Zach loved catching the look on a guest’s face when they first stepped out of the shuttle cars in front of Big Rock Lodge. He loved the look on a child’s face when they saw their first real horse up close and in person. He loved seeing a pissed-off teenager go from “Fuck this family vacation” to “Mom, watch me ride!” He’d seen his friends and even his cousins struggle with what adulthood held for them, but Zach was lucky. He was exactly where he needed to be.
And suddenly, in the last few days, it didn’t feel like enough. Something inside him had been uncovered. The feelings he had for Evie, feelings he’d been denying his whole life, had come to the surface and there was nothing he could do to ignore them.
He turned his phone over in his hand and thought about how neither he or Jesse had mentioned Evie all day. It was fine with him. He wasn’t in the mood for more of Jesse’s lectures, but his grandmother’s words still bounced around in his mind.
Zach needed to be more honest with himself when he thought about Evie and how badly he wanted to be with her. He wanted to see her, yeah, but he wanted to spend actual time with her, alone. He wasn’t trying to make a move, he just wanted to be with her, talk, relax, get to know her as she was now. And he wanted to see how he could help her, see what she needed without Jesse or a doctor or even her agent, hovering.
But for now, he would definitely have to wait. He whistled for Poppy, then followed her back inside and sat down beside his grandmother on the loveseat. She was enjoying her nightly viewing ofJeopardy. He hung tight, messing around on his phone through the rest of the episode. Through an episode of theWheeland two reruns ofRory’s War. He sat quietly by, listening to Corie and Lilah attempt to catch Evie up on all the seasons following Rory’s career at Mercy General Hospital.
Vega sat on the other side of the room, knitting, but even she had her opinions on Rory’s terrible choice in men. As the commercial breaks dragged on, Zach felt like he’d entered into some battle of wills between himself, Corie, and Vega. His grandmother went to bed at the same time every night. He could tell Lilah to beat it, and while Corie would eventually take a hint, Zach knew she’d give him an earful-and-a-half about how it was perfectly fine for him to go back over to his own house.
When the second episode ofRory’s Warended, Miss Leona stood, groaning loud as she tried to cover a yawn. “I’m gonna watch the news in my room. Goodnight, my beautiful babies.” She kissed Zach on the cheek, then made her way around the room saying her warm goodnights, with Sugar Plum tight on her heels. She even had a kiss on the forehead for Vega. “You need anything, and Corie will get it for you.”
“Thank you, Ms. Lovell.”
A few minutes later Zach saw Lilah listing a bit to the left. She caught herself before her head hit the arm of the couch. Her eyes sprang open. “Goodness. I should go to bed too. Do you need me tomorrow?” she asked in her soft voice.
“Nope, we said you’re off until January fifth and we meant it.”
“I know. I just know Jesse could use my help.”
“No, he’ll use you because you keep showing up. Take your days off. We’ll have plenty for you to do when we get back.”
“Okay, goodnight.”
Zach wanted to ask her one more time to call her parents, but he’d do it when they were alone. He knew Lilah would talk to him about it, but she wouldn’t want to open up in front of Vega or Evie.
And then there were four. Zach turned and looked Corie dead in the eye. She looked back at him and slowly shook her head. Zach’s eyes widened and he slowly nodded. Evie was sitting on the other end of the same couch and he knew she could see the ridiculous stare-down playing out between them, but he didn’t care. Finally Corie hopped off the couch and reached down for her shoes.
“Fifty dollars in my Cash App and not a penny less.”
“Done.”
“Nice doing business with you, chump,” she said with a bright smile. “Night, Evie. Night, Vega.”
Zach wasn’t going to ask Vega to give them a minute, but something told him she wasn’t going to drag this out. Sure enough, at the next commercial break, Vega packed up her knitting. “Evie, darling, I’m calling it a night. Don’t stay up too late?”
“I won’t. I’m going to head to bed soon.”
“Good. Mr. Pleasant,” she said with a little smirk and a nod.
“Nurse Vega.”
Finally. At long last they were alone. Sort of. Poppy and Euca were passed out at Evie’s feet. Poppy was down for the count, but Euca cracked an eye open and watched Zach get up from the loveseat and join Evie on the couch.
“Hi,” Evie said.
“Hey.”
“She’s right. I shouldn’t stay up too late. It’s been a long day.”
“You’re right. I have to work in the morning,” he said, but neither of them moved. Zach couldn’t believe how badly he wanted touch her, how badly he wanted to hold her. He watched the emotions playing over her face as she looked down and started playing with the edge of her sweater. “Come on. I’ll walk you to your room.”
Zach stood and turned off the television before he turned and helped Evie up from the couch.
“I saw all of your trophies. I wandered down to the other TV room,” Evie said as they walked down the hall. When he looked down he realized she was nodding to all the family photos and accolades that lined the walls. His grandmother had only mounted a fraction of them.
“Yeah, we’re a—we’re a busy family.”