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“The oil terminal crew couldn’t wait to tell Brodie what he was in for, dating me.”
“The bastards!”
Evie waved her off. “It’s okay. At least he had the balls to tell me. Better to know now than down the road, right?”
“Well, he’s a dick.” Sunita sneered into a scowl. “The problem isn’t you, it’s him—it’s all of them.”
“What can I say? Guys want spontaneity and hassle-free fun, not a burden.”
“Stop it!” Sunita leaned in, gripping her friend’s hand. “Listen to me, you are not a burden!”
If only Evie believed that. Her history of going out with guys who couldn’t handle her Crohn’s disease dated back to her first and only love, a boy from London who spent his summers on her island. Time and time again when she’d open up to someone new about her condition, the glimmer of attraction in their eyes would dim. “No one wants to date the sick girl.”
“You’re not sick all the time,” Sunita reasoned. “Just occasionally.”
“Doesn’t matter. Occasionally is still a massive deal-breaker.”
“Well, they’re missing out, ’cause what’s more spontaneous than a Crohn’s flare?” Sunita rubbed Evie’s shoulder.
She laughed. “I’m so glad you’re back, even if it’s just a flying visit.” Evie side-hugged her friend and let go. “Perfect timing, too.” Exhaling heavily, her grin muted. “I’ve made a decision.”
“Holy shit! You’re actually doing it?! You’re growing out your fringe!”
Evie’s jaw dropped in mock horror. “No!” She smoothed down her bangs, but the unrelenting wind just tousled them again. She budged closer to Sunita, hoping the granny with the troubled fifty-something son wasn’t listening in. “I’m gonna say yes to Caleb.”
Her no-nonsense mention of an old school acquaintance made Sunita’s eyes bulge. “Wait, what did I miss? Is this one of those ‘if we’re not married in our thirties, we’ll marry each other’ situs? You know, I’ve always thought he had a thing for you.”
“Hardly! It’s just dinner tomorrow. A pub date, no wedding dress required.”
“So we’re recycling old boyfriends now?”
“He’s not an old boyfriend, you know that,” said Evie.
“You snogged him, though.”
“Once. Like in 2009.”
“The Auction Mart Valentine’s dance,” Sunita recollected.
“By mistake!”
Sunita scrunched her face.
“C’mon, Sun, you know what it’s like here. The dating pool is shallow.”
“Don’t you mean it’s bone dry?”
“I was being kind,” said Evie. “Everyone our age is either related or has a nightmare ex or—”
“Some weird flex,” Sunita interrupted, her expression souring. “Like that fellow in Orphir who’s obsessed with cacti.”
“Oh, that guy! Yeah…he was such a prick!”
A laughing snort escaped Sunita’s nose. “Holy shit,” she muttered flatly. “You and Caleb. Again. Sorta.”
Watching another pocket of flag-waving children, Evie’s smile faltered. “I thought you’d be happy for me.”
“I am, but are you sure? It didn’t go so well the first time. You kissed him once and then…nothing.”
