“I haven’t seen John Davenport since he graduated from high school. No one has.”
She sat there, contemplating all that Mrs. Adams had told her. If what she said was true, then Chloe had family right here in Freedom Lake.
GUY HEADED FOR THE door. Who could be coming by the house so late? Thankfully, the girls had been asleep for a half hour. He had planned on going to bed early in case another attack of upset stomach visited the girls. Instead, he was going to have to entertain a visitor.
Guy stifled a groan when he saw Evan at the door.
“Hey, G, how are you?”
“Hanging in there, Ev.” He moved back. “Want to come in?”
“Thanks.”
Evan slowly passed him sans crutches. Apparently, he got a new prosthetic.
“We can hang in the kitchen. You hungry? Thirsty?”
“Nah, you don’t have to feed me, man.”
Guy chuckled. “The Haitian in me won’t let me not offer food.”
“I’ll take some water.”
He grabbed a bottle of water then tossed it to Evan. “How’s the new leg?”
Evan took a large gulp then wiped his mouth against his sleeve. “I don’t think it’s going to work.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. How did his friend do it? “Are you having another allergic reaction?”
Guy tried to keep his face neutral, but his stomach twisted in concern. The thought of going to the hospital again, where sickness and death reigned. It brought nothing but bad memories.
“It’s getting red. I’m pretty sure it’s another allergy. I have an appointment tomorrow to make sure. Doc’s going to run some test.”
“Then what?”
“If it’s another allergic reaction, then I’m hanging it up. I’ll just get by with the forearm crutches.”
“You cool with that?” He watched his friend’s face, looking for any signs that Evan would crack under the heavy weight of disappointment.
“I’m going to have to be, G. I’m not going to lie. It sucks, but...” a slow grin lit his face, erasing the strain. “Jo doesn’t care.”
Guy adverted his gaze. He couldn’t look Evan in the face and see the overwhelming happiness there. It had been too long since he experienced that emotion, it was almost painful to watch. He inhaled. “Then don’t let it stop you from being with her.”
“I won’t. I’m thinking of popping the question.”
His mouth dropped. “You’re that sure?”
“That she’s the one?” he countered. At Guy’s nod, Evan continued. “Definitely. She accepts me for who I am, who I’m not, and still loves me. You know that feeling where you wake up and know life can’t get any better?”
Guy nodded, hating the ache that took up residence in his chest. He had that with Charlene, but it had been snatched from him.
“That’s what I want to experience every day for the rest of my life.”
“Marriage is hard, Ev. It’s not all rainbows and sunshine.”
“No doubt. But it’s easier to navigate when you have someone willing to hold the umbrella against the storm.”
He reached out and gave his friend a slap on the back. “Good luck.”
“Thanks, G. I’m on the hunt for the perfect ring right now. I don’t want to get something so dainty it’ll get ruined while she works. Plus, she’ll probably take it off when she works. So, yeah, still thinking.”
Guy laughed. “The life of a construction worker. If I think of anything, I’ll let you know.”
He fingered the love knot ring in his pocket. He didn’t even know why he still hung on to it. He’d transferred it from pocket to pocket, no matter what he was wearing.
“Anyway,” Evan said with a wave of his hand. “I wanted to come and invite you to Bible study tomorrow.” He held up a hand. “Wait a minute before you say anything. I tried not to hound you. I wanted to give you ample time to work through what we discussed last week. Now I’m here to see how you feel about it all.”
Guy ran a hand down his face. Even though he knew this conversation was coming, Guy wasn’t ready for it. He stared at the bottle of water in his hand. “The topic surprised me.”
“Me as well. That was Chloe’s first time leading. She did an amazing job.”
“Wi, she did.” He bit his lip as a little Creole slipped out. His nerves had him searching for the childhood familiarity. “I’m just not sure I’m ready to go on a regular basis.”
“I can understand that. How about we have a guy’s night? You can skip Bible study tomorrow, but you have to hang with us Saturday.”
Guy stared at him. Evan was doing what any good friend would. Trying to keep him from falling into the abyss, only his friend had no idea Guy already landed there.
Don’t you want to get out? Live again?
“Come on, G.”
“If, I can find a babysitter...” He sighed.
Evan grinned. “I’ll ask Jo to watch them if it will ensure you come.”
He laughed, but the sound rang hollow. Was he ready to return to life?
Chapter Ten
Michelle opened the door, not surprised to see Evan on the other side. “Hey, Jo’s not here.”
He frowned and glanced at his watch. “Where is she?”
“She’s got a renovation consult with some new owners. I don’t recall their name.”
“All right, I’ll just call her.”
“Anything I can do to help?” Michelle didn’t know what made her ask, but now she had the strange urge to recall the offer.
“I’m hoping she can watch Guy’s girls Saturday. We’re going to have a guy’s night out.”
“If Jo gets this job, she’s probably going to be working Saturday.”
Evan turned away but not before she saw disappointment ushered across his face. Michelle stared at her fingers, noting the ring tan line. Should she offer to watch them? No. She didn’t even like kids. At least, that’s what she always told herself knowing she was too afraid to dig deeper than any surface emotions.
It’s just babysitting. You don’t have to keep them forever.
Before she could change her mind, she inhaled and let the air out in a rush. “I’ll watch them
