by Kristi Rose
“Yeah. Yeah, it is.” Evie looked away as quickly as possible.
“Wow. Nice. He sure filled out. He used to be so lanky but mercy, someone’s been eating his Wheaties.”
“That’s because he was a soccer guy, not a football guy.” She wanted to tell Lorelei he’d always had muscles, from stocking groceries throughout high school and working a second landscaping job every summer. He’d always had a nice body.
“Well, I’ll go do my job,” Lorelei said and pushed off the chair, walking toward Grady. Evie watched him scan the place as soon as he came in, his eyes resting on her, a smile spreading slowly showing even white teeth.
“Holy cow, I swear you look like Grady Duke,” Andee said, beating Lorelei to the door.
“I guess that’s a good thing since that’s my name and all. How you doing?” He let Andee fold him into a hug and then Lorelei. “I heard that y’all opened a diner. Thought I’d come check it out.”
He slid into the chair next to Evie and winked. She forced her eyes to focus on her half-eaten omelet and steadied her hands by gripping the edge of her chair. She’d promised herself to approach Grady as if he were just someone she went to school with. As if she didn’t have a history with him or know that on the body Lorelei had just admired was a long scar from when he’d had his appendix removed. A scar she used to rub her hand over. A scar she’d kissed.
“What brings you to town?” Andee asked.
“I took a job teaching over at the college.”
Evie glanced out of the corner of her eyes and could swear his chest puffed out ever so slightly. She knew the feeling. Though she’d become good friends with Lorelei and Andee over the years, there were days she still felt like one of the poor kids, someone on the outside looking in. Grady may not have had any of the nonsense in his childhood that she’d had in hers but he’d still grown up one of the have-nots.
“Teaching? At Florida Southern? What subject? You want coffee?” Andee held up the pot.
“Yes, please. I’m teaching American History with a focus on the Civil War.” He smiled before he took a drink of coffee. When he reached across Evie for a menu, his forearm skimmed her hand, and the force of her attraction for him nearly blew her out of her seat.
“That’s right. If you all were as scholarly as I am you’d know that our Grady Duke is building quite a reputation among the history crowd as an expert in the Civil War.” Mr. Jenkins, the driver’s ed teacher back when they were in school, now ringleader of the retirees, said from behind them, laying a hand on Grady’s shoulder.
“I didn’t know you were into history,” Lorelei said.
But Evie had known. She’d listened to him talk about it for hours.
“I don’t know about expert, but I really enjoy what I do and don’t mind sitting around debating the past. Thanks for the compliment, Mr. Jenkins.” They shook hands briefly before Mr. Jenkins moved back to his cronies.
“Such a contrast to how you used to spend your days.” Andee was never one to mince words.
There was no denying Grady’s reputation as a player. Known for not having a type, a steady, or a second date, he’d cycled through so many of their school friends it had been embarrassing. The only reason he’d never been with Lorelei or Andee was because they’d been firmly attached to their beaus.
Then there’d been Evie. If others had known how much time she and Grady had spent together that summer, she’d probably be linked to his reputation as the girl he dated the longest. Grady might not think of what they did as dating, but Evie did. It had been so natural, so easy, being with him and laughing, flirting, and falling in love. With Grady, she’d been able to forget the mess that was her family. For Grady, though, she’d just been a way to mark time before he could leave town. Just another girl added to his roster of conquests.
“What have you been up to all these years, Grady? “ Lorelei asked, while giving Andee the stink eye.
“I spent six years in the Marine Corps, did a couple of tours in the sandbox, went to school at night, and got my bachelor’s. When I got out I did my master’s and just last year finished my Ph.D.”
“He’s perfect for you,” Andee whispered in Evie’s ear.
She turned to give a snappy retort, but everything was stuck in her throat. The omelet, words, and sixteen years of emotions strictly associated with Grady, their summer, and the girl she’d let herself be. An astute student of life’s hard knocks, her childhood had taught her well, Evie preferred not to repeat her mistakes.
ONCE AGAIN
CHAPTER THREE
Evie Barker. As I live and breathe, his momma would say. Gone was the makeup-free skin and her thick, long, red braid, replaced by hair that fell to her shoulders and swung carefree with her every move. Evie had been the prettiest and smartest creature he’d ever set eyes on back in high school but now she was a knock-your-boots-off heartbreaker.
After leaving town, he’d thought—maybe hoped was more accurate—to leave it all behind him. Getting out had been his main goal and the Corps his solution when no college scholarships came his way. He’d wanted more out of life and wasn’t going to get it in Lakeland. He’d craved something other than warm Florida winters and sand between his toes. He wanted to learn to ski on snow and watch the leaves turn shades of red, yellow, and variegated shades of green.
Yet on those long days under the hot Middle Eastern sun, waiting to kill or be killed, Grady had thought of home. He’d laugh at the irony of how he’d been desperate to get away from sand only to spend extended time in a country that left sand between his toes and in crevices he never knew he had. He’d close his eyes and try to recall the sweet fragrance of orange blossoms or how his family would tailgate, claiming a good spot for watching fireworks at Joker Merchant Stadium every Fourth of July. He’d think of the corn bread, pinto beans, and collards his momma made every New Year and then, inevitably, his trip through the past would lead him to Evie Barker. She’d been just as driven to survive their childhood as he had been but whereas he’d done it by staying detached and leaving, she’d done it with grace and kindness, finding happiness in the space around her.
