“What if you need your car? I don’t want to leave you stranded until Peter gets home from the office.”
“It’s not a problem,” Vivian said just as her phone buzzed with an incoming text. She read the message and frowned. “Wow. That made me a liar quick. Cassandra’s car won’t start. She needs me to pick up Eva and drop her off at her mother’s house this afternoon. So typical.” Vivian rolled her eyes.
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t have to go.” Tam said and squeezed Vivian’s hand.
Vivian glared at Tam. “There is no way I’m letting you miss out on visiting your parents while you’re here.”
Evan had followed the conversation enough to figure out the problem. He had an easy solution and felt secure enough to offer it up. “Why don’t I take you? I have the rental. May as well use it.”
Tam was already shaking her head before she even looked his way. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“It may not be perfect, but it gets you where you need to go.” Vivian checked her phone again when another message came in. She shut the thing off in disgust.
Evan raised his hands. “I won’t even brag about how good I am with parents. Okay. Maybe a little brag. They tend to love me. But still, I’ll take chauffeur duty only. Nothing more.”
He’d obviously said something wrong judging by the shocked look Vivian shot Tam’s way. Tam didn’t appear to be all that enthused about the arrangement either. Did she hate her parents or something? If so, that was kind of a deal breaker for him since he came from a pretty tight knit family. Now he couldn’t let her say no. He needed to get to the bottom of this before he proceeded any further with his plans.
Vivian covered Tam’s hand with hers. “It’s better that you don’t go there alone, anyway.”
Evan kept the frown off his face, but barely. Did she maybe have a good reason to hate her parents? There were too many variables. Too many unknowns. He definitely needed to suss this mystery out.
He expected her to put up a fight. Instead, she shocked him with a quiet, “Okay.” She checked her watch. “We should leave once you finish breakfast.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Tam was really quiet. Scary quiet, in fact. Evan shot a worried glance her way. She was staring out the passenger side window and chewing on her lip. Her hands were clenched around a large bouquet of white lilies they’d stopped to pick up at a tiny florist shop located on the main thoroughfare of the small city they’d finally reached after about an hour on the road.
He still wasn’t sure where he was going. He blindly followed Tam’s directions when she gave them, but didn’t dare ask for more information than that. He had the feeling that he’d be intruding and that intrusion would be far from welcome.
“See the gate up there on the left? Turn in there.”
He nodded and did her bidding. As soon as he guided the SUV through the elaborate wrought iron fixture, he saw the rows and rows of headstones dotted along perfectly groomed rolling hills. Understanding punched him in the gut.
He looked at her. Her lips were pursed and she was staring straight ahead. She looked to be holding herself together by sheer force of will.
“You can park just around that curve.” He silently complied. He had no words.
She just sat for a minute after he turned off the engine. He gave her space. Finally, she took a deep breath and climbed from the vehicle. He watched her pick her way through the graves for a moment. He wasn’t sure what to do. He remembered his promise to be her chauffeur only, but that had been before he had all the facts. To be fair, he still didn’t know everything.
He tossed caution to the wind and climbed from behind the wheel. He agreed with Vivian. Tam did not look like she should be alone right now.
Tam stood staring at the double graves. She lovingly placed the lilies on the headstone that listed both her parent’s names. Evan took notice of the dates engraved on the stone’s surface. According to them, her mother had passed a few years before her father.
A picture of her parents on what was their wedding day, if the flowing gown worn by her mother or the tails worn by her father were any indication, was lasered on the black granite. They were oblivious to the photo being taken, having eyes only for each other. One would have to be blind, deaf and dumb to not notice the love they had for each other. A bouquet of white lilies were forgotten in Mrs. Keller’s hand as she stared at Mr. Keller.
Now was so not the time; still, Evan couldn’t help but wish Tam would look at him like that. He was working on it. He didn’t even have the advantage of having her father around to ask advice on how to win her over. He was on his own.
