Page 16 of The Challenge

Effie’s lips parted. “I was named after my great-grandma!” she said.

“Really?”

“On her mother’s side,” Evan clarified.

“Her name was Euphemia,” Effie explained. “It’s Greek. But I like Effie for short better.”

“Effie is a very cool name.” I smiled.

“Where’s your sister now?” she asked.

“She moved away a few years back.”

“Why?”

“She took a job in New York City.”

Her eyes grew wide. “I always wanted to go to New York City.”

“Someday you should.”

“Do you miss your sister?”

“Sometimes, yeah,” I admitted. As much as my relationship with Fawn was complicated, I did wish she were here with me. We’d always been competitive, but she was my only sister, and I loved her.

Effie leaned her elbows against the table. “Is she older or younger?”

“She’s three years older than me.”

She sighed. “I wish I had a sister.”

I just smiled. It was probably a female presence she craved more than anything. Perhaps Effie wanted a sister so badly because her mother didn’t seem to be around. I still hadn’t dared ask where that woman was, though I was so damn curious.

Chapter 6

EVAN

After I sent my little motor-mouth daughter to her room to finish her homework, I regretted it. Effie had been the only buffer tonight. Now the quiet tension between Chloe and me was more obvious.

Chloe stood and took her plate to the sink.

I tried to stop her there. “Leave it,” I barked. “I’ll handle it.”

“It’s the least I can do,” she said, ignoring me and pumping dishwashing soap onto a sponge. “Thank you for dinner.”

She wouldn’t even look at me—well, not if she thought I was watching. I did catch her looking at me when she assumed my attention was elsewhere. Then she’d quickly move her gaze away. But at the moment, she seemed to be making a concerted effort to avoid eye contact altogether. I couldn’t fucking take it anymore.

“Look at me, Chloe.”

She stilled before shutting the water off and placing the plate on the drying rack. When her eyes met mine, I could see the pain in them. I suspected she’d had a hard day. It wasn’t my intention to make it more difficult.

Chloe shook her head. “What are the chances of me ending up at your house, of all places?”

“Not that much of a stretch in this town.” I laughed under my breath. “Tell me about today.”

She wiped her hands on a towel. “What do you want to know?”

I moved in closer. “You said you visited your mom. How is Judy?”