10. Frannie
At five to seven,Andrew pulled up the drive to Evan’s place. I could hear the gravel pinging the bottom of his car before I saw his shiny four-door sedan. Pete the Dog stared out the window and barked. He seemed to have settled in at Evan’s and already considered the cabin in the woods his home.
I wasn’t sure how I felt yet. Evan had been great all day, but he’d disappeared into his bedroom while I was taking a shower, and I hadn’t seen him since. He’d better not be trying to get out of meeting Andrew. If things with Andrew were going to progress at all, I needed the two of them to get along. I didn’t anticipate any issues from Andrew. He’d grown up far enough away that the feud between their families hadn’t influenced every aspect of his life.
Evan was the one I worried about. All the Bishops held grudges, but he had a history of run-ins with some of the Stewart brothers. I hoped he’d be able to look beyond the past and be happy for me.
“Hey, Evan. He’s here. Will you come out and meet him?” I stood in the hallway, right outside his bedroom door. Inside, the TV played, and I wasn’t sure if he’d fallen asleep.
While I waited, hoping for some sign of life from within, Andrew knocked at the front door.
“I’m going to answer the door now. Come on, Evan. You said you’d come out to meet him.” Hoping he wasn’t playing games, I turned to go let Andrew in.
The door creaked open behind me. Evan stood there, a pair of gray sweatpants hugging his hips. He had on a t-shirt, but as he stretched his arms over his head, the bottom hem lifted. A sliver of tanned skin appeared right above his waistband. Heat shot straight to my cheeks. I’d seen him without a shirt on before… probably hundreds of times over the years. The sight of a little skin shouldn’t make my pulse spike, especially not Evan’s skin. And especially not while my date was standing at the front door, waiting for me to answer.
“Sorry, Frannigan. I guess I dozed off while watching the Vols game.” He ran his hand through his hair, even though he kept it so short there was no chance of it being messed up in the first place. His gaze met mine, and he gave me a sleepy smile. “You look gorgeous tonight.”
“Thanks.” The compliment sent tendrils of heat straight through me. I had on a dress I’d bought the last time I went shopping with Charice—one she dared me to buy. She was way into manifesting and thought if I bought the dress, I’d be letting the universe know I was ready for a man to show up in my life. I told her the universe had known I was ready for the past ten years, but she didn’t buy it.
Evan’s gaze traveled from my head down to my toes and back up again. I wanted to move, but my limbs were pinned in place.
“Are you going to be warm enough in that dress? It’s supposed to get down into the fifties overnight. You sure you don’t want to put on some pants? Maybe a sweatshirt?”
I squinted at him in the dim light of the hall. “We’re not going to a football game. He’s taking me out to dinner.”
Evan shrugged. “Maybe a jacket then?”
He was acting more like my dad than my best friend. Or was he trying to tell me something about the dress without being mean? Charice said it looked great on me, and I’d felt pretty confident in it until he started acting all weird.
“Is there something wrong with my dress?” I pushed past him into his bedroom, knowing he had a full-length mirror in his bathroom.
“There’s nothing wrong with your dress.” Evan trailed behind me. “You look nice.”
“I don’t want to look nice. I want to look hot.” Standing in front of his mirror, I twisted around to try to get a view of my backside.
Evan steepled his fingers under his chin. “You do.”
“I do what?” My bra strap was twisted in the back, making the fabric wrinkle. I tried to reach up and smooth it, but my arm didn’t quite bend that way.
“Let me get it.” Evan tugged the zipper down and slipped his finger under my strap. A shiver raced down my back, making my skin pebble. “There, that’s better.”
My breath caught as he tugged my zipper back in place, and my gaze met his in the mirror. Something passed between us. Something new and awkward and weird. I didn’t have time to make sense of it, not with Andrew standing on the front porch waiting for me.
I turned around and took a step back, too unsure to meet his gaze. “Are you sure I look okay? I don’t want to embarrass myself. If you think I need to change, I will.”
Evan put his finger under my chin and tipped my head up so I’d look at him. “You’re beautiful. You look too good tonight to be going out with a Stewart, okay?”
Andrew knocked on the front door again, pulling me out of the moment.
“I’m coming!” I yelled in the direction of the front door. Then I took in a deep breath and gave Evan a grateful grin. “Thanks for telling me the truth.”
“Always. Now, let’s go get this over with, shall we?”
Awkward didn’t beginto describe how it felt to stand between Evan and Andrew while they sized each other up. Well, Evan appeared to do most of the sizing. Andrew just smiled and endured the inquisition my best friend seemed hellbent on putting him through.
“So, how long have you been in town?” Evan had taken the seat on the couch next to me before Andrew could sit down, so he sat in a leather chair on the other side of the coffee table. I recognized it as a hand-me-down from the rec room in Evan’s parents’ house where he grew up.
“A few months.” Andrew gave me a reassuring smile. I’d warned him he’d be meeting my new roommate tonight, though I had no idea Evan had slipped into a protective big brother role. “I spent a lot of time here visiting family when I was younger and always thought it would be fun to live around here. There’s so much history.”
