Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
EVIE
Alec has only been gone from Harvest Hollow for a couple of days, and I already feel a tiny bit unmoored.
Which is silly. I’ve been on my own for months, and I’ve been doing just fine. There’s no reason to suddenly be clingy and needy now. But for the last few days, in a new state, in a new town, there’s been something stabilizing about Alec’s presence. Knowing he was coming home went a long way to keeping me in a good mood.
I lift my hand to adjust my rearview mirror to check on Juno. She’s been fussy and cranky this morning and probably needs a nap, but I’m supposed to meet my soon-to-be boss for lunch, so I’m crossing my fingers Juno falls asleep in the car and stays asleep when I take her carrier into the restaurant.
“It’s just you and me, Junebug,” I say to her reflection. “Let’s make it a good day, yeah?”
Except the other night, it wasn’t just Juno and me. It was Juno and me and Alec.
I plug the name of the restaurant into my phone’s GPS, then slowly back out of Alec’s driveway.
It’s hard to fully quantify what it did to my heart to see him holding Juno. To see my daughter relax into his arms and fall asleep.
Not that I can blame her. And honestly, considering how many times I’ve used videos of Alec’s deep voice to soothe her, it’s not a wonder.
But still. He was so gentle with her. So genuinely enamored.
It was a new side of him and did not help my efforts to not have a crush.
Which, speaking of…
I stop at the exit to Alec’s neighborhood and call Megan. I bet she’ll have the answers I want.
“What do you know about a woman named Riley?” I ask as soon as she answers the phone.
“Well, hello to you too,” she says back.
“Sorry. Hi. How are you? How was your pharmacology test?”
“I got an A, and I’m fabulous,” she says. “Thank you for asking. Riley who?”
“I have no idea,” I say as I make a left turn out of the neighborhood. “That’s why I’m asking you.”
“With zero context?” Megan asks. “You’re just randomly throwing out a woman’s name and expecting me to know something? I think there was a Riley in my third-grade class. Is she who we’re talking about?”
“Oh, oops,” I say. “Sorry. I’m talking about Alec. The internet tells me he’s dating a woman named Riley.”
“What? Really?”
“According to her Instagram.” I give Megan Riley’s Instagram handle, which I not-so-weirdly remember considering how much time I spent stalking her profile, then wait while she pulls up the account.
“Ohhh, I love Flex clothes,” she says after a few seconds. “Alec brought me all kinds of free stuff after he signed his branding deal with them.”
So that’s how Alec knows her. I guess it makes sense.
I make another turn, my GPS telling me I’m less than ten minutes away from the restaurant.
“But you don’t know about Riley?” I ask. “He hasn’t said anything about her?”
“Not that I’ve heard,” Megan says. “Can we talk about why you’re asking about a woman Alec might be dating?”
The question takes me by surprise, even though it absolutely shouldn’t. Did I really expect to call Megan, of all people, asking questions about her brother, without her getting suspicious?
“No reason,” I say after too many seconds of silence. “I was just curious.”
Megan must not believe me, because she answers with a longsuffering sigh. “Evie,” she says.
“Don’t Evie me,” I shoot back. “It was just a question. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“You’re sure? Your crush hasn’t returned even a little?”
I think about the baby clothes Alec brought home from the Summit last night.
I could keep lying. Dismiss Megan’s concern. But she knows me too well. And honestly, now that we’re having the conversation, it might be nice to have her input.
“Okay fine, maybe a little,” I say. “But he’s not playing fair. He’s making me food and holding Juno until she falls asleep, and the other day he folded an entire load of Juno’s laundry while we watched a movie. Plus, he brought home an Appies jersey for me from his game, and he’s talking to me like I’m a real person and not just a frumpy, exhausted dairy cow. He’s being so nice, Megan. Thoughtful in ways that are literally the exact opposite of Devon.”
I turn into the restaurant parking lot and pull into an empty spot under an enormous oak tree, its leaves a rich, fall red. I shift into park, then turn to check on Juno through the mirror hooked on the back of her rear-facing car seat, and right now she looks peacefully, gratefully asleep. Still, I leave the car running, hoping the steady hum of the engine will help keep her that way.
