The Perfect Plan

by Carina Taylor

  "Evan, what is your mother talking about?" she asked in a staccato voice.

  "You mean about your job?"

  "Yes, Evan, about my job. Why am I just now finding out that I'm working with your mother? You knew about it and didn't say anything? And why was she my character reference? Care to explain?" Libby spun around and jabbed a finger into his chest.

  "Honest, Libby, I was trying to help. I just wanted you to be able to find a good company to work for. Simpson & Marks has treated my mom well. I only wanted that for you too."

  "Don't you think that should be something I decide for myself?"

  Evan scrunched up his face like he wasn't sure how to answer that question.

  "Yes?"

  "That was a rhetorical question. And the answer is, yes, it is something I should decide for myself."

  "You accepted the position, though."

  "Because I stopped looking! It was a good offer, but obviously I didn't know everything. I can't believe you would get me a job somewhere without telling me."

  "I didn't go that far! You could have turned it down."

  Libby cut her hand through the air. "No. No excuses. It's the principle of the matter."

  "What do you want me to say?"

  "That you're sorry! You can't just mess with people's lives. You can't do things like that."

  Evan rubbed a hand over his face. "Look, I know how bad it looks, but if you'd just—"

  Libby interrupted him. "Evan, you had a couple months to tell me. Were you ever going to?"

  "I wanted to tell you. I was going to. I just never found the right time. I promise I didn't mean to manipulate."

  "Is that so? Was it an accident then? Please tell me what you would call it." Libby folded her arms across her chest.

  "Arranging things to benefit you?" He tried to smile sheepishly, but he looked more like a dog with bad gas.

  "I'm not usually a violent person." She uncrossed her arms and jabbed him in the chest. "But right now, I want to punch you in the face."

  She dropped her hand and scooped up Bebe from the porch where she was playing.

  "Libby wait!"

  She ignored him and continued down the porch. She should go for a run and let off some steam. But she'd rather stay good and mad right now. Right now, she wanted to stamp around the neighborhood with her pet raccoon.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  LIBBY went for a run the next morning, knowing she needed to burn off some anger in a way that didn't involve breaking Evan's nose. She'd managed to avoid Evan by setting up the rest of Ellie's website. Once she'd finished that project, she jumped straight into her online accounting job. While she was busy avoiding Evan, she had started to form a plan in her mind.

  A plan that she would need Marcie's help with.

  What had Evan been thinking by directing her life like that? And why was Libby so sad about the way he treated her? Libby had always thought that he respected her as a person. She had thought he viewed her as a capable woman.

  But the reality was, he didn't trust her to find a decent job.

  Libby still wasn't ready to talk to Evan. Before Charlene left, she had tried to explain away his behavior as acceptable. Libby firmly disagreed. Charlene's defense of his actions made Libby not want to listen to his explanation yet. She didn't plan on completely blacklisting him, but she knew she wasn't ready to hear it yet. She wanted to be mad. It wasn't his place to be sending out her resume. It wasn't his place to find her the perfect job.

  He was interfering. Untrusting. Downright sneaky.

  She wanted him to trust her. She didn't want to be his little pet project. She wanted to be his closest friend. Someone he could depend on. Someone he could share his life with. If she were completely honest with herself, she wanted to be his girlfriend. Nothing shoots down that option like being a pity project.

  Libby ran until she was too tired to be angry and sad. She looked around the country road she had run down. She wasn't sure how far she had run, so she pulled out her phone to check the distance. It was peaceful. Flat fields of tall grass waved in the early morning breeze. No cars on the road. The houses were half a mile apart. A fat barn cat ran into the field in search of a field mouse or gopher.

  And Libby didn't have the energy to be angry. Libby had learned at a young age that the healthiest way for her to deal with her anger was to push herself physically. It kept her from combusting — she was sure of it.

  Her phone told her she had run eight miles. Too bad she had to go back those eight miles. She started walking back toward town. Her legs were shaking, and her knees ached.

  She dialed Marcie’s cell phone.

