Page 28 of Tangled Emotions
I pulled in behind the diner and parked. The music didn’t help calm me down. The moment I saw Evie’s car, I almost ripped my door off the hinges and ran inside.
Hanging my coat up, I tied my apron on and went up front. Evelyn sat at a table rolling silverware and no one else was in the restaurant.
“You little bitch.” I growled on my way to her. “Why did you give him my number?”
She shrugged and kept working.
“Don’t ignore me, Evelyn.”
She paused and tilted her head. “Edie, guys come in here all the time flirting and trying to hook up with us.”
“You. They do that with you.” I crossed my arms over mychest.
“No.” She weaved her head. “They try to hook up and flirt with you too, but you miss it every. Time.” She picked up a bundle, pointing it at me. “Most are ass hats looking for a quick bang. But Frank? I dunno. He just feels different.”
“What do you mean, hefeelsdifferent?”
Evelyn rolled her eyes and sat back, looking up at me. “It was in how he watched you. He didn’t leer at you. He wasn’t drooling or making an ass of himself. I watched him watch you. He was direct and genuine.”
“Look, Matthew is only nine.”
“This doesn’t have anything to do with Matthew.” She stood up. “He’s not the first kid with a single mom.”
“Yeah. Well.” I stepped closer to her. “Most guys don’t want to date a single mom. Let alone a single mom who still lives with her parents.”
She threw her hands up in the air. “Edith. Stop making excuses.”
“I’m not!”
“Fact check.Youlivenextto our parents. Me? I livewithour parents. Same house. Same bathroom. Same walls.”
“Fine. I live with my brothers.”
“No. You live in a fourplex. You have an apartment. Gene has one and Enoch has one. And Danny Carson lives in the last one to annoy his parents.”
“Yeah, but I am still dependent on them.”
Shaking her head, she got up into my face. “You’re looking for reasons to not give someone a chance. Something that could be good. Because you’re afraid of getting hurt again.”
“Who do you think you are? Doctor Phil?”
“God no!” She snorted. “I just know things sometimes.”
“Evelyn.” I grit her name through my teeth.
“Edith.” She mocked me and sat back down. “You know, he’s not hard on the eyes, Edie.”
“I’m not blind Evie.”
A smile spread across her face. “Mm-hmm. You did notice.”
“Shut. Up.” I sat across from her and helped roll silverware.
She raised her eyebrows. “Not everyone is Greg.”
“I know.” I blew a breath up and moved my bangs from my forehead. “But I have Mattie to think about. I won’t do anything that might upset his world.”
Nodding, my sister looked up at me. “I know.”