Megan lets out a little laugh. “Alec actually held Juno? He told me he doesn’t do babies.”
“He told me the same thing,” I say. “But he did great. Carried her upstairs to put her to bed and everything. The whole thing was pretty adorable.”
“That does sound adorable,” Megan says. “Okay, so…I’m scrolling through her profile, and I don’t think Alec is dating this woman. I mean, maybe? But she’s not on his profile at all, and all these pictures that she’s posted look like they were taken on the same day.”
“Not all of them,” I say, because I noticed (and studied) the same thing.
“Okay, but most of them,” she amends. “Also, the trees in the one pinned at the top of her profile look super green, like they were taken in the middle of summer. If they’re still dating, wouldn’t she have more recent photos?”
“Is this how far we’ve fallen? That we’re studying the color of the leaves in her photos?”
“You started it,” Megan says. “It’s only creepy stalking if we start searching for her Mom’s Facebook account so we can see pictures of her as a kid.”
“Please tell me you’ve never actually done that,” I say.
“We aren’t talking about me, Evie,” Megan says cheekily. “Why don’t you just ask Alec? He’d probably tell you. And just because Alec hasn’t settled down doesn’t mean he’s a player. He wouldn’t flirt and lead you on if he were dating someone else.”
“You really think?” I’m not sure if what Alec is doing is flirting. Nothing has been so bold that I couldn’t just be reading into things. But it does make me feel better to hear Megan’s opinion.
“I totally think,” she says. “Do you want me to talk to him for you?”
“For real? You, who initially warned him he’d better not try to woo me, are now volunteering to speed things along?”
“He’s the one who folded your laundry for you. My hands are tied! Besides, I said from the beginning I loved the idea of you guys together. But only if it’s going to last forever and no one will ever get hurt. Because so help me, Evie, I am not choosing between the two of you.”
“I could be making something out of nothing, so I don’t want you to talk to him. But thank you for letting me talk about him.”
“Anytime. Until you want to talk about sex, and then I’m out.”
I laugh. “Noted.”
“How’s the garbage ex-husband?”
“Ugh. Still texting,” I say. “He wants me to call him.”
“Boo. Are you going to?”
“I have no idea. What would I even say?”
“I mean, he did just go through something,” Megan says. “I don’t know why he lost his job, but that role was supposed to be his big break. If he blew it, maybe it was enough to wake him up? Help him see what really matters?”
“Seriously? Have you forgotten who we’re talking about?”
I’m not about to believe Devon has suddenly changed. The man was very good at being concerned and loving, but only when being so also served him. Did he need me to help him run lines? Then of course he’d make dinner. Did he want me to be his arm candy at a big premiere where he was hoping to impress a fancy producer and his casting director wife? Then he would love to buy me a new dress.
Right before I got pregnant with Juno, we went through a particularly rough patch where we weren’t getting along at all. But my birthday was coming up, so Devon planned this big trip to Martha’s Vineyard. A weekend away, just the two of us. A time to really celebrate me.
Except there was also a party happening that weekend…just two doors down from the cottage Devon had rented for us. Hosted by a soon-to-be famous playwright Devon absolutely had to meet that very weekend if he had any hopes of securing the lead role in a groundbreaking play that wasn’t even finished yet.
When I refused to go to the party with him—it was my birthday, after all—he went by himself, promising to meet me for dinner after. I waited at the restaurant for two hours before walking back to the cottage alone. Devon didn’t get home until after midnight, drunk and not even a little apologetic because he was sure he’d just made the connection that would launch his stage career once and for all.
Newsflash: The playwright still isn’t famous, and that groundbreaking play he was working on? Still not finished.
“Okay, fine. That doesn’t sound very much like Devon,” Megan says. “But you never know.” She’s quiet for a beat before she adds, “He’s still Juno’s dad, Evie. Like it or not.”
I breathe out a sigh. “If he wants to be her dad, he can come down here and tell me in person.”
“Then tell him that,” she says. “Make him work if he wants things to be different.”
I like that idea because I doubt very seriously Devon would ever make the trip.
On my car’s dashboard, the clock flips from 11:59 to noon. “Okay, I’ve got to go. I’m having lunch with Victoria right this second.”