“Hey, Lorelei, can I get that oatmeal and a pecan roll? I have to be heading out,” Evie said, pushing her omelet away and gathering up her purse.
Lorelei looked surprised. “So soon? Ok. It’ll be a few minutes.” She turned and gave his arm a squeeze. “You come back, Grady. I’m pretty sure Cole would love to catch up with you. He had an early meeting or he’d normally be here.”
“I look forward to seeing him, too.” Grady smiled at Lorelei and turned to Evie before flipping open the menu. “That looks really good.” He gestured to her omelet.
She looked at it with longing. “It was... I mean, it is. Lorelei makes some great food. Her pastries are divine.”
“Especially the pecan roll?”
“Yes, they’re my favorite.” She bit her lower lip and looked away.
Grady searched for something to say that would keep her beside him longer but Lorelei rescued her by arriving with a to-go bag.
“Here you go, Evie. Let me know how it goes. We’ll see you Friday morning.” Lorelei handed her the bag and a travel mug of coffee bearing the University of Florida emblem.
He caught Evie glance his way at the mention of Friday and made a mental note to be here as well. She was an enigma and he wanted to know why she hadn’t taken her momma and escaped from a town that weighed her down with such heavy baggage. Grady used to think he had hurdles to jump in his endeavors to have a different life, but Evie, holy hell, she’d had everything against her and still beat the odds. He wanted to know that story.
At the time, he’d never believed happiness could be crafted from the fragmented pieces of her childhood. But he was a different guy now, thanks to time and seeing some of life’s glorious wonders like the Great Wall of China and some of life’s horrific tribulations like holding a buddy as they lay dying. That would change anyon
e. It certainly had Grady, who now understood that leaving never guaranteed an easy road or a better life.
Grady watched her leave and turned to find Andee staring at him. “What’s your story? Got yourself a missus?” She glanced at his bare ring finger and raised her brows.
“Nope, I’m completely unattached at the moment. But that shouldn’t surprise you.” He winked at Andee and leaned back against the chair, draping his arm over Evie’s now vacant chair.
“It doesn’t—”
“It’s hard sustaining a relationship when you’re doing back to back deployments or you’ve got your nose buried deep into folds of old moldy Civil War documents and textbooks.”
“We’ve all changed. A lot. I’m hoping you have, too,” Andee said and gave the arm on Evie’s chair a pointed look. “Be gentle with our Evie. She doesn’t have it easy.”
“She never had it easy,” he said, remembering all those times he’d seen her dad stumbling down the road. “But it hasn’t gotten any better for her?”
Lorelei sighed heavily. “Even though her momma’s in a home, she still takes care of her and it wears on her. Her momma’s not doing well and with Shea in Nashville, it all falls on Evie.”
“That girl needs a fairy godmother, not a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Andee added. “Now, what’ll it be?”
He ordered, got pulled into a light debate regarding the military tactics of Grant and Lee with his old driver’s ed teacher and some of his cronies, and left with a box of pastries including a free chocolate croissant. With a few more days of vacation left before he needed to report to work, he figured there was no better time to get to know thy neighbor than right now.
At Publix, where he saw more people from the old days than he had on any other visit to date, he bought some groceries for a cookout and managed to escape Melinda Bane’s incessant questions and heavy flirting. It was ironic that he should run into the girl he used to break Evie's heart sixteen years ago considering his sole purpose at the store was to get back into Evie’s good graces.
Using his Marine Recon training and subterfuge, Grady timed wheeling his garbage can to the curb with Evie’s arrival home from work.
“Hey,” he called as he parked the container at the edge of his drive.
She looked at him, eyes large and wide as if constantly surprised he’d talk to her.
“How was work?” He walked across the yard to where she stood, in her blue-checkered scrubs that were overly wrinkled, like they’d been wet and wrung out while still being worn, then leaned against her car.
“My work? Don’t answer that. Of course you mean my work. It was...work.” She tilted her head and smiled. “Thanks for asking.”
“You like your job?” He tucked a hand into his pocket.
He put his other hand up to stop her from answering. “Hold that thought. I have an idea. Why don’t you come over? I’m grilling out; I’ll make you some dinner and you can tell me all about it. I’d like to know more about what an occupational therapist does.” He’d researched it, of course, but knowing what had drawn her to the profession was what interested him. For a girl who cared for so many people, he’d have thought she’d have run away from something as demanding as a rehabilitative service.
She laughed, glancing away before saying, “You don’t have to pretend to be interested in my job, but I appreciate the effort. You are under no obligation to be nice to me simply because we live next door to each other or because we used to da—, I mean, we...we went to high school together. But thanks for the offer.”
With the press of her key fob, she locked the car and turned to go inside.
