Page 50 of Falling for You
“Smooth.” Natalie sighed into her coffee mug. She took a moment to eat a pancake before addressing CeCe. “Look, we’re here to help. Should I have Anthony apologize, or maybe we can have you guys over for dinner? Bury the hatchet, or whatever they say.” She whirled a manicured hand in front of her, the other holding a fork weighed down with pancakes. She took the world’s biggest bite and groaned with delight. “Honestly, I’m going to come over every morning if this is how you eat.”
“The International House of CeCe,” Ginny teased. For all her concern over her wedding dress, she had polished off three pancakes before her coffee even cooled. The sight of her empty plate made CeCe smile. Every chef wanted to see their meals devoured and enjoyed.
On the other hand, CeCe herself had lost her appetite. The possibility of Evan avoiding her made her feel ... a lot of things. Anger over the situation. Fear that this was the end of whatever they were trying to start. Frustration over the fact that he was avoiding her. And in that moment, the frustration won out.
“Why are earth am I sitting here stewing?” she asked, dropping her fork to her plate with a clatter. “I tried reaching out this morning, and he’s ghosting me. Over a year of friendship and after one bad night he disappears like that?” CeCe snapped her fingers to punctuate her point.
“He’s probably just embarrassed,” Ginny supplied. Understanding she was the odd person out, she continued. “Natalie gave me the CliffsNotes version on the way over here.” She shrugged and stabbed another pancake from the platter.
“Exactly,” Natalie agreed. “I say you stop by on the way to work and have a nice long chat. That always helps when Anthony and I have a fight.”
CeCe was dubious at best. “It does?”
Natalie lifted a shoulder, but didn’t lift her gaze. “Um, usually. Whatever, we’re here for you.”
“We’ll unpack your baggage later,” CeCe promised. “But I think you’re right. I need to talk to Evan.”
“Let me help with the dishes,” Ginny offered with a mouthful of pancake. “It’s the least I can do.” Before CeCe could pass, both friends were loading the dishwasher and running a rag over the counter. Ten minutes later, CeCe was alone again with a million thoughts and no sense of direction.
Grabbing her keys, CeCe hit the road to Evan’s place. They had a lot they needed to discuss, and it was more than last night. She needed to exercise the ghost of Eric, and the sooner the better.
*
“Explain to me why we’reup at this ungodly hour?” Emily asked, rubbing her eyes with one hand and cradling her belly with the other. “I could go into labor at any moment.” From the pixelated screen, Evan watched his sister stretch and try to get comfortable. He knew nothing about being pregnant, but he knew his sister looked incredibly uncomfortable.
“I don’t know why you’re complaining. You didn’t just get off a double and have exactly ten hours before you have to do another.” Mallory grimaced into her screen. She was still clad in her scrubs; her messy ponytail swung as she yawned. “It’s pretty early for an emergency Zoom. What did you do, Ev?”
Evan was incredulous. “Why do you think it was me again?” He fell back on a stack of pillows he had propped up on the floor. It was silly, but he craved the feeling of his forts in times of stress. Not having the time to inflate a mattress, a pillow fort would have to suffice.
Sophie gingerly sipped from her coffee cup. Out of the four, she was the most put-together with her hair brushed and a full face of makeup. In the background, Evan heard his niece and nephew running around and screaming. Apparently, no one sleeps in if there are kiddos in the house. “So? Spill it, Ev. I have to get these ruffians ready for the day. Did you and CeCe break up?”
Sophie’s question prickled his skin, making Evan feel like a kid in the principal’s office. “Why do you assume we broke up? Why can’t two people have a rough patch without breaking up?” He peered into three sets of judgmental eyes. Suddenly, Evan feared he wouldn’t get support from this trio. He would probably have better luck if he called Shep. Just thinking about his old buddy made Evan frown.
“You must have really screwed up if you’re this defensive,” Mallory surmised.
Emily nodded, agreeing with her younger sister. “I thought the same thing. But I’m with Sophie—you need to spill the beans. I’ll have to pee again in about five minutes, and that’s if I don’t fart myself into oblivion first.”
Evan’s eyes bugged out of his skull. “Excuse me, what?” He couldn’t imagine his normally prim and proper sister doing anything remotely crass. But after looking at Emily, Evan realized there was even more about pregnancy he didn’t understand.
An image flashed through his mind, gone in an instant. CeCe with a rounded belly, her calves propped on his legs while he rubbed her tired feet. She’d hummed contently while her fingers traced an invisible pattern on her baby bump. It was such a domestic sight, so foreign, yet so familiar. Idly, Evan wondered if he and CeCe were headed toward domestic bliss, or a domestic nightmare.
“All right, enough potty talk.” Evan interrupted his sisters’ bantering about issues he’d sooner pretend didn’t exist. Was he in a parallel universe or something? “We went on a double date last night, and it was a disaster.”
Finally, his sisters quieted.
“What do you mean disaster?” Emily asked. Her eyes were sharp, assessing the situation as Evan went into the details.
“Wasn’t Shep the one that used to get drunk and run around the quad naked?” Mallory asked, clearly missing the point.
Evan sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yes, that was Shep. Look, I’m humiliated. How can CeCe take our relationship seriously if she’s reminded at every turn that I’m young?”
“Younger, not young,” Emily countered
Sophie hesitated before offering her two cents. “Have you actually talked to her about this?”
Evan looked at his cell phone, mocking him with two unread texts from CeCe. “Not yet.”
“I’m guessing she texted, right?” Mallory said, a smirk carving her face in half. She sure knew how to make him suffer.
