Page 49 of Falling for You
CeCe knew Natalie wouldbe on her doorstep as soon as she dropped her kids off the next morning. Instead of fighting the force that was her best friend, CeCe brewed a pot of coffee and started mixing pancake batter before the sun was even up. It wasn’t that she minded getting up early, since she hadn’t slept a wink. Their trip to Columbus circled through her brain on a loop, taunting her and making her feel like a damn fool.
And why was she feeling like a fool? Let CeCe count the ways ...
First, she should have stood up and shaken Shep’s hand to distract everyone from the elephant in the room. Shep hadn’t meant to hit Anthony with the bus bin—although she did enjoy the sound it made when it hit his thick skull. Evan was still worried about their ages. She should have confronted it head-on. But rather than making light, she’d stayed silent and played with the olives in her martini glass.
Next, she let Evan leave before they could have a moment to talk. He’d given her a chaste kiss on the cheek and ran for his car before she had a chance to unlock her front door. He’d stayed on his side of the car for the painfully long drive back to Buckeye Falls, never once reaching out for her hand or meeting her gaze from across the back seat.
Lastly, CeCe knew she should have called him or texted or sent a smoke signal. Anything to let him know she was fine—thattheywere fine. The more time they spent together, the more CeCe realized she wanted to—needed to—be with him. She loved the way she was with Evan, carefree and relaxed. She didn’t have to pretend with him, playing the part of someone else. She could be dedicated to her job, and he wasn’t intimidated. Hell, he encouraged her.
CeCe also loved the way he looked at her, like she’d hung the damn moon. Even when it was the end of a long day, her hair a mess and her face sheened with sweat, Evan always snagged her gaze and held it until she finally blinked. He was clearly into her. Until their disastrous dinner, she’d felt like they could conquer anything, as long as they were together.
“What a mess.” CeCe groaned. She pulled out a stool and raked her hands through her bedhead. She needed to talk to Evan, to set the record straight. Having goofy or immature friends didn’t matter. Everyone had someone from their past they wanted to forget.
And there was the other elephant in the room. Eric.
CeCe needed to come clean to Evan about her past with Eric. The thought of Evan figuring it out before she told him made her blood run cold. Nope, Evan was too important, and frankly, he deserved nothing but the whole truth.
Sitting in front of her was her cell phone, taunting her with its lack of notifications. Her morning text to Evan was still unanswered, which wasn’t really a surprise. She was about to send another text when she heard voices at the front door. Glancing over to the clock on the stove, CeCe saw it was barely seven o’clock. Before she could get to the door, it swung open and two sets of eyes found her.
“That key is for emergencies,” CeCe scolded Natalie as she walked into the house and peeled off her coat. Tossing it on the back of the couch, Natalie strode right for the coffee maker.
“Good morning,” a sheepish Ginny greeted from the doorway. She at least had the manners to look embarrassed by their friend’s gall.
Just as CeCe was going to ask why Ginny was there, Natalie handed Ginny a mug and started her tirade. “Ginny and I have a big client meeting outside of town this morning. I would have left her in the car, but it seemed rude.”
Ginny hitched her thumb over her shoulder and offered, “I can wait outside. I have some files to prep anyway.”
CeCe stood and grabbed Ginny’s arm, dragging the woman to the vacated stool. “Sit and don’t be ridiculous. I’ll get breakfast started.”
Ginny shook off the offer. “As much as I’d love whatever you’re making, I already don’t fit in my wedding dress.” She sighed. “I’m turning into a bit of a mess.”
CeCe paused at the counter and gave the bride-to-be a once-over, and she didn’t see a problem. When Ginny arrived back in Buckeye Falls the year before, she looked like she belonged on the cover ofVogue. She was rail thin with a sharp haircut and sour expression. Now Ginny practically glowed, with a light in her eyes, a constant smile on her lips, and a few extra pounds softening her features. It was clear that she was better with Max than alone, and CeCe breathed a sigh of relief that they’d found each other again.
“Okay, I don’t have enough time to tell you how wrong you are. You are gorgeous, Ginny. Max would marry you again if you weighed a million pounds and grew a beard. But I’ll compromise, you get a short stack.”
Ginny flushed at CeCe’s compliment and nodded. “Just a couple of small ones. I really shouldn’t be hungry for our meeting.”
Natalie slurped from her coffee before finally diving into the matter at hand. “Now that we’ve agreed we’re all eating breakfast, tell me about Evan. Is he totally pissed at Anthony and me? Better yet, are you totally pissed at me for dragging you both to the double date from hell?”
As much as CeCe wanted to rub the disaster in her friend’s lovely face, it was pointless. No one would have guessed that Shep would be there, and that Anthony would be a jerk. Well, actually, that last bit was very possible. “I’m not mad at you, Nat. You can rest assured I won’t poison your pancakes.” CeCe smeared butter on the griddle and inhaled the savory scent. If anything smelled better than melted butter, she didn’t want to know about it.
“Then at least tell me that Evan will talk to me again. I could tell he was so embarrassed, and I wanted to cry.” When CeCe looked at her friend, she saw the remorse crinkling the corners of her mouth. A frown on Natalie wasn’t a normal occurrence, mostly because her Botox wouldn’t allow it. “He looked like a sad-eyed puppy that I wanted to adopt and overfeed.”
Ginny snorted, but had the manners to look embarrassed. “Sorry,” she muttered, “but Evan is adorable.”
Unable to disagree on the state of Evan’s cuteness, CeCe went back to her frustrations. “IfIever get to talk to Evan again, I’ll let you know.” CeCe ladled batter onto the griddle and waited for the bubbles to pop in the center. The pancakes finally winked at her, promising a carby reprieve from real life in less than a minute. She couldn’t think of any scenario that pancakes couldn’t fix.
Over her shoulder, she saw Ginny studying her cup, a look of concern etched on her face as well. “I’m sure Evan’s busy with the website build for the boutique. We got a call yesterday afternoon that they want to move the launch up, and I’m sure he’s swamped.”
“Well, at least he can’t avoid me at work. I’m planning on snagging him the second I see him.” CeCe flipped a dozen pancakes onto a platter and joined her friends at the counter. “Butter is there, and I made a cinnamon honey.”
Ginny tucked in immediately. She was a little too intent on her pancakes, slowly buttering them and not lifting her gaze. Natalie was onto her. “You know something,” she accused.
Ginny took a second to raise her gaze, and she nodded. “Um,” she said, dragging her fork through a puddle of honey. “I overhead Max on the phone before I left. Evan called in sick, something about food poisoning.”
Since they had shared meals last night, CeCe knew that was a lie. “He’s not coming in?”
“I’m sorry, CeCe. I’m sure he’s just really tired.” As if remembering her previous statement, she hurriedly added, “Or busy with the website. Very busy.” Shoving a forkful in her mouth she repeated, “Busy, busy.”
