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“Can you really do thisandtattoos? Aren’t they two separate careers? And Stanton said you might start designing book covers, too?” Her mother’s eyes narrowed skeptically.
“The tattoos and covers would be for nights and weekends. The stuff I do for fun.”
“When would you have time for yourself?”
“Doing what I love is for myself.” Everly had wasted too long being afraid to explore professional avenues for her art. She wasn’t ready to choose only one. Not until she had the chance to experience them all. Maybe not even then.
There was so much pressure as a kid to know what you wanted to be when you grew up. To choose one path, and follow it, full steam ahead. But that path didn’t have to be one-way. You could turn back. You could try a new one. Or retrace your steps later on.
Everly didn’t have to deny herself anything unless she wanted to. And she was done with that.
Becca popped up from her seat. “We’ve got five minutes. Popcorn time.”
Everly dropped her eyes to her phone. There were no messages from Logan, even though he should have been there by now.
She shot him a text.
Everly Winters:Everything okay?
By the time the show started, he still hadn’t answered.
“Where’s Logan?” her mom asked.
“Stuck in traffic,” Everly lied. Given the chance, her mother would concoct at least five explanations for his absence that would send Everly into a panic spiral. No one needed that.
Besides, there was a good chance Loganwasstuck in traffic and had simply silenced his phone for safety.
“I hate how Sunday Cape traffic bleeds into the fall now,” Becca said. “You can’t get anywhere anymore unless you leave egregiously early or egregiously late.”
“It’s absurd. I had to go to the big grocery story in Falmouth and it took me two hours because of everyone on the road.” With that, her mother launched into a dramatic tale of no one properly using their blinkers or understanding the purpose of a yield sign. “It doesn’t say stop, for god’s sake,” she moaned.
Everly could have kissed Becca. Years of being her best friend and Ellis’s partner had given Becca impeccable “redirect Penny Winters” skills. Everly nudged her elbow lovingly as she grabbed the remote and flipped on the television.
The arc of this episode seemed focused on resolving the “Jeverly” plotline and shifting to the budding connection between Everly and Logan. Between footage of Everly shopping at Kisses and Hugs (including, of course, her demolition of the jeans display, as well as the Gritty dress, which looked even worse on camera) was a clip of James and Everly afterthey’d kissed at Harry’s, James angled toward her and Everly sitting pin-straight as he told her that he wanted her to find someone who felt the same. From there, the episode cut to them at work the next morning with Everly insisting that she and James forget what happened at the bar, capped by Logan’s angry challenge when James immediately asked for Everly’s help on a design.
Though it pained her to admit, Sady had done a good job. She’d wrapped up the James story in a way that didn’t vilify either of them but made clear that it was over. Relief eased Everly’s pulse. Hopefully, this meant that the faux love triangle was truly and fully behind her.
The last few minutes of the show homed in on Everly and Logan. It was mostly comprised of small moments between them: Logan and Everly laughing together between takes, locking eyes across the room, a few times where he put the camera down to kiss her on the temple, or let her rest her head on his shoulder when she got tired.
They were all the things they’d tried to hide from the camera, and yet there they were on-screen. But unlike with James, what she saw between Logan and herself was exactly what she felt when they were together. There was nothing fabricated or performative. It was all real. And that shone through.
Becca and Everly’s mother kept cooing whenever she and Logan were on the screen.
“He really is a nice guy, isn’t he?” her mom observed.
Everly nodded, her eyes stinging. Not just because it was true, but because her mother had noticed. She didn’t always notice the good things. “There’s no one like him.” And no one that made Everly feel the way he did. Not the boyfriends she’d had in high school and college. Not James.
“What are you going to do when filming is over? He lives far away, doesn’t he? And he’ll be traveling to work on episodes for the otherguests.” There was concern, rather than criticism, in her mother’s voice, which Everly appreciated.
“Boston is only an hour away,” she pointed out. “And all of their guests this season are in the New England area.”
Becca leaned into her. “You’ll figure it out. Plus, there are plenty of marketing firms in Boston.” She raised an eyebrow.
The thought had, of course, crossed Everly’s mind. She enjoyed working at Matten-Waverly and living so close to Becca and Ellis, but those choices had been made out of convenience. They were safe. If she was leaving safe behind, she could leave Monmouth Cove, too.
Her mother’s lips pursed, considering her next words. As someone who tended to wildly blurt out her thoughts, consequences be damned, this was a new development. “Have you two talked about that?”
“Not yet. Things between us are still pretty new.” Everly picked up her phone to discover the screen still empty, and her stomach dropped. The episode was practically over, and Logan was now officially two and a half hours late. “We’ve got time to figure it out.” She had to clear her throat against the hitch of worry in her voice.
