“Thanks, Danny, but it’s likely good. I wouldn’t want you two to miss the movie, so why don’t you…?”
Danny was shaking his head. “It’s just a movie, Evie. There’ll be another,” he said, glancing down to Charlie, who was now standing closer to him than before, resting her slender hand with its red painted nails on his arm and rubbing.
“Danny’s right,” she said. “Don’t be silly, Evie. We’ll just go to the movies another night.” She smiled up at him, and it wasn’t lost on Evie that she was saying exactly what he wanted to hear. How was it that this kind of flirting came so naturally to some and had completely left Evie?
Danny was holding out his hand. For what, she didn’t have a clue, and she wondered whether her expression showed how rattled she was. “Keys, Evie,” he said. “On second thought, I’ll drive your truck. You can follow in the Bronco with Charlie.”
She slid her hand in her pocket and pulled out her keys. “You don’t need to drive my truck,” she said, but at the same time, as all the townspeople were still gawking at her broken-down truck, she wanted to breathe a little easier knowing Danny would take it off her.
He took her keys, pressing his into her hand and leaning closer. “Yeah, I do,” he said, then glanced back to the people watching. He knew. Damn him for being so sensitive!
Then he was walking back to his Bronco and tucking his toolkit in back. As he got into her truck, she was seeing Danny in a way she never had before.
She was still holding the jug and tape, and she tossed them in the flatbed of her truck, where the old spare tire was, before walking on shaky legs to the driver’s side of his Bronco and climbing in. She searched for the lever to slide the seat all the way forward, and it wasn’t lost on her that she could barely see over the wheel. Yeah, Danny was tall, and his Bronco was made for a tall guy.
“Isn’t Danny amazing?” Charlie said as she closed the passenger door and pulled on her seatbelt.
Evie started the Bronco, sitting up as straight as she could, seeing Danny already driving away and turning right. “Guess that’s why we’ve been friends since forever,” she said. She’d never driven his Bronco before, and she was surprised, frankly, that she was behind the wheel now. She jammed the brakes a little too hard at the stop sign, and the tires squealed, jerking it to a stop. “Go figure, he’s got good brakes,” she muttered. That meant she likely needed new brake pads or something.
She couldn’t help the unfamiliar nervousness that had crept into her, maybe because this was the first time she was in a confined space with one of the popular girls she was pretty sure had looked down her nose at her all her life. She was damn uncomfortable, especially as she could see Danny way in the distance, now turning down the side road that led to her parents’ small acreage, where she still lived. A lack of funds meant a lack of choices, another reason she needed to figure out a lot of things rather quickly.
“You’re lucky to have a friend like that,” Charlie said. “Can honestly say he kind of surprised me when he pulled that knight in shining armor thing, needing to make sure you were okay, and then not just driving away. Honestly, it was the first time I ever experienced that kind of thing. It’s damn attractive, which is why I can’t figure out why Danny doesn’t have a steady girlfriend. I have to say I’m very happy about that, though. It’s as if fate is on my side, and the stars have all aligned. You know, like when you meet that guy you know is the one, and just being near him takes your breath away and makes you want to do everything he wants, no questions asked? He’s so dreamy, and I’ve never felt this way before. Is this love?”
Evie nearly missed the turn as she glanced in horror at Charlie. Why was it some girls needed to spill everything they were thinking and feeling? Talking about Danny this way wasn’t helping.
“You know, you should come with us tonight,” Charlie said. “We were going to eat after the movie, but let’s just go someplace and have a bite, the three of us.”
The way she said it, it was as if they were the best of friends. She wasn’t being a snob or stuck up, and for a minute Evie was trying to remember why she didn’t like her.
She could see that her dad was home, his old Buick parked in front. It had seen better days, and she cringed, driving in. Danny hadn’t been there in a long time, and Charlie never. There was something about how old and rundown her home was that had her wanting to keep everyone away instead of letting them have a glimpse into her life.