“I haven’t been here since Dad’s funeral,” Tam whispered so quietly that he almost missed her comment. He took that as a welcome of sorts and moved closer until he was standing right beside her. “Vivian did a great job with the headstone.”
“It’s beautiful.”
He stood silently beside her and waited. He wanted to give her as long as she needed.
“One day they called me. All giggly and everything. I immediately knew they’d been up to something. This was about a year after Mom’s diagnosis. She’d come through chemo like a champ, but the initial surgeries had left her with less colon. As a result, when she had to go, she had to go.”
Evan watched the corner of Tam’s mouth twitch with the beginnings of a smile.
“It turns out, they were on their way home from church when Mom got that urge. You’ve seen this area. Long stretches of nothing are pretty common.” She never looked at him. Just kept staring at the graves.
“Anyway, she couldn’t hold it, and they were still too far from home so Dad pulled off the road by Beverwill’s tree farm. He helped her out of the car and into the trees where she proceeded to drop a load.” A tear ran down Tam’s cheek, but she was smiling when she brushed it away. Her voice remained steady when she spoke.
“When they called me, Mom was all excited that she’d been able to shit on old Beverwill. And it had been some ‘watery, radioactive shit.’ Her words. Ever since the great strawberry debacle of 1986, she hadn’t liked the man. She finally got her payback, and the two of them could not stop giggling about it.”
Evan smiled even though now he was pretty sad that he’d never get to meet her parents. They sounded beyond awesome. She sighed and he watched her face crumple under the effort of holding back her tears. It broke his heart. He couldn’t let her shoulder this alone.
Damn the consequences, he silently linked his fingers with hers. At first, he thought she was too numb to notice, but then she squeezed his hand. She never took her eyes off the graves, but she clung to him nevertheless. He was happy to let her.
He lost track of how long they stood there. Just silently holding hands. He longed to ask her to tell him more stories about her parents, but she seemed too raw right then. She wouldn’t be able to handle it. At long last, she said, “We should go.”
However, she didn’t move a muscle. Instinctively, he understood that she couldn’t bring herself to leave. Not without a little coaxing. He took charge. Gently guided her back to the SUV. That she didn’t resist confirmed that his instincts had been correct. She had needed his strength to be able to walk away.
When he climbed behind the wheel of the SUV after helping her in, she gave him a brave smile. “How would you like the two dollar tour of the area?”
“I would love it. But I only have a dollar fifty. Is that okay?”
He could tell his lame joke caught her off guard by the way her brow furrowed. The moment she took to process it was the longest of his life. She’d just opened up to him and bared a little piece of her soul. Had he totally just led her to believe that he didn’t treasure the fact that she was letting him in?
She snickered and let him off the hook. “I’ll give you the Evan Josephs discount. How’s that sound?”
Evan smiled. Relieved was an understatement. “Sounds perfect.”
chapter seventeen
&nbs
p; “Seriously, my trainer is going to have a conniption fit when we get home.” Evan said and chomped down on another slice of pizza. Tam chewed on her straw and gave him a half smile.
“Bright side? You don’t have to be Drew again for another month or so. I think you’ll be okay.”
“What’s that like anyway?” Peter spoke up around his own slice of pizza. Having dropped off their youngest two kids with their grandparents, he and Vivian were seated across from them in a low key back booth at the local pizza parlor slash bowling alley the three of them had frequented during their high school careers.
The place had barely changed in all those years. It was still the spot to hang out after any school function. Plays. Concerts. Games, win or lose. Actually, it was still the only spot, but, details.
“I mean, I work out, but my livelihood won’t take a hit if I miss a day at the gym.”
Vivian snorted and poked at Peter’s soft gut playfully. “Or a week.”
He was nonplussed. “Or a week.”
Evan shrugged. “Honestly, I’ve been doing this for so long, that I don’t even think about it anymore.”
