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He looked at Eva. “Is this how you feel?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “Whether you admit it to yourself or not, you’re involved, Keith.”
He staggered back as if she’d struck him. Then his focus snapped back to me as his face and neck flushed. “This is all because of you,” he hissed.
“No, it’s not.” Eva stepped in, firm. She looked sad, exhausted, and small. The blue dress was dull in the dim lighting, and her skin prickled with gooseflesh. “Good night, Keith.”
I took off my coat and draped it over her shoulders, setting us back on the path to the parking lot once more. Keith didn’t follow.
When we reached the truck, she paused outside the door and closed her eyes.
“Want to go for a walk? Or a drive?” I offered quietly, seeing that common hesitation I’d come to recognize when she searched for something to do aside from sleep.
Her gaze lifted gratefully to mine. She pulled my coat tighter around her and nodded.
We drove the streets for a long time in silence as she looked at all the passing buildings and lights. I was careful not to lose direction, but she consumed my thoughts.
We crested a tall hill, and I pulled off at an overlook that had several picnic benches and a view of the city lights below.
“This is beautiful,” she said, stepping out of the truck.
We sat on the top of a picnic table, as if for an even higher vantage point. Her body was close to mine, enveloped in my coat.
“Gramps had a knack for finding viewpoints. Whenever we drove to a show, we’d stop and eat our lunches in places just like this.”
I chuckled but had to put most of my focus on not reaching around her and holding her.
“What’s your family like?” she asked.
Not exactly a warm tale for a beautiful night like this. “William runs the day-to-day operations of the banks, but Father still sits on the board. Mother runs a few charities to keep herself busy.”
“Is William married?”
“Yes.”
“Any nieces or nephews?”
“I’m not even sure. Their wedding was a huge splash, but all I know is that they don’t typically live in the same estate. If their marriage is anything like my parents’, it’s probably a dreary affair.”
Mother and Father were hardly ever in the same room. I’d only ever felt that their marriage was a contractual obligation. It was cold, distant, and vitriolic.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Me too.” I leaned my elbows on my knees. “It’s not what I want for my life.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Do you want kids someday?”
“With the right woman, yes.” My pulse picked up at that thought. Eva Bryant undoubtedly was the right sort of woman. If only our lives would fit together. “What about you?”
“No.” She shook her head, her gaze avoiding mine. “That’s not in the cards for me.”
“You’re so good with Annie,” I said. “You’d be a great mother.”
She bit her lip, and for the slightest second I thought I caught the gleam of a tear at the corner of her eye, but she blinked it away.
“It’s a long story.” Her voice went more firm, unquestioning. “I have no intention of ever getting married.”
A dart of pain cut into my chest, the words surprising. This woman wasn’t like anyone else I’d ever known. The tragic story I didn’t yet know, the nightmares, the distaste for sunsets, hating flowers and jewelry.