“Yeah, not tonight,” Evie said. “I’ve got a truck to repair.”
With only twenty dollars and a few cents in her wallet, there wasn’t a chance in hell she was going to tag along and waste the little money she had left eating in town when there was a perfectly good loaf of bread inside and a can of tuna with her name on it. Any restaurant was a luxury she couldn’t afford, though that was something she had no intention of sharing.
As she parked the Bronco, she saw her dad outside in front of her truck, talking with Danny.
“Well, you go, girl—but it would’ve been my treat,” Charlie said. This time Evie looked over at her, and whatever was in her expression seemed far too much like pity.
Chapter 4
He’d seen Charlie on campus all week, running into her at every turn, outside classes and in the hall. Today, after a hellish week, he found her waiting for him, leaning against his Bronco in a pair of jeans and a midnight blue silky tank, her long dark hair hiked up in a messy bun. She was radiant and smiled teasingly as she slid her dark glasses down her nose to peer at him before slipping them on top of her head. The entire motion was sexy, so much like a drug that had him feeling lighter after a crappy day in his last class. The visiting professor took the terms “difficult” and “uncommunicative” to a whole new level.
“Well, you’re a sight,” he said, walking over to the Bronco and shoving the key in the lock. He tucked his old leather case with his books, notes, and laptop behind his seat and then pushed the heavy door closed.
“You too,” she said. “So it’s Friday. How about that rain check?”
He didn’t say anything as he stepped closer to her. Her body seemed to move toward him as her head tilted up. She was giving everything to him in that smile, her perfect body, and her hand rested on his chest and moved lower, over the flat of his stomach, a gesture that was so teasing and had him covering her hand with his.
“What do you mean by rain check?” he said, and she leaned in closer, going up on her tiptoes and pressing a kiss to his lips. She was the perfect height, leggy and tall, but he was still a head taller.
“You know, the movie we didn’t get to see last weekend? Not that I’m complaining. It was nice of you, the way you insisted on following Evie home, helping her out.”
He remembered how Evie’s dad, Bill Wetzel, had pulled in just ahead of him at their home on the other side of North Lakewood, two acres with a double wide that had seen better days. It wasn’t lost on him the way Bill had taken in Charlie before thanking Danny. He wasn’t sure what it was about her that had caught his eye, maybe her stature. At the same time, she hadn’t thumbed her nose at their downward turn in fortune. Even he could see from everything about their place that they were struggling. He really should give Evie a call.
“She’s my friend. It wasn’t even a question. So you’re not upset about skipping dinner, either?” he said. He’d basically driven them back to the ranch after, where Charlie had surprised him by pressing a kiss to his lips that was tender and had left him wanting more. Then she’d slid behind the wheel of her Mustang and driven away.
“Of course I am, but I completely understand why,” she said. Okay, there she went, saying all the right things. Her hands were still touching him, and his were skimming her sides over the curves of her breasts, and her smile only widened. “But you can make it up to me.”
The way she was looking at him had him lowering his head and taking in her offered lips. They were so pink and full and tasted so good. He allowed the kiss to linger and his hands to roam freely dow
n her back and over her rounded ass, perfection pressed against him. He heard a whistle and a catcall, but he didn’t pull away, just held her and finished the kiss. Her shades were perched on her head, and she appeared shy for a minute, running her tongue over where his lips had tasted her.
“You know what? Why don’t I swing by around six, pick you up for dinner?” he said, still holding her. Her breasts were pressing against his chest. She was a perfect fit. “First I want to swing by and have a word with Evie,” he added.
Charlie stepped back, a bright smile on her face, and he could see her thinking. “Why don’t you invite Evie to come out with us? Maybe invite one of your friends and set her up. We’ll do like a double date.”
The last thing he wanted to do was set Evie up, and he was shaking his head, but she was already pulling her phone from her purse. “Okay, then I will,” she said. “Rand would be perfect. Why didn’t I think of him? He’s not seeing Heather anymore, and I think he kind of had a thing for Evie in school.”