“And what do you do for a living?” Evan leaned against the back of the couch and rested his arm on the cushion.
“He’s in management. I already told you that.” Ready to put a stop to whatever scare tactics Evan had in mind, I pushed myself up from the couch. “What time is our reservation? Shouldn’t we get going?”
Andrew stood. “We’ve got a little time, though if we leave early, there’s a spot along the way where we can stop and see my friend’s art exhibit.”
I could sense Evan’s eye roll behind my back. “What kind of art?”
“Sculpture, mostly. He takes everyday items and turns them into a commentary on modern-day society. One of his pieces is currently on display at MOMA.”
“Impressive.” Evan nodded, even though I knew for a fact he had no interest in art unless it happened to be a picture of dogs playing poker. Even better if they were smoking cigars. “You know Frannie took an art class in college.”
My lungs seized. He wouldn’t go there. No way would he try to compare my failed attempt at making stained glass for a college credit with Andrew’s friend’s successful career.
“It was just a class. It’s not like I was ever any good at it.” I gave him my best “drop it” look, but he just smiled.
“I’ve got one of your early pieces. Hold on a sec, and I’ll go get it.” He was up and down the hall before I could stop him. I had no idea what “art” of mine he would have held on to. Nothing I made ever turned out. That’s when I knew I’d be better off organizing volunteers to take charge of the arts and crafts activities in my classroom. If left up to me, the kids would be reduced to coloring pages or store-bought kits.
“We really need to get going, Evan. Maybe you can show Andrew next time.” I tugged on Andrew’s arm, trying to get him to the door before Evan came back in the room. “I’d love to stop and see the exhibit on the way.”
Andrew patted my hand. “It’s okay, Frannie. We’ve got plenty of time.”
“But I don’t want to have to rush through the exhibit.” I picked up my purse from the table in the entry just as Evan came back into the room. As soon as I saw what he held in his hand, the memories came rushing back. I’d spent so much time on the sun catcher he held up, and it still looked like something a toddler pieced together.
“Here it is.” Evan dangled the stained glass sun catcher from his fingers. “Her first masterpiece.”
Andrew moved toward Evan. “What is it?”
Sensing I wasn’t going to get out of there without an explanation, I walked over to Evan and snagged the item from his hand. “It’s a sun catcher. I made it for Evan while he was in the Army, to remind him of home.”
“Is it an elephant?” Andrew squinted at the mix of browns and grays I’d used.
“We do get a lot of elephants in Beaver Bluff.” Evan nodded.
I planted an elbow in his ribs for two reasons. Number one, for being such a smart-ass, and number two, for bringing out the sun catcher in the first place. “It’s supposed to be a beaver by the river. My Grandma Masterson made an incredible quilt with all of these appliqued beavers on it when I was little. I was trying to make something similar to remind Evan of home while he was so far away.”
“It’s definitely an interesting medium.” Andrew flipped the piece over.
I’d signed it to Evan along the edge. The engraved words had almost worn off, but I could still make them out if I looked closely enough.
To Evan,
A little reminder of home.
Love,
Frannie
“It meant a lot to me while I was stationed overseas.” Evan almost looked like he was being serious and not just trying to embarrass the hell out of me.
Didn’t matter how much it meant to him, I’d never forgive him for showing my date. It was almost as bad as having my mom whip out my baby book, though that would never happen. A sense of loss spread through me. My mother would never have the chance to embarrass me in front of a guy. She’d never meet my fiancé or loan me something blue before I walked down the aisle, either.
The hollow ache in my belly threatened to swallow me up. I handed the sun catcher back to Evan and linked my arm with Andrew’s, more determined than ever to try to make things work with him. At least one of my parents might be able to witness my wedding day.
“We really ought to go. I hope you and Pete the Dog have a great night watching the game.” I narrowed my eyes at Evan—my way of letting him know we’d be discussing this stunt later.
“Where exactly are you headed?” Evan ignored the death glare. “You said you had reservations somewhere?”
“There’s a new place down in the valley that’s about to open. They have a farm-to-table offering. Everything’s organic and made fresh onsite. I scored a table at their soft opening. We’ll let you know how it goes in case you want to check it out when they officially open.” Andrew held out his hand to Evan. “It was nice meeting you. Thanks for letting Frannie move in for a little while. I know it’s a load off her mind knowing she can stay with such a good friend.”
Evan pumped his hand up and down. “You don’t have to thank me. Frannie always has a place here.”
“Bye, Evan.” I tugged Andrew toward the door. It was time to break up the testosterone-fueled meeting. “Don’t wait up.”
I didn’t look back until Andrew had tucked me into the front seat of his car and I’d buckled my seat belt. Then I glanced up at the door. Pete the Dog stood in the doorway with Evan right behind him. The irritation I’d felt earlier faded. He was only looking out for me. I’d have to try to be a little more understanding. I lifted my hand and waved as Andrew pulled away from the curb.