“You want to know all about my trip to Afghanistan?” She stared back at her best friend in the whole entire world. “Sign that and I’ll be able to tell you everything.”
Another rush of emotion blew past, and it was all Evie could do not to break down and cry. Beckett knew how badly it hurt not to be able to share what happened with Lo, so he’d somehow managed to make it possible for her to do so.
The man was on a mission to who knows where to do only God knows what, and he’d still managed to pull something like this off. And he’d done it, not for himself…but for her.
He did this for me.
“You’re serious.” Lo looked to the woman still standing before them and asked, “Do you have a—” She cut herself off when a shiny gold pen appeared twisted and ready for use. “Oh.Um…thanks.” Bending down, she popped one knee forward and used the top of her thigh for support as she scribbled her name on all the lines flagged for her signature. “There.” Lo handed the stranger the papers when she was finished.
“You can keep the pen.” The other woman smiled. “I have loads more.” To Evie, she added, “I’ll take care of the notarizing and filing.”
“Hang on.” Lo frowned. “Aren’t I required to be present with the notary? Or at least show someone my ID…”
“Typically, yes.” Ashley’s rosy lips curved into a sly grin. “Lucky for you, the man I work for is anything but typical.”
“So, that’s it?” Evie needed to be absolutely certain moving forward. “As far as our end is concerned, it’s done?”
She needed to be absolutely certain.
“It’s done.” The other woman nodded.
She wasn’t sure what to say except, “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” Ashley waved as she spun on her heels to leave. “Have a great rest of your day, ladies.”
“You, too!” Lo hollered after her as she shut the door and turned around. With her arms set in a tight crisscross across her hoodie-covered chest, she arched a brow and gave Evie a demanding gaze. “Okay, woman. Let’s talk.”
An hour and a half later—afterEvie sent Beckett a thank-you text that included the promise of more at his place later on—Lo knew everything there was to know about Afghanistan. The girls. The kidnapping. The men who’d held them hostage. Being rescued by Beckett’s team.
Evie also shared the part about her father’s response to her desperate call for help…and everything she learned about him after the fact.
“Holy shit.” Lo sat back against the couch, the look of utter shock still plastered all over her beautiful face. “I can’t even…I mean…” Her wide eyes blinked several times. “God, Evie. I don’t know what to say.”
“Not much to say, really. But at least now you know everything.”
“Wow.” Her friend sounded as stunned as she appeared. “I mean, that’s…so fucked up in so many ways.”
“Pretty much.” She gave a watery laugh. With a sniffle, Evie wiped her eyes with the wad of tissue still crumpled up in her fist.
“So now what? I mean…what are you going to do? Will you still go back to the Hamptons, or do you think you’ll move someplace totally different? Not to sound harsh, but it’s not like there’s really anything left there for you.”
Ouch.
The sting from her friend’s words was as real as the truth behind them.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do.” She gave Lo the most honest answer she could. “I mean, I’ll have to go back to my apartment at some point. The school year will be over soon, and I’ll have to figure out things with the district.”
Until she and Beckett had a chance to sit down and really talk out things as far as they were concerned, it was impossible for Evie to eventryto plan for the future. All she knew was that she wanted him to be a part of it.
“And Beckett? How does he fit into all this?”
She looked over at her friend and smiled. “I think this part of the conversation calls for something a bit stronger than coffee. I bought some orange juice the other day. And I’m pretty sure that bottle of champagne on the top shelf is the same one what’s-their-names gave you last Christmas when you did their family pictures.”
Lo burst out laughing. “It is. But I mean…who just randomly opens a bottle of champagne and starts drinking it?”
“Uh…we do.” Evie pushed herself up from the couch. “Sit tight. I’ll fix us a couple of glasses and bring them in here where it’s more comfortable.”
“Good idea. But you may as well save some time and bring the bottle in here, too.”