AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I yawn as I toss back the covers and stretch. My joints creak and crack slightly as I stand and rub the sleep from my eyes.
Weekends are my favorite part of the week. Even though I have schoolwork to do later, there’s nothing better than waking up on a Saturday morning and knowing that there isn’t a hurry to get anything done.
It’s an even better feeling to know that all the money I need to pay for my next round of tuition is sitting safely in my account. Part of my severance package with Evan was a clause I had forgotten about in the contracts I signed.
Wages and living expenses for the next year had been deposited into my account. When I tried to insist yesterday that Evan take it back, he showed me the page I signed, stating that the money was mine.
I groan as I pull open the curtains and sunlight shines bright into my eyes. It’s going to be a beautiful day out. Dew is glistening on the leaves, and everything looks bright and happy.
After spending a few minutes getting cleaned up and dressed, I head downstairs. Evan is humming to himself as he works in the kitchen, putting little containers of something into an insulated bag.
“What’s all this?” I ask as Blake shoves a plate of pancakes across the kitchen island to me.
“Breakfast, and then I was thinking that we could head up into the mountains for a hike,” Evan says as I dig into breakfast, dumping syrup over the pancakes. “It’s going to be a nice day out and I have a surprise for you to go with our picnic.”
I raise an eyebrow as I look at him. He seems to be in a better mood than he’s been in the last few days. Although, since I moved back in, he’s been spending more time at home.
He took a couple days off so we could really talk. In that time, he told me things about my father that I never would have known otherwise. Mom always said that it was too painful to talk about him.
In a way, it’s nice to have a connection to my father, but it’s still weird.
I try not to think about Evan’s friendship with my dad too much.
“A hike and a picnic? I must be a lucky woman.”
“This arrived for you,” Blake says, reaching beneath the counter to grab a sleek black box and shoving it toward me. “Aurora delivered it herself before you woke up this morning. She also told me to tell you to call her later as she might murder someone named Jordan.”
My eyebrows shoot up my forehead as I look over at Evan. “Before we go anywhere, I’m going to have to talk to Aurora about what he’s done now.”
Evan waves a hand and puts another container—this one filled with strawberries—into his bag. “Take as long as you need. What’s in the box though?”
“Lingerie subscription,” I say before taking my plate of pancakes and my box to go.
I pause at the stairs to look over my shoulder at Evan. I can see the fire blazing in his eyes and it makes me wonder what he would do if I wore lingerie for him again.
The last time is burned into my brain, and I find myself wanting a repeat.
Not yet. I need to be patient.
That, and I need to find out why Aurora might kill Jordan this time.
An hour later, after getting all of the gossip, I change into a pair of leggings and a shirt that will be good for hiking before heading back downstairs. Evan is sitting on the couch, ready to go and scrolling through his phone.
“You look nice,” he says with a smile as he tucks the phone away. “I’ve packed a bunch of water but the hike is going to be a couple hours long. There’s this really beautiful spot I want to show you once we get to the trailhead. It takes nearly two hours to get there.”
I grin and nod, following him to the front door after sticking my dirty plate in the dishwasher. “If you’re going to have me walking two hours up there, you better have prepared one hell of a picnic.”
He smirks, grabbing a backpack and hefting it over his shoulder. “I have all of your favorites.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
Evan leads the way to the car, humming to himself. There’s something light and relaxed about him, as if the burden that’s been weighing on him is no longer there.
Although, I know it isn’t, since I learned the biggest secret he was hiding.
I take a deep breath as I get in the car, trying to push those thoughts away. Today is going to be a good day. Evan went to the trouble of planning it for us and I want to make the most of the experience.
As he drives to the trailhead, I can’t remember the last time that someone put in this much effort for me.
