Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
EVIE
“So, how is it going with your three Boy Fridays?” Posy asked as she poured Evie a much-needed glass of wine and unpacked takeout for them both since she somehow knew Evie didn’t have the energy to cook.
Evie took a grateful sip of wine, letting the rich flavor wash over her tongue. She eyed Posy suspiciously. "How did you know I needed this tonight?"
“Hey, I’m a teacher of small children, I know everything!”
Evie laughed and let herself relax. She hadn’t realized just how much strain she was holding in her shoulders until now. As much help as Shepherd, Asher, and Gabe undoubtedly were, the vaguely suggestive messages rolling off all of them were making her equally stressed.
“I would have thought you’d be spending the evening with Mike.”
“Nah, he’s having a Christmas drink with the guys from work. So… Shepherd, Gabriel and Asher… how’s it going?”
Evie shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without them. It’s really opened my eyes to how I need next year to be more organized. I’m relying far too much on the generosity of friends. Sometimes I think I didn’t put enough thought into buying the bakery.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over that, Evie,” Posy replied earnestly. “You had a tough choice to make with Edith deciding to retire. We both know you’d probably be out of a job if she’d sold to someone else.”
“Yeah, but I live at home with my parents, so it’s not like I couldn’t have just taken that hit and found something with less antisocial hours. Then I would be here for my son.”
Posy scoffed. “Like what? You have a diploma in catering; that pretty much guarantees antisocial hours, whether it be working at the bakery, or in a diner, waitressing or tending bar. None of those are nine-to-five jobs, Evie.”
She’s not wrong. And she’s not finished.
“Besides, all you would have achieved is a minimum wage job relying on tips, and then you’d be fretting about how you were imposing on your parents for even longer because you couldn’t afford a place of your own.”
“How do you know me so well?”
“Well, it could have something to do with the fact that we’ve been joined at the hip since we could walk,” Posy snickered as she piled tagliatelle carbonara on two plates before unwrapping the foil-covered deliciousness that was the local Italian restaurant’s signature garlic bread baguette.
Evie inhaled the herby, buttery fragrance and rubbed her stomach in anticipation.
Yum!
They ate in comfortable silence until they’d taken off the edge of their hunger.
“So, have the guys redeemed themselves?” Posy asked, taking a sip of her own wine.
There was something in the way she said it that made Evie frown.
“What do you mean? Why would they need to redeem themselves?”
“They upset you,” Posy replied with a scowl. “And after Mom said she, Aunt Iris and Bee had a word…”
Evie nearly choked on her mouthful of food. “What are you talking about?"
Posy's eyes widened, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Umm - nothing, I shouldn’t have said anything! Forget I mentioned it."
But Evie's mind was working overtime, and most of her conclusions were not good. She set down her glass with a thunk. "Posy Caldwell, you tell me what's going on right this minute."
Posy squirmed in her seat. "It's just... well, Mom and the others might have encouraged the guys to help you out.”
Evie felt her heart sink. So that’s what it was all about. They hadn’t been interested in her before, and they weren’t interested in her now. They’d just been embarrassed into helping her out because she was such a pitiful figure now her husband had left her, and she wasn’t able to cope on her own.
Poor, pathetic Evie. Got to give her a pat on the head and make her feel better about herself and her sad situation.
Evie dropped her fork. Suddenly, she wasn’t hungry anymore.
“So, what you’re saying is, they’re helping me not only out of pity, but because Iris and her crew made them feel obligated.”
Posy gave her a sharp look. “That’s not what I’m saying at all, Evie. They’re grown men. Mom and the others might have given them a slap on the wrist, but anything else was down to them.”
“Not making me feel any better,” Evie said morosely, picking up her fork and absently stirring the remaining noodles.
At least she now knew where their motivation lay, and could stop wondering…
She felt a mix of embarrassment and disillusionment bubbling up inside her, knowing their kind gestures and flirtatious comments were just an act put on to appease the town's busybodies.
“Evie, I really don't think any one of them would have stepped up if they didn’t want to. It’s not like they aren’t busy enough in their own right…”
Evie groaned and slapped her hand over her face. “Oh, cream puffs and pudding! I’m going to have to let them off the hook so they can get to their own priorities. I already had an inkling at the stall earlier that Asher was putting mine before his own.”
“Now hang on a minute. That’s not what I meant!”
"No, I get it," Evie cut her off, pushing away from the table. "They felt sorry for me, and because I got into awkward positions with each of them, they were guilted into saying sorry. But that was all on me, not them.”
Posy stood up, reaching for her friend, but a knock on the door interrupted.
“That’ll be Gabe,” Evie said in a monotone as she stared at the open fire she hadn’t gotten around to preparing.
The cold ashes mirrored her current mood.
“He usually comes over around this time with my favorite hot chocolate, which Shepherd prepares.”
“And that, right there, is what you should be considering, instead of whatever is going on in your head right now,” her friend said softly.
“Gabe doesn’t have to come over every night; he already agreed to help you with your books.
Shepherd doesn’t have to send hot chocolate; he’s already helping with your deliveries.
Especially since your favorite is a flavor he doesn’t sell, but he makes especially for you.
Think about that, Evie. And think about the fact that they didn’t need to do any of this.
They could have just apologized and left it at that. ”
Posy crossed to the door and let Gabe in. “Hi Gabe, sorry, but I have to run and get Mike since he’s drunk his weight in mulled cider and can’t walk straight. See you again soon.”
