Evie
Idon’t think I’ve ever felt more stupid in my entire life. Jamie asked me to babysit last night because their babysitter canceled at the last minute. And to my great surprise and delight, both of my favorite babies were waiting for me when I showed up at his place—Isabelle and Teddy.
But then I learned why Teddy was there.
Jamie, Rebecka, Brandon, and some woman named Jessica went on a double date.
I don’t know where I got the idea that Brandon and I were headed toward a relationship.
Well, maybe it’s because over the last couple of weeks, we’ve spent almost all our free time together.
I bring him freezer meals, clean his kitchen, help him with Teddy . . . basically, I’ve become the nanny.
And I say that without a hint of bitterness, of course.
I wanted to be there, doing those things, and I thought Brandon wanted me there, too .
. . for more than just some extra help around the house.
Why else would he invite me over so much?
Honestly, up until this evening, we’ve been one happy little family—me, him, and Teddy.
Despite that, there has been one glaring red flag that I’ve been trying hard to ignore.
Brandon refuses to acknowledge the fact that we kissed.
I’ve flirted, I’ve hinted, and I’ve even tried to play it cool by acting aloof at times.
But no matter what I seem to do, Brandon acts like he’s just hanging out with another one of his guy friends whenever we’re together.
And whenever I cancel plans (a sort of lame attempt at playing hard to get), he couldn’t seem less bothered.
Then last night happened.
I couldn’t even bring myself to look Brandon in the eyes when I realized what was going on.
I took Teddy from his arms with a smile fixed to my face, but inside, I wanted to die—especially when Jessica introduced herself.
Jessica is a tall, blonde nurse practitioner with beautiful blue eyes and ears that are perfectly proportioned to the size of her head, unlike mine.
As everyone was headed out the door, Brandon paused, probably under the pretense of forgetting something.
When they were gone, he came over and crouched down in front of me.
I was laying on my side, dangling a teether in front of his cooing infant.
I didn’t dare look up at him for fear of revealing how hurt I was.
He stayed silent until, finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and lifted my gaze to his. I immediately regretted it. The pitying look on his face told me everything I needed to know. I should have heeded his warning not to kiss him, when he said he didn’t want to complicate things.
Because now, things feel thoroughly . . . complicated.
Then he had the audacity to ask if I was upset with him in the quietest, most sympathetic voice I’d ever heard.
Of course, I denied it, and he sighed. He apologized in that same gentle, understanding voice, claiming he’d made the commitment ages ago and didn’t want to cancel on Jessica at the last minute.
But even if that were true, that wasn’t the kicker. He was going to keep it a secret. I know it, deep in my bones. I’d have been none the wiser about his double date if Jamie hadn’t called me to babysit.
When I pointed this out, he sighed again. “There was no reason to tell you, Evie. This isn’t a real date. Jessica is Rebecka’s friend, and I didn’t want to stand her up.”
Taking a deep breath, I smiled, feeling somewhat reassured. Then I asked him if we could go on a double date with Jamie and Rebecka sometime, even though, intuitively, I already knew what his answer might be.
When he hesitated, my heart sank. I could see that he was about to come up with some excuse for why that couldn’t happen when Jamie popped his head in, yelling for Brandon to hurry up.
Brandon hesitated again, then stood. And then he was gone, leaving me with nothing but Teddy, Isabelle, and a gaping, festering hole in my heart, like a worm had eaten its way right through the center. I felt used. Wasted.
Rotten.