Tam only half listened while he filled her friends in on his childhood modeling career followed by time off to attend Yale, then his break in to acting after he’d graduated. Instead, she reflected on the day. It had taken an unexpected turn and she was still feeling off kilter.
She’d known visiting the cemetery was going to be a bitch and a half from the moment she’d planned the trip home. Having Evan fly out with her unexpectedly had given her something else on which to focus. Still, she’d thought she’d be strong enough to go on her own. However, she was insanely grateful that Evan had been there with her.
They’d killed the hours between the visit and the start of the class’ bowling outing by touring the area. Tam regaled him with story after story from her formative years as they drove around. She’d talked about everything from the time she and Vivian had decided to drive home in reverse after basketball practice, to the chick who’d gotten hit in the head with a shot put and lived to tell about it. The same couldn’t be said for Teddy Craig’s dog because the ambulance taking the girl to the hospital had hit and killed it. She still couldn’t recall the girl’s name since she’d been in another class, but the story was legendary.
Tam had talked and talked and talked. Anything to keep herself from thinking too much about the intimate moment she’d shared with Evan while telling him about her parents. In those moments, he’d felt like her soul mate. Like he just got her. Hugging her would’ve been too much for her to handle, but holding her hand had been perfect. Just as guiding her back to the car when she didn’t have the will to make her feet move on their own had been. Outside her parents, she’d never been that connected to anyone before. She didn’t know what to do with it. That terrified her.
A raucous cheer sounded from the bowling area and shook Tam out of her thoughts. She looked over in time to catch Teddy Craig’s arrival. To say he hadn’t changed would be a complete lie.
He still sported a buzz cut, but strands of silver were liberally dotted throughout his dark brown hair. His face was clean shaven, but his jaw had lost quite a bit of its former prominence. His shoulders remained broad, but his waist had expanded to meet them making him look more like a tree stump than a man. Two unfamiliar men trailed him inside. Tam frowned. Seriously? Did he have an entourage?
“Let me guess.” Evan said close to her ear. “Theodore Craig Mason.”
“Give the man a prize.” Vivian said. “He’s known as the catch of the county.”
Evan nudged her. “You do aim high, don’t you?” His tone was playful, but she thought she heard a dark undercurrent in it. Before she could respond, he looked back to Vivian. “So, what makes him so eligible? And why does he go by Teddy Craig?”
Vivian smirked. “You mean it’s not obvious why he’s such a sexy beast?”
Evan checked out the man again. Tam watched while woman after woman fell all over herself to greet him.
“No. It really isn’t.” Evan sounded genuinely puzzled. She could see his point.
“He’s a contractor,” Tam spoke up. “Second generation, in fact. He built most of the homes in the area.”
“Yes. Including his own sprawling eighteen-room mansion.”
Evan nodded. “And everyone wants to be Mrs. Mansion.”
Vivian winked at him and tapped her nose. Evan nudged Tam again. “Well go on. Throw your hat in.”
“Dude. I can get my own mansion. I don’t need his. Thanks, though.” Okay, so that was overstating her current financial situation just a tad. Still, the sentiment was true. It would only take a couple years on the show and she could afford a mansion if that was what she wanted.
Evan gave her an amused grin. And was it tinged with just the tiniest hint of pride. “I know you can.”
“Just so we’re clear.”
“We are.” He held his hands up in concession.
“Tamara Keller. I thought that was you hiding out back here.”
Tam turned to see Teddy Craig standing next to their table. He was all smiles. And crooked teeth. She tried to keep the answering smile on her face and slid from the booth to give him a hug. Had his teeth always been like that? Even that time they’d almost kissed?
“It’s good to see you. You haven’t changed a bit,” she lied to him with gusto.
He turned his attention to Vivian and Peter. “Look at the two of you. Still going strong after all these years.” Peter stood to shake the man’s hand while Vivian gave him a half-hearted “hello” from where she remained in the booth.
