I put my hand up. "I know. I've gone over every possible scenario in the past eight years, believe me. Anything you can think of, I checked into it. I didn't know his new adoptive parent's last name and so I didn't get far. There were so many things my 14 year old self didn’t think to ask. Of course, I had no idea I’d need any information that he’d be unable to give to me later. But, I really did try to research whether there was a physical reason why he never contacted me. I came up empty each and every time."
"You were just kids though, Evie," Nicole starts, and I stop her by nodding my head no vigorously. "No, I know we were kids but these feelings were very, very real. For both of us. I can't explain why he abandoned me, why he lied to me, but I know that his feelings up to that point were very, very real. I will not talk myself out of that. I don't know why they changed, but I will not talk myself out of them existing at all." I bite my lip.
A loud buzz sounds from the kitchen and Nicole jumps up to turn off the stove and is back on the couch in about thirty seconds, staring at me spellbound again.
"Anyway!" I say, trying to boost the mood in the room, "That was eight years ago. I almost feel like I have to console them after the sad ending of that story.
Then, I bring them up to speed on Jake and his connection to Leo, how I confronted him, and him showing up today and asking for my phone number.
"Holy hell!" Nicole yells! "Evie, it's fate, that's what it is. I mean, I'm sorry to hear about Leo," she looks at me sadly. "But Jake's gorgeous, you say?"
I burst out laughing. Only Nicole. She winks at me, letting me know it was her intention to make me smile.
"Yes, completely gorgeous. Inhumanly gorgeous. I have no idea why he'd want to spend any more time with me but it seems like he does."
Nicole and Mike both are looking at me like I've got two heads. "Um, honey, have you looked in a mirror recently? She asks gently. Mike is nodding.
Mike continues, "Evie, do you realize that when you came to our fourth of July grill out last summer, every single guy there called me the next day asking if I could set him up with you?"
I wave my hand at them as if brushing their words away. "Mike, you do know that you have some seriously strange friends, right?" I smile though.
Mike laughs. "I know. Us electricians are not known for our amazing social skills, and that was mostly who was at that party. But they are still men, Evie. And they do still have eyes."
Kaylee bursts into the room at this point, demanding dinner. And I have to admit, I'm hungry too. Apparently, spilling burns a lot of calories.
We all head to the kitchen and Nicole takes the casserole out of the oven while I get drinks for everyone. The table is already set.
"Grab the salad from the fridge, hon," Nicole calls over to Mike and he grabs a bowl covered in plastic wrap before joining us with several bottles of dressing. We all sit down and say a quick blessing before dishing out the food.
During dinner, we chat casually, asking Kaylee about kindergarten and teasing her about her "boyfriend" Mason. It's fun and warm and it feels beautiful, like it always does. I wonder, as I always do when I come for dinner at Nicole and Mike's house whether I'll ever have a family of my own. I hope so but I don't allow myself to dream about that. It's safer not to. For now, sharing in their glow is enough.
After dinner, Nicole starts loading the dishwasher and I offer to give Kaylee a bath and put her to bed. We head upstairs and I fill the tub with warm water and bubbles and we chatter and laugh as she gets clean.
As I'm toweling her off, she asks, "Auntie, Evie, will you tell me a bedtime story? Your bedtime stories are the BEST!"
I smile, hugging her little towel clad body to me. "Yes, sweets, but it’s gotta be a quick one tonight because Aunt Evie is tired and I have to work early tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay!" she sings.
I help her put her nightgown on and brush her teeth and then we snuggle into her bed and I begin,
"Once upon a time there was a little girl who was so impossibly sweet, so intensely sweet, so amazingly sweet, that when someone kissed her, their lips would turn into a delicious flavor of candy."
"Did they turn hard like candy, Auntie Evie,” Kaylee asks, frowning slightly.
"No, not hard, just flavored, and a shade deeper than their natural color. It was not only delicious, but lovely.
"Her mom kissed her and her lips were the flavor of Cherry Vanilla. Her little sister kissed her and her lips were the flavor of bubblegum."
"But Aunt Evie, what if they didn’t like the flavor of their lips?"
"Well, the flavor only lasted for about three months so it would wear off eventually. But everyone loved the flavor of their lips because somehow the flavor was linked to the chemistry in the particular person's body and so it naturally came out just right each and every time."
Kaylee nods and snuggles closer.
"Well, eventually, word got out about this little girl and her unique ability and people came from all around the world to kiss her and get their own candy flavored lips. Pretty soon the crowds were so large that her parents had to start charging to keep the crowds down and so that they could afford to quit their jobs and set up a business that they called Candy Lips."
Kaylee yawns and so do I.
"The little girl grew sadder and sadder because of all the people who came just to take from her, to use her for her ability, day after day after day. Her parents watched her grow more withdrawn and distant by the week and their impossibly sweet little girl was withering before their very eyes."
Kaylee yawns again.
"So they moved to a distant country in the middle of the night and were never heard from again. Although there is a tribe of aboriginals in Australia who are said to have the rosiest, sweetest looking lips on the continent."
I wink down at Kaylee and stand up so I can pull the covers up to her beautiful little face.
"You rushed that ending, Aunt Evie," she says, but she's smiling a sleepy smile. "I'm going to think of something even better."
I laugh, "Well, okay, little critic. I can't wait to hear it." I smile at her again, kiss her forehead and walk to the door. "Goodnight little sweetness," I whisper as I turn out the light.
"Goodnight, Aunt Evie," I hear as I close the door.
CHAPTER 8
Evie is 10, Leo is 12