Page 44 of Tattoo My Heart
“Sit,” Gertrude commands. “We will talk now.”
I try to hide my amusement. Gertrude must be Evie’s guard dog. Which is a good thing. I love that she has someone like Gertrude in her corner.
My phone dings with a notification just as I am about to take the first sip of coffee.
“I didn’t put any creamer in the coffee,” Gertrude informs me with a serious face. “I didn’t take you for a creamer kind of guy. More like a tough guy who cracks walnuts with his tooshie.”
She snickers when she adds that last part, and I wink at her in response.
“That is correct.”
The phone dings again, reminding me that I have a message.
“Miss Gertrude, excuse me while I check my messages.”
“Wow,” she clasps both hands to her chest. “He is polite, too.”
I am about to give her a smartass remark when I frown at the screen. The first notification is to let me know that I have a new message in theHolidatesapp. The second is a text message from Evie. I don’t need to think twice about which one I want to read first.
It takes me a minute to process what her message says. When it all finally clicks into place, I let out a booming laugh. Since it’s still early morning and the house is quiet with the exception of the washer running, my laugh sounds louder yet.
“Keep your voice down, young man,” Gertrude warns me. “You’ll wake Millie up. You don’t want her up in your business, trust me.”
I look up from the phone and shake my head in confusion.
“Who’s Millie?”
“She lives in the house on the other side,” Gertrude explains to me. “She likes to say that she had been Evelyn’s grandmother’s best friend. too. But I was her number one.” She sits back and crosses her hands over her chest. “So you know.”
“So noted,” I mumble and look back down at my phone, reading the message again.
Queen Evie: Cal, thank you for spending the night last night. I had to leave for work early. Please help yourself with a cup of coffee on your way out. I won’t be able to see you again. I am seeing someone, and I hope for it to get serious. I wish you all the best. Maybe we’ll run into each other when we visit the parents. Thanks again – Evie
I’m not sure how to process anything that she just texted. If I didn’t know for a fact that she’s not involved with anyone, this is the part where I’d get angry. Another thing I find amusing is how she signed her name at the end of the text, like I wouldn’t know who sent it.
I gave her the title of Queen after overhearing her in the grocery store that one time. We didn’t get to her giving me a blowjob last night. I figured I’d ease her into that.
“What’s so funny?”
I look up in surprise. I am so focused on everything Evie right now, I forgot that I am not alone.
“Evie,” I shrug at Gertrude. “She’s a trip.”
“That’s he is,” Gertrude agrees, maybe a little too fast.
Now that I read Evie’s text, I open theHolidatesapp to check what message I got on there. When I see it is from Evie, I bust out laughing. I am laughing so hard, I have to squint at my phone to read what it says.
Khail,
I would like to start off by apologizing for my previous message. I had second thoughts about using a date off a website, however, I have since changed my mind. I am hoping that you are still available to go out with me to the July Fourth party in the Hamptons. In exchange, I agree with your terms that you set in your initial message to me. Please let me know as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Evelyn Moore
I run a hand through my hair, messing it up a bit more than it already is. It’s amusing that Evie thinks she’s dropping me like this for, well, me.
She is not going to be happy when she finds out.