Despite the downer Devon conversation, a burst of nervous energy still bubbles up at the thought of meeting Victoria in person. It’s possible I’ve started to idolize her over the past few months. Partly because she has one of the best reputations in the industry. I played with musicians in New York who traveled all the way to North Carolina just to see her. But mostly I really admire her work. She recently posted a ten-part video of a cello restoration on her YouTube channel, and I’ve already watched the entire series at least five times.
The biggest parts of lutherie involve the construction of new instruments and the repair of existing ones. But Victoria’s restoration work—that’s the piece that excites me the most. The idea of taking something everyone else thinks is too old or too broken and bringing it back to its full potential? That’s magic I want to be a part of.
And I will be.
Assuming this lunch meeting goes well, and Victoria doesn’t rescind the apprenticeship to work with someone whose life isn’t one tiny spark away from a dumpster fire.
“Oh! Amazing! Let me know how it goes,” Megan says. “I’m sure Victoria will love you. You’ve got this, Mama.”
I say goodbye to Megan, then turn in my seat. The fact that Juno is still asleep loosens some of the tension coiled inside me.
This is going to be fine.
Easy.
Victoria and I have chatted over the phone a few times already, and those conversations have been amazing. We have good chemistry, and she knows about Juno, so there’s really no way this can go wrong. Juno’s a good baby. An easy baby.
An easy baby who was a complete terror for most of the morning, but we’re past that! She’s sleeping now! Everything is great!
By the time I make it inside the restaurant, I almost have myself convinced.
I find Victoria in a back booth, her white hair swept up into a twist and stylish glasses perched on her nose. She stands as I approach the table and opens her arms for a hug.
“Are you a hugger?” she asks as she wraps her arms around me. “I’m a hugger.”
“I love a good hug,” I say. “It’s so lovely to meet you.”
“Likewise, dear. And this must be Juno?” She looks into the baby carrier and smiles. “I didn’t realize she’d be joining us.”
My chest tightens. “I hope it’s not a problem. I just got into town and didn’t figure out childcare for today. But she’ll probably sleep the whole time.”
“Oh no, no,” Victoria says. “It’s not a problem at all. Even if she wakes up, that just means I’ll get to meet her.”
I’m encouraged by Victoria’s kindness, but the feeling is short-lived. We’re still eating our salads when Juno wakes up and she has fully reverted right back to the cranky mood that made our morning so memorable. There doesn’t seem to be anything specifically wrong with her. She doesn’t want to eat or burp or sleep. Her diaper is dry, her body temperature is normal. She’s just grumpy. And she keeps spitting her pacifier out like it’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever offered her.
I try to eat one-handed while I bounce her in my free arm, but she’s squirmy enough that she keeps knocking her fist against the edge of the table. When I bounce her a little more, shooting Victoria an apologetic glance, Juno flails in response, body stiffening as she arches her back, this time hitting her head against the table.
The cry she lets out in response is sharp and ear-piercing, and I want to sink into the floor.
What am I doing here?
I’m supposed to be talking about my symphony experience, my training at Juilliard, my reasons for wanting to be a luthier. Instead, I’m disrupting lunch for an entire restaurant and probably making a terrible first impression.
As if I needed more icing on this very terrible cake, Juno’s cries make my milk let down, and it soaks right through my shirt.
Victoria looks at me with what can only be pity. “Perhaps you should take her out, dear,” she says over Juno’s wails. “I’ll have your food boxed up, and I’ll bring it to your car. It’s really okay. We can do this another time.”
Tears fill my eyes, but I don’t have any choice but to nod, gather up my things, and head for the door. Juno’s cries have slowed to hiccups by the time I reach my car, and I look down at her.
“Now you’re happy, huh?”
She has the audacity to smile at me, and I catch sight of a tiny white line on her gum.
“Oh my gosh! Juno! Are you getting a tooth?” I drop her carrier onto the pavement next to my car and lift her a little higher to get a closer look. “You are!” I say. “No wonder you’ve been so grumpy.”
There’s still no sign of Victoria coming out of the restaurant, but there’s a green space right next to the parking lot with several benches scattered under the trees. I carry Juno to the closest one and sit down to nurse.
