Page 27 of Firefly Effect

Kyle nods and heads out the front door. “See ya, boss!”

CHAPTER

EIGHT

LINCOLN

Lucy erupts into a fit of giggles as I pretend to race her to the water’s edge. She slows at the rocky shore and throws out a hand to me. I help her over the small rocks, thankful I thought to buy her water shoes before coming here. She’s adorable in her blue bathing suit with its ruffled skirt and the pink floaties wrapped around her arms and waist. There will never be enough bubble wrap to protect my little girl.

We stay near the rocks, splashing around and waving at the tubers who float by. Every now and then, I dart glances at the gathering in the pavilion that has been bursting with activity since the moment we arrived. A guitarist plays to a group of people who are celebrating Armando’s birthday.

It was Francine who slipped me the information that there would be a party here today—Kyle had mentioned it to her at Firefly. The possibility of running into Evie was too enticing to pass up.

“Did you see your friend?” Francine asks with a giant smile as she sets up her folding chair by the water’s edge.

I cock my head, playing dumb. Friends are not something I have in this town, nor do I plan to ever have friends. Still, I know exactly who she’s referring to. It’s the same gorgeous blonde I’ve been trying hard not to stare at since we arrived.

I allow myself to look at Evie now. She’s wearing a white bathing suit cover-up and is lounging on a large blue towel in the picnic area, reading. There’s something angelic about the way her long blonde hair splays out behind her head that makes me smile.

An internal groan sneaks up on me. I haven’t stopped thinking about the last time we were alone together, when she walked out of my office. She had every right to leave. Every right to tell me she was never coming back to therapy. And I, in turn, have absolutely no right to hope she would ever want to have a session with me again. My reaction to her confession was unprofessional, to say the least. I wanted her to trust me with her thoughts and feelings, not feel preyed on because of them.

Just then, Evie pushes herself to a sitting position and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. She lays her book down and begins to roll her neck like she’s been stuck in the same position for too long.

“Look, Daddy.” Lucy brings a rock up from under the water and pushes her hand close toward my face so that I can get a good view of the shiny white stone. “Gems!”

I gasp and take her hand to pull it closer. “Wow, goose. That looks like real treasure to me.”

She giggles and pulls her hand back to look at it again. The pride that lights up her entire body makes me smile.

“Go show Gammy your new treasure,” I tell her. “I need to go say hello to a friend.”

Lucy nods and climbs back onto the shore. I step out of the water behind her to make sure she stays safe on the rocky terrain then make my way to Evie.

It’s like Evie senses me coming—she looks up when I’m several feet away, her eyes quickly finding my bare chest before flicking back to my face.

“Look at that. We meet again.” I smile, unable to help the way I react to this woman, the way I desperately need her to want to be around me too. “What a small world.”

She slips her sunglasses up onto her head and squints up at me. “You mean what a small town. Not exactly a ton of options around here.”

I shrug. “You’re probably right. Though Lucy might argue with you. The options were swimming here, gem mining, or petting the goats. The girl had a tough decision to make.”

Evie’s lips curl up on the sides. “Poor thing. However did she choose?”

Grinning, I sit on the ground beside her, careful not to get her or her towel damp. “I might have had some influence.”

Evie glares playfully. “How selfish of you.”

Chuckling, I shake my head. “What can I say? I’d rather swim in a creek than feed smelly goats.” I pause. “Looks like you made the same decision.”

She seems to ponder what I said. “I might be on Lucy’s side here. Goats are much more enjoyable in my opinion. Unfortunately, I came for a birthday party.”

I look at the group of people around the guitarist. “Then why aren’t you over there?”

“I put in my time with them. Now, I want to read.”

Something about her matter-of-fact attitude impresses me. Evie’s not forcing herself to be anywhere she doesn’t want to be, even if that means separating herself from her peers.

“What are you reading?” I ask, changing the subject.

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