Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
W hat had made Evan think she wanted him to move out?
Mercedes racked her brain trying to figure what had happened.
Was it something she did? Something he did but hadn’t told her?
Had Adam somehow convinced him to move into another apartment together?
With the way Evan had talked about living with Adam, she seriously doubted it.
Here, she cooked most nights for him and cleaned the place.
Something he seemed to appreciate. Yes, he certainly helped, especially with the dishes after supper each night.
He always asserted that if she cooked, the least he could do was clean up.
The apartment was located within a mile of the highway and right around the corner from the train station if they wanted to go into Boston without driving.
It was also close to the field he played baseball in. All benefits of being here with her.
Having him move out was the furthest thing from her mind.
Hopefully, he’d gotten that message. Fixing the faucet right away was incredibly helpful, and she’d let him know that.
Had she not mentioned that she liked living with him?
Well, she hadn’t mentioned why she liked living with him.
How attracted to him she was. How much she enjoyed seeing him shirtless on his way back from taking his shower.
Those weren’t things she felt comfortable telling him.
That whole seeing-her-like-a-sister thing.
Her phone pinged, and she snatched it quickly.
Evan had texted her earlier saying he was going to meet Adam for drinks after work.
She’d texted back that she’d leave his dinner in the fridge.
There had been no reply after that. No thanks or anything.
That had been three hours ago. Maybe this was him now.
Scanning the screen, she saw it wasn’t. Drat.
—How did the dress fitting go?— It was from Carli. Maybe the next best thing to her brother.
—They have to take it in at the waist a bit. I needed a larger size for my larger hips.— She tapped on the emoji with the crazy eyes and tongue hanging out.
—Your hips and waist are absolutely perfect. Evan actually scowls when you malign them. He’s always been into shapelier women. Not that he’s into you, but you know what I mean.—
Did she know what Carli meant? Evan didn’t like when she trash talked her figure. Okay, and he also liked shapelier women. Good to know he wasn’t into the skinny malnourished type who weighed about the same as her left leg. That didn’t mean he was into her. They were friends and now roommates.
—I know what you mean. The dresses are beautiful and I love the color.— The pale peach fabric looked gorgeous with her skin and hair color. The burgundy accents they’d carry and wear were a stunning combination.
— I’m sorry we haven’t had a chance to get together lately. I feel like a terrible friend. There’s been so much to do between the wedding and work. I’ve been putting in extra hours so I can take that two-week honeymoon my husband is insisting on.—
Mercedes would love a two-week honeymoon or even a vacation somewhere. —Hey, sweetie, be thankful he’s taking that much time off. He’s such a workaholic. I remember all the times you were upset because he had to cancel on your dates.—
—True. I am looking forward to being together, just the two of us, without his parents, especially his mother, sticking her nose into things.
Blake hasn’t even told her where we’re going for our honeymoon.
She keeps bugging me for the information, but I’ve told her he hasn’t let me know and I want to be surprised. —
Carli’s future mother-in-law was something else.
Mercedes could only hope that, when the time came for her to get married, her mother-in-law was a nice, warm person.
Someone like Cheryl Jameson. Now why did she pop into her mind?
She and Evan would never be together in that way.
Brian either. He was nice, but they’d never spent tons of time interacting outside of being with his family.
She and Evan did stuff together all the time.
—Do you know? You don’t have to tell me where. I’m hoping it’s somewhere warm and tropical.—
—I don’t know exactly so I’m not lying to his mom. I have an idea of the general vicinity and, yes, it’s warm and tropical. Let’s make plans to get together soon. I’ll shoot you Blake’s on-call nights, so we can plan for one of those.—
—Perfect. I’ll have to make sure Evan knows he’s on his own for supper that night.— Though she’d be willing to whip something up he could reheat quickly.
—You’re too much. You’re going to spoil him for any woman he might want to marry someday. No one could live up to your standards.—
Why did those words hurt yet feel so good? The thought of Evan finding another woman twisted her insides.
—I’m sure he’ll eventually find a woman who’s right for him. Once he grows up a little and stops hanging out at bars after work. Send me the schedule and we’ll pick a date.— Could she ever get him to consider her as that woman? Were they right for each other? Most likely not.
—Haha, is that where he is tonight? Probably Barney’s, right? I’m not sure he’ll ever outgrow that place. I’ll talk to you soon. Love ya!—
Mercedes sent a heart emoji and swiped her phone off. Evan still hadn’t responded to her earlier text. He certainly wasn’t required to, but it would have been polite to at least say thanks.
After making a cup of tea, she meandered to her room, sat on the bed, and placed the cup on the bedside table.
She retrieved her journal from inside the drawer.
Since the time she was twelve, she’d been writing in one.
Back then, they’d called it a diary and hers had been typical with the little lock and key.
The flimsy one that someone could break simply by pulling hard on it.
Thankfully, her brother hadn’t looked at it more than once, and that one time, he’d gotten to weed the garden, cut the grass, take out the trash, and be banned from watching TV for a month because of it. He’d never done it again.
In the past, she’d written all her childish dreams in the book, all her worries, all her sorrows. Evan had been on quite a few pages at times.
Turning to the newest page, she scribbled the date and sighed. Now she used the journal as more of a therapist, a free one who never actually gave you any advice but listened intently and let you say whatever you wanted, no matter how rude or inconsiderate.
Tonight, Evan would again be the focus of many of the pages.
Evan pushed open the door of Barney’s and searched the room.
He was meeting Adam here for a few drinks.
Guilt ate away at him that he’d told Mercedes he was coming here right after work.
He hadn’t. He’d put in some overtime after they’d had some glitches with equipment.
For some reason, he felt the need to stay away from their shared apartment for a while. He was still trying to figure it out.
