Page 38 of Falling for You
Text when you get home, Sophie’s said.
OMG, what a mess!, was all Mallory offered.
Emily wasn’t much better with a shrugging emoji.What did you expect from dad?
“What did I expect?” Evan sighed and pocketed his cell phone. He expected respect and a little interest in his life, notwithstanding years of behavior to the contrary.
He paid for their snacks and headed back into the chilly evening, where CeCe was propped against his car. Despite everything that had transpired that night, Evan felt a tiny kernel of hope in his chest that he hadn’t completely blown his chances. Surely, CeCe knew him better than to assume he was a carbon copy of his father.
CeCe met him by the passenger’s door, helping herself to a Diet Coke and opening her package of peanut butter cups. “You want one?” she asked, holding the paper tray out to him.
Truth be told, he wasn’t hungry. A round of humiliation was bound to ruin a guy’s appetite. “Thanks for pumping the gas,” he offered lamely.
“Thanks for buying me sugar and caffeinated fake sugar,” she quipped, taking a long pull of the Diet Coke.
Evan leaned against the car and crossed his legs at the ankles. Spring had nearly made it to Ohio, and he could smell the changes in the air. His allergies were getting bad, and he could see a fine dusting of green pollen on his car. In a matter of weeks, summer would be knocking on the door, and they would be competing against her old boss. Evan was so relieved they would be part of the competition. Suddenly, he felt he had a lot to prove—and to more people than CeCe’s former boss.
Granted, he knew little to nothing about Eric Watson, but Evan still wanted to kick Eric’s butt. CeCe was the most dedicated, confident woman Evan had ever met—inside and outside the kitchen. It drove him crazy that this jerk had filled her head with doubt all those years ago. His father’s lack of enthusiasm for the competition did nothing to quash the desire to win.
CeCe balled up her candy wrapper and tossed it into the trash. With a sigh, she headed back to the passenger’s door and wrenched it open. Evan shuddered at the sound of creaking metal. “You going to drive me home, or are we still moping?”
Evan nearly choked on his soda. “Still moping? Don’t you think I have every reason to be horrified? My God, you have every reason to be horrified! This was a freaking nightmare.”
CeCe ducked into his car and slammed the door. Evan jogged around to get behind the wheel. When he turned the car on, the radio blasted until she punched the buttons to silence the upbeat pop music. “You have every reason to be horrified, but you don’t need to worry about me. I’m more worried about you. You’re looking green around the gills.” She hesitated for a moment and chuckled. “And thanks for worrying about me, but I’m a tough customer.”
Evan turned slowly to face her, and his breath caught in his throat. Her lips quirked up in a lopsided smile, and it charmed him, but not enough to unleash years of disappointment in his father. Instead, Evan offered CeCe the abbreviated truth. “I know you are, and I’ll live. But I’d rather not discuss this now.”
CeCe gave a quick nod and turned the radio back on. “Fair enough, but you know you can talk to me when you’re ready.”
As Evan pulled onto the highway, he felt her hand on his knee. Her face remained turned away from him, but she seemed content.
When he took the Buckeye Falls exit, he slowed at the junction to her part of town and his. He wanted her to go back to his place so badly, but he also needed to work on the website before bed. Time was on his side with the contract, but not if he fell behind before he even got started.
As if she read his mind, CeCe said, “You can drop me at my place, if that’s okay.” Evan nodded and turned left. Squeezing his leg, she let her hand rest for longer than he’d expected. “But this doesn’t mean I didn’t have a good time. I know you have your website to work on. Plus, we’re both exhausted. Okay?”
Evan could only offer a shrug. “Okay.”
CeCe opened her door, and Evan took her hand and walked her to her door. “I really did have a good time tonight,” CeCe said. Shaking her head, she added, “Well, an interesting time at least.” Her tone was light enough, and Evan wanted to believe her.
Rather than dissect his rambling thoughts on her doorstep, he asked, “See you at work tomorrow?”
CeCe stepped forward and traced her fingers down his cheek. Her closeness and feather-light touch sent an electric charge straight down his spine. “Bright and early,” she breathed, their faces mere inches away.
Evan licked his lips and closed the distance between them. She tasted like chocolate, peanut butter, and CeCe—an intoxicating combination he didn’t know he needed yet now feared was the only thing keeping him breathing. “Good night,” he said, before stepping back and feeling the cool air whoosh between them.
Raising her hand in farewell, she opened her door and stepped inside. He waited until he saw the lights turn on before turning back to his car.
The prospect of going home to his apartment didn’t appeal to him, because he needed to talk to someone. While driving down Main Street, he nearly slammed on his brakes at the familiar form of Max leaving the market, chatting with the owner as he flipped the sign to closed. Max’s place was near the market, so Evan slowed and rolled down his window.
“Need a lift, boss?” Evan shouted out into the evening.
Max slowed his pace, two paper bags clutched to his chest, and smiled. “Hey, Evan. What brings you out this late on a Sunday?”
“Coming home from food-truck shopping. Did CeCe text you the pics?”
Max shifted his bags and stepped closer to the car, happily accepting the offer. “I’ll take that ride if it’s no trouble.”
Evan reached out to unlatch the trunk and waited for his boss to hop in. Watching Max stow his groceries, Evan turned down the radio. “Your place, I’m assuming?” It was a fair question. While Ginny and Max lived in a cottage off Main Street, they both frequented her father’s house.
