immediately stopped when Jude saw his family. Evie quickly covered her children's eyes.
Very calmly keeping his cool, Jude said, "In all fairness, you were supposed to be on your way to Annapolis," Jude said.
Evie could not believe he was defending his behavior. "Well, then, by all means, continue!" Evie said sarcastically, "Don't let me or your children stop you!" she said with chagrin.
She led the kids out the door down the hall to the elevator. As they were waiting, Levi kept asking all sorts of questions. "Why was Daddy kissing that lady? Was she wearing underwear? Was Daddy's....?" "Levi, not now," Evie snapped. Soon, Evie saw a put-together Jude come running down the hallway. She seriously considered taking the stairs to get away from him.
"You weren't supposed to see that," Jude said.
"How long has that been going on?" Evie scolded. "About six months," Jude said. Evie was flabbergasted. "Is she the first one, or have there been others?"
"... No, she’s not the first one."
"How long has this been going on?" "On and off for the past four years."
Tears streamed down Evie's face. "I know I'm going to regret asking this, but why? Why in the hell would you cheat on me repeatedly for the past four years when you had a family?!" Evie's voice was practically supersonic.
"Because I watched you push our kids out of you. That is something I wish I could erase from my brain, but I can't. You were so sexy and free when I met you, but becoming a mom has changed you. Carmen is more of what I am looking for, sexy, free-spirited, and adventurous."
"I had to grow up because of the kids, though. Why can't you understand that? We wanted kids, remember?"
"That just proves how naive I was, and how naive you are, still. How could a man find you attractive after they've seen what I've seen? They will only see you as an unattractive mom, not a sexy, free-spirited, adventurous, and independent woman like you used to be."
Jude's words cut Evie to the very core as she began to tremble. Just then, the elevator doors opened. Evie robotically walked inside, holding her kids' hands. She watched as the doors closed on Jude. Suddenly, she slipped down onto the floor and curled into the fetal position. "Mom? Mom!" Levi shouted. Harper began crying even harder. Evie became unresponsive. Levi quickly grabbed his mom's phone and made an emergency call.
"911, how can I help you?" a female voice said. "We are inside an elevator, and my mom is not moving," Levi said frantically. "Okay, honey, calm down. Where are you at?" she asked. Luckily, Levi knew his dad's company and address. Evie taught him those things just in case.
"All right, honey. Stay calm. Help is on the way. Want me to stay on the phone with you?" she asked. "Yes, please. I'm scared and so is my sister," Levi said, beginning to cry.
"What happened to your mom?"
"My dad."
The 911 operator paused fearing the worst. "Did he hit her?"
"No, he was naked with another woman in his office, and we walked in on him" Levi said.
The operator was not only very impressed with Levi's speaking abilities, but she made note of the indiscretion of the father. "What's your name, honey?"
"Levi Long."
"What's your sister's name?"
"Harper Long."
"How old are you?"
"Almost six."
"How old is she?"
"Two."
"You are a smart boy. Do you know that?"
"My mom tells me all the time. I don't always listen to her, though."
"Well, maybe when she wakes up, you can listen to her better."
The sweet 911 operator continued to talk to Levi until the paramedics showed up. They immediately called Evie's parents who drove to Baltimore as fast as they could to meet an unconscious Evie and their terrified grandchildren at the hospital.
When Evie woke up, her dad was sitting in the chair by her side. "Evs," he said. "Hi, Daddy," Evie responded, "What happened?" "You suffered a major panic attack and passed out."
"Where are the kids?"
"Your mom has them. Evs, I'm so sorry you are going through so much."
Evie began to cry a little again. "I want to go home," she said.
"Annapolis?"
"Yes."
"All right. I will work on that."
Richard West, Evie's father, and powerful insurance man, immediately stood up and went looking for a doctor. After arguing for about a half-hour with one, Richard had his daughter discharged from the hospital. Her mom, Karen West, drove Evie's car with the kids to Annapolis while Richard drove his car with his daughter. Evie confided in him about what Jude had been doing ever since Levi was born, and her dad listened. He tried not to express his rage to his daughter.