Adam waved from a high top near the back of the room. Three bottles already littered the table. Evan wove his way through the crowd and waved at Sandy, a waitress who’d been here for years, to come to the table.
Took you long enough to get here, Adam signed, then tipped his beer up for another swig.
I told you I had to work late, and I’d get here when I got here.
I’m here now. And still covered in dirt, though doubtful Adam cared.
He’d at least tried to shake or brush off as much as possible before he got in his truck.
He’d also parked halfway between here and his apartment in case he had too much to drink and couldn’t drive home.
That way his vehicle would still be close by in the morning.
Sandy approached and made sure to face him. He loved that she always accommodated them. “What can I get you, hon?”
“Hamburger with onion rings, please.” He’d practiced this order many times, so she’d understand.
“Same as always?” At his nod, she added, “Draft beer?”
He nodded, and she about-faced and headed to the bar.
Mercedes not slaving over a stove tonight for you? Adam wore a smirk that Evan wanted to wipe off. Since he knew Mercedes did indeed slave over a stove often for him, he reeled in his annoyance.
I’m sure she cooked for herself. I told her I was coming here.
Adam’s sneer didn’t sit well with him. You have to check in with the little woman before you can go out? You got the ball and chain already attached, and you aren’t even getting anything from her.
Evan gritted his teeth, itching to punch his friend in the face. Why had he said he’d join him here tonight? Oh, yeah, he wanted to stay away from the apartment. I texted her, because it’s the polite thing to do for a roommate. Especially one who is kind enough to make dinner for you every night.
Adam’s mouth widened in a laugh. He began telling Evan about staying at his parents’ house and how lousy it was. Evan didn’t really pay attention. His mind was more on his roommate and why he was avoiding her.
They’d had too much fun in Boston. Simple but stupid.
It had gotten him thinking, always dangerous as Mercedes was apt to tell him.
As much as he wanted to be with Mercedes and enjoyed her company, he knew it might not be a good idea to get too used to it.
Someday she’d find some other guy who was well suited to her, and he’d be left in the cold.
Oh, they’d probably always remain friends.
They’d known each other too long. Still, if he got any closer to her, he’d be in for a world of trouble.
She was someone he could see himself with for a long time.
He couldn’t fall for her. She deserved someone who could read a damned book.
Thankfully, Sandy returned with his beer and a bowl of pretzels. She flashed him a smile and a wink.
Adam pounded on the table and signed, She’s got a thing for you. Maybe you should ask her out. Especially if you’re not getting any from your roommate. I’d never let that happen if I lived with a hot lady like Mercedes.
You. Shut up! Evan had had enough of Adam’s innuendo. You are not allowed to talk about Mercedes anymore, because you’re a pig. Grow up. I doubt you’re getting much while you’re sleeping on your mommy’s couch.
That got his former roommate on a different topic. Evan checked his phone. Nothing from Mercedes since her last text saying she’d put his dinner in the fridge. Which was far more than he deserved. He’d never even responded to her. Maybe he should now.
—Thanks.—
He kept it short and sweet. Anything more and she might start a conversation with him.
He wasn’t sure he could deal with that right now.
She’d be all sweet and caring, and his feelings and libido would get their hopes up, only to be crushed again when she realized he was a dud who’d barely passed high school and she was a freakin’ college librarian.
His burger arrived, and he concentrated on eating, only pretending to “listen” to Adam’s rantings.
He had moved on to his job now and how they didn’t appreciate him and his excellent work.
Evan seriously doubted he did excellent work.
He’d lived with the man for years, and he hadn’t seen much excellent in anything he’d done. Certainly not at home.
When Sandy came back and asked if they wanted another round, Evan declined and got a soda instead. No sense being under the weather tomorrow at work.
After another hour of Adam’s ridiculous monologue, where he barely registered that Evan wasn’t participating in the discussion, he decided it was late enough to head home. He still needed to take a shower, but he could head to his room after and stay there.
Leaving a decent tip for Sandy for always knowing what he wanted, he paid his tab and said goodbye to Adam.
We’ll do this again soon, huh?
Evan snorted but didn’t answer. Sandy waved to him as he left and gave him a huge smile.
Was she flirting with him? Should he think about asking her out?
She was pretty and seemed nice, or as nice as he could see from their limited interactions.
But what if they went out and she realized it was a lot harder to communicate with a Deaf guy than merely taking his order at a bar and grill?
Or what if they dated even more, then broke up?
Could he go back to Barney’s with her working there?
That would be more than a little awkward.
The truth was he didn’t really want to ask her out. Or any other woman he’d met recently. Which really stunk because he couldn’t have Mercedes, yet he didn’t want anyone else. Maybe someday he’d find a woman who could stir his emotions as much as she did. He could dream, right?
The ride home was fast, and he tried not to make much noise as he came in.
The only light on in the house was the dim one on the end table in the living room.
He didn’t intend to look in, but his head had other plans.
Mercedes was on the couch, her head resting against the throw pillow on the end. Was she asleep? He didn’t wait to see.
Ten minutes later, freshly showered and in a pair of gym shorts for the night, he finally approached the living room. She didn’t stir.
It was almost ten. She was often asleep by this time. Should he wake her so she could go to bed? Or carry her there? Ha. Like he was a white knight on a steed carrying the damsel off to safety.
Instead, he stood there, staring at her perfect features, her gorgeous hair in curls around her face.
She already wore her pajamas, a loose pair of shorts and matching short sleeve top.
They left her toned arms and legs bare. She was so beautiful.
If she woke up and saw him, though, he’d seem like a creep.
The light blanket she always kept on the back of the couch had half fallen down. He picked it up and carefully covered her with it, then pushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. With a deep sigh, he eased out of the room and went to bed.