Wishing for the Girl Next Door (Piney Brook Wishes Book 3)

8. Evan

Back in my apartment, I can’t help but grin. Somehow, Karlee has gotten under my skin. I’d only meant to call and check on Mittens once since she’d never watched him before, but her sweet voice on the phone had me calling nearly every day.

Sometime during the week, talking to her became the highlight of my day. She is incredibly easy to talk to, and her sense of humor matches mine. Hearing her laugh at the end of the day made me wish she was there beside me. She makes me want to try dating again.

Louise was a mess, and I was too young to realize it. Being around Brant and Morgan this week, and seeing Daniel put himself out there and finally get the girl, made me realize I don’t want to be alone forever.

Mom was right. I’d closed myself off to the possibility of moving on. Karlee captured my attention the day she moved in. Being her date at her sister’s wedding will be weird, but it may be my chance to show myself, and her, what it would be like if we gave it a shot. A trial run of sorts. No harm, no foul if it doesn’t work out.

“We aren’t like that Patrick dude, are we Mittens? And she’s not Louise.”

I put him on the floor, and he immediately runs for the bedroom. “Really? Right for my pillow, huh?” Laughing, I open the bag that Karlee put the bowls and extra food into, and get him resettled.

Once Mittens is all set, I move on to unpacking the suitcase I dropped off in my apartment before picking him up from Karlee’s. I look at the pile of dirty clothes I’ve just unloaded into the hamper. Why do vacations create so much laundry?

Throwing a load into the washer, I head to the kitchen to find something for dinner. Unfortunately, there aren’t many options. I sigh and close the fridge. Pizza it is.

My phone rings from the other room. Afraid it’s Tracey calling to tell me Brody has hurt himself again, I jog to grab it.

“What’s up, man?” I ask, slightly out of breath.

“Uh, are you busy?” Daniel asks. “I have pizza.”

“Come on over,” I say. “See you soon.” That solves the dinner problem.

A few minutes later, there’s a knock at my door. “Hey,” I say, pulling the door open with Mittens snuggled into my chest. Man, I missed him. “What’s up? Didn’t you just spend days with me? I mean, I know I’m great and all, but...” I close the door behind Daniel as he steps through and places the pizza on the table.

“Yeah, yeah,” he shrugs. “I had plans with Elli and Reese, but it didn’t work out.”

“How do you mean?” I ask, stepping into the kitchen and grabbing some paper plates. I pass Daniel one and flip open the lid of the pizza box. “There’s Coke and water in the fridge. Help yourself.”

Daniel heads to the fridge and grabs a Coke.

“What do you mean, they didn’t work out?” I ask again, sitting down with my food.

“Well, when I got home, Heather was waiting. She came back a week early and missed Elli.”

“That’s understandable.” I nod, taking a huge bite of pizza as I settle back into the couch. “Okay, and Reese?”

Daniel grabs two slices of pizza and the can of Coke. “I was met at the door by her mother.”

I look at him for a second, swallow my food, and then burst out laughing. “Oh man, how’d that go?”

“Well, I’m here eating cold pizza with you, so...”

“Dang, that stinks. I thought that kind of stuff only happened in high school.” I take another bite of my pizza. “I was just going to watch the game tonight and order pizza, anyway. You’re welcome to hang out here.”

“Thanks,” Daniel says, settling back into the couch.

We watch the game in a comfortable silence until finally Daniel decides to head home. I feel bad for him. I’d be disappointed if my plans were so epically derailed, too. I wonder what it will be like to meet Karlee’s family. Even if we aren’t together, it’s important to me to make a good impression. We are friends, after all. And if they’re anything like Karlee, I know I’ll love them.

I lock the front door after Daniel leaves and flip off the lights. I step into the little laundry room off the bathroom and throw the clothes from the washer into the dryer before heading to the bathroom to get ready for bed. I haven’t washed my sheets since Karlee slept here. Gross, I’m sure, but the smell of vanilla and Karlee is comforting. I make a mental note to wash my sheets this week and find another way to get my Karlee fix.

I pull into the driveway late. I hate being late to family dinner, but I couldn’t help it. Heath needed someone to talk to, and I wasn’t about to turn him down. He’s been through a lot in the last year. Probably longer, considering he’d been deployed for a while before his mom was diagnosed.

“Are you sure your parents won’t mind me coming with you? This is a family thing.” Heath looks unsure of himself.

“Are you kidding? Mom’s been asking when she gets to see you again. You know you became family years ago, man.” He spent almost every weekend at our house while his mom worked.

“Yeah, I guess,” he says.

I pull into the driveway and park beside Tracey’s minivan. I wonder if Lawrence is in town. Family dinners are always better when we are all together.

“Seriously, it’s not a problem,” I say, turning off the truck and unfastening my seatbelt. Mom’s on the porch before I can even get the door open. “The welcoming committee is out.” I laugh.

Heath and I get out and make our way up the walk. I lean in and give Mom a peck on her cheek. “Hey, Ma.”

“Hey, yourself,” she says playfully, swatting me with her dishtowel. “Why didn’t you tell me my other son was coming for dinner?”

“It’s my fault, Mrs. Thompson. I’m sorry.” Heath drops his head—the weight of the world has been on his shoulders lately.

