64 EVIE
E VIE
Kate called repeatedly, as you might imagine. I finally answered one day, and it was comforting to hear her voice.
“This is craziness; you realize that, don’t you? This life of yours! I’m still having a hard time wrapping my brain around it.”
“You’re telling me.”
“I can’t believe you saw her. What was she like? Was she perfect? It’s the only way I can picture her. Remember that amazing dress she wore to—”
“You’re not helping.”
“I know; I’m sorry. How awful was it?”
“It was fine. Hard but fine. I felt for her.”
“Ev. It’s you he loves.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Kate.”
Just then, Carter walked up and then turned when he saw that I was on the phone. “Want to say hi?” I asked her.
“Uh. Yes. Yes I do.”
I gestured to him, and he walked over to sit behind me, straddling his long legs on either side of my hips. I handed the phone over, grinning. “I think you might actually make her year.”
He laughed, seizing the opportunity to finally talk to somebody from my world as he took the phone.
“Hello?” The moment he said it, he pulled the phone away from his ear, wincing.
I laughed. “It’s lovely to finally meet you, even if it is just over the phone.
I think we saw one another briefly last week, but I was a bit distracted, as you probably noticed.
So I apologize.” He listened as a smile played on his lips, but I could tell he was concentrating on something that she was saying.
He mumbled a series of phrases, including, “Uh-huh. I know. Okay. I promise. Thank you. Yes. I look forward to it. Bye, Kate.”
Curious, I retrieved the phone. “Uh, hello?”
“Uh, hello yourself. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” Kate asked.
“He wanted to say hi.”
“You haven’t told him anything, have you, Ev,” she said with concern.
“I’m ... giving it time.” From the corner of my eye, I watched Carter.
“For whom? You? For Lainey? For him? Evie ...”
“For everyone.”
“You have to talk to him.”
“I know. I will.”
We spoke for a few more minutes before I hung up the phone.
“What was that all about?” he asked.
“Nothing at all,” I said. “So how’d you like Kate?”
“She screamed ‘Holy shit.’ Then I think she dropped the phone. Then she told me that if things didn’t work out between the two of us, she would be happy to join me here anytime.”
I cocked an eyebrow.
“Actually, she told me that she loved you. And that she wanted to see you happy. And begged me not to hurt you.” Now that sounded much more like Kate.
Kate has been my ride-or-die in this for a long time now. The kind of friend everyone needs to have in their life. I hope you have that person. I just realized that I don’t know much about the people in your world these days, now that you live so far away. But I hope you have a Kate.