by Trisha Grace
“She’s acting weird over the phone, but I’m sure she isn’t dating someone. She would’ve told me.”
He didn’t make any comment. He didn’t believe Evelyn would hide such a detail from Kate, but based on her behavior, he couldn’t help thinking otherwise.
She was clearly secretive when it came to those calls, even Kate wasn’t allowed to answer her phone.
“I’m sorry, I wish I could help. It’s just that she’s really touchy when it comes to relationships. I love her, Dan, but I hate to see you like this. Maybe you should stop running around in circles with her.”
Dan sighed heavily. Of course he’d thought about that. Basic logic told him they weren’t going anywhere, and he should put a stop to the crazy cycle. Yet whenever she called, his logic and reasoning would leave him.
Whenever they were in the cold stages, he couldn’t stop checking his phone to make sure that he hadn’t missed her call; and when she did call, he couldn’t help but be relieved. “I tried, Kate.” I really did.
He heard Kate sighing softly before she changed the subject. “So when is Ryan getting discharged from the hospital? He’ll need someone to help him up and down the stairs. And his clothes? Anyone helping him to bring them over?”
He grinned and looked at Kate through the rear view mirror.
Since Kate entered their lives, she had become an important part in all of their lives. She was the linchpin that held all of them closely together. With Kate, they’d all become a family, with the exception of Evelyn.
He wasn’t sure if it was the way she refused to reveal information about herself, or the formality with which she treated everyone, but there always seemed to be a wall between her and everyone else.
Refusing to dwell on thoughts of Evelyn, Dan shook his head and returned his focus to the conversation. “Marianne already brought his stuff over. He’ll be staying with her in the other wing.”
“Why? That’s quite a long walk from the kitchen and we all know how much he loves the kitchen.” Kate looked up and grinned at Tyler.
Tyler beamed back in return and said, “There’s a guest room near ours. He can stay there.”
“Marianne says it’s easier for her to take care of him that way. Plus, there’s a room right on the first floor, so he won’t have to climb the stairs.” He kept his eyes on the road and smiled to himself. That was the exact reason Marianne had told them, though they all knew Marianne just didn’t want anyone disturbing the newlyweds.
When they got to the hospital, Dan and Tyler gave a nonchalant “Hi” to Ryan before settling on the couch while Kate went to fuss over him.
Among all the guys, Ryan was the muscular one. His shirt fitted him so snugly that everyone could see the contours of the muscles through the stretched t-shirts. Dan knew Kate would be shocked to see their own giant lying in bed with a heavy cast on his arm and a huge brace on his leg.
“Oh, my God. I’m so sorry we didn’t visit you earlier,” she said, sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Don’t be. I was in on the decision of not telling you guys. Where’s my present?” Ryan asked with his boyish grin and usual upbeat tone.
“Back at the mansion. Don’t worry, she knows you love her, she won’t forget your present,” Tyler answered from the couch.
Dan laughed when he heard how disgruntled Tyler was.
Besides being the strongest among all of them, Ryan was also the friendliest. His initial friendliness toward Kate had bothered Tyler, especially when Ryan openly professed how he loved her. Tyler knew Ryan had spoken jokingly, he simply refused to let it go.
“How are you doing?” Kate asked, after shaking her head at Tyler’s childish behavior.
“Great, especially since I get to stay at the mansion for three whole months. I’ll get to eat Marianne’s food for three whole months!”
Kate laughed softly at Ryan’s equally childish answer. “You guys deserve each other.”
Dan joined in the laughter. “I think he won’t mind being paralyzed if you tell him that he’ll get to enjoy Marianne’s food for the rest of his life.”
Tyler grinned at Dan’s words.
It was true, Ryan probably wouldn’t mind.
“When will you be discharged? We’ll come and get you,” Tyler said.
“You can take him back now if you want.”
Everyone looked toward the door as Joseph entered. Kate got up from Ryan’s bed and gave him a hug. “You coming with us? We can wait for your shift to end.”
“That’s still hours away. You guys must be tired from your flight. Go back and rest. How are your eyes?”
After much pushing, Kate finally found time to get her Lasik surgery done before the wedding. In the beginning, she had complained that her eyes felt dry rather easily, so Tyler had bugged Joseph on checking her eyes whenever he was at the mansion.
“Fine. I still can’t believe that I have perfect eyesight. Sometimes, I go to bed thinking I should remove my contacts.”
Tyler walked up to his wife and ran his fingers through her hair. In reaction, Kate gazed up at him and leaned against the length of his arm.
Again, the simple intimacy they displayed reminded Dan of the ache in his heart. “I’ll get the papers settled while Kate fills him in on Marianne’s menu for the night.” He stood and walked out without a second look at the rest of them.
“You all right?” Joseph asked as he followed him. “Evelyn again?”
“I’m fine.” There wasn’t much he could say. How was he supposed to explain to his friends that Kate’s best friend was driving him crazy, but he couldn’t get himself to stay away from her?
“Anyway, Ryan may be quitting his job,” Joseph said after a moment of silence.
