Page 89 of Secrets in Love
“Yeah, I know, but I want to hire a car and take Evie away for a couple of days. She has no classes till Wednesday afternoon, and I was hoping it would be okay if we camped there. She works so hard and is always looking after everyone else. I wanted to do something nice for her.”
“And you think making her sleep on dirt in a tent in late autumn is nice?”
“Well, yeah. She used to love camping when we were kids.”And I’ll be there to keep her warm.
Jocelyn’s eyes narrowed in skepticism. “Maybe you’re right. She does always tell me off for my excessive spending. If you think she would enjoy it, you’re more than welcome. But I can see a worryingly increased glimmer of mischief in your eyes, so let me remind you again. YourGidgetis not one to be pushed. Don’t be the hare to her tortoise. Slow and steady wins the race.”
Disregarding Jocelyn’s words to the nth degree, I raced to pack everything we needed, including the crappy and rough-as-fuck designs I’d made for the studio. I raided Finn’s room and garage for camping supplies and loaded up his Jeep that Jocie insisted we take. I also called Rubirosa and ordered two large pizzas and mozzarella sticks to go, and Candice was boxing the first of the pizzas as I arrived.
“I was starting to think you must have gone home. Evie too. I haven’t seen either of you for weeks. I take it by the goofy, love-drunk look on your face that things are going well with you two?”
“Things are unbelievably brilliant,” I replied, unable to suppress my grin. “That’s why I’m planning a surprise for her. After I leave here, I’m picking her up from work and then driving her to Tarrytown for a few days. Well, technically, Jocelyn is driving me to pick her up, and then Evie will have to drive us upstate. In my haste to get going, I forgot I don’t have a license here in the States.”
“I’m glad you remembered before attempting to drive thirty-odd miles on the wrong side of the road. Is this pizza to eat on the way?”
“Yup. Evie eats like a horse after class. She’ll probably eat a whole large herself.”
“I was surprised to see she was teaching today. My nephew Cole takes Kim and Jody’s Sunday class, and I always drop him off for my sister.”
“Oh, you saw her? Was she still wearing the legwarmers? Pretty hot, eh?”
Candice laughed and placed the two boxes before me. “Missed the legwarmers, I’m afraid. I just dropped Cole off in the front. I only know she was taking the class because Kim sent us a message to say they were sick, and it would be Evie and Christian instead. She’s a better person than I am. There’s no way I would have been prepared to work with that douchebag so soon.”
“What?” I snapped. “Christian? She was teaching with Christian?”
Candice winced. “Why do I have the feeling I’ve fucked up?”
Abandoning the steaming boxes of deliciousness, I threw cash on the counter and took off, running the four blocks to VAAD, bursting through the doors and past the foyer.
I saw her straight away—sorry,them. I sawthemstraight away. Dancing. Together.
Christian stood behind my girl, holding her waist in a partnered pirouette. Evie looked angelic, wearing a white tutu and tights, her blush-pink pointes tied with ribbons up to her calves, and a shimmering tiara was pinned into her slicked-back hair. I hadn’t seen her in full costume for years, and she was breathtaking. Hypnotized by her fluidity and strength, my anger was lost in her grace.
I’m not sure how long I stood there watching or how she didn’t see me pressed up against the glass, but I bloody well knew Christian was aware of my presence. The smirk on his face when he held her body in a fish lift, carried her across the room, then caught and supported her by the thigh and waist into a perfect arabesque lift enraged me once more. He dropped her to her feet, and she flowed into another partnered pirouette, but I could see something was wrong. The sway of her body, wobbling on her feet, and sudden stiffening of her grip on his arm was telling. They were performing a section fromTheNutcracker. Evie had made Finn, Shelby, and I watch it every Christmas, and that was never part of the dance. Fuckface stopped her early in the final rotation, so her back was to me. He didn’t want her to know I was there.
Slowly, he lifted his eyes from hers, looked directly at me with a smug smile I wanted to slap from his face, then cupped her cheeks in his hands. I could see her body tense and begin to pull away, but he held her still.
That was it.
Disregarding the twenty-odd children I almost stepped on to get to her, I stormed into the room.“Get your hands off or I’ll unalive you so hard,” I bellowed, ripping his arm free and pushing him in the chest so hard he fell on his ass and skidded across the floor.
Spinning to face me, Evie gasped. “Nate! What are you doing? You can’t do that!” Then, in a move that tore my guts out, she rushed to Christian and helped him to his feet. “Christian, I am so sorry.”
“It’s okay, Evie. You don’t need to apologize for him. You’re not responsible for his stupidity or his actions. Threatening me like this, this aggression, is exactly what I was talking about earlier and why I am worried.”
“You’re callingmeaggressive?” My response was halted by several rightly horrified-looking parents making their way into the classroom to collect their children. They, along with Evie and Fuckface, continued to stare at me like I was an absolute freak—a giant, classless savage let loose amongst the gentry.
“I am so sorry for this,” Evie said as more parents bustled in. “Please forgive Nate. He’s a good friend and also…well, an overprotective idiot.”
“Friend? I’m your overprotective friend? Ahh, okay, that’s soul-destroying, but putting that tidbit aside, can you blame me—yourfriend—after what this turd burger pulled? I can’t believe you would put yourself in this situation.”
“No. I can’t believe you would put me inthissituation. It’s completely unacceptable, Nate. You need to leave.”
“Uh-huh. No way. I’m not leaving you here with him. You need me—”
“I don’tneedor want you here or anywhere. You have absolutely humiliated me, Nate. I don’t even want to look at you. Just go.”
“Sorry. Not gonna happen.” I point-blank refused to leave, so Christian and I stood face to face, eyeballing each other as Evie continued to apologize profusely to the kids and the last of the tutting family members. With the audience gone, I pulled Evie away to the side.