Rand Shepperd was just one of those guys who fit in with everyone, not really a jock but not a geek either, just a guy who went with the flow and now worked as a sales rep at his dad’s dealership. Danny didn’t know him, yet there was Charlie, on the phone as if she had him on speed dial, talking away. He listened to her issue the invite, and then she hung up. “He’s in, so…” She poked him in the stomach with her finger. “Your turn. Invite Evie. Let’s get her out of the house to have some fun.”
“You know, it’s really thoughtful of you to think of Evie and want to help, but she may not be interested. Rand, I can tell you right now, isn’t someone she would be interested in,” he said—not that he knew what her type was. In fact, he couldn’t remember her ever having a steady boyfriend.
“Isn’t getting Evie out more important?” Charlie said. “How you worry about your friend is a quality that sets you apart from everyone, so let me help. Honestly, what will it hurt? Even if she and Rand don’t hit it off, at least we got her out of the house, and Rand is a good guy. You never know, they could actually be exactly what the other needs.” She slid her hands up his chest and pressed her lips to his, kissing him again. “Okay?”
Danny took a breath, taking in something in Charlie he’d never seen before. “Fine, but no promises that she’ll agree.”
Charlie squealed, patting his chest. “But you’ll convince her, I’m sure. So see you at about quarter to six. Oh, and before I forget, this Sunday, come for dinner. That friend of Daddy’s is coming, the lawyer I was telling you about, and he wants to meet you.”
Oh, he vaguely remembered her mentioning him. “You’re not trying to set something up for me, are you?”
She shrugged as her hands lingered now on his wrists. “I may have just happened to mention a few times that you’re the top of your class in prelaw and really focused on your career, and he just happens to have a soft spot for helping up ’n coming young lawyers be the best they can be.”
He raised a brow, and he could tell by her expression there was more.
“Okay, he’s got connections, so why not use them? Seriously, just come and meet him and say something, please, Danny.” She was in his face and pleading, and her passion was oozing.
“No promises, Charlie” was all he said, but she threw her arms around his shoulders as if he’d agreed.
“Oh, you won’t regret it,” she said.
“Charlie, I never said I’d come for sure,” he said, resting his hands on her arms to pull her free, fighting his body’s wanting of her.
“Oh, but you will, because I’m very persuasive.” She stepped away and then flicked her fingers in a wave, walking over to her car, and Danny couldn’t pull his gaze from the sway of her perfectly rounded ass.
Chapter 5
Her phone had been disconnected.
Danny had called and gotten the message “This user is temporarily unavailable.” He knew that was the standard discreet way of saying Evie hadn’t paid her cell phone bill. Now it was stuck in Danny’s head, what Charlie had said about how Bill Wetzel was in financial trouble. Evie’s dad’s restaurant was her only source of income, and she was the only daughter still living at home. Paige, the oldest, was married down in Oklahoma, and Sky, the middle one, worked for the county and lived over in Arlington.
Danny thought about driving to her house and was about to when he spotted her truck parked downtown not far from the Tasty Pig. He found a spot and pulled in, having to walk past the chain restaurant to get there. It seemed to have a steady flow of people.
He saw Evie through the front glass window, noting the new hours written with a Sharpie over the existing sign. They were now serving lunch only and were closing at four, and it was ten minutes to. He pulled the door open and stepped inside, taking in the long counter and one patron, an older balding guy, eating a plate of ribs at one of the six high round tables.
Evie had her dark hair tied back in a high ponytail and glanced up to him. She was in a plain T-shirt, white with black lettering, and an off-white apron tied around her waist. “Hey there, Danny. Stopping by for some barbecue? Dad’s brisket is the special today. Lots left, too,” she said.
He could see tiny lines dotting the sides of her eyes. Evie wasn’t one to let anything get to her, but today it seemed she wasn’t hiding it as well, or maybe he noticed because he knew more than he should about what was going on in her life. He wondered how she’d react if she had any idea.