“Really? I thought he loved being a fireman.”
“Actually, after the fire at Kate’s house, he started having second thoughts. Then, this accident.”
“So what’s he going to do?”
Joseph shrugged. “I don’t think he’s put much thought into it yet.”
Chapter Three
“Good morning,” Evelyn said as she entered the kitchen. The kitchen was crowded with the entire gang, everyone sitting at their respective seats around the dining table. Only the plates and utensils were on the table, but the aroma of the food was already making her stomach growl.
Evelyn’s brows flitted up when she saw Joanne sitting next to Dan.
Since the fire, Evelyn had been working with Joanne on her application for an interior design course. They had looked at dozens of schools, narrowed them, prepared her portfolio, and submitted applications.
Helping Joanne out with this was another secret that Evelyn had been keeping from Dan.
Initially, she was surprised that Joanne came to her for advice. She wasn’t the kind of person whom people looked to for help, but she couldn’t turn Joanne down. She knew Dan had hoped that Joanne would grow up and stop behaving like his mother. He wanted Joanne to have a life of her own, to have her own ambitions and desires, beyond having Tyler as her boyfriend.
Evelyn smiled as she thought about the series of debacles that Joanne had resorted to when Kate had first moved in.
Things were different now. Joanne was no longer creating problems for Kate and was serious about growing up.
Evelyn was glad to help. She was certain Dan would be elated to know that his sister was finally ready to start living her own life.
She pulled out the chair between Kate and Dan, joining the rest of the gang around the crowded table.
The mansion was now the focal point of their lives. Even with the crazy work schedules that Ryan and Joseph had, they always came over whenever they had the time. If they couldn’t make it for dinner, they’d turn up for breakfast or lunch, or even just to chat with Kate and Marianne for a while before heading to crash in the guest rooms.
Evelyn didn’t stay over like the guys. She didn’t like staying anywhere except her own house; a place where she was used to, a place where the no
ises at night wouldn’t startle her, and a place where she could lock her bedroom door without having to explain why.
“Hey! The food will be ready soon,” Ryan said.
“You all right? Kate told me what happened.”
“Yeah, still in one piece.”
Evelyn smiled and briefly looked over at Dan as she pulled her chair closer to the table. She was slightly disappointed that he wasn’t looking at her.
She had no right to be, but she was.
She knew what Dan wanted; relationship, marriage, family. Everything that she couldn’t give him. Everything that he wouldn’t want from her if he found out about her past.
But when she wasn’t with him, all she could think about was him. When she tried seeing other guys, all she could see was how they failed to compare to him. When she told herself that she wasn’t going to keep Dan in her craziness and that it was time to bring things to a complete end, she’d have an overwhelming urge to see him.
Her hands would then betray her, picking up the phone and calling Dan before she could stop herself.
Dan would turn up; he always did, and they would have as much fun as they always had. They’d laugh and flirt. Dan would lean in close, push her hair back, then skim his finger down her cheek.
His soft touch, along with his warm and clear emerald eyes gazing into hers, never failed to capture her heart. His gentleness with her spoke of more affection than any words ever did. Selfishly, she didn’t want to let that feeling go, so she persuaded herself into believing that they could always remain the way they were.
But what she wanted wasn’t good enough for Dan. He’d always push her into formalizing their relationship, and she would take a thousand steps back away from him.
She didn’t do that to punish him or to prove her point; she needed to stay away from him, to remind herself that she wasn’t girlfriend or wife material. She had to remind herself that they were only meant to be friends, and she had to stay away to make sure she got her perspective right.
When she was with him, she sometimes fell into the daydream on the possibility of a future together with Dan. She’d allow herself to play with the thought for a few minutes, just a few minutes.
She wasn’t the naive sort of person.
No one would ever want someone like her as his girlfriend or wife.
As if the universe was reminding her of why she could never be in a relationship, her phone buzzed and she jumped from the shock of the vibration. She checked her phone, then dropped it back onto the table when she saw that it was just an advertisement.
The reminder of the blackmail took her mind into a dark turn. Who would be interested in a woman with so much dark history? Unconsciously, her hand moved toward her left shoulder, and her finger grazed across her shirt, over where the scar was located.
“Ryan, Joe said you’re thinking of quitting your job?” Dan asked.
Dan’s voice easily cut through her thoughts, capturing her attention. Realizing where her hand was, she immediately dropped her arm back onto her legs.
Ryan nodded. “Maybe. I don’t know what else I can do.”
“Open your own gym and produce more incredible hulks,” Joanne teased.
“That’s actually a brilliant idea,” Kate commented. “That way, you don’t have to work those horrible shifts, and it’s much, much, much safer than being a fireman.”
All of them echoed their support of the idea.
“Are you guys serious?” Ryan asked, half laughing.
“Why not?” Kate said. “You can get Joseph to come up with healthy meals that’d help in weight loss or muscle gaining. He can even give check-ups to track their progress.”
Ryan turned to Joseph with a raised brow.
Joseph brows drew closer together, seemingly considering the possibility of doing so.