Once they arrived at her childhood home, Jennifer, Evie's older and only sibling along with her family, greeted Evie and the kids with open arms. Despite being sick from pregnancy, Jennifer wanted to see her baby sister and hug her extra tight. While Levi and Harper played with their three cousins, Evie's parents and sister led her upstairs to her old room. Evie, still feeling dazed and confused, laid back down on her bed and slept the day away.
Chapter 3
Evie
Beau sat down in his group session with a couple of guys he had become friends with, Dr. Bennett, and two counselors from the rehab center. It had only been two months since the band checked him into rehab, and yet he wasn't ready to admit his insecurities in the sessions.
His rock, foundation, and what kept him grounded died in a car accident. Phoebe was always supportive, helpful, kind, and brutally honest with Beau. He listened to his buddies start talking about how they found console in drinking just like he did and how they were searching for other outlets to replace their addictions. Beau found himself noodling on the acoustic guitar that Luke brought in for him to help distract him.
Beau often played some of their ballads to soothe him, but yet he had the hardest time finding inspiration for their new album.
One day, Beau decided to write a sequel to another song he wrote for the band. The original had heavy verses and a soft chorus, so he thought it was only appropriate to do the opposite. Beau still couldn't think of lyrics. He wanted to use a lot of the same words from the original song, but he kept drawing a blank. He kept thinking about Phoebe wishing she and the kids were the ones still alive and he was the one who died in the car accident.
Chloe and Cordell had such bright futures ahead of them. Phoebe could have lived off of Beau's earnings and life insurance. She was pretty enough to marry again. He recalled some of the things Phoebe went through in her life and began incorporating them into his lyrics. He remembered laying in a field on tour looking up at the stars and exchanging life experiences with Phoebe. She spent a lot of time comforting Beau to encourage him to be better. As Beau and Phoebe continued dating for three years, he remembered letting his guard down so she could fully be in his life. They fell in love over their mutual understanding of one another.
He decided to repeat some of the same lyrics from the first song, but he changed them up a little to accommodate the mutual understanding between Phoebe and himself. Despite only having a verse and the chorus written, Beau played those parts of the song every day for two weeks finding comfort in them. Then he would start pl
aying the original song to give himself even more peace.
Luke, Kade, and Rick would visit Beau once to three times a week to check up on him, maybe write some songs, have a meeting, and discuss what to do about hiring another tour manager. The album was halfway done, but Beau's visit to rehab pushed the release date back quite a bit, but everyone except Beau was content with the repercussions of the decision.
"I am interviewing a couple of candidates today for the tour manager position. One person is from the Bay area and has been following us from the beginning. He has a certification in Music Therapy and plays the guitar, so I thought that might help you," Luke said, pointing to Beau. Beau acknowledged the statement but dozed off a little.
"Then there is another candidate who has a degree in teaching Music, top of her class at the University of Maryland…" Luke began, but Beau interrupted, "Her?" That word got his attention. Beau hadn't heard of very many female tour managers. "Is that a problem? 'Cause if it is, we could get sued," Kade said. Beau shook his head. "No, not a problem. Tell us more about her," Beau said. "She is a superb musician herself, helped produce various concerts while attending school, taught music for three years at a high school, produced those concerts, and she sounds like she has excellent organizational skills, which would help us stay on track," Luke concluded.
All the band nodded their heads. "That is an impressive resume from the teacher," Rick said, "Where is she from?" "Annapolis," Luke said, "so this will be a video interview." "Cool. I am already impressed with the teacher, but we will see how the interviews go," Beau said.
The next day, Luke called a band meeting at the rehab center. They all sat in Beau's room in a circle. "I interviewed both of them, and I have decided to hire the teacher. She will need to relocate from Maryland with her two kids, but she has no problem doing that. What should her salary be?" Luke asked. "$84,000? If she has two kids, that should be enough for her to live in the Bay area and provide for them, unless she is married. Is she married?" Beau asked.