by Beth Michele
“You’re a real comedian,” I tell her, before taking her arm in mine and continuing down the elaborate stone path alongside the house. “You know,” I lift my nose in the air, flaring my nostrils, “you smell like vanilla.” She swings her gaze my way, her eyes dancing with amusement, and I already know what she’s thinking.
“Vanilla extract,” we both say at the same time, and then we burst into laughter. The sound reverberates through my body, filling me with Evie. My own hidden piece of happy.
“I’ll never forget that, Dills. My mom was digging inside a cabinet to get some ingredients for those cookies we were making and when she came up for air, you were snorting the vanilla extract. Why were you snorting it anyway?”
“Because,” I hesitate, but decide to go for it in the most indirect way, “it reminded me of that vanilla body spray you always wore. It smelled… like you.”
“What?” She giggles, wrinkling her nose as if this seems unfathomable, but the flush to her cheeks under the lamplight tells me that maybe she’s flattered. I was ten, after all, but even then her scent was cemented on my brain.
“Your mother must’ve thought I was the biggest freak that day.” I make a lame attempt at drawing attention away from my comment. So much for being bold.
She pauses midstride, turning her sincere blues in my direction and cutting through all my bullshit. “My mother absolutely adored you,” she admits, and I suck in a ragged breath. The reassurance in her tone floors me and warms me all at once. I loved Evie’s mother. But not nearly as much as I love her daughter.
We stroll in quiet for a few minutes and I’m just enjoying being with her. It’s always so comfortable when we’re together. Words are not a necessity. They never have been for us.
Her voice breaks the silence. “It’s really pretty here, but it’s so…,” she trails off and I finish her sentence.
“Big.”
“Yeah… I couldn’t imagine living in such a huge house. I mean, I know it’s Jamie and his three brothers plus his parents, but still, it’s way too big. And all those windows, I’d be afraid someone was watching me.”
“Well, there’s no worry about that for us. We live on the other side of the tracks,” I tease, as we reach the end of the path. Gripping the stone wall, she hoists herself up and then hops over.
“Come on, let’s go dip our feet in the water,” she says excitedly, and I jump over the wall and onto the sand before pulling off my sneakers. She looks over at me, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “Last one to the water is a rotten egg. And if I remember correctly… you’re always the rotten egg.”
“Yeah, but your memory sucks,” I remind her, and she squeaks out a laugh. “Go ahead, Hopper. I’ll even give you a head start.” I wave her forward with my hand. “Go on. Give it all you’ve got.”
She starts running and I stay back a minute, just so I can watch her hips sway in that cute little skirt she’s sporting, and then I take off, following her figure in the darkness as she nears the water.
A squeal leaves her mouth as I tackle her from behind, pulling her down, both of us breathing heavy and laughing as our bodies hit the cool sand. “Hey,” her voice is all raspy and hot as hell, “I was about to win.”
I pivot my body so I’m leaning over her, my arms pinning her down, her breath blowing hard across my lips. “If you were about to win, it’s because I was letting you,” I tease, and then I stop talking altogether, the only sound a fierce beating inside my chest because of the gleam in her eyes and the way she’s staring at my lips. My heart is at odds with my brain. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was silently asking me to kiss her. “Evie,” I whisper, “I really—”
“What the fuck?” someone yells in the distance and yet again, Harrington has managed to ruin another moment. His voice grows louder as he gets closer. “Does someone want to tell me what the hell’s going on?” Evie slides out from underneath me and stands, brushing the sand off her clothes. I follow her lead and rise to my feet.
“Relax, Harrington, we were just goofing around.” I smirk, noticing that Evie is biting back a smile.
His hands form fists at his sides and he glares at me. “Really, is that why you were on top of her?” He practically spits the words in my direction, and I can’t pretend I’m not pleased that he’s riled up.
Evie moves closer and puts a hand on his arm, making me cringe. “Jamie…,” she waits until he focuses his attention back on her, “we were just having fun, that’s all. Let’s go back to the house, okay?”
