Page 116 of Murder By the Millions
Evelyn glanced to her right. No one was listening in. I waited patiently. She regarded me again. “We were good friends. No, we were great friends.”
Wow. I hadn’t seen that with binoculars.
“Best buddies. We played together. Studied together. Attended the same college. She was going to be the best mathematician in the world. I was going to become a world-class actress, and then …” She drifted off again.
“She met my father and forsook you.”
“No. Never mind. It’s not mine to divulge.”
Before she could escape, I nabbed her elbow. “Uh-uh. You do not get to drop a bombshell and walk away. Fern likes me to know the truth. If she hasn’t told me, it’s because she didn’t think it was important. What happened?”
“She met my boyfriend.”
I gasped. “You called her a vagabond. Did she run off with him?”
“They traveled the US for one summer. He was head over heels for her. But when the autumn semester began, she dumped him, and he was never the same. I blamed her for his downfall. I reproached myself for ever trusting her. Looking back”—she sighed heavily—“I realize it wasn’t her fault. She was alluring and funny.”
Fern, alluring? Funny?I rolled my eyes.
“Alluring,” Evelyn continued, “because she was so knowledgeable and could speak rings around anyone.”
“And funny?”
“In a math genius kind of way. Do you know what mathematicians do after it snows?” She waited for a response. When I didn’t reply, she said, “They make snow angles.” She guffawed. “Angles, not angels!”
“That’s a genius joke?”
“It’s dumb, but it made her so relatable.” Her eyes crinkled.
“I’ve held a grudge for far too long. I owe her an apology. She was a good mother to you.”
“She didn’t teach me how to cook.”
She pulled a face. “There are other lessons a parent can instill.”
“Like how to not put down roots?”
“What a horrible comment that was. I never should have uttered it at Marigold’s memorial. Forgive me?” She tilted herhead. “If you’ll give Fern my number, please tell her I’d like to make amends. Maybe coming from you, she’ll call me.”
“I’ll be glad to.” I caressed her arm. “Why didn’t you become an actress?”
“I was a basket case. Heartbreak showed up in every performance. I needed to pursue something more administrative, something less emotionally taxing. It was the best decision.” She pecked my cheek and crossed the room to chat with Chloe.
Tegan waved to me and gave me a questioning look. I gestured with a thumbs-up.
Zach saw I was free and rejoined me. “Got a sec?”
“More than a sec.” I licked my lower lip. His gaze followed my tongue. I felt my cheeks burn. “You keep avoiding me. It’s because I brought up the kiss, right?”
“Shh,” he urged. “Let me speak. It is about the kiss. I’d wanted to kiss you for the longest time. I was so nervous about it. When you leaned forward, I froze. I know it wasn’t a good kiss. A proper kiss. Then when you said you shouldn’t have kissed me and rued having done so, I thought,Well, that’s that. We’re done. Friends going forward.”
I tugged his tie and pulled his mouth to mine. We kissed sweetly, eyes open. It was better than the first. Way better.
The front door opened and nearly hit me in the rear end. Laughing, I released Zach and apologized to the newcomer. Then my jaw dropped, because I recognized her.
“Delilah,” I whispered. “You came.”
“Yes,” she said in a dulcet voice. “I came.”
