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“I’ve got some extra bins I can give back though. I ran out of places to string them.”
“Deal,” he says, happily toting the next backdrop to his truck.
“Kind of a shame,” Walt says.
Paige smiles. “Don’t worry. I have some ideas I want to try after work today.”
“Glad to hear it.” Walt and Connie move on with a wave and a smile, their dog panting behind them.
Paige glances at her phone. “Speaking of work, I need to be at the diner in ten minutes. Be good for the Dubs, Evie.”
“I will, Mama.”
“Bye, Bill. Bye, Henry.”
Paige takes off, and she’s almost around the corner before I realize she doesn’t normally work on Sunday. “Wait, why is she going to the diner?”
“Some people have the flu and she’s helping, but only for a day or two or three or maybe four,” Evie says.
“Oh.”
“But then she’s going to be an influencer,” Evie adds.
This doesn’t clear things up.
“Can I come see Cat?” Evie asks.
“I don’t know if he wants to be seen.”
“I’ll try until Poppa Dub is ready to go.”
“Hey, Bill, I’m sorry. I should have already offered to help you with those. What can I do?”
He lets go of the next cutout long enough to wave me off. “It’s not hard. It’s fine if Evie goes to see the cat if you’re okay with it.”
“Sure. Let’s see if he’s in the utility room.” We walk up my driveway, but Evie stops when we reach my car.
“That was a little bit of a trick, Mr. Henry. I know Cat probably won’t come out.”
“I see. Why the trick?”
“I really do know lots of things,” she says. “If I pretend I’m busy doing stuff, adults talk in front of me, and that’s how I learn stuff.”
“Good strategy.” I make a mental note: always assume Evie is listening.
“Like when Mama and I went to the diner for breakfast last week. And we saw Miss Lily. And they talked about you.”
I’m so torn here. I want to know everything that was said, but it’s absolutely unethical to pump this child for information. “I’m glad your mom has someone to talk to.”
“Don’t you want to know what they said about you?”
I shake my head. “If your mom wanted me to know, she’d tell me herself.”
Evie gives what sounds like a happy sigh. “And that’s why I’m going to tell you. She likes you big-time. Probably loves you, even.”
My stomach and heart attempt to switch places in a giant somersault.
“Evie,” I say gently, “I don’t think your mom would like you telling me all of this.”
