Page 60 of EverGreene
“What? She’s never been here before, and I just want to make sure she isn’t lost and needs directions.”
“Whatever you need to tell yourself.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, opening my mouth to reply when the telltale buzz erupted near the door, signaling someone was downstairs waiting to be let in. Nix, like the bastard he was, ran to the door, beating me to the punch to answer.
“Is this the titular Ever Moore, the woman Loche can’t stop talking about, no matter how much I ask him not to?”
“You’re on borrowed time.” I sneered at him.
“That’s me, I guess,” Ever answered. Her voice shook just the tiniest bit.
“Why hello, Ever. I’m Nix. Loche’s better-looking, stronger, funnier, smarter, and better-hung roommate. Dinner’s ready, and we’ve been waiting for you in apartment 823.”
Yup. I was going to kill him.
“823, I’ll be right up.”
Nix buzzed her inside as my mom turned to me. “Her name is Ever Moore? Isn’t that a work of Edgar Allen Poe or something?”
“You’re thinking of the word nevermore, which also happens to be my nickname for her that she one-hundred percent doesn’t despise at all.”
“Another reason why Loche keeps striking out with her.” Nix ribbed me some more, clearly forgetting the frequency with which I routinely handed him his ass in the ring.
“Wait,” my Mom added, an epiphany having struck her. “If you two get married, her name is going to be Ever Greene.”
“For the love of all things holy and sacred to you, includingJon Bon Jovi, do not mention that to Ever when she’s here unless you want to see her disappear, leaving a trail of Ever-shaped smoke in her wake like a Warner Bros cartoon.”
“But it’s so cute.”
“Mother, I beg of you. Don’t.”
“Fine,” she answered, deflated. “I’ll have you know you just ruined Thanksgiving for me.”
“And I’ll be able to live with that.”
Minutes later, a knock on the door heralded Ever’s arrival. Ignoring Nix’s snickering, I turned toward the door, exhaling sharply as I opened it. Behind it stood Ever, looking less like the spitfire I’d gotten to know and more like the vulnerable woman she allowed herself to be when she didn’t think anyone was watching. Her beanie matched the long, black coat that fell to her knees. On her feet, she wore the boots I sent her last winter, after she came to work with wet feet from walking in the first heavy snowfall that blanketed our area.
“Nevermore.” I smiled. “It’s forty degrees out. Why are you dressed like you’re about to go hiking in the Arctic tundra?”
“Because everyone here has a warped sense of when wearing coats and shorts is appropriate. This is one of the coldest Thanksgivings I’ve ever celebrated, second only to the one last year.”
“Are you going to invite her in, or do we have to make our way out into the hall?” my mother asked from behind me.
Ever chuckled as my cheeks began to burn, and I gestured for her to come inside the very place she’d been begging V to show her. “Ever, this is my mom, Evelyn. Mom, this is my coworker, Ever.”
“Oh, isn’t she lovely.” Mom admired Ever, ignoring her personal space and taking her in her arms for a hug. “You can call me Evie.”
“Nice to meet you,” Ever replied, her cheeks now a shade of crimson, matching my own.
“And now that you’ve been mauled by my mother, this is my roommate, Nix.”
Ever looked behind my mom to see Nix waving at her with a smug smile on his face. “Nice meeting you, too.” She paused, studying Nix as though trying to recall him from somewhere deep in her memory. “Have I—have we met before?”
Fuck me.
Nix may be a raging dick from time to time, but he knew how to play it cool when he needed to. “Not in this life. I’m sure it probably feels like we’ve met before because Loche can’t stop talking about me at work, right?” He covered half his mouth and leaned in, miming as though he was moving in to whisper a secret. “Dude is mildly obsessed with me.”
I rolled my eyes, reaching out to Ever to take her coat and the bag she’d brought with her.