“None of that, Heath. You know you’re always welcome.” She pulls him into a bear hug and kisses his cheek. “It’s been too long since I fed you.” She steps back and looks at him a moment. “How’s your mom?”

“She’s tired today but doing okay. We’ll know more soon. The doctors are hopeful.” Heath sighs and shoves his hands in his pockets.

Mom pats his shoulder and motions for the front door. “Well, come on in. Dinner’s just about done.”

We step inside, just in time to see Lawrence grab Brody around the waist and lift him into the air. Giggles fill the air, and I grin. “Good to see you!” I say, making my way to where he still has Brody in the air. “It’s been a while.”

Lawrence brings Brody back down and sets him on the ground. Emelia is tugging on his leg, so he lifts her into his arms and blows a raspberry on her belly. “I know. Work’s been wild, but I shouldn’t have to travel again for a while.”

He shifts Emelia to his left hip and reaches out his hand to Heath. “Nice to see you again, Heath.”

Heath takes his hand and shakes. “Thanks. You too.”

“Well, look at this,” my dad’s voice booms from the entryway. “All my boys in one place. How’d I get so lucky?”

“Hey, Mr. Thompson,” Heath says before sticking his hand out to shake.

Dad looks from his outstretched hand to me. I shrug.

“None of that, son. You know you can call me Dad.“ Dad pulls Heath in for a hug, slapping him on the back. “Good to see you.”

Heath’s voice breaks when he responds. “Thanks.”

“Come on now,” Tracey calls from the kitchen. “Dinner’s going to get cold.”

Mom’s already put another spot at the table for Heath next to me, and we all sit down. “Go ahead. Fill your plates,” she says after Dad says the blessing.

It’s quiet while everyone gets settled and starts eating. “Tracey, you said you had some news,” Mom says, taking a sip of her sweet tea. “Care to share now?”

Dad grins from his spot at the head of the table. “News, huh?”

Lawrence clears his throat and looks at Tracey. They do that silent communication thing married couples do before he turns and looks at Mom.

“Well, as you know, I’ve been traveling for work. A lot.”

Murmurs of agreement follow his statement.

“I’ve decided I don’t want to be away anymore. Especially now that Tracey is pregnant again.” He grins as the table erupts in cheers.

“A baby!” Mom squeals as though this isn’t her third grandbaby. “Oh, Tracey! Why didn’t you say anything?”

Dad is up and slapping Lawrence on the back. “Well done, son.” He laughs. “So, tell us about the travel.”

“Well, like I was saying. I don’t want to be gone that long anymore. It’s too hard on Tracey, and I miss her and the kids too much. I’ve decided to take another position with the company. Same pay and benefits, but not as much travel. We decided me being home was more important right now than climbing the corporate ladder.”

“Oh, my.” Mom is wiping tears from her eyes. “I think that is just wonderful.”

“I’m happy for you, sis,” I manage to get in finally.

“Thanks.”

“That’s great,” Heath says, but his smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Babies are wonderful.”

I look at him, and for the first time, I wonder if there’s more to his stress than his mom’s illness.

The rest of the night passes with everyone taking guesses on the baby’s gender and discussing name possibilities. For a moment, I imagine Karlee pregnant, and I grin. She’d be such a beautiful pregnant woman.

I shake my head to clear those thoughts. That’s not a road I’m ready to go down right now. Or ever.

Heath is quiet, not really joining in the conversation. Mom keeps glancing his way, a look of concern causing her brows to crease.

When he called me earlier, he’d just run into Gabby at Beats and Eats. From what I gathered, she wasn’t thrilled to see him. I wish I knew what had happened between those two, but Heath is tight-lipped about it.

After dessert, Tracey and Lawrence decide to pack it up and head home. The kids are getting tired.

“We’d better get going too,” I say, standing up and stretching my back. “It’s a short week, with the holiday, but we’ve got a lot of last-minute work scheduled at the shop.”

Mom comes out from the kitchen and hands Heath a wrapped plate. “For your mom,” she says, patting his hand.

Heath nods, leaning in to drop a kiss on her cheek. “Thanks.”

After saying our goodbyes, we hop in the truck and head to Heath’s house. A brick townhouse located just on the north side of town with a welcoming red door. The landscaping is a bit lackluster since his mom’s been sick. The rose bushes are overgrown, and the annuals she always planted are missing. I wonder if Heath needs help getting it back in shape. I’m sure his mom would enjoy that.

“Thanks for tonight,” Heath says when I pull to a stop in his driveway. “Mom will love the leftovers.” He holds up the plate Mom made him. “I’ll be sure to get this back to you.”

“No worries, man.” I hesitate, unsure how much to pry. “If there’s ever anything you want to discuss, about your time over there, or your mom, or anything, really, you know I’m here, right?”

Heath nods. “Yeah, okay.”

“I mean it. I get the feeling you’re holding back, and I want you to know I’ve got your back. Even if all I can do is listen.”

Heath looks at me. His mouth opens and closes. “Thanks.” He finally says. “I better get this inside.” He turns on his heel and heads for his house.

I wait a minute after the door closes before pulling away and heading home.