With that, she was gone, and Evie busied herself clearing the dishes.
She kept her back turned as she heard Gabe's footsteps enter the kitchen.
The familiar scent of rich chocolate and cinnamon wafted through the air, but it did little to lift her spirits.
She scrubbed at a plate with more force than necessary, trying to sort through the tangle of emotions threatening to overwhelm her.
"Everything alright?" Gabe's deep voice carried a note of concern.
Evie forced herself to turn, plastering on a smile that felt brittle. "Fine. Just fine. Thanks for bringing the hot chocolate, but you don’t need to keep doing that. You can tell Shepherd I said so, too."
Gabe's brow furrowed as he set the insulated travel mug on the counter. "You don't seem fine. Did something happen?"
His perceptiveness only irritated her further. Evie bit her lip, debating whether to confront him or brush it off. The hurt and embarrassment won out.
“Look, I know why you’re really here, Gabe,” she said, unable to keep the edge from her voice. “I know Marigold and the others guilted you into it. You don't have to keep coming by out of some misplaced sense of obligation."
Surprise flashed across Gabe's face, quickly replaced by something unreadable. He took a step closer, his green eyes intense as they locked onto hers.
"Evie, is that what you think? That I'm here out of obligation?"
His low voice sent an involuntary shiver down her spine. Evie crossed her arms, trying to hold onto her righteous indignation even as doubt crept in.
"Well, aren't you? Posy let slip that Marigold, Iris and Bee had words with you all."
Gabe ran a hand through his hair, a rare gesture of frustration from the usually composed man. "They may have given us a dressing down for upsetting you, but that's not why I'm here,” he told her decisively. “I'm here because I want to be."
He took another step closer. Evie could smell his cologne now, a woodsy scent that made her want to lean in closer. She forced herself to stand her ground.
"I'm here," Gabe continued, his voice dropping to a near whisper, "because I can't stay away from you, Evie.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Surely she had misheard. But Gabe wasn't finished.
"I've wanted to get to know you better. I've wanted to spend time with you since the moment I first saw you in a ridiculous reindeer sweater and humming off-key carols, shortly after I moved back here."
Evie's pulse skipped. She searched Gabe's face for any sign of insincerity but found only earnest intensity in those striking green eyes.
"But... why?" The question slipped out before she could stop it.
Gabe's lips quirked up in a half-smile. "Because you're real, Evie. In a world of plastic smiles and hidden agendas, you're refreshingly genuine. Your determination, your kindness, the way you light up when you talk about your son or a new recipe - it's captivating."
He reached out, his fingers brushing a stray lock of hair from her forehead. The gentle touch sent tingles across her skin.
“You made me feel things I wanted to embrace… and then I saw your wedding ring, so I settled for being friends.”
Her heart stuttered. “But… but you were Adrian’s friend.”
Gabe pursed his lips. "Adrian and I became friends because I put myself in your path, Evie,” Gabe said, his jaw tightening.
"And I’m not sure we were ever actually that.
I mean, he hasn’t bothered to keep in touch.
Our friendship suited his purposes while he lived here, and more, I think, because of my social standing than anything else.
I always thought he took his friendships for granted, like he could take them or leave them. ”
He paused for a moment as if weighing his words. “And I thought he took you for granted."
And Adrian had certainly left her when it no longer suited him.
"I don't understand," Evie said, her voice barely above a whisper. "If you were interested, why didn't you say anything after... after Adrian left?"
Gabe's fingers trailed down her arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. "It’s not been that long, Evie. You had a lot going on, so I wanted to give you time. And honestly, I wasn't sure how to approach you. I'm not exactly known for my romantic gestures."
A laugh bubbled up in Evie's throat, part disbelief and part nervous energy. "So, bringing me hot chocolate every night isn't a romantic gesture?"
Gabe chuckled. “The hot chocolate is Shepherd’s romantic gesture. It seems I have competition.”
Evie's heart raced. She was acutely aware of how close they were standing, but his words were confusing her. What did he mean about Shepherd? And why did those words send a thrill through her? She was attracted to Gabe, without a doubt, but Shepherd… Spun sugar! Why did this all have to be so hard?
“I can see you’re having trouble with this,” Gabe said with a smile in his voice. “But please believe I'm here because being around you makes me want to be a better man. Not the staunch businessman everyone expects, but someone worthy of a moment of your precious time."
Evie's breath caught in her throat. She did believe him, and it made her insides turn liquid. He bent his head towards hers.
"In the meantime…”
The kiss was incendiary. Behind those three-piece suits and honed business instincts was a passion Evie had never expected. Gabe's lips moved against hers with a fervor that made her knees weak. His hand cupped the back of her head, fingers tangling in her hair as he deepened the kiss.
Evie's mind went blank, overwhelmed by sensation. The solid warmth of his body pressed against hers, the faint scratch of his neatly trimmed beard, the taste of mint on his tongue. She found herself clutching at his shoulders, needing something to anchor her as the room seemed to spin.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing heavily, Evie struggled to form a coherent thought. Her lips tingled, and her heart raced. She stared up at Gabe, taking in his usually impeccable hair now slightly mussed from her fingers, his intense green eyes dark with desire.
"I... wow," she managed, eloquence deserting her.
Gabe's lips quirked up in a smile that was equal parts smug and tender. "Something to think about," he murmured, brushing his thumb across her cheek.
Before Evie could gather her wits, he was gone.