Page 63 of The Wrong Side Of Us

Evelyn

A few days passed, and I was trying to get some normalcy back into my life. It was easier to breathe, easier to come to terms with the fact that all I could do was move forward. For some, it was hard to understand why my mom’s death affected me so much if I had no relationship with her, but that was precisely why. We would never grow close; I would never hear her reasons for not loving me enough.

With Nathan having long days at the gallery, I opted for going out and spending the day with Carter. It had been long after all, and I missed our outings.

“Look at you,” Carter said, extending his arms and pulling me into a warm embrace. “You are glowing.”

I laughed, placing my hand over his arm fondly. “You say that every time you see me.”

It had been so long since I’d seen Carter so happy. He took a seat across from me on the booth, grinning at me.

“How’s that little peanut behaving?” he asked as he took a sip of the coffee I’d ordered for him.

“Baby is doing well,” I said.

It was exciting to know that in just a matter of weeks Nathan and I would be having a child of our own. We even started talking about moving into a larger space, buy a house so our baby would have room to run around, have fun, and grow up with all his or hers brothers and sisters, because I wanted a huge family.

“Do you know anything about Derek Hensley?” I asked Carter, breaking the comfortable silence which surrounded us.

“I believe Hannah had a couple of meetings with him in the past, but I don’t know much about him. Why the question?”

I shrugged, trying to act nonchalantly. Carter saw right through me though, his eyebrows pulling together with doubt. “What is going on, Evelyn?”

I bit my lip, wishing I could tell him what was going on. I wasn’t the best at explaining myself, and that had caused problems with Nathan, because I did feel something for Derek, but it wasn’t romantic at all. It wasn’t something I could describe.

Sensing my distress, Carter sighed, leaning back. “I don’t know much about him, Evie. I do know that he’s been a bit of a trouble-maker, overheard a couple of conversations between Hannah and your mother regarding him.”

“What about?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I’m not sure. I just know your mother didn’t want Hannah making deals with him.”

I frowned. That was odd. My mom usually jumped at any potential client and the possibility of earning money. It didn’t add up.

Carter pursed his lips together, and immediately, I knew there was something else.

“What?” I asked, my heart racing. By the look on his face, it wasn’t good.

“Your mom…she didn’t like him, at all. She couldn’t tolerate him, couldn’t stand him.”

My heart clenched. “Why?”

“I never knew, Evie. Your mom was a very strange person, angry at the world. I don’t know why if she had everything.”

“He’s been talking to me,” I stated, swallowing thickly. Carter’s eyes widened in alarm. “He doesn’t come off as a bad guy to me, though, but—”

“But Nate’s warned you about him,” Carter interrupted, wearing a knowing look.

“Yeah.”

“But you don’t want to stop talking to Hensley, either?”

“I don’t,” I admitted, placing my face in my hands. “Nathan thinks I have feelings for him, though, and it’s not like that. I just feel the need to help him.”

Carter moved my hands away from my face, squeezing one gently. “Okay, well, here’s a question for you, darling. Has Hensley asked for your help?” I blinked a couple of times, looking at back Carter’s tender blue eyes. They softened when I shook my head no. “Then maybe he doesn’t want it, dear. I’m not saying to stop talking to him, but I am saying to stop worrying about someone who hasn’t asked for you to worry about them. You have a baby to grow, a man who worries about you day and night. Take care of that instead.”

Nodding, I sighed, gaze down. “It just feels wrong. Like no one has ever been there for him and I shouldn’t be the same.”

Carter smiled warmly. “You’ve always been very willing to help people, Evie, exactly like Anne. She would have loved the young woman you have become.” Carter paused briefly, taking another sip of his coffee. “But she would have also told you to be careful. Trust your instinct if you feel something is off.”

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