Page 8 of Falling for You
Sophie tapped her lip with a manicured finger. “Is that the girl you took to that Christmas dance?”
Emily and Mallory both chimed in, “Yes.”
It wasn’t worth pretending any longer.
“Okay, fine. Yes, I have feelings for CeCe. We’re friends, and I’m not going to push the issue.” That was a bald-faced lie, and everyone knew it. He watched his sisters share looks that could make any grown man shrink into his shoes. Fortunately for Evan, he was a master at dodging their scowls.
“Does she know how you feel?” Sophie asked, shooing Jackson away from the screen.
Emily, always the romantic, practically had hearts in her eyes. “Tell her how you feel, Ev! I’m sure she feels the same way; maybe she’s shy?”
Mallory and Evan both laughed at that, knowing CeCe was anything but shy. “That’s not the case, trust me.” Mallory smirked, wiping a tear from her eye. “Our little brother made it perfectly clear how he feels about her.”
Completely caught off guard, Evan rubbed the back of his neck. “I did?” Evan asked, perplexed.
“Oh yeah.” Mallory waved him off, a carefree gesture that belied the pounding of Evan’s heart. “Every time I see you two together, you’re going out of your way to make her life easier. Not to mention, I see the way you two are checking each other out. She’s interested, but she doesn’t want to be.”
Nowthatwas news to Evan. CeCe was checking him out? She was interested? Right at that moment, he wished for mind reading powers. Women were complicated, more so than he originally assumed. “I don’t think CeCe’s into me.”
Mallory soldiered on. “It’s the age thing. I’m sure of it.”
Sophie asked, “Age thing?”
At the same time, Emily gasped. “She’s younger?”
Evan reclined in his chair and pulled a second beer from the fridge. He could tell this interrogation wasn’t likely to end anytime soon. “No, she’s older than me. I’m pretty sure she’s your age, Em.”
Emily smiled, but Sophie’s face fell. “She’s thirty? Isn’t that a little old?”
Evan leaned forward in his seat, a flash of hurt crossing his features. “Just about thirty, which is not old; it’s perfect. I respect CeCe’s extra years. She’s taught me so much in the kitchen.” His twenty-fifth birthday was only a month away, and Evan could not wait to gain a year on CeCe. While it didn’t bother him, it was too much for CeCe sometimes.
The two elder sisters exchanged a look of confusion, but Mallory chimed in, “She’s the pastry chef at the diner. You should try some of her desserts. They are literally sinful. I really believe she’s the reason I’m ten pounds heavier.” Mallory nodded sagely, as if that was all the validation CeCe needed.
Deciding he was done falling down the rabbit hole with his sisters, Evan wrapped things up. “Well, this has been stimulating, but I need to get ready for an early day. That fort isn’t going to build itself.”
Mallory clapped and cheered. “Hooray, I’ll be over right after my shift. I can’t wait.” Evan smiled at his sister’s happy expression. He treasured their times together, knowing she’d eventually follow in Sophie and Emily’s footsteps. It wasn’t that he didn’t keep in touch with his older sisters, but it wasn’t the same. He didn’t begrudge them their lives; he merely acknowledged they were different from his in a way they couldn’t relate to.
Emily waved. “It was great seeing you all. Ev, keep us posted on CeCe.”
“Only if you keep us posted on baby updates,” Evan countered.
Finally, their video call ended and the sisters sent their love. Before Evan set up his place for Mallory’s visit and the movie marathon, he shot CeCe a quick text to check in on her. He hoped she wouldn’t mind, but he needed her to know he was there if she needed anything.
After what Mallory had said, Evan spent an hour dissecting moments with CeCe. Stolen glances, brushing past each other, a lingering touch; he was trying to add all of these chance interactions into something real, something he could claim. He had always thought the feelings and attraction were one-sided, but maybe CeCe did see the potential in him as more than a sidekick?
If there was anything Evan knew about CeCe, it was that she wouldn’t be rushed to do anything she wasn’t ready to do, or wanted to do. He would bide his time, and that wouldn’t be a problem. Because CeCe would be worth the wait.
