With a laugh, Ryan shook his head, “Just be careful. We already know the guy has a temper.”
“But no balls,” Everley reminded him. “He may continue his stupid vandalism and taunting, but he's not going to do anything risky enough to land him in jail. Unless you catch him screwing with Heath's car.”
“It just so happens,” Ryan grinned, “I have a guy doing the rounds around the high school. If he tries something, we'll catch him.”
Chapter 10
Everley took a deep breath, hoping she wasn't doing something too ridiculous. After a few moments of a silent pep talk, she grabbed the bag she'd gotten from Brandi's and opened her car door. It was close to four, she could see the kids down on the diamond, and Heath looking like he wanted to rip his hair out. With a quiet laugh, she remembered watching his coach do the same exact thing a million times as he ran the boys ragged through practice.
“Hayes!” she heard him shout as she got closer. “Watch the ball and not the ladies!” A few giggles from the bleachers rang out and she was pretty sure the little flirts were about ten seconds away from getting kicked out. She quickly made her way to the bleachers and sat down, as far away from the hormone addled teens as possible.
“Hey!” one of the boys shouted, “Who is she?”
Everley giggled as Heath shouted. “That's it!” He spun around and looked right at the girls who were waving at the boys, “Out.”
“Me too?” Everley asked innocently.
His eyes went to the end of the bleachers, where she'd found her seat. “Ah,” he smiled.
“Who's that, coach?” a kid asked. “How come she gets to stay?”
“She's not distracting the players,” he informed them.
“She's distracting the coach!” another boy chimed in.
Everley grinned as she contemplated how Heath might answer that accusation. “That does make you kind of a hypocrite,” she said.
Heath glanced at his watch, and groaned. “Does that mean our girls can stay too?” the pitcher begged.
“Fine,” he grumbled, “but no more distractions!”
“You sound like Coach Boyd,” Everley teased. He rolled his eyes, but the grin he flashed her let her know he wasn't annoyed at the comment.
The whole moment took her back. The girls in the bleachers, distracting the players, the coach growling out instructions and trying to get his boys to concentrate… not much had changed in the years since she'd left high school. Once practice was over and done with, Heath sent the boys away, laughing when the girls ran after them, and then walked up to the fence separating the diamond from the bleachers. “Evie,” he smirked, “you make baseball difficult. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I brought sandwiches,” she smiled as she held up the bag of food, “thought since you got breakfast, the least I could do was bring you dinner… or a very late lunch, however you want to look at it.”
Heath slipped through the gate and headed towards the bleachers, taking a seat next to Everley. “You didn't have to do that,” he said, “but I appreciate it.”
“Hungry?” She handed him the bag.
“Famished,” he nodded, “skipped lunch by accident.”
“Dammit,” she frowned. “I left the drinks in the car. Hold on a minute.” She hopped up and ran back to her car, returning with two large sodas.
Once they were situated, Everley spoke again, “I was hoping you didn't think I was avoiding you this weekend.”
“That was my fault,” he admitted, “apologies. I was stuck at home finishing up some homework and grading papers.”
“Homework?” she asked.
“Working on my Master's,” he shrugged, as though it wasn’t a big deal. “Figured I had the time, so why not? So, what did I miss this weekend?”
“Nothing really,” she shrugged. “I did manage to get interrogated by Harper and Brandi though.”
“Brandi questioned me as well,” he laughed. “I take it Benny hasn't bothered you? You seem to be in quite the good mood today.”
“I am in a good mood,” she confirmed, “but that doesn't mean I was able to avoid the jackass.” She told Heath about her encounter at the diner, and how Benny had been strangely polite to her and Brandi. The new disposition bothered her just as much as his z`reaction to her indifference delighted her. “It might be nothing, but I'm hoping he took the hint earlier when I told him I didn't care.”
“He didn't seem to take the hint when he was taunting you,” Heath said, “be careful. We already know he's not well, and now that he’s been dumped, he likely feels as if he's got nothing to lose.”
***
The rest of the week went pretty much the same way, he'd buy her breakfast, and she'd show up with dinner. Considering the fact that only a few short weeks ago, the sight of him had her in tears, they both decided this was a good thing. His words still hung in the air though, the fact that he still loved her. The more time she spent with him, the more she realized that he was in love with much more than a memory, and maybe she was too.
That scared her just a little bit.
By Friday, their routine had been fairly set, so when she showed up at the diner and saw him sitting there, it threw her off for a moment.
“Good morning,” she said, taking a seat next to him, “I'm kind of surprised to see you here.”
“I’ve only got a few moments,” he said, “but I figured since you spend dinner with me, the least I could do was actually enjoy your company for breakfast.”
“Sounds like a plan,” she said, trying to curb the butterflies in her stomach. Wait. When the hell did that start happening again?
“So,” he sat a little closer, trying to ignore Brandi's smirk as she served their food, “if you want to meet me up at the office for lunch, we can stop by the bakery.”
“Okay.”
