Page 42 of Defensive Indifference

Evalina’s cheeks redden, and she lowers her gaze. “There’s nothing all that incredible about me. I’m doing my best, that’s all.”

“Your best makes other people’s best seem so mediocre.” My hand gets away from me, and I tuck her hair back, cup her cheek, and lift her face so I can see her eyes. “Don’t sell yourself short, Evalina. You intrigue me, frankly. No one sasses me like you do, no one challenges me, no one calls me out like you.”

“I annoy you? That’s why we’re friends?” she laughs but leans into my touch.

“I did not say that. If anything, I annoy you.”

Her laughter grows again, but so does the late hour. She needs sleep if she’s going to get to work in the morning. I don’t doubt she’ll want to shower and wash the day away as well, and I’m keeping her from that.

“I’m going to head out unless you need me to stay.”

Her eyes haze over and she stands. “No, I’m fine. Thank you again for coming. No more dates for me, that’s for sure.”

Standing to meet her, I grasp her chin, catch her gaze. “I hope that’s not true. You owe me a pizza and more games, remember?”

“What? When did I agree to that?” She doesn’t wiggle free.

“I asked you and Dustin to go out with me again, but you chose this date instead. It wasn’t a no, exactly, so I’m assuming it was merely a postponement.”

“It’s not a date if Dustin is there now, is it?”

“You’re a package. I don’t expect you to leave him with a sitter to go out with me. I want you both there. Besides, the games are more fun with him. You’re a poor loser.”

Her mouth falls open. “Koa Keaton, you big, fat liar!” She smacks me repeatedly until I duck away from her. I could do this for the rest of my life, truly. “Fine, we’ll go have pizza and games with you again soon. Now go home so I can sleep and get up dreadfully early.”

“Do you need a ride?”

“Nope, Annie is coming and Dustin asked to come to the bakery tomorrow, so feel free to stop in if you’re in the area.”

Admittedly, I’d love to spend the day with her son again, but I get it. She doesn’t want to change his routine that much. Caution is her middle name.

“I will, thanks.” Man, I want to kiss her, but that would be a jerk move after the night she’s had, so I settle for a brief goodbye hug and shut her door behind me. Once I hear the deadbolt slide into place, I head to my car.

An idea hits me. I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before now. Yanking my phone from my pocket, I call Andrew. After a few rings, he picks up, groggy and annoyed.

“It’s one in the morning, Koa. You better be dead or in jail.”

“Ah, man, sorry. I wasn’t thinking about the time. I’ll call you in the morning.”

“It is morning, and now I’m awake. What’s going on?” I hear his bed creak and assume he’s heading out of his bedroom to talk without disturbing his wife.

Wife.

Man, for the first time in my life, the word doesn’t scare the snot out of me. I’m thinking in terms of commitment, long term, maybe even forever.

“You know how Evalina has to move her donut shop, right? I was wondering…I mean, I know it’s not the same thing that Layne is doing with the food truck in Charleston, but what if…could they possibly want to expand?”

“What do you mean? Bring Evalina in on it? They don’t have a bakery truck.”

“I know, but…” Suddenly this one in the morning inspiration doesn’t feel so genius.

“You want to help her. I get it. Let me call Layne later and float the idea. There might be something there. We’ll see, but in the meantime, go home and get some sleep and never, ever call me this early again unless you want to suffer the wrath of Lottie.”

“Got it,” I chuckle. “Let me know what they think.”

“Night, you lovesick goon.”

“You were there first, my friend. Night.”