  "Hello?"

  "Hi, Marcie." Libby paused to gulp some air in. "I ran too far this morning. And I have a huge favor."

  "Anything, dear."

  "Thanks, you're an angel. I need you to pick me up. I'm out on Fescue Drive. I'll start heading back toward town."

  "Fescue Drive? That's a long way out of town. You sure that's where you are?"

  "Positive."

  "Alright, be out there in a jiffy."

  While Libby stretched her legs, she contemplated important life concepts. Like, how much is a jiffy? Was it three seconds? Five minutes? Exactly how long was a jiffy? Was it even quantifiable?

  Libby felt as though her mind was blessedly blank. With the wave of anger gone and the physical exhaustion present, she didn't feel like thinking about anything in particular.

  She started the slow walk in the direction of town when Marcie's car pulled up. Marcie wasn't driving. It was Evan. And he had his angry, serious face on.

  She debated about walking home, but she wasn't mad enough at him to give up on a ride. With a resigned sigh, she hobbled to the passenger side and climbed in.

  Evan handed her a cold water bottle before turning the car around.

  "Thanks."

  "No wonder you're so skinny. You run a marathon every day."

  "It's the energy drinks."

  Evan gave her a censored look. "Those things are going to kill you."

  "If Marcie doesn't get to me first."

  Evan gave her a small smile at that. "Hey, look, I wanted to explain some things while I could. I thought we'd have a chance to sit and talk before now, but you are incredibly good at avoiding me. You've got talent. I'll give you that."

  "I may have majored in finance, but I minored in avoiding people."

  Evan glanced at her when they stopped at an intersection. "You were terrific at it. I forgot about you dodging Needy Ned."

  "His name was Ned. I should have known right then." Libby smiled faintly at the memory of Needy Ned. They had a biology class together, and he'd followed her around for the entire semester, demanding any amount of attention he could get.

  Evan waited for a garbage truck to drive through the intersection then pulled out onto the road. "Look, Libby. I messed up. Big time. I didn't think about—"

  "You're right about that."

  "I didn't think about how you would view it. I was trying to figure out how to explain everything to you so you would understand. Marcie told me I should tell you the truth."

  "It's usually a good place to start."

  "Your sarcasm isn't helping."

  Libby raised her brows at him. He had gotten himself into this mess; she figured she'd let him dig his way out.

  "I wanted to help you. Honest. You're amazing. You work so hard and still manage to be an amazing friend. The truth is, I wanted something to come easy for you, just once. I've watched you scrape your way through college and not once start selling drugs," he added with a little grin.

  "Geez, what a vote of confidence."

  "All I wanted to do was help you. Actually, that's not all of it. I wanted to help and to keep you close. I knew if you took a job in San Francisco that I wouldn't be able to see you as often. I didn't want to lose touch."

  Libby stared at the road as they headed toward town. Evan was purposefully driving slowly. "While I'm still
upset with you, I am glad our friendship means so much to you."

  Inside, she thought that she didn't like that explanation very much. It was like a slam dunk into the friend zone.

  "Yeah, about that friendship." Evan rubbed the back of his neck before he blurted out, "Ilikeyouandwanttogoonadate."

  "I'm sorry, I don't speak Greek. You'll have to try again. In English this time."

  "Libby, you're one of my best friends."

  "I feel the same about you, Evan." She sighed, disappointed that she had misread her and Evan's relationship yet again.

  "I didn't want anything to change. I wanted to keep you close forever. But sometimes, we have to risk things that we love for something better. Our friendship has been fun."

  Libby stared at him. Was this real life's version of getting unfriended? She wasn't sure, but it hurt. Her heart started an arrhythmia, and she didn't think it was from her run.

  "But I want more," Evan continued. "Libby, I like you. A lot. I liked you from the first time I met you. It was the same day I saw you searching your dumpy little car for loose change to give to the homeless man in our parking lot. And then Max tried to ask you out, and you turned him down flat." Evan smiled at that. "It's far past time that I tell you the truth. I don't want us to be best friends. I want to be your best friend and boyfriend. If you don't want that too, then I'm going to have to take a break, because I can't be by your side while you go out with other guys. It just about killed me watching you with Lane."