While Marianne began placing all the food on the table, more ideas were thrown around.
Evelyn tuned out the conversation and turned to Dan again.
She was tempted to talk to him, to ask him about his day. She missed hearing his voice, seeing the smile he always had for her, feeling the warmth of his finger skimming down her cheeks.
She closed her eyes, hoping that removing him from her sight would get rid of the thoughts in her mind.
This is better for everyone. She reminded herself.
Just then, her phone vibrated again, and another jolt of shock reverberated down her spine. Hastily, she grabbed the phone from the table. Relieved that it was just about work, she sighed softly and returned the phone to its position on the table. When she glanced up from her phone, she found Kate staring at her; probably waiting for an explanation on her neurotic behavior over her phone.
“Lack of sleep.” A pang of guilt besieged her as she looked away from Kate. Even though it was true that she wasn’t sleeping well and that her nightmares were back, compared to the other problem she was facing, it was insignificant.
She hated having to lie to Kate. And Kate’s response only doubled her guilt.
“You want me to stay over at your house tonight? If you want, I can accompany you. Then tomorrow, we could get some chamomile tea and maybe some essential oils? I heard it works miracles for some who can’t sleep.”
“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” Evelyn kept her eyes from Kate, letting her know she had no intention of continuing that particular line of conversation.
It was better for Kate to know nothing about what was going on. There wasn’t any need to pull another person into her mess.
The next morning, Evelyn pulled up in front of the mansion, surprised to see Lydia’s car parked by Joanne’s pink mini.
Everyone, including herself, had treated Kate’s sister like an outcast since the fire. Though no one said anything out loud, they all blamed Lydia for the fire.
Since finding out that their parents didn’t die from an accident like their grandparents had told them, Lydia had been obsessed with finding out what caused their brutal murder.
Even though Lydia wasn’t the one who set the fire, she was undeniably the cause of it.
To Evelyn, the actual fire didn’t scare her. It was the events leading right up to it, and how the whole incident brought back the unwanted memories she’d been trying to bury.
Even seeing Lydia’s car brought back those memories.
She remembered how her heart pounded while she hid in the bathroom with Kate. She remembered how she kept her gun aimed at the door while fear ran rampant in her mind.
The suspense of knowing that someone was heading for them reminded her of how she had felt while hiding in the bathroom as a child, reminded her of the futile prayers she had made, and the eventual punishment she had to endure.
She was no longer a child, and she had practiced hard at using her gun. Still, no amount of logic helped as the same fear that used to surge through her veins every night raked her once again.
Evelyn rubbed her palms against her arms, getting some warmth back to her suddenly cold hands.
“Hey! You’re late,” Ryan said as she entered the kitchen.
Everyone else echoed some form of greeting and went back to the food on the table.
Without command, her eyes moved in search of Dan’s, then immediately darted away the moment they met his.
She took her usual spot, sitting between Kate and Dan. Since his eyes were obviously avoiding her, Evelyn took the chance to observe him.
He kept his eyes on his plate, taking a bite of food then looking up at the selection on the table. He looked well to her. The brilliant smile he used to wear was missing, but besides that, he appeared to be doing fine without her.
She couldn’t help wondering if he was already seeing someone new and if she could handle sitting at the same table with whoever it was.
“Now that you’re here, we’re ready to make the major announcement,” Ryan said, swallowing a mouthful of food. He nudged Joseph, gesturing for him to continue.
Seeing Ryan’s excitement made her smile.<
br />
She wished she had his personality; he was always smiling and chirpy. She wondered how he did that. The things he must have seen in his work, the carnage, the deaths…yet he seemed untouched by them.
“We’ve decided to leave our jobs and start a gym like you guys suggested.”
Joanne laughed. “Are you guys serious? I was only joking.”
“We are. The only gym in this area isn’t very good, and many of Ryan’s fellow firemen and the guys he worked out with had complained about it. It’s definitely viable,” Joseph answered.
“That will be great,” Kate said, her eyes bright. “That way, you guys won’t have to deal with all the shifts anymore.”
Dan nodded. “That’s true. I can help with the finding of location. I have contacts.”
“And of course, Evelyn and I will design the place for you guys,” Kate added.
“Before any of that, we’ll have to come up with an actual proposal and get the bank loan,” Joseph said before anyone else could continue.
Dan’s brows drew closer in confusion. “You do know there are a few multi-millionaires sitting around this particular table, right? If the richest guy,” he cocked his head in Tyler’s direction and continued, “isn’t willing, his wife definitely is.”
Kate’s smile widened. “Of course I’d support you guys. I’ve lots of money, and I can’t find anywhere to use it.”
Evelyn cleared her throat to conceal her laugh and hid her smile behind her hand.
Kate had inherited a sizable amount of money from Tyler’s grandfather, money that was doing nothing but lying around in the bank. Since they got married, Tyler had refused to let her pay for anything.
“I have the money,” Tyler stated. “You guys get it from me.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “Seriously? I can’t even support them? What’s the point of having all that money in the bank if I can’t spend it?”
“You bought Evelyn’s handbags with your money.”