Chapter Thirty-Three
Alex
Evie had been weird for the last couple days. Her smile was too bright. Her words too cheerful. She didn’t always look me in the eyes, and when she did, I caught glimpses of something heavy. She was hiding something from me, but I had no idea what it could be.
Part of me was afraid she’d seen that stupid note I left in the manuscript, but I kept telling myself she’d have said something if that was true. The idea had come to me in the middle of writing a scene and I’d left a bracketed note so my mind wouldn’t fixate on it and I could move on. I could never include Evie’s story as a plot point. It was too personal, and she’d made it crystal clear how she felt about the topic after I spilled the beans at Cheers ‘n Beers. I’d intended to delete the note after I finished writing for the day, but had tumbled into bed exhausted instead.
A much bigger part of me insisted Evie thought I’d abandoned her in favor of my manuscript. That for as much as I hoped she understood, for as much as she said she understood, it still hurt too much to wait for my attention. I knew that feeling too well. I resented my dad for never being around when I was little, especially after Mom fell off the edge. When I realized my personality shared that flaw with his, I tried to cut him some slack…I just couldn’t.
There was only a week and a half until my deadline came due. A week and a half of hard work before I could finally emerge from the office and give Evie the attention she deserved. She’d hold on that long. I was sure of it.
“Right?” I asked Morgan, who looked up from his place on the floor. “Everything will be fine as soon as I’m done.”
The weirder Evie got, the more my daily word counts slipped. Instead of being lost in my world, I’d find myself worrying about whether I should stop and check on her. At the same time, I knew that if I did step away from the keyboard, I’d be distracted the entire time, worrying about the words I should be writing as my deadline tick, tick, ticked closer.
The pressure was getting to me. My mood suffered. Was any of this even worth it?
I sighed as Morgan dropped his head into my lap. “I knew better than to try and have a relationship. I promised myself I wouldn’t let this happen again but here it is. Happening.” I scratched behind his ears and he huffed in contentment. “At least I never let you down.”
Except for every time Evie had to take him on a walk or put food in his bowl. Larry had even been spending most nights at her house because he had a bad habit of laying on my laptop to get my attention.
I just didn’t have the time for him.
For any of them.
I ran a hand along the back of my neck, pausing to massage the muscles clenched as tight as bone. “It’ll all be over in a week and a half.”
Except there’d be another book. And another. And another. More deadlines. More days locked in my office while the world ticked by outside. More days for Evie to feel alone. Neglected. More chances for me to become my father.
And that was that. The words were gone. The story dissipated. The real world was too heavy for me to leave behind. I pushed back from the desk, stretching my arms toward the ceiling as my back and neck creaked and popped. Outside, snow drifted to the ground, covering up the path of footprints connecting Evie’s house to mine.
If the words were gone, I might as well ease my fears and spend the evening with her. I picked up my phone and powered it on. Lo and behold, a text from her popped onto the screen.
I’m gonna meet Izzy at Cheers ‘n Beers tonight. We’d love your company if you can pull yourself away from the story. Miss you big, White Knight.
I checked the time. Evie was probably already at the bar, having drinks with my sister, wondering if I would show. Imagining the surprise on her face when I walked through the door, I stood and headed for the bathroom to check my hygiene. My phone rang halfway down the hallway, and I frowned when I saw Mom’s smiling face pop up on the caller ID.
“Hey, Mom. How’re you doing?”
I decided to wear that black V-neck sweater Evie loved so much and the thought of her eyes lighting up had my mood improving with each step.
“I’m great,” Mom said with so much enthusiasm I knew it was a lie. “How’s the book?”
“Looks like I’m gonna make my deadline after all.” I reached into my closet, only to remember the sweater was in the hamper. I’d worn it the last time I felt bad about leaving Evie alone for too long. “Thanks for being so understanding about me having to bail on you. I miss seeing you every day,” I said as I searched for Evie’s second favorite shirt.
Mom tsked. “Don’t worry about it for a second. You always make me feel like I matter, even when you’re busy. You’re not your father, Alexander. No matter how much you think you are.”
What would you say if you could see me right now?
We chatted about the book as I picked at my hair in the mirror, then the topic moved to Evie as