“I’m cutting off practice a little early today because I don't want the boys tired tomorrow. It's a fairly early game.” He thought for a moment, then laughed, “for a Saturday… if you're a teenage boy.”
“Let me guess,” she giggled, “noon?”
“Ten,” he chuckled, “you wanna come?”
“Yeah,” she nodded.
“All right then.”
Everley could see in the glint of his eyes that he seemed to enjoy the idea of having her at the game.
“I can come pick you up before hand, or we can meet there if you’d like.”
Part of her wanted nothing more than for them to arrive together, but things were still on shaky ground. They were good, but a bit of uncertainty still hung between them. “Why don’t we just figure that out later?” she suggested.
“Sounds fair,” he agreed.
Breakfast was over all too soon, and Brandi was quick to swoop in as soon as Heath left the diner. She grinned as she set Ryan’s breakfast bag on the counter. “Spill the beans, sister,” she demanded. “What is going on with you two?”
“Nothing,” Everley said. She could feel the heat flushing her cheeks, and if her friend’s knowing grin said anything, it was that she knew something was definitely going on.
“Nothing,” Brandi nodded, the disbelief evident in her tone. “Sure. Because nothing means spending an entire week treating people to breakfasts and dinners.”
“Come on,” Everley sighed, “it's called being friendly.” She finished her hot chocolate and grabbed Ryan's food.
“Some call it flirting!” Brandi called after her as she left the diner.
Everley didn’t bother with a response. Partly because she didn’t want to get into it, and partly because she knew Brandi was right.
***
After lunch, they’d agreed that Heath would just swing by the station and pick her up. As she waited for him to arrive, she began fidgeting with whatever was within grasp.
“Relax,” Ryan scolded, “you're making me a nervous wreck.”
“Whatever,” she rolled her eyes, trying to pretend she wasn't having a complete freak out moment. She
wasn't sure what her problem was really. It was Heath, and they were getting along, and they were just having a memorial for their daughter. At his house. Alone. With a frown, she twisted the phone cord in her fingers, knotting it up to the point where she knew Ryan would gripe about untangling it.
“Evie?” Everley practically jumped out of her seat when he spoke. When the hell did he arrive? “Are you all right?”
“Yeah,” she gave him a small smile, “just spaced out.”
“I didn't mean to startle you,” he apologized. “Are you ready?”
She nodded, grabbed her bag and then said goodbye to Ryan, who she noticed was eyeballing the phone cord.
The drive to his house was silent, neither sure what to say. “I can order us a pizza if you're hungry,” he suggested when they arrived. “Or I'm sure I've got something to eat in this house. I guess I didn't really think that part through...” he babbled, as if trying to cancel out the awkwardness with small talk.
“I guess that's my fault,” she joked, “I'm usually the one bringing dinner. It's still a little early though.”
Heath led her to the kitchen and put the box from the bakery on the island counter, “It is fairly early for dinner,” he agreed, “maybe we can just load up on chocolate and then watch a movie?”
“Well, that sounds like a plan,” she grinned.
“All right then,” he said, “grab the cupcakes and I'll get the candles. I have milk too, we all know chocolate is never any good without milk.”
“Okay.” She tried not to laugh when she realized he was babbling because he was just as nervous as she was. She set the cupcakes back on the counter as he rummaged around in a drawer, muttering something about “the damn candles” and “they were just there last week”.
“You all right there?” she asked.
“Maybe you could grab the glasses while I figure out where my scattered brain threw the candles?” he asked, gesturing towards the cupboard where he kept the dishes.
“Sure,” she said, grabbing the glasses as he found what he was looking for.
“Found them!” He tossed the candles and a lighter on the counter, then grabbed the milk from the fridge. “Besides the fact that we both do this cupcake thing, is there anything else you like to do? I mean, I usually pay a visit to the cemetery, but I did that early this morning.”
“I tried,” she said, “this afternoon... but I couldn't.” She still couldn't figure out how it was so easy for him, and why she couldn't bring herself to visit her own daughter. “A good mom would be able to do that...” She tried not to cry, but the more she thought about it, the more difficult it became.
“That’s not true,” Heath went to her and pulled her into a hug, “we all grieve in our own way. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
“The biggest thing is that we remember her,” he said, “and I think we've both done a good job when it comes to that.”
Everley nodded as he let her go. “Thank you.”
He smiled at her and brushed a couple stray tears from her cheeks. Nearly a decade, and it was still an open wound for both of them, but being here, somehow made it less painful than celebrating alone.
“Shall we get these candles going?” He pulled two candles out, stuck one in each cupcake and lit them. Everley nodded and grabbed her cupcake. “To Amelia,” he said, holding his cupcake up.
“To Amelia,” Everley held her cake up too, “don't forget to make a wish.”
“Who am I to mess with tradition?” he teased.
They blew out the candles and took them out of the cakes so they could eat. “What kind did you get?” she asked after she'd tasted hers. The baker here was much better than the one at the little shop in New York that she'd found.
“Chocolate,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “milk?”
