AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Evan needs to say sorry. I have to say sorry when I fight.”
Cindy chuckled behind me, and I threw her a glare that had her disappearing to the back, no doubt to spy on me. I’d bet Rusty would join her.
“My eyes flickered over to Evan. He watched me intensely. It was a sly move to bring Eli here to play middleman.
Eli slipped his hand into mine—and I couldn’t help but wonder if Evan had rehearsed this whole thing with him—and tugged. “I missed you; you haven’t been around in too longs.”
“I’ve been busy with school and working, buddy.”
“Well, I’m here now. Can you come and play ball with us?”
“I… uh, I’m working. I’m sorry.”
His infectious smile melted away, and I felt a rush of guilt. “Can we hang out here then?” He glanced around the empty diner.
“We should probably let Becca get back to work, buddy.” Evan was there, standing right in front of us.
“But we just got here; I don’t wanna leave yet. You said you were going to say so—”
“Eli,” I said, crouching back down to him. “I’ll see you soon, okay? But right now, I really need to go back to work, sweetheart.”
His eyes lit up. “And we can play ball?”
“Sure.” The lie was rancid on my tongue.
“Did you hear that, Ev? Becca will come play ball again soon.”
I was going to hell.
Evan nodded curtly, his intense gaze still pinned on me. “Say bye to Becca, buddy, and go wait for me over there.”
“Bye, Becca.” His arms went wide, wrapping around my waist as he squished his little face against me.
“Bye, Eli,” I croaked, my throat dry.
When the little boy was out of earshot, Evan leaned in close, his eyes burning with irritation. “You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”
My eyes narrowed with their own anger. “And you should haven’t brought him here,” I hissed, keeping my voice low. “This is my job, Evan. You have no right.”
“He wanted to see you.”
I didn’t want to feel sorry for him, but it was impossible. Evan carried the weight of his mom’s addiction and the responsibility of his little brother. But it wasn’t my problem anymore.
Letting out a frustrated breath, I repeated, “You shouldn’t have brought him here.”
Evan didn’t reply. He just watched me. And I couldn’t breathe. He seemed so torn, battling some invisible demons.You shouldn’t care, I scolded myself.
When he didn’t say anything, I said, “Goodbye, Evan.”
I walked away from him, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last time.
* * *
Cindy insisted on displaying the roses in a vase on the counter next to the cash register. ‘Too pretty to waste,’ she’d said. And they were pretty—the specially dyed kind that made the color so vibrant it looked like it came from some faraway, exotic planet.
“It was a cute move.”
I jumped, startled at Cindy’s stealth. She moved around the diner like a cat.
