Chapter 13
Evie breathed in and out slowly as she stuck her house key in the front door. She hadn’t been that nervous since her first date with James. It had gone well though. As soon as she pushed open the front door she heard Jamie shout from somewhere in the house.
“Mommy?!”
“Jamie, don’t shout,” Madeleine admonished from the living room sofa.
“It’s me. I’m home,” Evie called out.
Suddenly Jamie came barreling from the den and threw himself onto her. She swung him up into her arms and kissed his check.
“Did you have fun with your man friend? Did you bring me back something?” Jamie asked with excitement. “Man friend? Really, Mama?”
Madeleine shrugged.
“Well, what else am I supposed to call him, honey?”
“What did you bring me back?” Jamie interrupted.
Evie set him down and reached into her purse, producing a small dolphin-shaped foil package. She’d been delighted when the waiter at the restaurant molded the foil containing their leftovers into an animal shape.
“Cool, a shark!” Jamie exclaimed, grabbing the foil and immediately taking off around the living room.
“Be careful, baby, there’s food in there.” She hadn’t even bothered to tell him it was a dolphin.
“Okay!” he shouted.
As her son dashed out of the room, she suddenly had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She could foresee the leftover food spilling onto the floor of the den. However, before she could quickly intervene, her mother sparked a conversation.
“So, how was it? As terrible as you thought? Did he attack you in the restaurant?” Madeleine asked with her hands on hips.
“No. You were right, it was fine. I was nervous, that’s all, but it turned out okay. I guess we’ll go out again.”
“Uh huh, so when do I get to meet this officer?”
Evie froze; it hadn’t even crossed her mind to introduce Stacy to her family yet.
“Don’t you think it’s a little early for that?”
“Is the man married?”
“No.”
“Does he have kids?”
“No.”
“Well, then I don’t think it’s too early. This is the first man you have shown any interest in since James died. And before you get into anything serious with him, I think he should have our stamp of approval.”
Evie grunted. “I’m not sixteen okay. This whole intimidate-my-boyfriend thing worked when I was in my teens, but I’m twenty-six now.”
Madeleine didn’t flinch. “I’m not sayin’ we have to meet him tomorrow, but soon. He knows about Jamie?”
“I told him I have a son. I told him about James too.”
Madeleine’s eyebrows rose. “And what did he say about that?”
“He said he was sorry like it was his fault or something.”
“Really? He apologized?” her mother asked in a funny tone.
Before Evie could reply, she suddenly remembered that Jamie was still running around the house with the leftovers. As if on cue, she heard a loud cry from the den.
“Sorry Mommy!” Jamie’s little voice screeched.
Evie sighed as she made her way into the den. The mess was exactly what she expected—a disaster. Her left over salmon and rice were splattered on the carpet and the stench of the seafood had already begun to soak into its fibers.
“Oh great,” Evie said.
She hung her head, knowing the work she had cut out for her. She looked at Jamie and despite his apology and puppy-dog eyes she was not going to let him get away so easy.
“Grab a trash bag and napkins. You are going to help clean this up.”
“Okay, Mommy.”
As she and Jamie picked up the food and plopped it into the plastic bag one chunk at a time, Evie looked over at her son and wondered whether Stacy would have the patience to deal with such incidences as these. Jamie was a growing boy who was bound to repeat similar mistakes. Even though she’d been a parent for three years now, she still had difficulty calmly handling childhood errors, but with Stacy being childless, she was unsure whether he would be able to adjust.
With the majority of the mess cleaned, she sent Jamie on his way so that she could do the detailed parts—scrubbing the carpet to ensure a permanent stain didn’t set in. Evie poured carpet cleaner over the spot, then scrubbed vigorously and in a circular motion. The action was actually a source of release for her, and as she performed this mindless task she was able to gather her thoughts.
Stacy was a police officer whose job was to apprehend criminals of all ages. The boy he brought into her hospital for care was a young teen who had gotten himself in a heap of mess. With this on her mind, Evie’s fears of Stacy not being able to accept her child’s antics fell to the wayside. If he could manage lawbreakers, he could surely find the fortitude to deal with Jamie. Right?
By the middle of next week, Evie still hadn’t heard from Stacy. She wasn’t totally surprised; she figured she had scared him away. What in the world had she been thinking telling Stacy about James? Who in the world would want to spend time with someone who had that type of baggage?
That night after she finished reading her Bible, she took out the letter and re-read it as she did every night since receiving it.
I have not forgotten what happened. I never can and never will. I have not moved on. The only thing that this incident has done for me is made me a better cop—made me more cautious. I know that sounds bad, but it has.
Just as she was tucking the letter back into her Bible, her cell phone rang. Thinking it was Anna from the hospital, she answered it without looking at the caller ID.
“I’m not covering your shift Sunday,” she said into the phone.
“Oh, well that’s disappointing. I was hoping to have Sunday off.”
Evie gasped and tore the phone away from her face, then stared at the caller ID. It read Stacy Walsh.
“Stacy, I’m sorry. I thought you were one of my co-workers.”
He laughed, “Clearly.”
Silence ensued for a moment while Evie tried to catch her breath and slow down her heart beat. She was in utter disbelief that he had called.
“So I’m guessing you have Sunday off then?”
She could hear the smile in his voice.
“For the time being, yes.” She laughed, a little too breathlessly for her taste.
“I’m sorry I haven’t called for a few days. I had to deal with some financial stuff regarding my mom. It’s taken a while to straighten it out,” he explained.
“Oh, that’s fine,” she said, pleased with how normal her voice sounded now.
Stacy cleared his throat. “I actually have Sunday off as well, if you’d like to do something this weekend.”
“Sunday is not exactly a good day for me. I usually go to church with my family.”
“When is your next day off?”
“Not until Friday. I’m working four-tens this week.”
“I won’t be off until next Sunday.”
Disappointed, Evie played with a loose thread on her comforter. With him being a cop and her being a nurse, their schedules might always conflict. Suddenly she had an idea.
“If you want...” she started then hesitated, “I mean you don’t have to or anything, but if you want you can come to church with me Sunday.”
She had no idea why she put that offer on the table; he didn’t believe in God.
The air fell silent, and then Stacy gave a response.
“That sounds okay.”
Shock almost caused Evie to drop the phone.
“Really?”
“Sure, why not. I can meet you there if you give me the address and time. I just have one request.”
“Request?”
“Yes. You have to let me take you out afterward; this time on a real date, not a luncheon.” She took a deep breath and said a quick prayer. “Okay. Sure.”
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