Page 59 of Sipping Seduction
I didn't want her help, didn't want her to look at me like I was weak or a failure, even though I was both.
“Leave me alone.”
“You can still finish. Let’s get you checked out by a medic.” She pulled a tissue out of her bag and dabbed at the blood flowing down my leg.
Both of my knees had been skinned. I felt like an eight-year-old who’d wiped out on his bike, not an almost-thirty-year-old man who’d tripped over his own fucking feet. In that moment, I wished I could go back and become that boy instead. No one would look down on me for falling off a bike while learning to ride, at least not the way they were looking at me now.
I staggered to my feet, falling again as my leg gave out. Pain sliced through my calf. I didn't know what had happened, but I was no longer in control of my leg. Miller had been standing on the sidelines with his son Jack sitting up on his shoulders. He jogged over now and put an arm underneath mine, half lifting, half dragging me up to stand on the one leg that would support my weight.
“Come on, Evan. Let’s get you out of here.”
Frannie looked like someone had slapped her. I may as well have, based on how I'd shut her out, but I couldn’t stand to fail in front of her. She’d always believed in me, but now she had the same pity in her eyes, just like everyone else. I’d told her I was well enough to run, told her I was healthy enough to participate, yet I was being dragged off the pavement by my younger brother while she looked on, her eyes full of disappointment.
“What can I do to help?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I ground out. All I wanted was to disappear. I held on to Miller and hobbled over to the curb. All Frannie was doing was drawing attention. The collective weight of everyone's gazes rested on me. I didn't want to be seen. “Just go, Frannie. Leave me alone.”
As Miller helped me back to where he’d parked his truck, Andrew Fucking Stewart crossed the finish line. The crowd erupted in cheers. A quick glance at the timer showed he’d set a record. There didn't seem to be anything that man couldn't do. Frannie deserved a guy like him, not this broken-down version of the man I used to be.
“What do you want me to do, Evan?” She stood next to Miller, her eyes pleading with me, begging me for something I would never be able to give her.
“You should go congratulate Andrew,” I said. “You’re the principal of the school, and he just set a new record for your fundraising run. He's the kind of man you should be with, the kind you can count on in any situation. The kind who won’t fail you.”
“Don't do this.” Frannie put her hand on my chest. I shrugged it off and clung to my brother. Without him, I wouldn't have been able to walk. I’d pushed myself too far and too hard to prove a point that I had no business making. The truth of the situation wrapped around my shoulders like a suffocating blanket. I’d never be good enough for her. I hadn’t been back then, I wasn't now, and I never would be.
“It's over, Frannie.” I ducked my head, unable to hold her gaze.
“This isn't the end. We're talking about this when I get home tonight. I'm not going to let this go.”
“You’d better find someplace else to stay.”
“Shut the hell up, Evan,” Miller said.
He didn't get it. He’d found the love of his life. He didn't understand what it was like to be so close to everything he’d ever wanted and have it all ripped away.
“Please take me home,” I said to my brother. I hated having to rely on anyone or ask anyone for help, but I'd much rather it be my brother than the woman I'd sworn to protect and care for… the woman I’d failed.
CHAPTER30
Frannie
I stoodthere after Evan walked away, not knowing what to do or how to react. I’d never seen him blow up like that before, and even though I knew it was his pride and his ego that were bruised, his words still hurt. He hobbled away, assisted by Miller. I wanted to follow him but also didn’t want to make things worse, especially in public.
Charice came up and put an arm around my shoulder. “Are you okay, Frannie?”
“I don't know,” I told her honestly.
“Let's get you back to the finish line,” she said. “If you don't want to stick around and hand out the medals, I can do that for you.”
I shook my head. “No, Evan was right about one thing. I should be the one to hand out the medals and recognize everyone for their fundraising efforts.”
I tightened my grip on Pete the Dog’s leash and set my shoulders back, ready to finish the job I'd set out to do. Not only had Andrew won the race and set a new record, he’d also come in as the top fundraiser, beating Evan by over five-thousand dollars. I wasn't sure how he'd done it or why he’d been so motivated to help in a new town where he didn't have any stakes in raising money for the school. Based on what I knew about him, that was just the kind of person he was. Evan might harbor a lifelong resentment against anyone whose last name happened to be Stewart, but I'd like to think I could keep a more open mind.
Andrew smiled back as I handed him the medal. “Would it be inappropriate for me to ask for a hug?”
“Of course not.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him back. The reason I’d ended things with him had nothing to do with him and everything to do with me and Evan. Andrew was a nice guy, and I hoped that he would find someone who could set his soul on fire like Evan did for me.
Once everyone had finished the race and we broke down the registration tables, the awards table, and everything else, I realized Evan had driven me to the race and I had no way to get home. Charice had left early to get to a family function, so as I looked around, I wasn't sure who I could ask for a ride.