  Libby wiped her sweaty palms on her shorts, and she jerked her head back and forth from staring at Evan's handsome face to watching the scenery pass by at a snail's pace.

  "Please say something," Evan whispered.

  "Meh, I didn't like Lane that much, anyway."

  "You're killing me."

  Libby brought her leg up and focused on untying and tying her shoelaces repeatedly. "Evan, if this is some weird joke you're playing, it's not very tasteful."

  "No joke. I'm as serious as Grandma's murder plans."

  Libby fought a smile.

  "That is pretty darn serious," she said as she set her foot back down on the ground and turned to Evan. She swallowed the lump in her throat and spoke in a shaky voice. "The truth is, I liked you from the first time I met you. But I didn't think you felt the same. So I've been trying to keep myself in the friend zone ever since. If you liked me like that, why didn't you say something? I've been trying to not be awkward for about three years now, mister."

  Evan grinned. "You like me."

  "Yes, I just said that."

  "You really like me." Libby watched Evan with his gleeful smile. "So, is that a yes?"

  "Yes to what? You haven't asked me anything yet."

  Evan smiled so wide she thought his face would split in half. "So, you're saying there's a chance?"

  "Yeah, there's a chance. But I'm still mad at you for the whole going-behind-my-back-about-the-job thing. Give me a few days to be mad."

  "But—"

  "If you say another word about it right now, I'll say no. If you give me time to stop being mad at you, I might say yes."

  "Might. Okay, I can work with might," he replied cheerily. "Anything you say."

  This time, he stepped on the gas and hurried back to Marcie's.

  AFTER a quick shower and a text to Ellie, Libby headed into town. She needed an outsider's opinion on what Evan had unloaded this morning. She'd heard his words but wasn't sure she had grasped it yet.

  The short walk into town had never gone by so quickly. She slammed open the entryway door to the thrift shop, antique store, and boutique. She narrowly avoided colliding with Lane who was hanging a sign on his door. She brushed past him toward Ellie's boutique. The door was propped open.

  "Ellie!" Libby yelled, ignoring Lane's questioning look and stepping through the doorway.

  She marched past the mannequins dressed in jumpsuits and dresses. "Ellie!"

  "I'm back here," called a muffled voice.

  Libby walked into the large back room. Ellie's legs were sticking out from under a mannequin in a wedding dress.

  "What are you doing?" Libby asked as she tilted her head sideways.

  "Practicing Bikram Yoga." Ellie crawled out from beneath the yards of fabric and set down her mouthful of pins.

  "What's wrong?" she asked when she saw Libby's face.

  "I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill Evan." Libby fumed as she started pacing back and forth, stepping over piles of fabric and weird sewing accessories she didn't recognize. Libby didn't know what to tell Ellie first. She was overwhelmed with the fact that he had liked her this entire time. "It's his fault I moved from San Francisco."

  "What? How?" Ellie’s alarmed look made Libby like her even more. She also felt a little more justified.

  "He told his mom. She offered me a job, and I didn't know it was her."

  Ellie sat back on her heels and tapped her scissors against her palm. "I'm confused. How did he make you leave San Francisco?"

  "I would have been there. I would have kept looking for a job. I would have been close to everything I love. Not to mention, Aunt Leanne still lives there. And here I am, stuck in Colter because he wanted me to take care of his perfectly capable grandma."

  "You could have said no."

  Libby glared at her. "It made sense at the time, okay? I hadn't realized I was following his five-year plan for my life."

  "Are you mad that you moved? Or are you mad that Evan didn't tell you about it?"

  Libby climbed up on the bench and paced back and forth on the few feet of wood.

  Ellie went back to pinning the fabric.

  "Both. Neither. It just felt so underhanded, you know? I feel like I should be mad."

