Page 61 of Sipping Seduction
“We had a little trouble with the dog.” I glared down at Pete the Dog, hoping he'd be able to sense my anger and disappointment.
“Are you all good now?” Silas asked.
“Yes, thank you so much for the ride.” He might be a Stewart, but Silas seemed to have a good heart.
“Take care, Frannie. I hope things work out for you the way they're supposed to.” He offered a shy smile to Ruby as he rounded the front of his truck. “See you at the distillery.”
“Yeah, see you around,” Ruby said as she caught up to me. “What the heck is going on? I had a call from Miller, then my mom beeped in, and even Cole left a message. They said Evan fell at the race. Is he okay? Why aren't you with him?”
I held on to her arm to steady myself as we made our way into the house. Tears threatened, stinging the backs of my eyelids like thousands of tiny needles. I was hanging on by a fraying thread. “He pushed himself too hard. Your brother is one of the most stubborn men I've ever met. He had no business running that race, and everything is ruined.”
“Sit down.” Ruby pulled a chair away from the kitchen table. “Let me get you some water and you can start from the beginning.”
Even Pete the Dog must have sensed my grip on control was sliding away. He set his head in my lap and looked up at me with big, round puppy dog eyes. Mindlessly, I ran my hand over the soft fur between his ears. Evan’s last words to me played on repeat through my head. He didn't mean them, I kept telling myself. He was hurt and embarrassed and lashing out. It couldn't really be over between us.
“Here you go.” Ruby slid a glass full of ice water onto the table in front of me. “Now tell me everything from the beginning.”
I started with us arriving at the race and told her how Evan had driven the course since it had changed overnight. “He seemed fine right before he took his place at the starting line. After they took off, Pete the Dog and I went to the finish line to wait for him. Your mom sent me a text when he crossed the halfway point, and he seemed to be doing great then.”
Ruby got up from the table to pace back and forth across her narrow kitchen. “Did his leg just give out, or was he in too much pain to continue?”
“I don't know. One second, he was headed toward the finish line and the next he was lying in the middle of the street.” I could still see him struggling to get up. Could still see the look of defeat on his face. “He told me he was fine. The doctor even cleared him to participate.”
“Are you sure about that?” Ruby asked. “I wouldn't put it past him to lie. He's always pushed the limits, and I feel like it's my dad's fault. Seems like none of my brothers felt like they amounted to much in my father's eyes.”
I could see that, but Evan should be smart enough to know when he'd reached his limit, especially since he hadn't fully healed from his injury. “Why would he do it?”
“Do what?” Ruby asked.
“Push too hard.”
“Don't you get it? He's never felt good enough for you.”
“That's ridiculous. Good enough how? Evan has always achieved what he set out to do. He was a star football player, and how many ribbons and awards did he get while serving overseas?”
Ruby set her palms flat on the table and looked at me. “A lot. That doesn’t have anything to do with it, though. For some reason, it was never enough.”
Was it my fault? Was I the one who made him feel that way? I wracked my brain, trying to come up with something I’d said or done that might have made him feel like a lesser man. Usually, when something was bothering me, I’d call Evan. He’d always been the one who could help me see things more clearly and set me straight. Knowing he didn’t want to hear from me left me feeling unanchored, like I was drifting away.
“Would you be willing to watch Pete the Dog for a little while?” I asked Ruby. “And could I possibly borrow your car? I think I need to go talk to my dad.”
“Of course.” Ruby pulled her keys off a hook by the door to the garage. “Take your time.”
“You’re sure you don’t mind?” I didn’t want to put her out any more than I already had.
“Saturday night and my only plans are trying to find a way out of having to drag Silas Stewart along with me on my next business trip. His brother thinks I’ve been saying bad things about the Stewarts behind their backs at the award ceremonies.” She shook her head. “Stupid Stewarts. Stupid feud.”
“I’ll only be a couple of hours, max.” I pulled her into a loose hug. “If you hear from Evan, please let me know.”
“Hopefully Miller will be able to talk some sense into him.”
I gave Pete the Dog a final rub between the ears, then made a beeline to Ruby’s car and hoped my dad was having one of his clear days. He was the only one I could talk to now, and I needed his advice.
CHAPTER31
Evan
Even with a bagof ice on my calf, my leg was killing me. If it hadn’t been for Miller, I never would have been able to make it out of the truck and into the house. It was all my fault. I recognized that fact, but wasn’t able to admit it to anyone but myself yet.
