Page 60 of Hot and Bothered
“No, I will, it’s fine,” Evan said, leaving the tablet and stylus on the table.
I leaned over on the sofa to get a look at the front door. Evan opened it. A young girl stood in front of him. She smiled brightly and enveloped him in a hug. I could see the features of her face clearly over Evan’s shoulder.
She had the same green eyes, the same dark chestnut hair. Their faces were similar, with the same nose and cheekbones. Her jaw was slimmer and more narrow than his, but one thing was clear. They were related.
“Hey Christie,” Evan said as she hugged him.
My heart sunk.
So this was Christie. It had been someone from his family. If there hadn’t been such an obvious age difference between them, they could have been fraternal twins.
They ended the hug and came down the hallway together. I quickly shuffled over on the sofa and pretended to be absorbed in my book, not wanting to get caught watching them. When they got to the living room, I looked up and pretended to see her for the first time.
“Hello,” I said politely.
“Hey!” Christie returned brightly. “You’re Alice, right? My brother told me lots about you.”
I smiled tightly. I couldn’t say the same for her. They were siblings after all, but Evan had never mentioned her once.
“It’s nice to meet you, Christie,” I said, studiously avoiding Evan’s eyes. “Here for a visit?”
Her mouth dipped with the briefest flash of a frown before curving upward again.
“I haven’t seen my brother in a while,” Christie said. “I thought it might be nice to stay for a day or two.”
A day or two? She was going to be here for more than just an afternoon visit? That would make things even more awkward between Evan and me. We wouldn’t be able to talk in front of her, and it would be weird if we purposely closed ourselves off in the bedroom and ignored her when she’d come to see her brother.
Would I be able to talk to Evan at all before work?
“Are you reading one of Evan’s books?” Christie asked.
I looked at the book in my hand.
“It’s one of my favorites,” I told her. “I’ve always admired the cover art.”
“He’s really talented, isn’t he?” She beamed up at Evan.
“Yeah,” I said. “He is.”
“Are you hungry?” Evan asked Christie. “I can get you something to eat.”
“I’d never say no to food,” she replied.
Just like her brother.
The two of them chatted in the kitchen while munching on carrot sticks, grapes, and cubes of cheese, like a mini charcuterie board. It was a pale imitation of the ostentatious spreads my parents put out at parties, but at that moment I would have given up a dozen wheels of brie and a mountain of prosciutto to be sitting at that kitchen table with them.
I hated fighting with Evan. I hated that he was mad at me. I hated myself for having stirred up all this trouble in the first place.
I tried to go back to my book, but I couldn’t help listening in on their conversation. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but they were loud enough for me to hear over in the living room. I couldn’t help but catch what they were saying.
“School’s been good?” Evan asked.
“Top of my class,” she said proudly. “I’ve gotten early acceptance at three colleges.”
“That’s awesome.” Evan ruffled her hair, messing up the strands, making her squawk in protest.
“I haven’t been accepted into my number one choice yet, though,” she said. “They’re the one with the full-ride scholarship.”