  "So, does that mean you're not mad now?"

  Libby scuffed her foot against the wall. "This morning, he tells me he wants to date me. That he sent my resume to the firm because he wanted to stay close to me and wanted both of us to live in Portland. I mean, why didn't he ask me out when I first met him? Instead, he waited for three years. What am I supposed to do now? He makes me so mad I could kill him."

  "Careful. You're starting to sound like Marcie."

  "Too far."

  Ellie chuckled. "You said yourself that you like him. Why not date him?" Ellie asked as she stood up and went to work at the long table, measuring fabric lengths.

  "Because I'm scared I'll mess things up. And now I'm not even sure I trust him."

  Ellie set down her scissors. "Ever thought about why he interfered?"

  "Yes. And I haven't come up with any good answers. He even admits what he did was wrong."

  Ellie glanced at Libby. "That should tell you something right there."

  Libby sat down on the bench. "True. He admitted he messed up, which takes guts. But I don't want him thinking he can keep doing that kind of stuff if we end up dating. He set me up with a great job, but he was dishonest about it."

  "I've known Evan for a long time now. He's not the controlling, abusive type of guy. He's a protector. He likes to take care of the people he loves. And I'd imagine that sometimes it comes out in a misguided way."

  "What if he doesn't like me as much as I like him? I mean, he asked you out on a date."

  "Libby, I like you, but you're a little dense sometimes. I've been texting Evan about you all summer. He only asked me out so he could keep an eye on you and Lane. He one hundred percent likes you."

  "I don't like you."

  "Yeah, you do. Or you wouldn't be here." She spread her arms to encompass the menagerie in the room. "Now, are you going to ignore the fact that you like him too? Or are you going to forgive him for helping you get a good job and asking you out?"

  "For being a kid, you've got a little too much insight."

  "I'm twenty, not a kid any longer. Besides, I know I'm brilliant," she replied smugly.

  Libby jumped off the bench. "I'm going to help Marcie with some yard work. Come by later today, and I'll show you some more options I've
worked up for your online boutique."

  "I'm trying to finish an order so it will be ready for pickup next week." She gestured toward the wedding dress. "I might not be by until late."

  "That's okay. I'll be hiding in my room, avoiding Evan."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  LIBBY climbed out of bed and tripped on the sweatshirt she had dropped on the floor the night before. Saturday mornings were for the birds.

  It wasn't a great way to start the morning — especially this morning.

  Garden Show Saturday.

  Over the course of the week, Libby had decided she was an idiot. She hadn't seen the plain, ugly truth in front of her face. Evan had been the one to help kick out unwanted guests in her apartment. He'd been the one to fix her broken car or give her a lift to work when her car wouldn't start. He came over to the apartment and took care of her when she was sick. He had been the one to offer her a home to stay at over the summer.

  All of the things he did went beyond the level of friendship. But Libby didn't want to be disappointed, so she had kept telling herself that they were only friends. She had told herself that lie so many times that she had begun to believe it.

  Now that Libby knew Evan's motives, she could understand why he wanted to keep her close.

  And it was rather endearing.

  Sure, he left out pertinent truths, and she was still upset about that, but he had done it with the motive of helping her. She couldn't let something like manipulation slide, so she had taken care of the situation earlier that week. She'd even settled things with Marcie.

  Her plan was the perfect solution.

  Life would go on. Libby would have a job. She'd have a place to live. Best yet, she'd be able to respect herself for the choices she made. Hopefully, if Evan liked her like he said he did, then he would respect her choices too.

  Marcie had been an invaluable piece in the plan. The plan veered drastically from Libby's ten-year plan, but she was okay with it. She felt the most at peace with this decision. It was way better than her original plan.

  Libby was halfway down the stairs before she remembered to put pants on. How does someone leave their room in a t-shirt and underwear and not know it? Libby wasn't sure. She jumped the last three stairs when Evan opened his bedroom door. Libby's feet stopped moving as Evan locked eyes on her. He raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything.