Evelyn
A few days passed, and I was trying to get some normalcy back into my life. It was easier to breathe, easier to come to terms with the fact that all I could do was move forward. For some, it was hard to understand why my mom’s death affected me so much if I had no relationship with her, but that was precisely why. We would never grow close; I would never hear her reasons for not loving me enough.
With Nathan having long days at the gallery, I opted for going out and spending the day with Carter. It had been long after all, and I missed our outings.
“Look at you,” Carter said, extending his arms and pulling me into a warm embrace. “You are glowing.”
I laughed, placing my hand over his arm fondly. “You say that every time you see me.”
It had been so long since I’d seen Carter so happy. He took a seat across from me on the booth, grinning at me.
“How’s that little peanut behaving?” he asked as he took a sip of the coffee I’d ordered for him.
“Baby is doing well,” I said.
It was exciting to know that in just a matter of weeks Nathan and I would be having a child of our own. We even started talking about moving into a larger space, buy a house so our baby would have room to run around, have fun, and grow up with all his or hers brothers and sisters, because I wanted a huge family.
“Do you know anything about Derek Hensley?” I asked Carter, breaking the comfortable silence which surrounded us.
“I believe Hannah had a couple of meetings with him in the past, but I don’t know much about him. Why the question?”
I shrugged, trying to act nonchalantly. Carter saw right through me though, his eyebrows pulling together with doubt. “What is going on, Evelyn?”
I bit my lip, wishing I could tell him what was going on. I wasn’t the best at explaining myself, and that had caused problems with Nathan, because I did feel something for Derek, but it wasn’t romantic at all. It wasn’t something I could describe.
Sensing my distress, Carter sighed, leaning back. “I don’t know much about him, Evie. I do know that he’s been a bit of a trouble-maker, overheard a couple of conversations between Hannah and your mother regarding him.”
“What about?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I’m not sure. I just know your mother didn’t want Hannah making deals with him.”
I frowned. That was odd. My mom usually jumped at any potential client and the possibility of earning money. It didn’t add up.
Carter pursed his lips together, and immediately, I knew there was something else.
“What?” I asked, my heart racing. By the look on his face, it wasn’t good.
“Your mom…she didn’t like him, at all. She couldn’t tolerate him, couldn’t stand him.”
My heart clenched. “Why?”
“I never knew, Evie. Your mom was a very strange person, angry at the world. I don’t know why if she had everything.”
“He’s been talking to me,” I stated, swallowing thickly. Carter’s eyes widened in alarm. “He doesn’t come off as a bad guy to me, though, but—”
“But Nate’s warned you about him,” Carter interrupted, wearing a knowing look.
“Yeah.”
“But you don’t want to stop talking to Hensley, either?”
“I don’t,” I admitted, placing my face in my hands. “Nathan thinks I have feelings for him, though, and it’s not like that. I just feel the need to help him.”
Carter moved my hands away from my face, squeezing one gently. “Okay, well, here’s a question for you, darling. Has Hensley asked for your help?” I blinked a couple of times, looking at back Carter’s tender blue eyes. They softened when I shook my head no. “Then maybe he doesn’t want it, dear. I’m not saying to stop talking to him, but I am saying to stop worrying about someone who hasn’t asked for you to worry about them. You have a baby to grow, a man who worries about you day and night. Take care of that instead.”
Nodding, I sighed, gaze down. “It just feels wrong. Like no one has ever been there for him and I shouldn’t be the same.”
Carter smiled warmly. “You’ve always been very willing to help people, Evie, exactly like Anne. She would have loved the young woman you have become.” Carter paused briefly, taking another sip of his coffee. “But she would have also told you to be careful. Trust your instinct if you feel something is off.”
I squeezed Carter’s hand as a silent thank you. Nana wasn’t here, yet with him around I didn’t feel so lost. He could give me advice without being judgmental, would listen to me without interrupting. At least I still had him.
***
Things were calm for a few days. I thought the arguments regarding Derek were over, but whenever the name would come up, Nathan’s whole expression would change. He didn’t like him at all, and I wasn’t sure that would ever change.
One night I prepared dinner for both of us, wanting to have everything ready for him since he kept himself busy at the gallery. It was nothing extravagant; I wasn’t the best cook, but I wanted to impress him.
When he arrived, Nathan wrapped his arms around my body, placing a kiss on my cheek while I served the food. I smiled, unable to help myself with his tender caress. It always made everything better.
“How was your day?”
“Good. I missed you.”
I leaned back against his touch, the feel of him always comforting.
We sat and began eating, and he’d smile at me every now and then, happy despite the hectic day he had. He took my hand in his, running his thumb over my knuckles as he took a drink of water. My phone buzzed from the island, and Nathan smiled, excusing himself to get it.
His expression changed when he saw the screen, however. His forehead creased, and his lips formed a tight line.
“Who is it?”
He forced a smile, setting the phone on the dinner table. I swallowed when I read the message, simple and to the point.
“How does he have your phone number?” he asked, sitting back in his chair with arms crossed over his chest. He couldn’t fool me, though. He was angry.
“I-I don’t know. I haven’t given him my number.”
Derek’s message was simple. Just a hello and an “I hope you’re doing well,” but it was enough to set Nathan off.
“I’m not sure,” I replied.
He scoffed, rolling his eyes before standing back up, fury evident in his eyes. “So he just got it out of nowhere? Just tell me you gave it to him.”
“I didn’t!” I exclaimed, my eyes wide. “I didn’t give it to him, and if I had, I wouldn’t hide it from you.”
His jaw clenched and unclenched, until he turned on his heel without a single word.
“Nathan, what—”
“Just, not now, Evie. I need a fucking break. The guy is everywhere, and I’ve warned you about him, and you don’t seem to fucking understand.”
“Are you serious right now?” I asked, shaking my head. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”
I tried to control my frustration, but to me, he was being irrational. I’d given him no reasons to doubt me, and yet he was. “You’re friends with Jesse, and she has been very obvious with how she feels about you, and I’ve put up with it.”
He raised his eyebrows in surprise, clearly not expecting me to bring her up, but I didn’t regret it. It wasn’t fair that I respected his friendships, but he couldn’t respect mine.
“I’m going to bed, Evelyn. Good night.”
Trying to make him understand at that point in time would have been pointless, so instead I just waited in the kitchen, putting up everything I’d used to cook the now-wasted meal. When I went to our bedroom, Nathan was lying in bed, still awake, but didn’t speak to me. I went to the restroom and brushed my teeth, too focused on how to solve our situation to hear my phone ringing. However, when I did, and I didn’t recognize the number, I quickly rinsed my mouth and picked up.
“Hello?”
There was no answer…just silence. An uncomfortable silence. I spoke again, but then the line went dead, leaving me with more questions than the ones I had before.