It was the second worst date in her life. Not because of shame or embarrassment, but because she had actually connected with someone, only to have him torn away by someone she loved dearly and trusted completely.
Just like Jeb.
“Why?” she said out loud. “Why don’t you want me to be happy?”
Sitting up, she grabbed the phone from under her pillow and brought up her contact list. She jammed her thumb against Donny’s photo and held the phone to her ear. It rang six times then went silent. She waited for a greeting from his voicemail, but it didn’t come. Frowning, she glanced at the screen. The call log ticked the seconds.
“I know you’re there, Donny. Say something.”
Nothing, not even a click, came through the earpiece.
“Say something, or get out of my life.” Evelyn spat.
Finally, a scraping noise, and Donny spoke. “I’m sorry it had to be that way.”
Evelyn clenched her teeth. “But you’re not sorry you did it, is that what you’re telling me?”
A long pause, then, “Yes.”
Her last wall of restraint crumbled, and she shouted into the phone. “What do you want from me? You want me to be miserable and alone for the rest of my life? Don’t you know how much it hurts?”
“Yes.”
She pinched her eyes shut, releasing a fresh pair of tears. “Then why did you do it, Donny?”
“I…love you.”
He had spoken those three words before. Hundreds of times. But never like this. There was so much pain in his voice, as if she had tortured a confession from him.
“I love you, too, Donny. That’s why I’m always there for you. And why I have never hurt you.”
“Haven’t you?”
Evelyn’s response caught in her throat. She wanted to lash out, to hurt him for what he had done. But then she might never know the reason for Donny’s behavior. And they’d been friends for so long—she owed him a chance to explain himself. “When have I hurt you?”
Donny remained quiet for so long, she thought the call had been dropped. Finally, he spoke. “No one, not even my sister, could hurt me as much as you can. I care about you, Evelyn. When you make the wrong choice and take the path that leads to heartbreak, it tears me up inside. I blame myself and wonder if there’s anything I could have done to save you from the pain. That’s why I did it, Evelyn. That’s why I scared him away.”
“I liked him, Donny. You had no right—” She swallowed and wiped a hot tear from her cheek. “You’re not my…my...”
“I’m not your father? Is that what you were going to say? You’re right, I’m not. But I care for you just as much as he does, and I’m still part of your life.” He exhaled. “If I have to save you from yourself, I will.”
Evelyn held the phone away from her face and shouted at it. “My relationships are none of your damn business! Alek wasn’t like the others. He was perfect, and you ruined my chances with him.”
“He’s not perfect. Trust me.”
Clenching her hands into fists and pacing the room, Evelyn said, “For me, he was. And how would you know? You had never even met him before.”
Donny went silent for three seconds. “It’s a hunch. I’ve got a bad feeling about him.”
“You’re a terrible liar. Tell me the truth.”
“I…I am.”
“You would risk ruining our friendship over a hunch?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then what bothers you about Alek?” Evelyn narrowed her eyes as she waited for an answer.
“Alright, fine. I did some research.”
Evelyn blinked. “Research?”
“Yeah, I, uh, looked him up online. Checked into his social media presence, forum activity, that sort of thing.”
Evelyn did her best to keep her tone even. “Donny, I’m grateful for your concern, but you’ve crossed the line.”
He didn’t respond.
Her eyes widened, and she inhaled sharply. “Wait…have you done this before?”
“Well, uh…yes.”
“How many times?”
“Only one other time, I swear.”
She closed her eyes and took a calming breath. “Do not ever do that again. Do you hear me?”
“I do. Loud and clear.”
“Promise me.”
“I promise I won’t do it again.”
She wanted to end the conversation by throwing the phone on the floor and stomping on it. Instead, she counted backward from ten and regained her composure. “What did you find out that made it worth embarrassing me and ruining my chances with Alek?”
“It’s…complicated. There were anomalies with his social media accounts, and his work history has a few unexplained gaps.”
Evelyn blinked. “You’re going to have to be more specific.”
“Well, he only has accounts with two of the top seven media apps, and he has less than sixty friend connections on each. I couldn’t find his employment records for 2012 to 2014 or 2016 to 2018. And as far as his parents—”
Evelyn cut him off with a growl. “I invited you to dinner yesterday. When did you have time to do all this research?”
“Uh…last night?”
“And how long did it take?”
“I don’t know, maybe six hours.”
“Six hours? Donny, that’s not okay! There could be dozens of reasons why his employment history didn’t show up, and some people don’t drown themselves in apps. Not everyone lives and breathes computers like you.” Her hands shook, and she closed her eyes. “I’ve heard enough. Goodbye, Donny.”
“Wait, before you go, will you answer one question?”
“If it’s quick.”
“It is,” Donny replied. “I want to know, if you could go back and do things differently, would you?”
“Regarding…?”
“Your relationships with other men.”
Evelyn considered her answer for a long moment. “Yes. I’d go back and tell my father what I’m telling you: if you want me to be happy, let me make my own choices.”
She ended the call, brought up her list of contacts, and blocked Donny’s number. For good.
6
Sunday descended into a haze of regret and unwanted memories. Evelyn scrolled through photos on her smartphone, searching for a time when she was truly happy. Her thumb swiped right to left, never hesitating for more than a second on any image. Then a man with curly, jet-black hair appeared, and she lingered. The image was grainy because it was a picture of a picture. Originally, the portrait had been taken with a disposable camera, which she hid from her father for years. After coming across the camera in a box of old junk, she took it to a drug store and had the photos developed. Seeing Jeb’s face again felt like a knife in her heart, but she didn’t run from the pain. Losing him was…different from the others. There was no rejection, no shame, and no regret. There was only tragedy.
Looking at Jeb’s lop-sided grin and silvery eyes, she slipped into a fantasy of what could have been. She imagined a farmhouse at the edge of town—Jeb had grown up on a dairy farm, raising and tending to Holstein cows. In her mind, their children chased each other through the yard, then ran to her as she returned from her morning shift at the Bed and Breakfast. She could see Jeb wiping oil from his calloused hands with a shop rag and tucking the cloth halfway into his back pocket. Life had turned out just as they’d planned so many years ago. Everything was exactly as they talked about in high school, when they’d lain in the grass and watched the stars come out. Their love would last forever, and their home would pass to their children and grandchildren.