Page 55 of Defensive Indifference

Oh, yes I am, all over the counter. “It escaped in the car and bit me several times during the capture,” I admit. “How can little rodent bites bleed this much?”

“A little blood goes a long way. Here, put your hands under the cold water and I’ll get some bandages.” She glances over her shoulder. “And since it’s a biter, you can come to my apartment every week and clean the cage or it’s coming to live with you.”

Hours later, Evalina and I sit alone on the counter of her former bakery. Annie took Dustin and Tornado back to the apartment and left us to load the moving truck with the last of her property.

“I have no idea what I’m going to do with all those books. Donate them to the library, I guess.” She leans against the display case, exhausted.

“I have a game tomorrow night, but I can take them to the library for you in the morning if you want.”

“That would be helpful, thank you.” Evalina groans and slips off the counter. “I guess it’s time to go. I have a call with Layne tomorrow about the food truck design, and I want to be well-rested for those sorts of decisions.”

“Fair enough.” I hop off the counter and follow her through the kitchen to the back door. Everything is clean, though it doesn’t have to be. Demo is set for one week from now, but Evalina lovingly cleaned every corner, tile, and surface in her shop.

Her eyes scan her former kitchen one last time, her hand hovering over the light switch. She closes her eyes and tears slip free, dribbling down her face until she bites back a sob. It hurts to see her in pain, especially when there is nothing I can do about it. All I can do is press a hand to her back, support her, be present.

“I’m sorry. You must think I’m ungrateful after everything you’ve done to keep me on my feet.” She sniffles and wipes her eyes.

“Of course not. The food truck will be great, but it doesn’t have the memories this place has.” I’d offer to buy her any building she wants to run Sparkly’s, but the truth is the truth—it’s not the business, but the building. The memories Dustin has of this place are only part of the story. She has her own, and one zoning committee stole it all from her.

“I know I’ll make more memories with this new venture.” She stiffens her frame, puts on that determined face I saw the first day we argued. She’s not going to let this be the end of her story, but it is the end of a chapter.

“You will. We will, if you want me to be a part of it.”

Evalina’s teary eyes peer up at me and she smiles. “I know.”

She turns off the light, ending one part of her life and, prayerfully, opening it to another.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Evalina

Tornado seemed to calm down once he had proper bedding, food, water, and something to occupy him. Today, he’s done nothing but sleep with the occasional break for water. Dustin is happy, so I can’t complain too much, though we did have a serious conversation about tricking Koa into getting him a guinea pig and not a hamster. It’s the first time he’s truly stretched the truth, so I can’t be too angry.

“If you don’t hurry up, we’ll miss the warm-ups!” Dustin yells as he drags me along the halls to our seats. We’re right behind the dugout with a clear line of sight to everything. I’m glad for a different seat than our original, just in case Nick is a season ticket holder. I suspect that was also Koa’s concern, hence the new seating assignments.

My heart races with each step, knowing what this game means. After Dustin told me all about the guinea pig escapades in Koa’s car, I knew there would never be another man so laid-back enough to take such an incident like a champ. Considering where we started and where we are now, I think he’s learned the meaning of family, even how to tackle those ups and downs that almost break us.

We’ve both changed these past few weeks, and in that time, he’s stolen my heart. I can’t imagine not giving this a full shot, putting everything into it, not only for my son, but for me. I smooth my hands over my brand-new Sharks tee, one with his name on the back and his number on the sleeve, and settle in my seat.

The guys are warming up and Dustin spots Koa. I’m not sure if he can tell from where he is what I’m wearing. If he can, he doesn’t seem to react to it. Instead, he waves at Dustin and gets back to warming up.

“Can I have a hot dog?” Dustin asks.

“We just sat down and you literally ate ten minutes before we left the house.” He shrugs, so we head back up the ridiculously long set of stairs to the concessions stands, order food, drinks, and more snacks so I don’t have to do this again—at least until he’s filled himself to bursting and needs to go to the bathroom—and head back to our seats. Now, we have a neighbor. Lottie sits with a drink and a container of nachos, wearing the cutest pink Sharks tee.

“Hi there.” I slide into the seat, leaving Dustin between us.

“Oh, hi! Are these your seats now?” Her eyes brighten and she sits up a bit.

“Looks that way. How did you get one of those cute pink shirts?”

She eyes my blue one, notes the number, and grins. “Wives and girlfriends club. Why, do you want one?”

“Oh, stop,” I say and wave her off.

Andrew is down on the field coaching the pitcher and helping him warm up, but Koa waving gets my attention. When I connect with him, he points to the back of his jersey then points to me. I stand and turn around, lift my hair so he can see Keaton across my shoulders, and swallow the fear that creeps into my throat. This is it. This is what he asked me to do when I was all in, no going back now.

When I turn back around, he’s staring up at me as if I hung the moon until his coach yells at him to focus on the task at hand.