The Fortune Cafe (30 page)

Evan rolled over in bed with a groan. His cell was ringing, and it felt like he’d barely fallen asleep after his date with Stella. A quick glance at the time told him it was almost 3:00 a.m. But his heart nearly stopped when he saw that Katie was calling.

He’d given her a basic cell phone to call only him. It was the best way to stay in touch with her about simple things like asking how school was going without going through Michelle first.

“Katie?” he answered.

“Daddy?” Her little voice coming through the line tugged at his heart.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, sitting up in bed and switching on his lamp.

“Mommy’s not home, and I’m scared.”

Panic shot through Evan. “Where did she go?”

“She went with R-Randy.”

Evan knew about Randy— Michelle’s latest fling. He had to admire a man who could put up with her. None of her boyfriends lasted very long. “You’re there alone?” He tried to keep the panic out of his voice so he didn’t scare Katie.

“Mrs. Gordman is here, but she’s snoring on the couch.”

Relief shot through Evan. Katie wasn’t alone— she just wanted her mom. “Well, your mom is late, that’s all. Go to sleep, and when you wake up, I’m sure she’ll be home.”

“She said she wouldn’t be home for two days,” Katie said, a pout in her voice.

“What?” If Michelle was gone for the weekend, why wouldn’t she bring Katie to him?

“She said I would be bored, so I had to stay home,” Katie said, then yawned.

Anger pulsed through Evan. Why wouldn’t Michelle bring Katie to him or at least give him the option? Or even better, wait to spend the weekend with her boyfriend when it was Evan’s turn with Katie? He hated divorce. But he’d hated being married to Michelle even more. It was times like this that he wished he’d tried to get full custody during the divorce proceedings. He decided he’d have to make a call his lawyer to modify the custody agreement so that he’d be the first choice babysitter.

“Look, sweetie,” Evan said after taking a measured breath. “It’s the middle of the night, and you’ll be super tired tomorrow if you don’t go back to sleep. How about I tell you a story?”

“About the green giant?”

Evan laughed quietly. “Sure. Now lie down and close your eyes.”

Ten minutes later, he could hear Katie breathing softly and steadily. He didn’t dare fall asleep for a while in case she woke up needing him again, so he kept the phone next to his pillow. He didn’t expect to sleep. Thoughts of Stella returned with full force. They’d kissed and talked for another hour in the parking lot. It was like he could tell her anything. He’d never felt that comfortable with another person so quickly— not even Michelle. He didn’t know if he’d ever felt like he could totally be himself with Michelle. The more he analyzed their relationship and marriage, the more he realized it had always been all about her. It had just taken him years to see it.

Evan turned on his side, thinking about how Stella hadn’t exactly been shy in returning his kisses. The thought shot heat through him. She was definitely interested in him— and wasn’t afraid to show it. And knowing that she hadn’t dated anyone since Andrew the year before told Evan that she wasn’t a player. He thought of the way she fit against him, and how she’d run her fingers along his neck and shoulders, then told him to kiss her some more.

Being with Stella was not about the physical attraction though. He’d been watching and listening to her, wondering how she’d be around Katie. That was more important than being with a woman who liked him or made him feel good. Evan had to think about the long term because Katie was his priority.

Evan thought about his daughter at home without any parents around right now. Things were about to get even more sticky with Michelle. He sighed in frustration, deciding that maybe he should take Katie for the summer. But would that be any better? She’d have to hang out with a babysitter here in Seashell Beach. What was the difference between that and Mrs. Gordman?

Evan must have fallen asleep because when he opened his eyes next, his bedroom was flooded with light. He checked his cell phone and called Katie.

“You’re not at school yet?” he asked.

“It’s Saturday!” she said.

Evan laughed. “I know, silly. What are you going to do today?”

“I don’t know. Mrs. Gordman says she’s watching a program, then maybe we can go to the petting farm.” Katie’s voice lacked its usual enthusiasm.

“That sounds like fun,” Evan said. “Can you feed the goats for me?”

“Okay,” her voice became brighter. “Can you buy me a rabbit?”

“A rabbit? What do you want that for?” Katie always requested pets, but Michelle had never allowed any such things in their home. Maybe he’d check with the owner of the apartment building to see if there were any restrictions. Except he really didn’t want a rabbit.

“They’re so furry!”

“You’re absolutely right,” he said with a laugh. “We’ll talk about it some more when you come to see me again.” He said good-bye to her, grateful that she seemed in better spirits now. He hoped she’d have fun at the petting farm.

The next phone call was a bit harder. First he showered and dressed, then when he’d gone through half of a cup of coffee, he called Michelle.

She didn’t answer. Of course. So, because he knew it would annoy her, he called her right back. Which was probably childish, but Michelle seemed to bring that out in him.

“Evan, I’m in the middle of something,” she said by way of answering. “If it’s urgent, text me.”

“I just talked to Katie… In fact, she called me at 3:00 in the morning.”

“Is something wrong?” Michelle asked, and Evan was mollified a bit when he heard the worry in her voice. He knew she loved their daughter as much as he did, but they had two completely different ways of showing it.

“She was scared, and she was missing you.”

“Oh, Evan. She’s a drama queen. You know that.”

Evan knew that Katie wouldn’t have to be a drama queen if her mom paid a little attention to her. Katie had to resort to extreme tactics to get anything from Michelle.