Now that we’re out of the restaurant and she has my full focus, Juno is totally chill and settles in to eat with her usual enthusiasm.
“That was bad form, girlie,” I say as I stroke her wispy brown waves away from her face. “It really is good I noticed that tooth or I’d still be mad at you.”
She kicks her little feet, smiling without breaking her latch, and what’s left of my frustration completely melts away.
I am embarrassed and discouraged and extra exhausted, but I can’t be mad at Juno for any of that.
I close my eyes and tilt my face up to the afternoon sun filtering through the leaves overhead. The weather down here isn’t all that different from New York, at least for right now. But I wonder if the winter will be milder.
I pull out my phone, wondering if that would be a weird thing to ask Alec, but when I glance at the screen, there’s already a message from him waiting for me.
It must have come in while Juno was having her meltdown, otherwise there’s no way I would have missed it popping up on my watch.
My heart jumps the slightest bit as I pull up the thread and read his message.
Alec
Hey. Just wanted to thank you again for hanging out with the twins before we left. You’re good for them, which feels like a weird thing to say. But I can tell they had a good time.
I smile as I type out a reply.
Evie
You can just say it, Alec. I have a mom vibe.
Alec
Apparently, I have a grandpa vibe, so…
Evie
We make quite the pair.
Alec
How are you?
Evie
Been better? I just tried to have lunch with my new boss, and Juno had a total meltdown. She cried, then I cried, then I left the restaurant without my food, and my new boss probably thinks I’m a hot mess.
Instead of texting back, Alec calls.
“Is this a pity call?” I say as I answer. “It’s fine if the answer is yes.”
“Can we call it a cheer-you-up call instead?”
“Yes, definitely,” I say. “Cheer me. I want to be cheered.”
“Hmm. Let me think. Okay, right now, Nathan is asleep on the bus, and his girlfriend Summer is standing behind him putting dozens of tiny braids in his hair.”
“He’s sleeping through that?”
“He can sleep through anything,” Alec says. “This is nothing. Hang on. I’ll send you a picture.”
My phone buzzes when the photo arrives, and I pull it away from my ear long enough to quickly look. “Oh wow,” I say through a smile. “That’s going to take him forever to undo. Does Summer work for the team?” She must, if she’s on the bus, so I’m not surprised when Alec confirms.
“She’s legal counsel. She doesn’t always travel with us. Just sometimes.”
“Lucky for Nathan.”
“He gets all kinds of crap for it. Logan, too. His girlfriend also works for the team. So what’s up with Juno? Why is she having such a rough day?”
I breathe out a sigh. “She’s teething, apparently. I didn’t notice until we came outside, but her front tooth just poked through her gum.”
“That’s big, right?” Alec asks. “First tooth? You should send me a picture.”
“You want a picture of my daughter’s first tooth?”
“Do I need to remind you what happened last night? I’m hooked on your kid.”
I close my eyes for a brief second. He has no idea what he’s doing to me. What it means to have him interested in Juno’s life. It’s taking monumental effort not to turn this into something it isn’t, but when he’s saying and doing everything that my heart wants, how can I not?
Across the parking lot, Victoria emerges with two to-go boxes in her hands.
“Hey, I’ve got to go,” I say. “My boss is coming. But thanks for calling. I’ll text you a picture in a bit.”
“Let me know if you need more distractions,” he says. “I’ve got six more hours on the bus before we get where we’re going.”
“Are you sure you’re not the one who needs a distraction?”
There’s a smile in his voice when he says, “Maybe.”
“Thanks, Alec.”
“Later, nerd.”
I set my phone down on the bench beside me and close my eyes, heart pounding in my chest.
I used to roll my eyes when Alec used the nickname he gave me as a kid, but now, I don’t think I mind it so much.
Evie
Good news. My new boss doesn’t hate me.
Alec
You’re very likable, Evie. This doesn’t surprise me.
Evie
You didn’t hear Juno crying inside the restaurant. It was pretty impressive, honestly.
Alec
But you talked to her? Everything’s okay?
Evie
Yeah. She was pretty understanding. And she also asked me to go with her to a symphony concert this Thursday. So that’s nice.
