Page 52 of Home Sweet Home

“It’s a beautiful morning,” Joe said, the bell on the door clanging as he walked into the diner. “The birds are chirping, the sun’s coming up, and I’ve got my two best waitresses here ready to conquer the day. What’d I miss?”

Kayla grinned at Evie over the rim of her mug at their shared secret.

“I was just telling Kayla how much I’m going to miss her,” Evie said.

“Add me to the fan club,” Joe said. “Always hard when birds fly the nest, but I couldn’t be prouder. Told Pam, and you know what she said? ‘About damn time.’”

Kayla blinked fast and dabbed at the corner of her eye with a finger. “If you two make my mascara run…”

And as Evie looked over the empty diner, the sun barely up, her best friend in the entire world pouring her a second cup of coffee, Evie was overwhelmed with how much she would miss working with the two of them every day. She would just have to cherish it while she could.

The door chimed again, and Bob Munson walked in.

Joe gave him a nod. “Bob. Thanks for the coffee, Kayla.” He started toward the kitchen door, where the office was. “Purchase orders won’t fill themselves out.”

With each passing hour, the diner filled up, and Evie floated from table to table. She barely felt tired, even though she’d been standing all day. The customers seemed nicer, and by the end of lunch rush, Evie wondered if Kayla hadn’t slipped ecstasy into her coffee.

The door chimed, and Evie looked up to see a woman at the counter, craning her neck as she scanned the restaurant.

Evie wiped her hands down the front of her apron. “Amy?”

When Amy saw Evie, her eyes went wide, a smile on her face. “Oh my God. Hi!”

There was a time in Evie’s life when she did everything with Amy. AP classes. French Club. National Honor Society. They had both been accepted to Butler and been planning to room together. But when Amy left and Evie stayed, the texts and phone calls became sporadic. Evie vaguely recalled that Amy worked in research at Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, but she hadn’t heard it from Amy. A few years back, she’d waited on Amy’s mom, who had told her giddily before putting in her order at the diner, so proud of what her daughter had accomplished.

“How are you?” Evie asked. “Haven’t seen you in so long.”

Amy smiled, pushing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose. “Good. Great, actually. Work has been busy.” She squeezed Evie’s arm. “I didn’t know you worked here.”

Evie was hyperaware of a ketchup stain on her shirt she’d received earlier while unclogging a nozzle on a bottle. It’d sprayed up at her like a newborn baby peeing on its mom. “What brings you to town?”

“Dad’s retirement party.”

“Well, Pizza King is losing the best in the business,” Evie said. “Remember when he used to bring us leftover pies on the weekends? God, I used to eat so much, I almost threw up.”

A crack appeared in Amy’s smile, her eyes darting to the bags of food on the counter before landing back on Evie. “Totally.”

Evie pointed toward the food. “Are you picking up?”

“Yeah.” Amy exhaled. “Thanks.”

As Evie slid Amy’s credit card into the reader, she opened her mouth. She could ask her if she wanted to grab coffee and catch up, but Evie fast-forwarded in her head. Amy would feel obligated and say, “Yes, let’s do it.” Then they would both get busy. They would reschedule, but Creek Water wasn’t Amy’s life anymore. She wasn’t going to be around for long. It would be more awkward than just saying goodbye right now and letting Amy slip back into her new life.

Evie handed the credit card back. “Really good to see you.”

“You too, Evie,” Amy said, cradling the bags in her arms, and before Evie could change her mind, she was out the door.

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

When Evie gotin her car after work to go to practice, her euphoria transformed into raw nerves. She’d spent the whole day so happy that it hadn’t occurred to her until she was in the quiet of her car that maybe West didn’t feel the same way. Maybe he regretted what had happened between them. The thought sent ropes of dread through her.

By the time Evie got to the field, she’d already convinced herself that in a bright sky instead of a dark one, things would be awkward between them. It took all the courage she had to step outside of her car, and when she walked onto the field, West was the only one there, putting out cones for drills. When he saw her approaching, he stopped and waved at her. With each step, Evie’s stomach flipped like a pancake, and when she reached him, they stood in almost the same spot where, less than twenty-four hours before, he’d kissed her.

“Hi,” Evie said.

“Hi,” West said.

Then he moved toward her, one tiny step followed by another. Evie’s heart thumped so hard, she was worried her ribs might crack, as she tried to read his expression.

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