“I could have taken her while you went out of town,” he said.

Michelle sighed. “Yeah, but I didn’t have time to drive her up.” A muffled giggle sounded as if Michelle was trying to cover up her laughter. It was obvious she was with Randy. Probably still in bed.

“I could have come to pick her up,” Evan said, trying to keep the sharpness out of his voice. What he really wanted to say was that it seemed like Mrs. Gordman was the one raising their daughter instead of Michelle. Yeah, he got that she needed breaks and that she was dating and that one hundred percent of her life didn’t need to be about a kid, but today he was feeling more protective of Katie.

“Well, you just had her, and I’m sure you would have grumbled about it if I called you,” Michelle said, her voice sounding pouty.

Evan breathed out, trying to calm his growing frustration. “It might have taken some rearranging with work, but you know Katie comes first.” He almost added “
for me
.” It turned out he didn’t have to. Michelle was all too happy to take their discussion to the next level.

“Whatever, Evan. Stop pretending you’re the perfect dad. Katie told me that the governor was coming to your hotel, and so maybe I was thinking of you first.” She muffled her voice again, saying something to Randy. “But I really don’t care what you think of my motivations. When I have my daughter at home, I’ll make the decisions as to what does and does not go on.”

Evan rubbed his temple with one hand, while gripping the phone with the other. It took all of his patience to keep his voice neutral. “I don’t want to argue. I wanted to let you know that I can take her, even if I’m cooking for the President of the United States.” He took a breath as Michelle scoffed. “And if you think if you’re going to be really busy this summer, I’d be happy to keep her longer. Even the whole summer if you need me to.”

Michelle was quiet, which surprised Evan. He thought she’d immediately say no, then later allow him to extend beyond the normal two weeks. He heard her murmur something to Randy, then he said something back.

“Okay, I’ll think about it,” Michelle said.

Evan straightened. This was unlike Michelle, but maybe it was Randy’s influence. He wondered if he should or shouldn’t be grateful for that. Randy was the reason now that Katie was spending the weekend with a babysitter. And this boyfriend was the latest in a long string over the past three years.

“Thanks,” Evan said, grateful for this step forward.

When he hung up with Michelle, he started to feel more and more excited. If Katie spent the summer with him, maybe he could persuade Michelle to let her go to school in Seashell Beach. Surely there was a prestigious private one that even Michelle would approve of.

He took a sip of his coffee, feeling elated, but then he realized having Katie living him would complicate his life in other areas. He set down his cup. His budding relationship with Stella might come to a screeching halt if she realized dating Evan now included two.

Stella fidgeted with a pearl ring display. Evan would be coming in any minute on his lunch break. It was 3:00 in the afternoon, but since Evan started work later in the day, he had an odd lunch time. She looked toward the door as someone walked past the shop. Not Evan. They’d texted a few times this morning, and every time he wrote, her heart jumped.

Maybe it was because she could still feel his arms around her and his kisses on her mouth. Evan had been right; Amelia had waited up for her, and then, this morning, they’d all had cheesecake for breakfast. It had been a long time since Stella had seen her mother able to eat something enjoyable that wouldn’t shock her system. Stella wanted to kiss Evan again just for that.

Stella pulled out one of the pearl rings and slipped it on. She’d done the inset work for the pearls herself. The rings were one of the more popular items in the shop, and they also sold well online. She twisted the ring on her finger, wondering if it was possible to fall for a man so soon… this hard? Maybe it was the wine she’d had with dinner.

Maybe it was because being around Andrew had made her realize how much she missed being with a man. Or maybe Amelia’s excitement had become her own excitement. Or maybe it was seeing her mom close her eyes in pleasure as she ate the cheesecake Evan had made for her.

The door jingled, and Stella looked up to see Evan walk in.

The second she saw him, she knew she wasn’t falling for him for anything other than
she
wanted to be with him. Evan walked toward her with a half smile. Stella barely had time to slip the pearl ring off and put it back before Evan leaned down and kissed her cheek. It was only a kiss on the cheek, but it made her all too aware of him. She didn’t know how it would be when she first encountered Evan after their date the night before. Now she knew. Sweet.

“Are you here to shop for some more jewelry?” she teased, putting a little space between them in case a customer came into the shop.

“No, I’m here to steal you away.” He wasn’t letting her move too far. “What are you hungry for?”

She was hungry for anything. “What? You didn’t cook for me?”

Evan laughed. “I didn’t want to be late.”

“I thought we could order takeout,” Stella said. “Then I won’t have to put up the
closed
sign.”

“Why are you putting up the
closed
sign?” Amelia asked, coming out of the office.

Stella turned. “I thought you were leaving today.”

“Change of plans.” Amelia grinned and sidled up to Evan, looking him up and down. “That cheesecake was divine.”

“Thank you,” Evan said, his face turning pink.

Stella wanted to laugh. “We were, uh, about to order takeout.”

“If you two want to go get lunch, I’ll mind the shop.” She looked at Stella and wagged her eyebrows.

Stella wanted to laugh at Amelia’s antics. But at that moment, she was really glad that Amelia had decided to stay

She and Evan left the shop, and Evan slipped his hands into his pockets. Stella felt disappointed that he didn’t hold her hand, but it was probably better— they’d only been on one date after all. She thought of how Amelia had conveniently come into the shop so they could go to lunch… it was almost as if she was spying on them.