Emma wasn’t the type who would pry for details, and he wasn’t in the mood to discuss Lucy just then. Instead, he turned the conversation to Emma. “You said you needed to talk to me, Emma. Is it about the scholarship?”
She shook her head. “Actually, I called you because you were in the army. And because you’ve always had such good advice when the rest of us discussed problems during lunches.”
That was certainly not what he’d expected to hear. “You’re not thinking of enlisting, are you?”
She smiled fleetingly. “Not exactly. Was it hard for you? Leaving your home and your family here, I mean, to go off to another part of the world on your own?”
Taking her question in the same serious vein in which it was asked, he nodded. “Yeah. It was. My first time away from home, really, and I have to admit I was nervous. Had plenty of times when I got homesick. But it was something I needed to do.”
He hadn’t enlisted only to run away from his feelings for his friend’s fiancée, he assured himself. There had been a number of reasons he’d felt obligated to serve, and that had been only one of them.
“I’ve never lived anywhere but here,” Emma admitted. “Never more than thirty miles from my parents. I’ve had an offer for a job that would give me a chance to live in an entirely different part of the country and work with a former military man. I’ve been warned that he’ll be a challenge but I’m still tempted. I thought I’d run the offer past you and see what you think on both counts.”
She made a little face when she added, “I haven’t talked with my parents about it yet. I already know they’re not going to like it. I tried to talk to Lynette, but she doesn’t want me to le
ave the rehab center, even though I told her I’d probably come back eventually. I’m sure I could get my job there back. I just, well, I just feel like I need to try something different, you know?”
He thought he understood now why she’d called him. She needed someone who knew her, but could remain objective, maybe just listen to her deliberations without having an overly emotional response.
He leaned back more comfortably in his chair, doing his best to put Renae out of his mind for now. He would call her when he got home. He wanted to make sure she knew that while he had made himself available for Emma today, Renae was the only woman he considered more than just a friend.
Chapter Eight
The kids were in bed that evening, Lucy was in her room, and Renae sat in her own bedroom, propped against her headboard and staring at the book in her lap. She’d been holding the book for maybe ten minutes without even opening it, figuring she would be unable to concentrate on the story, no matter how good it might be.
Her phone sat on the nightstand within easy reach. She found her gaze drifting that way repeatedly, and it annoyed her that she sat here waiting for a phone call. She could pretend all she wanted that she’d come into her room for quiet reading time, but lying to herself would serve no purpose. Every muscle in her body was braced for a call from Evan.
Still she jumped when the phone vibrated against the nightstand. Feeling even more like a fool, she snatched it up. “Hello?”
“How was the ice?”
Why on earth would the sound of Evan’s voice bring a lump to her throat and make her eyes burn with a hint of tears? She forced herself to answer lightly, hoping there was no hint of emotional turmoil in her succinct response. “Cold.”
He chuckled, but she wondered if his humor was just a bit strained. “Yeah, I figured. Did the kids have fun?”
“They had a great time.”
It had been a magical setting in the twins’ eyes, with the colored lights strung in the pavilion above them, the Arkansas River running alongside, inky beneath the starlit sky, reflecting the lights of the cities lining its banks. Had she not been so conscious of Evan sitting inside with the beautiful Emma Grainger, Renae would have been as enchanted as her kids by the cheery holiday atmosphere. As it was, she had worked hard to concentrate solely on her children, snapping photos, laughing with them, cheering them on as they’d played on the ice. Lucy, too, had made an effort to keep up a happy front for the kids, though Renae could tell that seeing Evan had dimmed her mood considerably.
“I had no idea you’d be at the River Market this evening.”
“I know. I didn’t mention it to you.”
“Just didn’t want you to think I deliberately arranged that encounter. Emma needed to ask my advice about a quandary she’s having, and that was just a convenient spot for us to meet.”
“I never thought you expected to see me,” she assured him, remembering the surprise on Evan’s face when he’d seen her. She thought there had also been pleasure in his eyes at the sight of her, but then Lucy had made her appearance.
“I hope running into me didn’t spoil your outing.”
“Of course not. Why would it have?” she asked, deliberately obtuse.
He didn’t let her get away with it. “I could see that Lucy hates me now as much as she did seven years ago.”
Lucy had not mentioned Evan since. Not in the car on the way home, not while the twins were preparing for bed, nor when Lucy had announced that she was turning in early. When Renae had tried to bring up the incident, Lucy had cut her off with a shake of her head, making it clear she wasn’t ready to discuss it. As much as Renae loved her mother-in-law, she was aware that Lucy could be very stubborn.
“Lucy doesn’t hate you, Evan.” At least, Renae didn’t think Lucy’s antipathy could be described as hatred. It was just that Lucy still identified Evan with grief and loss. As unfair as that might be to Evan, Renae wasn’t really sure how to change Lucy’s mindset.
“Hmm.” It was obvious he didn’t believe her, and she supposed she couldn’t blame him for that.