Lo smiled wide, her shoulders falling with a friendly sigh. “I promise to tell you all about it, but I took an insanely early flight to get here, and their in-flight coffee tasted like ass.”
“I’ve got you covered.” Evie chuckled as she retrieved her own forgotten mug. “I made a fresh pot an hour ago, and it’s still steaming hot. I’ll fix you a cup.”
“See?” Lo started to follow. “This is why you’re my best friend.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m youronlyfriend.”
“Fair enough. But hey, listen. I’ll tell you all about Shawn if you promise to share more about your trip to Afghanistan. You haven’t said a whole lot, and Iknowthere had to be at leastoneexciting thing happen while you were there…I mean, it’s the Middle East, woman! I’d die for the chance to go someplace like that. Can you imagine the pictures I could capture? What am I saying, of course you can. You werethere.”
Evie’s footfalls nearly stuttered, and she was thankful her back was to Lo so the other woman couldn’t see her face. Giving vague answers and hiding the truth over the phone was one thing. Even during their few video calls they’d made, Evie had been able to hide the truth.
All she’d had to do was either turn the camera away or pretend to become distracted by something on T.V. But now…
“Evie?”
“S-sorry, what?” She cleared her throat as she stopped in front of the coffee pot and began pouring her friend a cup.
Lo turned and pushed herself up onto the countertop, letting her legs dangle over the edge. “I was saying I want to hear all about your trip.”
“Oh. Um…there’s not much to tell, really.” Heat crawled into her cheeks from the lie.
This is so much harder than I thought it would be.
“Come on, there has to be something interesting. The food…the clothes…themen.” Lo waggled her light brown brows up and down with a suggestive expression.
A man’s face did flash within Evie’s mind, but unfortunately it wasn’t Beckett’s. Instead, it was the guard. The one who’d hit and kicked her when he learned her so-called father wouldn’t pay.
Don’t think about that now. Quick! Change the subject. Talk about something else. Anything, as long as it has nothing to do with?—
“Oh, before I forget, I think you only have maybe one more load of laundry detergent left in the bottle.” She turned slowly, carefully handing her friend the steaming white mug. “I was planning on getting more when I go to the store later, but if you want to throw a load in now, I can?—”
Lo’s doorbell rang, the sound taking both women by surprise. Nearly spilling the coffee she’d been preparing to sip, a startled Evie sat it back down and headed for the door.
“Wait.” Lo slid from the counter, effectively blocking her path. “I’m back, remember?”
“So?”
“So relax and enjoy your coffee while I answermydoor.”
Evie smiled as she watched her friend turn and walk away. She understood what the other woman was saying. Her door, her responsibility.
Which was perfectly fine with her because whoever was at Lo’s door obviously hadn’t come to see?—
“Um…Evie?”
The uncertainty in her friend’s tone caused Evie’s brow to furrow deep. “Yeah?” She began making her way to the door where Lo stood.
“This woman says she’s here to see you. She said she has a package for you that’s really important.”
An important package? For her?
Frowning, Evie picked up her pace and covered the remaining distance between her, Lo, and a woman she couldbarely see. When she got to the door, she found a young, attractive woman standing on the other side of the threshold, and in her hand was a large manila envelope.
“Evelynn Mitchell?”
Evie nodded slowly. “Yes, that’s me.”
“Hi. I’m, Ashley, and I was asked to hand this directly to you.”