‘I wondered whether he sees the situation any differently; whether he sees her as a person, not just someone on the streets. You know, I think that’s the hardest thing for these people to do. They get stuck in a rut, a hopeless rut they can’t climb out of, and when they do, if they don’t have support they’ll slip right back down again.’
‘I guess you’re right.’
‘Can I ask howyoufeel about Evie?’
‘Me? I don’t know her.’
Nicole took a sip of wine and he got the impression he’d kind of proved her point, but before they could discuss the matter any further, the doorbell chimed again.
‘Could you give the chilli a stir please, Jackson?’
‘Of course.’ He got down from his stool and went around to the other side of the counter, lifted off the lid of the pan and stirred the rich mixture, more than a little tempted to try some. ‘It’s looking good,’ he called out. ‘And I didn’t sneak any of it,’ he assured Nicole as she returned to the kitchen.
‘Jackson, you remember Evie, don’t you?’
He’d been blindsided.
‘Hello, Jack.’ By the tone of her voice and the look on her face, Evie had had no idea he would be here tonight either. Knowing that, made him less angry with Nicole at least.
‘Nice to see you, Evie.’ He would keep this civilised, not like the confrontation in the street the other day. He replaced the lid on top of the pan and stood out of the way as Nicole took garlic butter from the fridge and spread it along the cut pieces of baguette before adding a generous sprinkling of cheese across the tops.
Evie said nothing in return but he couldn’t blame her. Instead she smiled, presumably to keep the peace also, and carried on telling Nicole all about her day at work. Surreptitiously he watched this woman who’d come into Nicole’s life right before he exited it. Her honey-blonde hair hung in large, loose ringlets tonight, and blue eyes sat beneath textured lashes that fluttered as she spoke. It was the first time he’d noticed, but she had a faint beauty spot below her left eye, right above her cheekbone.
‘How are things at the shelter?’ he asked when Nicole shooed him out of the cooking area so she had the space to open the wall oven and put the prepared garlic baguettes inside. They moved over to the table area, Evie with a glass of red, Jack with the beer he’d almost finished.
‘They’re fine. Thanks again for your help the other day.’
‘No problem at all. I enjoyed it.’
Evie raised a quizzical eyebrow.
‘You don’t look convinced,’ he said.
‘Do you blame me?’
He knocked back the rest of his beer. ‘Don’t base your opinion of me on my asshole of a colleague.’ He lowered his voice at his colourful description of Braydon. Nicole had never been one for bad language. ‘He was wrong the other day, completely out of order, and he knows it.’
‘I bet he still has a job though, doesn’t he?’
‘Yes, he does.’ He wished he could say that he didn’t.
‘Just goes to show,’ said Evie.
‘Goes to show what?’
‘You lot are all the same.’
‘What?’
‘You prejudge people based on your own opinions, your own assumptions. We’re from two very different worlds, Jack. No, correction. We exist, now, in two very different worlds. One is genuine, the other …’
‘Wait a minute.’ He wasn’t going to let her have the upper hand all night.
But he didn’t get a chance to argue back because Nicole came over to the table and set down the hot tray filled with cheesy garlic bread fingers onto the flower-shaped silicon table mat. ‘Could you grab the pot of chilli for me please, Jackson, and put it on the other table mat? I managed the tray one-handed but the pot’s too heavy.’
‘I’ll get it.’ Evie jumped in before he even had a chance to move.
He wasn’t about to argue with her, and he didn’t miss Nicole stifling a laugh. Clearly she knew Evie well enough to know this girl didn’t give up anything without a fight.