He pierces me with a deadly yet ineffectual stare before throwing his arm around her and heading toward the house. My jaw stiffens and the agitation makes its way to the back of my neck… he’s got my girl.
They’re almost at the stone wall when Evie turns around, and even though I can’t see her smiling, I can feel it.
Maybe he doesn’t have my girl after all.
I MAKE MY way back inside to check on Jordan and apparently he’s doing just fine. He’s on the leather sofa in the expansive great room, sitting next to the black-haired beauty with the affinity for French fries who I collided with earlier. Everyone is hooking up but me. If only I could get Evie out of my heart then maybe I’d have a shot with someone else. But I’ve tried everything and it’s fucking impossible.
I’ve dated girls here and there over the years: Tina, Debbie, Tamara, April. There may be one or two others I can’t recall. But I was just deluding myself. Always trying to distract from the one person I wanted but could never have—because she didn’t want me. At least not in the same way I wanted her.
The closest I ever came to having feelings for someone else was with Tamara Wheeler in tenth grade. Mostly because she reminded me of Evie. Something about her auburn hair. She actually told me she loved me while we were fooling around and guilt hung over my head like a dark cloud because I couldn’t say the words back. In that moment, though, I felt like I should and that was wrong on so many levels. Love is never a should. Love is a want. A desperate longing. An I can’t breathe without you—exactly the way I feel about Evie.
An unfamiliar voice drags me from my thoughts. “Dylan Reid… I never thought I’d see the day. What the hell b-brings you to these parts?” Jamie’s brother Austin slurs, clasping me on the shoulder, a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Hey, Austin, what’s up?” I reply, unsure as to how to respond. He’s right. I never venture to these parts… ever. I don’t particularly care for him or any of his asshat friends, his brother leading the pack of my dislike. “Yeah. It’s been a while. Just thought Jordan and I would come and hang out for a bit.”
He takes a swig of his beer on a loud swallow. “So, how’s the hamburger business?” He laughs and slaps his knee, clearly confirming his asshole status and why I don’t come around more often.
I grind my teeth and plaster a fake smile on my face. “The diner, it’s great. Thanks for asking.” Jerkoff.
“All right. Well, I need to socialize. There’s booze in the kitchen if you’re interested.” He smacks me on the back and takes off to accost someone else. That’s when I decide it’s time to leave.
Jordan is nearby so I plow through the drunken bodies to find him sucking face with The Raven, as I’ve now deemed her. He doesn’t notice me standing right in front of them, so I call his name over the loud bass thundering from the massive speaker system.
“Hey, Jordan, you ready?” Of course there’s no response. I shove his arm, forcing him to unlock his lips and acknowledge my presence.
He gets up and lifts a finger to tell her to hold on while speaking quietly in my ear. “I want to stay for a bit, bro. I’m thinking I might get lucky.”
I jerk my head back, unable to hide the surprise on my face. I want to know what he’s done with my brother because this is definitely not him. I cup a hand over my mouth so only he can hear me. “Since when do you want to get lucky? Are you finally giving up on Liza?”
“Who?” He sinks back down on the couch and I
realize he’s had a lot to drink.
“All right, text me when you’re ready to go,” I shout, as I tunnel my way through the mass of drunks now filling the house.
Faces become blurry as memories of my father passed out in the living room chair come rushing back, an empty bottle of Cutty Sark whiskey clutched in his hand. I grab my head to ward off the demons as I pass by the kitchen, hearing Jamie before I see him. He’s playing beer pong but it sounds like he’s had a hell of a lot more than beer to drink and he’s hanging all over Evie. The expression on her face says she isn’t enjoying it and I don’t like it much, either. Casually, I walk in and insert myself into their little group, tugging on Evie’s sweater to get her attention.
“Get your paws off—” she warns, until she looks over her shoulder and realizes it’s me. “Oh, hey, Dills. Sorry, I keep getting mauled and it’s irritating.” She manages to escape Harrington’s hold and comes to stand beside me.