Alec
That’s cool. You’ll see Felix’s wife, Gracie.
Evie
She’s in the symphony?
Alec
Plays the cello, I think? Is that the biggest one? The one you have to sit down to play?
Evie
You do have to sit down to play the cello, but it isn’t the biggest stringed instrument.
Alec
Oh right. The biggest one is the bass, right?
Evie
Very good. You pass.
Alec
Thank you very much. Please don’t check my browser search history.
Evie
Haha.
Alec
Gracie definitely plays the cello.
Evie
I’ll have to look for her. Assuming I can figure out childcare.
Alec
Didn’t Ruth offer?
Evie
She did. But I still feel weird about asking her. I’m basically a stranger.
Alec
You aren’t. You know me, and I know Malik, and Malik is Ruth’s family. AND you’ll be neighbors.
Evie
A compelling argument. And I really like Ruth. I just don’t want to make her feel obligated.
Alec
Evie.
Evie
Alec.
Alec
Just ask her. Hang on…
I just asked Malik how he thinks Ruth would feel about watching Juno for you. This is how he responded:
She’d probably do it full time. She’s been looking for something to do. Tell her to ask her. If I had kids, I’d trust Ruth to raise them from day one.
Evie
I hadn’t thought about asking her to do it full time. He really thinks she would?
Alec
It can’t hurt to ask. But definitely ask her about the concert.
Evie
Yeah. I should. Thanks for your help.
And thanks for calling me earlier. You really DID cheer me up.
Alec
As payback, can you text me for…three more hours?
Evie
I have a life to live, Alec. A baby to care for.
Alec
What if I say please? The twins are singing through George Strait’s entire catalog, Evie. I’m desperate here.
Evie
Really? Are they any good?
Alec
They are…very dedicated to the cause.
Evie
Do you have headphones? And Spotify?
Alec
Yes to both.
Evie
K. Let’s swap playlists. Then you’ll have something to listen to and something to text me about.
Alec
You want my playlist? Are you sure our friendship is ready for this?
Evie
COME ON. I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.
Alec
Fine. Sent. But no judging.
Evie
Guess who I just met?
Alec
Flint Hawthorne.
Barack Obama.
Santa Claus.
Freddie Ridgefield.
This is a fun game. Should I keep going?
Evie
I’m just sitting here trying to dissect your celebrity choices.
Alec
Don’t overthink it. I typed the first names that popped into my head.
Evie
See, that’s why I SHOULD overthink it.
But the correct answer is Gracie Mitchell. I found her after the symphony concert, and she was so nice.
Alec
That’s awesome. Gracie is great.
Evie
I really like her.
Alec
How was the concert?
Evie
So amazing. Last time I heard classical music live I was IN the symphony, so it was nice to be there.
Alec
And stuff with your boss was good?
Evie
I want to be her when I grow up. She’s amazing. I just hope she loves me as much as I love her.
Alec
I’m sure she does. How could she not?
Did Juno do okay while you were gone?
Evie
I missed her, but she was a total champ.
And Ruth is all set to keep her when I go to work on Monday.
Alec
That’s awesome. Are you nervous?
Evie
Terrified. But I’m excited about the job, so that’s helping.
Alec
It’s a very good second reason for moving to North Carolina.
Evie
Second reason? What’s my first reason?
Alec
I’m wounded you have to ask.
Evie
Because my first reason is…you?
Alec
I mean, I was thinking of my stellar breakfast sandwich, but if you wanna say it’s me, I won’t complain.
Evie
I don’t know what I was thinking! OF COURSE I came all the way to North Carolina to eat your sandwiches. Not your Grape Nuts, though. Your cereal choices are very boring, Alec.
Alec
Don’t knock them until you try them.
Evie
I DID try them. I was desperate. It was very disappointing.
Alec
But have you seen their fiber content?
Evie
Mmm. Please tell me more.
Alec
You’re mocking me.
Evie
YES. I would rather get fiber from sucking on tree bark. But I love that you love them.
Alec
We’re talking about this again as soon as you turn thirty. You might feel differently.
Evie
Deal. It’s on my calendar. I will happily enjoy my Frosted Flakes until then.