Page 36 of Sipping Seduction
“They let you gamble around here?” I teased. Dad had always enjoyed his monthly poker games with his friends. I was happy to know he’d found some new people to play with.
“What they don’t know doesn’t hurt them, right?” He set a glass of water down on the small round table where he ate most of his meals. “It’s from Devil’s Dance. You want a nip?”
“No, I’m okay.” I couldn’t get away from Evan Bishop even if I tried. Evidence of his family’s influence on the town was everywhere I looked, even in my dad’s kitchen.
I joined him at the table to keep him company while he ate.
“So, you had dinner with the Bishops tonight? How’s Evan doing?” Dad stabbed a piece of the tender meat with his fork. His eyes closed as he slipped the fork into his mouth. The man had always enjoyed good food and had been spoiled by my mother.
I didn’t want to talk about the Bishops, so I tried to skip right over that part of the conversation. “He’s fine. Tell me about these poker friends of yours.”
“That’s good pot roast, Frannie. Please give Mrs. Bishop my best when you see her again. Reminds me of your mom’s Sunday dinners. I always enjoyed them the most when it was just the three of us.”
“I miss her, too, Dad.” My gaze shifted to the far wall where we’d hung the pictures that used to decorate the family room of my childhood home. There were photos of my parents’ wedding, baby pictures of me, memories captured of family vacations, school photos, and even a few shots including Evan. He was everywhere, so much a part of my life that I couldn’t imagine what it would be like without him.
“I heard you’ve been seeing a boy in town. How’s that going?”
“What?” The question jerked my mind back from wandering. “Where did you hear that?”
“News travels, sweetheart. Especially in a town the size of Beaver Bluff. You’d better be careful, though. I heard he’s a Stewart. Is Evan okay with you dating someone with that last name?” Dad had no idea the kind of chaos he was stirring up inside me with his questions.
“Yes, Evan knows. He and Andrew actually met last night.” Had it only been last night when I’d introduced the two of them in Evan’s living room? So much had happened since then. It felt like months had passed, not just hours.
Dad chuckled. “I bet that was an interesting exchange. How did that come about?”
“Doesn’t matter.” I hadn’t told my dad I’d moved in with Evan, though I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d heard the news through the gossip grapevine he apparently had access to. “Andrew’s not technically a Devil’s Dance Stewart. He grew up in Charlotte and decided to move closer to family a few months ago. I think you’d like him.”
“Any potential there? You know I really want to be able to walk you down the aisle while I still remember who the hell you are, don’t you?”
“I know, Dad.” I set my hand on his arm, and the weight of the situation pressed down on me. Every part of me wanted to give him that experience because I knew how much it meant to him.
He’d been talking about it for my entire life. My mom used to tell him to not put that kind of pressure on me. She’d pull me aside and say that she and my dad loved me and just wanted me to be happy, whether that involved marriage, staying single, or however else I chose to live my life. With her gone, I wanted to be able to share that with him. Andrew just didn’t feel like the right person.
Dad finished his dinner and broke out the Scrabble board. With nothing waiting for me at Evan’s place but a conversation I wasn’t ready to have, I gladly stuck around for a two-hour battle. He cinched the win by playing “EXTRAORDINARY” and hitting a triple letter square and a double word score. By the time I hugged him goodnight and promised to stop by after work in a few days, it was almost midnight.
The last communication I’d had with Evan had been a text a couple of hours ago saying he’d fed Pete the Dog dinner when he got home and was heading to bed. I hoped he’d be asleep when I got back, or at least in his room with the door closed. I didn’t know what I wanted to say to him. I needed time to process my thoughts before I’d be ready to talk. The thought of losing him pulled at feelings I’d bottled up inside and denied for so long that even now, I questioned whether they’d ever existed.
Pete the Dog greeted me when I walked into the house. I could hear the TV in Evan’s room and was grateful he didn’t come out when he heard the front door close.
I got ready for bed and stood in the hallway, wishing I had the right words to go to him and make everything right between us again. Instead, I let the dog out once more, then hid in my room. I even set my alarm an hour early, thinking I’d leave for work before Evan got up in the morning. I had things to get caught up on and having the office to myself for a little while before the other staff arrived would start the day off right. It had nothing to do with not wanting to see Evan in the morning.
Nothing at all.
CHAPTER19
Evan
I didn’t seeFrannie for the next four days. She was gone in the mornings before I left for work and didn’t come home at night until after I’d gone to bed. I blamed Miller for making me feel like I needed to tell Frannie how I felt, but I was most angry with myself. The two of us needed to talk. It was long overdue and if we had any chance of salvaging our friendship, it needed to happen sooner rather than later.
With Cole’s rehearsal dinner and wedding happening over the next two days, I decided Thursday night was my last chance to fix things before I had to see her with Andrew Fucking Stewart. So I planted my ass on the couch, prepared to wait for her all night long if necessary. She’d been taking Pete the Dog with her to work every day, and I had no idea where the two of them were spending time after she left school until she snuck into my place late at night.
They were probably going to Andrew’s. In fact, he’d probably offered to let her move in with him instead. Maybe that’s why she’d been avoiding me. She was trying to figure out how to tell me things were getting serious between them.
The rational part of my brain told me I was making shit up and letting my thoughts spin out of control, but I ignored it. Losing Frannie hurt. Even though we’d only spent one evening in each other’s company at my place, she was everywhere I looked.
Her beaver quilt was still draped over the back of the couch. I hadn’t moved it since the night we watched that movie together. Well, she’d napped through the movie, and I’d spent the whole time watching her.
I’d unpacked her fancy coffee maker and set it up on the counter for her. I had no idea how to use it, but she’d been making coffee in it every morning before she left for work.
