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“Wouldn't miss it. I have a surprise for us tomorrow,” she says, sending him a bright smile.
“Yes! I love surprises,” he says, fist bumping the air. He leans forward a little. “Is it a present? I love presents.”
“Evangeline doesn't need to bring you presents, bud,” I murmur.
Hunter glances at me, his little brows furrowed low over his eyes. “You don't give back presents, Dad. Nan says that's rude.”
I look over my shoulder at the woman who passed on another little nugget of wisdom, but she's not in the hallway anymore. If I had to guess, she's probably in the kitchen, warming up her fifth cup of coffee for the day.
Evangeline taps her chin with her index finger. “Well, I suppose you could call it a present. But it's more of an activity.”
Hunter lifts his shoulders and drops them down. He hops off the couch and stands next to me. “Sounds like a present to me. Can't wait, Eve!”
She laughs, and some of the tension in my shoulders dissipates. “Me too. I'll see you guys tomorrow then.”
I nod and gesture for Hunter to head toward the kitchen. “Go see if Nan needs any help in the kitchen.” He races out of the room at the same time Evangeline stands. “Everything go okay?”
“Yep,” she says, dusting off imaginary lint on her shorts. “He was a perfect angel.”
“Hm.” The side of my mouth hooks into a grin. My son is a lot of things, many of them amazing, but I'm not sure if I would call him an angel. His curiosity gets him into trouble sometimes.
“I'm planning cookies tomorrow, so I hope it's okay to use your kitchen,” she says, keeping her voice low as she heads toward the front door.
“Oh, he'll love that,” I murmur. “Help yourself to anything you need.”
She pauses in front of a big rectangular bag with thick straps. A popcorn maker, a bag of popcorn kernels, and some of those white and red striped rectangular popcorn boxes.
I jerk my chin toward the bag. “You guys make popcorn today?”
She bends down and picks it up, tossing the straps over her shoulder. “Oh yeah. Hunter did a great job with it. I tried to save you some, but he was like a popcorn-eating machine,” she says with a laugh.
“Maybe next time.”
She grins, and her face looks lighter somehow. We exchange a look, and the air around us feels almost electric. My heart kicks inside my chest as the silence stretches.
“Alright, I'm off. Have a good night,” she says, opening the front door.
“Night,” I murmur, palming the edge of the door and holding it open for her. The hot air rolls over me, a reminder that I'm in desperate need of a shower. But I wait, letting the hot air in the house, until she gets into her car.
She does this little wave, a flutter of her fingers really, before she slides behind the wheel. With a sigh, I close the door and head upstairs toward my bedroom. My mind races with thoughts of Evangeline.
She's been a constant for me lately, and I can't seem to shake her. Some days I'm not sure if I want to.
23
EVANGELINE
I arriveat Silas's house with a tote full of ingredients, my recipe book, and a few tools we'll need. Silas offered anything in his kitchen, which I definitely plan to use. But I wasn't sure if he had everything we needed.
Before I can even knock, the front door swings open and Hunter stands in the doorway.
“Eve!” he cries out, running and wrapping his arms around my legs. “You're here! Did you bring my present?”
I laugh, my free hand wrapping around him on instinct. “Hey, Hunter! Well, remember it's not a present exactly.”
“An activity,” he says, pulling away and nodding. “I remember. I ate breakfast and brushed my teeth, so I'm ready for the activity now.”
“Let's let her in the house, honey,” Dixie says from the doorway. She's dressed in a loose black tank racerback tank top and a black maxi skirt with her hair twisted into a clip at the back of her neck. She always looks so put together, and she’s mastered the art of casual chic.
