Page 32 of When Fate Breaks
“Are you heading somewhere?” I ask.
“Oh, yeah,” she responds, her gaze flicking up once from her phone screen. “To work. And to run a few errands. Well, actually, a lot of my workisrunning errands, but, yeah.”
Running errands?That doesn’t sound anything like what she always wanted to do. “Are you doing something with marketing?”
“Um, sort of,” Evangeline replies, pushing back that pesky strand of hair, not quite meeting my eyes. “I actually work for Remy’s company.”
I’m certain I was not able to catch the mixture of pure shock and confusion that just hit me before it made its way to my face. I quickly scoot past her and back into the greenhouse, needing something to do with my hands as a distraction. “You two…work together?” I ask as evenly as possible, starting in on another panel.
“Yeah. For the last four years actually. It’s been nice.”
Four years? Nice?Seriously? I clear my throat to cover up the choke threatening to escape. “What do you do?”
“Business operations,” she shrugs. “Coordinating and bookkeeping. Scheduling.”
I abandon the panel, standing up straight and turning in her direction.
So…she’s a secretary?It’s not like there’s anything wrong with that, but…that’s just not something I ever would have seen her doing. No, secretary work never would have satisfied the Evangeline Jacks I knew.
Much less secretary work under a man with half the brain of her.
She had such big dreams and every capability of reaching them. Evangeline isthe hardest working and most ambitious person I’ve ever known. She’s always had such passion. I can see the light in her eyes talking about her dreams of marketing like it was yesterday.
What happened?
I almost find myself bold enough to ask her out loud, but she speaks again, not giving me the opportunity.
“I’m only there part-time though,” she continues. “It’s given me flexibility to help out at the store.”
“The store? Your parents’ store?” Evangeline drops her head in a slight nod. I notice her cheeks seem a shade pinker than normal. “You’re… You're still working at the store?”
“Yeah,” she replies, averting her gaze. “Dad needs the extra help as he’s getting older. And I don’t mind. It gives us time to spend together.”
I can feel the deep crease set between my brows but am unable to relax them. I am fully aware and understand better than anyone that things don’t always work out the way we plan them, and that the future is never certain, but, if there was anyone I’d bet on to have complete control over their future, it would be Evangeline. Though I had always felt she was too hard on herself, it was also one of the things I’ve always admired the most about her. There was no one else with the steadfastness and unwavering resolve towards life that Evangeline Jacks had. As much as I could never personally relate to it, I think she had her entire future mapped out the day she was born, and hell if she wasn’t dead set on reaching every destination on her journey.
I can’t help but wonder at what point she decided to throw her map away.
And whether or not it was a good thing.
“When’s the last time you worked there?” I finally managed to ask.
“Last week.”
I begin to nod in response when something occurs to me. I glance up to see Evangeline back on her phone, an exasperated look on her face. “I thought you said you hadn’t talked to your parents in awhile?”
“Did I say that?” She barely gets her head raised before her phone starts buzzing again. “Sorry, one sec,” she says, holding up a finger and typing out some sort of frustrated response with her free hand.
I let out a sigh, watching her as she types. I notice her freckled nose scrunching up in focus the same way it always has. I have a million questions and concerns swirling around in my brain, but, all at once, I realize they’re really none of my damn business. She’s a grown adult.We’regrown adults. She’s had an entire life for the past six years that I’ve had no part in. It’s about time that I truly accept that the Evangeline Jacks I knew…might just…not exist anymore.
I feel a pinch in my chest and a voice coming to the forefront of my mind trying to fight me the moment I admit that to myself, but I quickly shake them both away. I give the panel I’ve been working on one final kick before it gives way. I catch the glass in my hands, turning back towards Evangeline. “Well, that’s good,” I say with every ounce of enthusiasm I can muster. “As long as you’re happy.”
Her brown eyes snap up to me so fast that I pause in front of her. Our gazes remain locked for several seconds. I can feel another bead of sweat making its way down my face but am unable to swipe it away with the panel of glass in my hands. I want to attempt to dip my head down and wipe it away on the shoulder of my t-shirt, but I don’t feel able to break her eye contact.
Evangeline’s eyes dart back and forth between mine a few times, the tension thickening with each growing second before she suddenly breaks, shaking her head. “Yeah,” she chuckles.
Feeling allowed to move again, I walk past her in the door once again to set the panel down with the others, finally wiping the sweat from my raised brows before turning back to her. “What’s funny?”
She lets out a thoughtful sigh, leaning against the doorframe. “Just…Happy.” She makes air quotes with her hands around the second word from under the pile of things still in her arms.