“Sounds great,” he said. “How about the brisket to go for four?”
He’d drop it off for his mom and dad. Hopefully they didn’t have dinner started already, but they likely did. There it was, Evie’s lovely smile as she called out the order through the window to her dad, whom he knew was in back.
“So the other reason I stopped by is I was wondering if you wanted to go for dinner tonight.” He took in surprise or something in her face, then hesitation. “With me and Charlie,” he clarified. “We’re going out and thought of you joining us.” He tapped his fingers on the counter and thought he saw disappointment.
“Oh,” she said, and it wasn’t lost on Danny how her expression changed. “You know what? The third wheel thing doesn’t work for me, so you kids have fun.” She actually winked, and he sensed distance. “So why are you ordering brisket if you’re going out for dinner?”
“No, for my mom and dad. With my mom now working more, it’s the least I can do, and they love your dad’s barbecue.”
Evie took a cloth and wiped the counter. “Your mom’s a good woman. Say hi to your parents for me.”
“You know you can come by any time. Mom loves it when you do—but seriously, dinner tonight wouldn’t be just the three of us.”
Evie leaned on the counter. “Oh?” She propped her elbows there and rested her chin in her hands. The spark wasn’t quite there in her brown eyes.
“Rand Shepperd is joining us. It was Charlie’s idea for the four of us to go out, and it’s on me,” he added, knowing that if her cell phone was disconnected, she wouldn’t have the spare cash for a night out.
“Rand, seriously? Since when are you friends?”
He raised a brow and shrugged. “We’re not, and you know that, but I think Charlie’s right: It’s about the four of us going out to have some good eats, have some fun,” he added.
Evie was staring at him as if he’d lost his mind. “So this thing with you and Charlie, is it serious?”
It was like being in the hot seat. He didn’t know how to answer, and he could see how she wasn’t smiling but seemed to be trying to figure out what he was thinking. “I don’t know. Never expected her to be more than just a pretty face.”
“Wow, never expected that from you,” Evie said.
Her dad called out from the back, and cartons appeared in the window. Evie bagged up the brisket, which he could smell from there. His mouth was watering. He pulled his wallet from his pocket as she rang it up and was about to use his debit card when he saw the cash only sign, so he pul
led out his last fifty dollars. He wondered whether he should mention something about the problem with cash only. Maybe now wasn’t the time.
“Thank you,” he said. “So what do you say? Should I pick you up at six?”
She was so tiny, and he could see her hesitation. She wasn’t the same easy person as Charlie. There was so much to Evie, sensitive, kind, a friend who’d always been in his corner. He could see the minute she was about to say no, and he could see what Charlie had seen: She needed this.
“Not taking no for an answer,” he said, “just in case you’re trying to figure out a way to say that.” He stood up, taking the bag and waving away the change as she went through the dismal cash box, clutching at the six dollars plus tip he’d left for her. He’d have given more if he thought she’d take it, but he knew she had a lot of pride and didn’t take handouts from anyone.
She shrugged. “Okay, maybe an evening out would be nice,” she said, and he reached over and slapped her shoulder.
“I owe you,” he said.
She was right behind him as he walked to the door, and when he turned, he took in something in her expression he hadn’t seen before. Whatever it was, it seemed different from the way she’d always looked at him. She forced a smile to her face and, holding the door, changed the open sign to closed.
* * *
He could smell something cooking as soon as he walked in the front door of his parents’ rancher. The TV was on, and he could hear Mark talking with a friend. They were playing video games, he thought. The noise was coming from the family room at the back of the house, and his dad poked his head out from the kitchen. His hair was a mess, his shirt was untucked from his faded blue jeans, and he was barefoot.
“Danny,” his dad said as he stepped out, holding a bag of lettuce. “What you got there?”
“Dinner for you and Mom,” Danny said as he set the bag on the table. “Stopped at Evie’s dad’s, and I wasn’t planning on buying anything, but…”
In the Stars_The Friessens Page 3