Tam was painfully aware that she needed to introduce Evan, but wasn’t sure how. Was he her friend? Her coworker? What? While she was pondering the question, he slid from the booth and introduced himself.
“Evan Josephs. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Tam hadn’t gained her wits about her enough to step away from the booth’s bench to give Evan room. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close while shaking Teddy Craig’s hand.
“Always a pleasure to meet new friends.” His gaze strayed to Evan’s hand that was still on her waist. “How do you know one another?”
“We’re coworkers,” Tam answered. A little too fast, but she’d decided that was the safest choice and wanted to stick with it.
Teddy Craig looked thoughtful. “On some TV show, I believe.”
Tam gave him a surprised nod. Had he been keeping tabs on her? That was flattering. “Yep. How’d you know?”
He shrugged. “Word travels fast around here. Especially when one of our own makes good out in the world. We’re all pretty proud of you.”
She smiled and accepted his compliment. Finally, she was reminded why she’d had a crush on him in the first place. He could be incredibly sweet at times.
“So, hey, you guys gonna bowl or what?” Teddy Craig included Peter and Vivian in his question.
“Sounds fun.” Evan answered. “I’m game if you guys are.”
Vivian shrugged. “Why not? It’s why we came, right?”
“Great! Come on over when you’re ready.” Teddy Craig moved off to greet some other folks. Evan and Tam reclaimed their seats in the booth.
“Seems like a nice guy.” Evan commented and reached for his drink.
“Sure. Long as you’re not trying to do business with him,” Vivian said. “He’s gotten a bit big for his britches.”
“He’s the best contractor around here. Why shouldn’t he be proud of that?” Tam asked.
“He’s the only contractor around here. McMurphy’s went out of business three years ago.” Peter chimed in. “Teddy Craig undercut their prices to the point that they couldn’t stay afloat. Once they went under, he doubled his prices.” Okay. So that was kind of smarmy.
“The timing couldn’t have been better, either. That’s when those copper thieves really got busy.”
Tam frowned at Vivian. “Wait. You mean more people were hit than Mom
and Dad? And no one has caught them, yet?” One of the last phone calls she’d had with her mom had brought her up to speed about their decision to sell the house.
They’d tried to make it sound like the place had just been too much for them to handle on their own, but she’d finally gotten it out of them that someone had broken in and stolen all their copper pipes. The damage had been too extensive for them to fix on their own and they’d let the insurance lapse in favor of paying her mother’s medical bills. Tam had been in no position to help them out since she’d been struggling to stay above water financially herself.
“I’ve lost count of all the people who’ve been hit over the years.” Vivian shrugged. “The theory is that it’s transient drug users pulling off the thefts for their next score since the problem seems to be so sporadic, yet widespread.”
Evan leaned his forearms on the table. “Enter Teddy Craig with the only remaining construction company in the area and he makes a killing on all the repairs.”
“Despite the shittiness of the circumstances, it’s still good business. I’d fault the man more if he didn’t seize the opportunity.” Peter said.
Their conversation was cut short when Teddy Craig hopped up on a table and yelled, “Let’s get this reunion started!”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The growing crowd let out a rowdy cheer and began to gravitate toward the lanes. Vivian, Peter, Tam and Evan headed over to join them. Since they’d arrived early enough to grab a pizza together, they had yet to greet Tam and Vivian’s now-arriving classmates.
Evan hung back to let Tam have her moment in the sun. Her old friends were more than happy to see her and curious about her cool new gig as a big time writer on a hit show.
He enjoyed watching her field the compliments so much that he deliberately kept his distance so she couldn’t introduce him. He felt no need to upstage her by pointing out that he’d helped build the show from the beginning as one of the original cast members. With his full beard, he was only recognizable by true fans. He looked around at all the grown folk faces. This crowd was not his target demo which allowed him to enjoy a rare bit of anonymity.
Blurred Boundaries Page 17
