Page 35 of When Fate Breaks
I stand up to my full height, ready to begin my trek back to the greenhouse, when something pulls me to the bookshelves. I walk over to them, seeing books of all ages and genres filling every available space; it’s the various picture frames scattered throughout the shelves, however, that truly draw my attention.
I see several pictures of Evangeline with her sister Steph and a few of her with Remy that I glaze over completely. I make my way further down the wall and see one of her with two girls I believe were her college roommates and a couple of her with her Grammy. Feeling satisfied with my level of prying, I turn to leave, but then pause, a frame catching my eye in my peripheral vision.
I walk over to the portion of bookshelves in the corner closest to the doorway, picking up the small gold frame sitting at my eye level. The photo in this frame is completely different from all the rest. It has to be at least twenty years old, the age showing in the creased corners and yellowed coloring.
I immediately recognize Evangeline’s parents. The shot seems to be somewhat candid, both of them laughing and Brett’s arm slung around Heidi. I glance to the side and swallow hard when I notice the background. A man stands in the doorway of a room just behind them, a smile I’d recognize anywhere spread across his face and a tiny baby cradled in one arm.
Dad.
Dad holdingme. My teeth sink into my bottom lip, stifling my grin.
How have I never seen this picture before? And why does Evangeline have it? Even better, why does she have it on display in her office?
I hold the frame up closer to my face, trying to take in all of the details, when a sudden voice startles me, the picture falling from my hands.
“Annie Jacks, I swear to Jesus Christ and Harry Styles themselves, if I have to drag you out of this house by your beautiful fucking hair,I will–”
The door of the office is flung all the way open at the same moment I barely manage to regain grip on the picture frame, saving it from shattering into a million pieces. When I look up, I’m met with the wide-eyed gaze of a petite woman, her curly blonde hair fanned around her face and her cheeks pink like she’s been in a heated rush.
“Who the hell are you?” she demands. I don’t even get a chance to respond before her hand flies to her mouth. “Wait,” she says, her spine straightening. “Oh. My. God.”
I slowly set the picture frame back on the shelf behind me, making sure to put it as close to exactly like I found it as possible.
“The man, the myth, the legend.”
My lips twitch into a smirk. I adjust my baseball cap, turning back and taking a few steps towards the woman. Her arms cross over her chest.
“That little rat,” she murmurs.
I can’t help the chuckle that leaves me as we both shake our heads at the same time.
“Hey, Leah.”
TWELVE YEARS AGO
Annie
“Oh, sir! Take a left here, please.”
The taxi driver veers sharply to the left at my dad’s direction, sending my mom and Steph’s weight sliding against me, pushing me into the wall of the car. I glance up and out of the window, seeing we are going the opposite way of the arrow on the street sign indicating the direction of Boston College.
“Are we not going straight to campus, Dad?” I question.
“Change of plans. Kyle texted me while we were dropping off our bags at the hotel. The game doesn’t start until 6:30, so we’ve got a little over three hours to kill. A pit stop was suggested.”
“Where?” Steph asks.
“The Boston Public Garden.”
I shake my head, a light chuckle escaping me. “Let me guess who could have suggested that.”
Ten minutes later, we are out of the taxi and walking through the wrought iron gate and cement pillars that make up the entrance to the Boston Public Garden. Once inside, though my breath is taken away by the grand assortment of trees, their leaves various shades of green, yellow, and orange as it is just transitioning to autumn, my attention is immediately drawn to the massive statue of George Washington on horseback one hundred feet in front of me; more specifically, the family clad in shades of dark red at the base of the statue.
As we walk closer, my eyes find Blake right away. Though his back is turned to me, I can tell that he’s smiling as he talks animatedly to his dad about something. I, for some reason, reach up and smooth my hands over my side braided hair, attempting to tuck a few of the loose strands back in place. It would have been nice to have a brush back at the hotel. I pinch the front of my white tank top, bringing it up to my nose.And maybe some body spray to freshen up with as well.I adjust the fabric of my thin blue cardigan on my shoulders, wrapping it a little tighter around myself.
I look up just as Kyle spots us, pointing over Blake’s shoulder in our direction. I catch just a glimpse of Blake’s face as he turns around before Emily blocks my view, speed walking straight for me. “Hey girlie!” she beams as she throws her arms around me, her dark curls tickling my face.
“Di Fazios!” I hear my dad shout from behind me.
