Page 73 of When Fate Breaks
“You said you need someone,” Blake says. “I’ll go with you.”
“But– I mean,really? Are you sure?”
“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t sure, Evangeline.”
My mouth hangs open as I debate whether or not to protest. I don’t want to make Blake come with me, but I wasn’t lying when I said it’d be a waste of a trip to go alone. My desperateness wins out in the end. “Okay,” I nod. “Thank you.”
“Annie? Hello?” I hear Remy’s voice calling and shove the phone back to my ear.
“It’s fine,” I say.
“You’re fine to go alone?”
“No, Blake’s coming with me.”
“...Oh.” I can hear the hint of hesitation and distaste in Remy’s voice but ignore it. He’s the one that put me in this situation.
“Yep,” I say, my tone clipped. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Babe, wait–”
I pause right as I’m about to hang up, hope creeping into my chest that Remy’s about to take back what he said and agree to go with me as originally planned.
“Aunt Lori Beth called a few minutes ago.”
Oh.
“She asked if you could meet her at the Old Scarlett House,” Remy continues. “She wanted to go over some things for the wedding shower. She asked for you to meet her at five.”
I pull my phone away from my ear long enough to see that it’s 4:21 p.m. It’ll be a rush, but I can make it.Unfortunately. “Yeah,” I say. “I can do that.”
“Great. See you later, Apple Jacks. Sorry about tomorrow.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Love you,” Remy says, ending the call.
I pull the phone away from my ear, turning back around to face Blake, a deep crease set between his brows.
“So,” I say, shifting on my feet, “Lori Beth needs me to meet her at the shower venue in just over half an hour and I’m kinda really covered in mud–”
“I heard,” Blake says. Oh.What else have you heard?I almost ask, but don’t. “It’s okay,” he confirms. “Go.”
“Okay. Thank you again for going with me tomorrow. It really means a lot.”
“You need me, I’m there. You know that.”
“Right,” I mutter, swallowing down whatever is suddenly rising in my throat. “Okay, I’m gonna go shower. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone.”
Blake makes his way back into the greenhouse, slowly sliding off his muddy flannel and tossing it over the edge of a table. “I think I’ll be alright, Evangeline. I’m a big boy.”
“If you say so,” I say, rolling my eyes. I take a step back, crossing my arms and admiring the greenhouse in full. “I really do love what you’ve done with the place, Blake. You’re not going to get reinspired and completely redo the whole thing while I’m gone, are you?”
“Nah.” Blake shakes his head with a grin, bending down to grab the hanging pot I failed at lifting. “You have to know when to walk away.”
“Or when to stay and fight.”
Blake freezes, his hands clutching the chain of the pot. I had said the words automatically, them flying out of my mouth before I even realized it. Blake’s head slowly turns to look at me. “A Kyle Di Fazio original,” I shrug, a smile tugging at my lips.