I shove a hand in my pocket and nod my head toward the front door. “I’m gonna take off for a while. Jordan’s decided to stay for a bit but I’m gonna come back and get him. You know there’s no way you’re riding with Harrington. He’s rocked off his ass.”
“Yeah, I know. He’s going to end up passed out soon, anyway. I was going to see if I could get a ride.” She puts a hand on her hip and bats her lashes.
“Show a little leg and you’ve got a deal,” I tease, and she jabs a finger against my chest, smiling. “You know you’ve got a ride. I’d never leave you here with these drunk assholes.” I flash a suggestive grin. “So, can I tempt you to take off with me? Maybe get a chocolate milkshake?”
A flicker of excitement dances across her face and I know she can’t resist my offer. Her eyes dart to Harrington and then to me but she doesn’t seem the least bit conflicted. “Sure. Let me just tell him I’m leaving. I’ll meet you out front.”
I’m waiting by the lamppost when Evie appears less than five minutes later, the crunch of gravel underneath her feet a welcome interruption to my thoughts. The smile on her face is breathtaking and for a moment, my heart ceases to beat.
“Did the douchebag give you any problems?”
Her eyes become thin slits as she fists a hand on her hip again, but her smile deceives her. “No, Jamie didn’t give me any problems. He doesn’t own me, you know. I can come and go as I please. I do what I want.”
“Oh, believe me, I know.” I grab her arm and pull her to my side. “I think I’ve known that since fourth grade when you stomped your feet and refused to move when I told you that you were going to play third base in our game.” I unlock the passenger door and hold it open for her. “If memory serves me, you stood there claiming that you were fabulous at playing first base and that’s what position you were going to play ‘whether I liked it or not.’”
She climbs up into the truck but turns around to flip me a wink. “Damn straight.”
I chuckle as I cross to the other side of the car and can’t help the grin that takes over my entire face. Every single detail of Evie’s life since the first grade is etched in my memory. I know her better than anyone else and warmth rushes through my veins at the realization that she knows everything about me, too. When I get into the truck, I slide close to her, placing a hand behind her head and pressing a kiss to her temple. Her smile tickles my chin.
“What’s that for?” she asks as I back away to start the engine.
Dropping my hands from the steering wheel, I shift my body in her direction. “What’s that for? You’re my best friend, Evie, and I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
Even with the darkness offering only a hint of light, I see her eyes soften. She moves next to me, bringing her lips to my cheek, then rests her head on my shoulder.
It doesn’t get any better than this.
WE’RE ABOUT TO walk into the restaurant when Evie looks over her shoulder and pauses. I glance in that general direction and discover a man holding a cardboard sign but can’t quite make out what it says from this distance.
“One second, Dills.”
She does an about-face as she rifles through her purse, heading for the sidewalk. I watch in awe as they exchange a few words and she hands him some money. It strikes me as odd in this neighborhood but Evie doesn’t give it a second thought. Just add it to the list of things I love about her.
She skips back over with a smile to find me regarding her. “What?”
“Nothing. Come on.”
The door jingles, alerting the hostess to our presence. It’s fairly deserted this time of night, but immaculate, and it looks like we’ve stepped back in time. Chrome tables and black chairs sit in the center of the space while rounded booths in black leather line the perimeter. Black and white pictures of various celebrities are scattered on the walls and there are mini jukeboxes at every table. The floors look like they’re wiped down hourly and are so clean you could probably eat off of them.
“This place is fancy.” Evie giggles, as the hostess ushers us toward a booth. She slides in first and I take a seat across from her. “I’m staaaarvving,” she drawls in her cute little voice and rubs her hands together as if she’s cold.
“Me, too. What’re you gonna get? Aside from the chocolate milkshake that is?” I watch her eyes move back and forth over the menu with indecision even though I already know what she’ll order—a well-done cheeseburger with extra-crispy sweet potato fries and a side of coleslaw.
The waitress pops over, a pin-up look-alike with ringlet curls and eyes a deep shade of green. “What would you two like to eat?” She focuses her attention on me, twirling the pen between her bright red lips.
