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“Was that Sasha?” Paige calls from the hallway.
“Yeah. She just dropped off some food.”
Theo follows her out to the living room, where she curls up on the couch with him under a blanket and strokes his head. I make up bowls of chicken and noodles from Sasha’s trays, and we sit and eat quietly together. Evelyn looks up at us over her spoon. I can tell she’s sad, but I’m glad she’s with us.
“Want me to put on some music for you? Fleetwood Mac?” I ask.
“No. No Fleetwood right now,” she says sadly.
We finish eating quietly and sit together, holding hands, her head on my shoulder. She’s not crying. She’s just still and quiet.
31. preston
Don’t Stop
I don’t wantto leave Paige, but it’s time to bring Evelyn back to the facility. I get her settled in her room. Her face is etched with sadness.
“I miss him,” she says softly.
I wrap her in a big hug while she cries.
“Do you want to come stay with us for a little while?” I ask, looking over at Harry’s empty bed. There are a few boxes next to it. I imagine they’ll be packing up the rest of his things, and I don’t want her to have to see them do that.
“Yeah, I think that may be best,” she says. We head down to the front so I can let them know I’m signing her out again. I hear Sheila say in a snarky tone, “We’ll have his bed filled by tonight. She never paid on time anyway.” But her tone changes when she sees Evelyn and me.
I stop and wait, my face stoic and not giving away any of the anger I’m feeling.
“We have protocol, Mr. Steele,” Sheila explains, leaning forward aggressively as if trying to intimidate me.
“You know what you can do, Sheila? You can shove your protocol up your butt. If it will fit.” Evelyn leans forward. “You seem to have something already stuck up there.”
“Evelyn!” I say, laughing as we head back out.
“Somebody needs to put that woman in her place. She’s a menace. Nobody likes her here, and the way she’s bullied Paige these past few months has been complete tomfoolery.”
“What do you mean?” I ask as I help her into the Jeep.
“She threatened to kick Harry out all the time and harassed her constantly. It’s not right.”
I didn’t know this. I don’t like this, and I will be dealing with Sheila more later. Right now, I need to focus on Evelyn and Paige.
Evelyn looks at peace as we drive to my house. She looks over at me and says, “You know what, kid?”
“What?” I ask.
“I don’t tell you enough, but you’re the best thing that ever happened to me. You are so special.”
“Evelyn...”
She holds up her hand and continues. “You always try to fix things for everyone around you. You don’t have to do that. Maybe it’s time to let someone help you.”
Emotion and vulnerability fill me. I don’t even know what to say.
“I hit the lottery knowing you. You need to know that. That’s why I want to do something special for you and Paige.”
“What do you mean?”
“I want to give you two my house for her bookstore,” she says. “It’s just sitting there, and I’m not using it. What do you think?”