“Wait.” He cupped her elbow to stop her. “I’m not pretending to be nice to you and certainly not because we went to high school together. There are a lot of people I went to school with that I couldn’t care less if I never see again. I like you, I always have. I’ve only been home a couple of times over the years. Life’s been hectic. Now that it’s finally slowed down, I can’t imagine anything better than spending time with an old...friend. Come on. It’s just food and iced tea. Maybe some of Lorelei’s éclairs.”
She hesitated.
“And a few cream puffs, too.”
“You’re killing me.” She sighed.
“Come on. Do it for a veteran.”
She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Oh all right. What time?”
“How does now strike you?” Now that she was hooked, he wasn’t letting go.
“Now?”
He nodded.
“Let me change and I’ll head over.”
“Just come on into the back yard.” He watched her walk away before heading back home. Leaving the back gate open, he lit the citronella candles with hopes of keeping the mosquitos at bay.
He could tell Evie really didn’t want to come, it was evident by her inability to make eye contact, but her good manners and gentle nature wouldn’t allow her to be rude to him. He’d been counting on that and if the opportunity presented he was going to try and mend the bridge he’d burned between them. Life had shown him that for all the people there were in the world, finding someone to connect with on a deeper level was a rare gift. Evie had been someone he’d connected with. Hell, even now he used any opportunity he could find to touch her and loved the zing of excitement he got when there was physical contact between them.
Truth was, over the years he’d thought about her often. Joining the Corps had been a deliberate act, his way out, but when he’d spent more than four months on a ship with not a single letter from anyone but his folks, he’d wondered if the town where he'd grown up had left more of a mark on him than he did it. After several longer deployments in a country where he wasn’t wanted, it was thoughts of home that helped Grady hang on and get through the tough times. Though deployment days were busy, there were always lulls when his mind would drift to the small central Florida town and Evie. He’d wonder if she was happy, wished he could change the events of the past.
Grady made no apologizes for who he was and what he’d done in the military. He understood the simple fact that in order to save lives, he had to take some, and he’d paid his dues with the nightmares, relentless survivor’s guilt, and volunteer work he’d done at the VA. Maybe Evie being the first person in his path was the Universe’s way of giving him a second chance to square things there, too. Maybe it was also a sign that his slate was being wiped clean.
There were lots of things that he remembered about Evie: her laughing face, the way she closed her eyes as if she was holding on to the moment a little while longer, how she’d slowly raise her lids after he’d kissed the breath out of her, or how her eyes would glisten with unshed tears as she’d try to steer her drunken father into the house after he’d stumbled home. What he wished he could forget was her look of mortification mixed with straight up hurt when she’d found him with Melinda. He’d wanted to scare her off, hell, he’d been scared witless by the vast weight of emotion he’d felt around Evie. But none of that compared to the self-hate he’d felt when he’d seen her face. It had nearly done him in, almost convinced him to forget all about his plans and dreams. It had made him consider ways he might bring her along with him.
Pushing the sliding door open, he brought out the jug of iced tea and tall glasses filled with ice. Glancing at his watch, he set a cut off time when he’d go retrieve her if she hadn’t shown up and stepped back inside to get the food from the fridge.
“Knock, knock.”
She was wearing a loose, blue-striped skirt and white t-shirt with matching blue tennis shoes. With her hair in a short ponytail, she looked breathtakingly innocent and triggered his need to protect her. He want to wrap her in his arms and be that fairy godmother Andee had spoken of earlier today. Hell, he’d even take being the warty frog she might kiss hoping to find a prince.
“I thought you might stand me up.” He slid a plate of steaks onto the counter.
She stood at the sliding door and waited.
“You can come in,” he said and took a salad from the fridge. “You eat meat, right?”
“Did you not notice how much bacon was on my omelet today? Lorelei always doubles my order.” She stepped in and stared at his musket lamp. Boxes still cluttered the area. For a guy who’d been overseas and in school, he’d sure accumulated a lot of crap.
She went immediately to the photos he’d set out on the table, waiting to be placed around the house or hung on the wall, and picked up several, most of him and the brotherhood of men he’d served with.
“You look so different in uniform. More intense, I suppose,” she said, holding one frame in her hand. It was one of him decked out in his dress blues, graduating from Parris Island, his parents flanking his sides. She replaced it with another of him in uniform, only this one he was wearing his fatigues, his gun slung across his back, the hot Afghanistan sun in his eyes, and an arm flung around his friend.
“That’s Daniel. We were in boot camp together. He was killed in action four days after that photo,” he said.
“I’m sorry.” She rubbed her thumb over Daniel’s laughing face and gently put the frame down.
“Me, too.”
She moved away from the photos and toward the musket lamp.
“What’s this? I mean, I know what it is but... It’s interesting.” Her fingers played with the fringe on the shade.
He shrugged. “I teach history. You know I like the Civil War.”
“I don’t think this really has anything to do with the Civil War. Like this wasn’t in Lee’s office or anything.”
He laughed. How did one respond to that?
She picked up a few books, looked at their spines, then made her way over to a hat and turned it over.
“That’s a Hardee hat. Worn by both sides. Usually enlisted.”
“Is this one an original?”
“No.” He moved the pastries Lorelei had sold him onto a platter.