“Evie, go ahead.” I let her order first even though I already know what I want. The waitress drops the pen to her pad but doesn’t look away from me.
“Yoohoo,” Evie waves a hand in front of her face, “I’m over here. Yes, I know he’s hot and all, but I’m starving and that takes precedence.”
I have to stifle a laugh before my brain kicks into action and I realize what she just said. She thinks I’m hot.
The waitress finally turns to Evie, lips twisted into a sneer. “What can I get you?”
“Hmph.” She raps her finger against the menu as if she’s still unsure. “I’ll have a cheeseburger, well-done, with sweet potato fries, and I’d like those extra crispy, please. I’ll also have a side of coleslaw and a chocolate milkshake.”
“And for you?” She stares me down again, licking her lips, lust in her eyes.
“I’ll have the same but with regular fries and a Coke.” She walks away and I finally release the laugh I’d been holding in. “What was that? And I didn’t realize you thought I was hot.” I casually run a hand through my hair, smirking.
Evie fans herself with the menu. “Did I say hot?” She stumbles a bit, but recovers quickly. “I meant cute, but I’m used to it, Dills. Remember all the looks you’d get when we’d hang out? All those kids wondering what you were doing with skinny four eyes? The cute guy and the oddball girl?”
The waitress comes back with our drinks and sets them down. Evie plucks a sugar packet from the dish at the end of the table and flings it at me with a smile.
Once the waitress leaves, I cock my head to the side, connecting with the blue in her eyes and covering her hand with mine. “You were never an oddball, Evie… never.”
“Well, I always felt like one,” she admits quietly, staring down at the table and flipping over the fork lying on her napkin. “Except when I was with you.” Her proud shoulders now sag, hunched over her plate. “People always reminded me of how awkward I looked. Taller than the other girls, and too skinny, of course. Tricia Dumont told me I’d better play basketball because I’d never be able to do ‘girly things.’ Of course that was right before she rubbed it in my nose that boys don’t like tall girls.” She lets out a sour laugh and I have to wonder where all this is coming from because it never really bothered her that much before. “Not to mention the fact that I loved to play i
n the rain and catch worms. What a combination.”
But then her face brightens and it’s like the sun chasing away the clouds. “Mom would always tell me, ‘Evie, being different is one of the best things you can be. Fitting in, well, who needs that?’” Her voice cracks a little. “‘Not when you were meant to shine.’”
“Hey….” I reach across the table, tucking a finger under her chin. When her eyes slowly find mine, they are wet with tears. Without hesitating, I ease out of the booth and slide in next to her. Tenderly, I cup her cheek, lifting my thumb to catch a falling tear. “What is it? What’s really going on?”
“Nothing. I’m fine, really.” She gives me her stock answer, only there’s nothing convincing about her words.
“Bullshit. I want to know. Right now.”
She lets out a somewhat resigned yet shaky gasp. More tears begin to cascade down her skin as she gazes blankly at me. “Today is the anniversary of my parents’ deaths. The night of the accident.”
“Oh, Evie.” I pull her close as she cries softly into my neck. My fingers do a gentle comb through her hair as I comfort her, recalling that horrific night.
“Come on, Dills, we’ve played cards like six times. Let’s play chess,” she whined, and I stuck my tongue out and made a noise in my throat.
“Chess?” I grumbled. “You know I suck at chess.” I grabbed a pillow and lobbed it at her from across the couch.
She ducked her head and smirked. “You don’t suck that bad. Oh, come on, I’ll turn on a movie. At least you’ll have something to look at.” Little did she know, I had everything I wanted to look at right in front of me.
The doorbell rang and Zoey walked out of the kitchen carrying a gigantic bowl of popcorn, the buttery smell making me hungry. “I’ll get it,” she called out in a garbled voice, her mouth already full.
Two policemen walked into the house and I was forced to listen to the sound of Evie and Zoey’s world falling apart—the news that their parents had been killed in a car accident.