Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CYNDI LAUPER, “TIME AFTER TIME”
Eve
“You’re late,” my mom said, startling me as I turned on the light in my room a little before one in the morning.
She was sitting on my bed, hugging my pillow.
“Sorry,” I said quietly, easing my bag to the floor, hoping she didn’t question what was in it.
The dress.
The heels.
The makeup.
Memories from the best night of my life.
“Where were you?”
“I went to a movie.” I kept my head bowed as I pulled a nightshirt from my dresser drawer.
“Look at me,” she said.
I gave her a quick glance before heading to the bathroom. She followed me, closing the door behind us. With a firm grip, she grabbed my chin and made me look at her.
“Have you been drinking?”
I shook my head.
“Why do you have so much gaudy makeup on your face?”
I pulled away, turned on the water, and grabbed the bar of soap to remove the gaudy makeup from my face. “Because sometimes I like to wear makeup.”
“You said you were with friends. Which friends?”
“I said I was going out. You assumed it was with friends. I had a date.” I worked the soap along my cheeks with tiny circles.
“With whom?”
“Someone who goes to the community college with Erin.”
“What movie?”
I splashed water onto my face and then dried it before sighing. “ Dirty Dancing. ”
Her nose wrinkled. “What on earth kind of movie is that?”
I laughed, rolling my eyes. “It’s rated PG-13. Don’t freak out over the title. It was a romance about forbidden love, star-crossed lovers, and strict, unsympathetic parents. Things like that.” I started to remove my shirt but remembered I wasn’t wearing a bra or underwear.
Mom frowned. “What did you do after the movie?”
“Talked. I lost track of time. And that’s why I’m late. Sorry.”
“I wasn’t born yesterday, Eve. I don’t believe you just talked.”
“What did you and Dad do on dates?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why?”
“Because. I want you to think of what you did with Dad on dates and imagine that’s what I’m doing on dates.” I grinned while squeezing toothpaste onto my toothbrush.
Her nose wrinkled, looking at my reflection in the mirror.
“What’s that look for?” I mumbled past the suds in my mouth. “Were you and Dad naughty?”
She gave me her usual eye roll while tightening her robe’s sash.
After I spat and wiped my mouth, she grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to face her. “I’m going to ask you something, and I need you to be truthful with me.”
I blinked several times, waiting for her to continue.
“Do you still have your virginity?”
I pressed my lips together and mirrored her narrow-eyed gaze. “Like … on me right now? It might be in my purse. I’d have to check. If it’s not there, I could check the back seat of my car. You know I tend to lose things. I’ve lost my car keys twice, and I still haven’t found my lower retainer.”
“Eve Marie Jacobson, stop it. This is nothing to joke about.”
“Even if I tell you I’m still a virgin, will you believe me? No. Of course you won’t because no one ever believes me.” I reached past her to open the door. “Now, can I have a little privacy to pee?”
She gave me an evil stare for a few more seconds. “You’re grounded for a week.”
I shut the door behind her and mumbled, “Of course I am.”
“Where’s Dad?” I asked at breakfast on Saturday morning.
I assumed he’d be waiting for me with a new lecture scripted in my blood.
Mom set a pitcher of orange juice on the table while Gabby had her nose in a book between bites of French toast. “Well, you’re probably not going to believe it.”
“Why wouldn’t I believe it? Is he still at the strip club?”
Gabby whipped her head out of the book, eyes wide.
Mom scowled at me. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Love me. That’s your job,” I said, pouring juice into my glass.
She hummed as if she needed to think about it. “He went hunting with Kyle and Fred.”
I choked on my juice. “W-what?” I fisted my hand at my mouth.
Kyle didn’t say anything about hunting.
Mom gently laughed. “I know. I can’t imagine it either. Can you see your dad in camouflage?”
We giggled.
“Is he really going to kill a deer?” Gabby asked.
“I highly doubt it,” Mom said, buttering her French toast. “Fred talked him into going.”
“Does Fred hunt?” Gabby asked.
Mom shrugged. “I guess.”
“Kyle’s a good hunter. And he’s really cute in his camouflage,” my ornery, instigating sister said, eyeing me while smirking.
“Kyle’s like family,” Mom said, giving Gabby a funny look. “Don’t talk about family that way.”
“You’re right.” Gabby pressed her lips together and nodded. “It would be really weird to think of Kyle as anything but family.”
Unless he had put his face between your legs and teased you with his tongue, then it would have been really weird to think of him as anything but the hot dad next door. But to each their own.
“When will they be back?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. They left before four this morning. I imagine they’ll be home by dinner.” Mom sipped her coffee.
“Why? You miss Dad?” Gabby asked without glancing up from her book.
I didn’t respond, but I did the math. Mr. Collins would have been proud. Even if he went to sleep the second he got home, he had less than three hours of sleep. And he knew he was giving up sleep to be with me.
“Where are you going?” Gabby asked, nudging me aside as I curled my hair after we finished washing the breakfast dishes. She squeezed toothpaste onto her toothbrush.
“Nowhere. Just doing my hair.”
“For Kyle?”
I shrugged.
“Do you two have more pony rides planned?”
“Shut up.” I grinned just as the phone rang.
“I got it!” Gabby bolted toward her bedroom as I sprinted toward mine. It was probably Erin. I had so much to tell her.
We both answered at the same time.
“Hello?”
“Gabby? Eve?” Dad said.
“Yes,” again, we answered at the same time.
“Hang up, Gabbs,” I said.
“You hang up.”
“Girls! I need to talk to your mom. And I need one of you to go to Kyle’s house and watch Josh.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because Kyle fell out of the tree stand, and we’re at the hospital.”