“Yeah,” she laughed as he poured some into the glasses.
“What about you?” he asked. “It looks like you've got chocolate too.”
“With cream cheese frosting in the middle,” she said.
He gave an exaggerated frown to his own cake. “Trade me!” he insisted.
“Absolutely not! It’s not my fault you picked a boring cupcake!” she protested.
“Can I at least try it?” He held out his cupcake, “You can try mine.”
“Fine,” she relented and traded with him.
After he'd taken one bite, he grinned, “You know you aren't getting this back, right?”
“Hey!” She grabbed for it, but he pulled it just out of her reach. “That’s just plain wrong,” she scolded.
He continued laughing, completely unfazed. “How about I get a movie started?” he asked, making no move to return her food.
“After I get my cupcake back,” she answered.
“You drive a hard bargain, but I surrender.” He held her cupcake out for her and she traded with him again, watching to make sure he didn't try and double cross her.
She smiled as she took back her cupcake, trying not to think about his fingers brushing gently against hers. “Thank you…” she managed with what she hoped was a playful grin. “I didn’t want to settle for plain old chocolate.”
“Thank you,” he said, “for doing this with me.”
“Thank you for inviting me.” She set her cupcake down and stepped closer to him, putting her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest. “It's still hard,” she said softly, “but I realize now that… I don’t know how…” she sighed, “But it's easier with you.” Why hadn't she realized that years ago? This was the first time she hadn't broken down into a mess of ugly tears and heavy sobs on Amelia’s birthday. She felt him wrap his arms around her and kiss the top of her head. As scared as she was to really open up, this felt right. Like she was meant to be here all along.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah.” She looked up at him, tears in her eyes, but still smiling. When he leaned down and kissed her, she didn't protest. It was short and sweet, like he didn't want to push her too far. When he pulled away to go start the movie, she immediately missed being in his arms, but grabbed their cupcakes, both forgotten on the counter, and followed him into his living room.
“What do you want to watch?” he asked, turning on the television
The subject had changed so quickly that she almost couldn’t believe what had actually happened. “Let’s watch that pirate movie you’ve seen a million times,” she said, deciding that if he didn’t want to talk about the kiss, she wouldn’t press it. “I always imagined her liking your kind of movies.”
“They may have been my movies, but you were always the one hell-bent on getting me into trouble. I think we both know who the real pirate is around here.”
“Are you still mad that you got caught cutting class?” she teased as she sat down next to him and put the cupcakes on the coffee table. “Because we wouldn't have gotten caught if you hadn't been so paranoid.”
“Details, details,” he chuckled.
***
As the movie started, a silence fell over them again. After the opening credits, Heath began to wonder if Everley was considering their little celebration to be another bad decision. When she leaned into him though, he let out a little sigh of relief and put his arm around her.
They watched the movie mostly in silence, not an awkward one this time, but more relaxing. When the movie was halfway over, it was still early, but Heath could feel himself starting to doze off. There was a familiar comfort having her so close and in his arms, and he was reluctant to let go.
Maybe we’ll both just fall asleep… he mused. They’d both be sore from sleeping on a couch but waking up with her next to him in the morning would be worth it.
“Heath?” she whispered.
He startled a bit, but didn’t open his eyes. If Everley noticed, she didn't mention it.
“Heath?” she asked again. “Are you awake?”
“Hmmm?” He still didn't
open his eyes, hoping beyond hope that she wasn’t trying to tell him that she needed to leave.
“I think I’m still in love with you too.”
Chapter 11
Heath waited a few moments before opening his eyes, wondering if he'd heard right, or if he'd only been dreaming. Evie still loved him? She had said she cared about him, but this… this was so much more than that. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked at her. She was looking up at him, as if she was terrified of what he might say. “Everley?”
“Did I wake you?” she asked nervously.
“I don't think so,” he said cautiously. Everley was never one to be overly vocal about her feelings, so if she did say something while he was half asleep, getting her to repeat it while he was fully awake would be impossible.
“Oh,” she turned her attention back to the television and watched as the credits scrolled by.
Silence washed over them again, and Heath wasn't sure if he was confused or frustrated. Maybe it was a little of both. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said, her voice quiet, and a bit shaky.
She definitely wasn't going to repeat herself.
At this point, he knew trying to coax the words out of her again would only scare her, and she'd retreat behind her walls. Changing the subject completely could go either way, and he wasn't sure it was a good option. She'd either go with it, and pretend nothing had happened, or she'd get upset that he didn't acknowledge her statement.
Just when he thought they were at a stalemate, she looked up at him again. Neither said a word for a moment, and it was beginning to make him just a little bit nervous. “Why did you kiss me again?” she finally asked. “Especially after I overreacted the last time...” She blushed and looked down, fingers fiddling with one of the buttons on his shirt. He wanted to laugh, because she really hadn't changed all that much when it came to her nervous habits, but decided against it.
“I wanted to,” he said, “and it kind of seemed like that's what you wanted, and I figured if it wasn't, you'd yell at me.”
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