Page 28 of Holding on to Chaos
Over omelets and coffee, they dissected every text and interaction between Eva and Donovan. The verdict: Eva was dating Blue Moon’s sheriff.
“I can’t for the life of me figure out why he’s interested?” They had nothing in common as far as she could tell.
“I can think of two reasons that he got an eyeful of in yoga,” Joey quipped, pointing at Eva’s chest.
“I’m sure he likes you for more than just your chest,” Reva said sympathetically.
“Of course he does,” Emma said, tucking an arm around Eva. “You’re smart, you’re beautiful, you’re the best damn technical writer the world has ever seen.”
Eva pushed the twinge of guilt aside. She’d tell them. Soon. “Why are you pep-talking me?”
“Because I don’t want any of your Mom-baggage holding you back like it did me. I could have ended up in Niko’s bed—life,” she corrected with a glance at Aurora, “a lot sooner had I not been so hung up on protecting myself.”
Eva saw it when Reva’s smile faltered. The girl’s own mother had abandoned her and her younger brother, Caleb, and hadn’t been heard from since summer. Eva patted Reva on the hand.
“I think you’re projecting,” Eva told Emma lightly.
Emma shook her head. “Trust me, little sister. We all carry the scars. I was afraid of anything that wasn’t one-hundred percent secure. Gia over there is obsessive about her kids to make up for Mom ducking out on us.”
“Am not!” Gia argued. She was squeezing Lydia and Aurora on her lap, making both kids squirm.
“Are too!” Aurora wheezed, trying to slip free under the table.
“I haven’t figured out what your damage is yet.” Emma pointed her fork at Eva. “But when it rears its sticky, ugly, complicated head, you can count on us.”
Eva smiled despite herself. For the first time in her adult life, she was putting down roots. She was surrounded by family and friends, by dogs and kids. Her career was climbing, and she had a date with a man so sexy he could have walked off the pages of one of her books. Her sisters were happy. Her father was happy.
She wasn’t going to let anything ruin it.
“Okay. Thank you, Emma, for airing our family’s dirty laundry in front of these innocent victims. Now, enough about me, please. What’s going on with everyone else?”
Reva’s eyes never left her plate. “I have a date for Homecoming,” she said casually.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Donovan arrived promptly at 6:58 with a bouquet of orange and pink spray roses and eucalyptus. Liz at the flower shop called it “Colorful Chaos,” and he couldn’t think of a more appropriate gift for Eva.
He knocked on the cottage’s front door, and through an open window, he heard footsteps hurrying across the upstairs floor. The footsteps hit the stairs too fast and something that sounded like a body hit a wall. He heard her curse, loudly, colorfully, and then she came into view sauntering down the stairs and crossing the kitchen to open the door.
“Hi.”
Donovan felt like he’d had the wind knocked out of him. Eva was standing there looking up at him, beaming. Her hazel eyes bright with anticipation, her full rosy lips parted in a heart-rattling smile.
He didn’t even notice what she was wearing. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was the fact that he was inconveniently, irretrievably, nonsensically head over heels.
Still reeling from the face-first skid into realization, Donovan wordlessly held up the flowers.
“Wow. You are nailing the old-school date moves,” Eva sighed, accepting the bouquet and bringing it to her face. “Come in, and I’ll put these in water.”
He followed her inside, rubbing a hand over the heart that seemed to have grown uncomfortably full in his chest.
“Would you like a drink?” Eva offered. “Or are you on call?”
“Colby and Layla have it covered tonight.”
“Beer?” she offered.
He wished for something a little stronger, something that would take the edge off the realization that his life was never going to be the same. “Beer’s good.”