“What? Is he okay?” I tried not to sound panicked, but I was beside myself.
“They’re taking him in for surgery. It’s not life-threatening. We’ll know more later. Now, please put your mom on the phone, and one of you go over to Kyle’s so Anne can come to the hospital.”
“Mom!” Gabby yelled.
I was torn between hanging up and heading to Kyle’s house. But I chose Josh. For some reason, I wanted to be close to him, and I thought Anne might have heard from Fred and know more. So I hurried down the stairs, shoved my feet into my sneakers, and ran to Kyle’s house.
Anne was sitting on the porch swing when I got there, reading a book to Josh as Clifford played with a toy at their feet.
“There she is,” Anne said, and Josh looked up at me, hopped down, and ran to hug me.
“Daddy got hurt,” he said.
I held on to him as if I were hugging Kyle. “I heard, buddy.” I kissed the side of his head.
“But we’ve already said a prayer, and God will take care of him,” Anne said. “In the meantime, Josh, Eve will stay with you.” She stood, setting the book on the bench. “There’s a casserole in the oven. If you could pull it out when the timer goes off and ensure he gets fed, I’d appreciate it. I don’t know when I’ll be back, but?—”
“It’s fine,” I said, shaking my head and acting brave despite every part of my body trembling with fear. “Um,” I swallowed hard. “I’ll take care of him. I know the routine. But would you mind calling me when you know more?”
Josh grabbed his book and went into the house.
“Of course,” Anne said, resting her hand on my shoulder.
“Did Fred give you any details? My dad was vague.”
Anne snagged her purse up off the railing and slid the strap over her shoulder before tucking her short blond curls behind her ear. “He just said he broke his arm.” She glanced past me to see if Josh was near the screen door. “The bone was sticking out from the skin. Fred got nauseous looking at it, so he offered to run and call for help while your dad stayed with Kyle.”
I was nauseous, too, but hid it with a clenched jaw and a tiny nod.
She started down the stairs.
“Can he walk?” I asked.
Anne turned, brow tense.
I shrugged. “My friend’s uncle fell from a tree while hunting, and he’s in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. It was a spinal cord injury.”
Worry claimed her brow in tiny lines. “I think so, but I didn’t ask. I’ll call you.”
“Thanks,” I murmured.
I stared at the phone while Josh ate dinner, and after we played with Clifford and took him outside to go potty, we read a bedtime story.
“When’s Daddy coming home?” Josh interrupted in the middle of the book. He was tucked under my arm, so I kissed the top of his head.
“When he’s feeling a little better. The doctors are working to get him better. But it won’t be tonight.”
“Are you staying with me?”
“I’m staying until your aunt and uncle get home.”
“I want you to stay until Daddy comes home. So does Clifford.”
The puppy raised his head at the end of the bed as if he recognized his name.
It didn’t take much to melt my already fragile heart. “Okay,” I whispered before resuming the story.
When he fell asleep, I returned to the kitchen with Clifford and stared at the phone again. I wanted to call Erin but couldn’t be on the line if Anne or my mom tried to call with an update. The waiting gutted me.
Two soft taps brought my attention to the back door. I jumped out of the kitchen chair to open it.
“Hey,” Erin said, wrapping her arms around me while Clifford jumped up on her legs. “I didn’t want to knock at the front door and wake Josh.”
I stepped back. “How did you find out?”
“Gabby called me.” Erin squatted to pet the excited puppy. “She didn’t know if you’d told me, but she thought you could use a friend.”
Gabby came through for me. It made me feel a little guilty for stealing her crush.
I blinked back my tears for two seconds.
“Oh, Eve.” She stood and hugged me again as I fell to pieces.
“No-nobody has c-called. I d-don’t know if he’s okay.”
“My mom’s friend Charity works at the hospital, and the last she heard, he was still in surgery. But he’ll be fine. Charity said his arm took the brunt of the fall.”
I released her and sniffled while nodding. “His sister-in-law said the bone was sticking out of his skin.”
Erin grimaced. “Well, that’s probably why it’s a long surgery.”
The phone rang, and I stiffened.
“Breathe,” Erin said.
I took a long breath and wiped my tears before picking up the phone. “Hello?”
“Hi, Eve. It’s Anne. Sorry it took so long. Kyle is out of surgery. It went well. All of his other injuries are minor. He’ll be here for a couple of days, but then they anticipate releasing him. Your dad just headed home. And I’ll leave soon too. Fred is staying the night with Kyle. How’s Josh?”
The tension released from my body, and it sagged in relief. “That’s really great news. Josh is asleep. He asked me to stay here tonight. So if it’s okay with you?—”
“Of course. That would be great. If you’re going to stay, I might hang out here a little longer. Fred hasn’t eaten anything, and I want to get him some food.”
“Take your time,” I said.
“We don’t want to wake you, so you can sleep in Kyle’s bed if you don’t want to sleep on the sofa. I don’t know if there are clean sheets in the upstairs linen closet, but you could check.”
I didn’t need clean sheets; I wanted them to smell like him.
“Thanks. If he wakes up, tell him …” I paused.
Tell him I love him .
“Tell him I’m taking good care of Josh, and we can’t wait to see him.”
“I will. Thank you, Eve.”
After she disconnected the call, I slowly hung up the phone. “He’s out of surgery, and he’s going to be okay.”
Erin nodded. “That’s a relief. Are you going to go see him at the hospital?”
“Would that be weird?”
“No. It wouldn't be weird even if you weren’t in love with him. You babysit for him, and he’s a good family friend.”
I nodded. “Maybe I’ll go after church tomorrow.”
“Good idea.”
It was a good idea if my heart could survive seeing him in a hospital bed without wanting to hug him and expose all of my feelings in front of his family.