The nerves firing deep inside left her momentarily frozen. Apparently Beckett grew tired of waiting, because her phone notified her once again of a new incoming message.
U still there?
The question kickstarted her brain back into motion. With her thumbs moving rapidly across the screen, Evie quickly typed out her response.
Sorry. Still here. And yes, you can call.
She hit send and blew out a breath, letting her back fall against the soft headboard mounted to the wall behind her. There. It was done. Now there was nothing left to do but?—
Her phone began to ring. The sound seemed much louder than normal, making her jump as the default tone echoed off Lo’s bedroom walls.
She pulled in a deep breath to calm her erratic nerves and then…she answered the call.
“Hello?” Her greeting was soft and a bit unsure.
“Well, hello to you, too.”
Evie’s eyes fell shut, and she reveled in the man’s drawled greeting. God, it was good to hear his voice again.
It was as deep and rumbly as she remembered. Like a gentle balm to her restless soul, just hearing him again immediately putting her more at ease.
“H-How…” Her words became stuck, and she was forced to clear the sudden dryness from her throat and tried again. “How have you b?—”
“Are you really in Charlotte?”
The unexpected question took her by surprise. “Uh…yeah. It’s where my friend lives. The one I’m house-sitting for. Why?”
There was a noticeable pause, and for a moment, Evie thought maybe the call had been lost. But just as she was about to pull the phone away to see if that was the case, she heard?—
“Because, darlin’. I’m in Charlotte, too.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
The next afternoon…
Beckett checkedhis watch for the third time in as many minutes. He was early, and Evie had promised she’d be here. So why the hell was he obsessed with watching the time?
Could it be you’re afraid she won’t show?
The thought may have crossed his mind a time or two. Or twenty. But Evie didn’t strike him as the type of woman to stand someone up.
There’s a first time for everything.
Wanting to kick his inner thought’s imaginary ass, Beckett took a drink of his water just to give himself something to do. Damn, he needed to relax. It was just lunch, for Christ’s sake.
Even so, he hadn’t been this nervous in forever. And it wasn’t even a date. Just two people taking time out of their day to reconnect, share a meal, and hopefully get to know each other a little bit better.
Pretty sure that constitutes a first date, dumbass.
No, it constituted him getting the chance to see Evie with his own eyes and verifying himself, she really was doing okay. Andyeah. Maybe a part of him was curious to see if the undeniable connection he’d been obsessing over since Afghanistan actually existed or whether it was a figment of his hormone-driven imagination.
The minutes ticked by, and the longer he sat and waited, the more convinced he became that this was all a huge mistake. He never should’ve listened to Digger. What had he been thinking, taking romantic advice from a guy like that?
Falcon, sure. Apollo, no problem. But those two had already found the loves of their lives. But Dig? That man wouldn’t know love if it kicked him square in the?—
A flash of red caught his attention from one corner of his eye. Turning his focus to the source, Beckett was instantly thrown into a parallel universe. One where everyone and everything suddenly ceased to exist. Everyone except…
Evie.