Chapter 19
CHASE
They’re head over heels.
Every single member of my family adores Evelyn Bloom.
It’s been two days since we’ve arrived and I’m not gonna lie and say it’s been easy for me to ignore the feelings I seem to be developing toward her. Less easy when we’re forced to hold hands, or when we sit close to one another, my arm around her, the scent of her jasmine-scented hair making me conjure up thoughts of me doing more than kissing.
Speaking of that kiss, we haven’t bothered to bring it up. I suppose it’s easier to sweep it under the pretend-it-didn’t-happen rug.
The nights have been the toughest. Knowing Evelyn is just a few feet away from me, sleeping alone in a bed large enough to roll around in together—well, the struggle has been a nightmare. Nonetheless, I’ll carry on in this battle to keep my pants on and do whatever it takes to keep this thing platonic. We have, however, had a chance to learn more about one another. I shared my last relationship fail with Valerie Marks and Evelyn blurted out that she’s never fallen in love. She seems to have been playing the love game safe. Sometimes safe is better.
Right now, Evelyn’s hanging out with Maddie, the two preparing Chicken and Waffles for dinner. I let it slip that Evelyn once had a video blog, and since Maddie is a crazy foodie, she found the old blog on YouTube. When she asked about the funny American accent, Evelyn answered on the fly, explaining she always wanted to talk with an American accent when she was younger and pretended to have one then for the video blog. The two, now besties, came up with this plan to have me record a video of them as they recreate the Micky D’s dish Evelyn and I had the day we met.
So, I’m headed down to the kitchen now, ready to rock and roll.
The center island in the kitchen looks like a pre-staged Food TV studio set. Evelyn and Maddie are dressed in white T-shirts, the wordsCook Like a Foodiebedazzled across the front—thanks to Mom, who spent last night making them.
Dad, Mom, Granny, and her companion, named Bob, and of course, BB, are all seated off to the side, ready to watch as if they were part of the studio audience.
I grab a stool, get my cell phone ready to record, and ask, “Are you two ready?”
Evelyn nods.
Maddie gives a thumbs-up and says, “We rehearsed our lines last night.”
“Lines?” I ask.
Evelyn winks. “Well, yes. The screenwriter in me needed to make sure we had a well-rehearsed script to go by.”
She’s so damn good. Never misses a beat.
“Okay, let’s get this party started. How long will it be?”
Maddie smooths down her shirt, making sure there are no wrinkles. “Last night, it took us only about 25 minutes.”
I shift, getting comfy on the bar stool, then lift my phone, point, and say, “Ready? Action!”
“Hi, guys. Welcome to Cook Like a Foodie. I’m your new host, Maddie Hunter and today, Evelyn Bloom, Cook Like a Foodie’s original host, is officially turning over the show’s reigns to me…”
* * *
“They love you,Evelyn. You do realize that, don’t you? Mom, Dad, Mads, Granny. Shit, even Bob loves you.”
“I love them too, Chase,” she says, and I can hear her tossing and turning in the bed.
It’s close to midnight now, the wind howling as a snowstorm barrels through.
“Maddie sure had fun. You both did great. It was sweet of you to give her the show. I can see her becoming this famous YouTuber now, earning more money than I ever could have at her age.”
“She’s perfect for it. And last I checked, the video you posted, already has four-thousand views.”
I turn on my side, trying to find a comfortable position on the couch. “They are all going to be so disappointed when I tell them we’ve split up, a few months from now. Maddie may be hit the hardest.” A pain moves to my chest, knowing there will be real feelings hurt over this.
What was I thinking? That I would come home, fake everyone out, and there would be no consequences?
It’s Evelyn’s fault for being so damn perfect for my family.
