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He laughed. "All right. So, what do you think? Want to come for a run in the morning?"
"No, but I'm coming anyway," she deadpanned.
He laughed again. "I'll only ever get the truth from you."
"Who's looking after Erin?" Erin was his daughter from his first marriage. His new partner was Gigi, who he'd met when he was in New York after going to set up a new club for her. When he came back to LA though, she hadn't come back with him—something about an internship opportunity. Then, one day, Max's life turned into a Disney special. Gigi had turned up on his doorstep with her packed suitcase at her feet. They'd been together ever since.
"Gigi's looking after her. I'll swing by and get you around seven." He hung up before she could protest.
Evangeline huffed and turned off the water. She stripped off and got in the tub, feeling her whole body heat up instantly. She closed her eyes, and behind her lids, she saw Beau's face. It was her favorite memory of him. He was smiling at her, kissing her cheeks, the tip of her nose and her mouth. They were curled up in bed together, the blanket thrown over their heads, creating a bubble that only contained them. She had been so happy then.
Her eyes opened and she stared at her bathroom ceiling. She knew she shouldn't have gone out tonight. Hanging out with heartbroken women always led to regrets, although she'd never thought of Beau like this before. She stared at the tattoo on her right ankle, the one they’d always talked about getting together.
Pulling the plug, she got out and toweled off. She glanced at the clock in her bedroom before tugging an old t-shirt over her head. It was eleven PM on a Friday night. She didn't think she'd been home this early after a night out in about five years.
Evangeline got into bed, leaving the sheets pushed down near her feet. It was too damn hot tonight.
On her nightstand, her phonepingedagain. Assuming it was Max with some sort of time update for the morning, she leaned over and slid the bar across the screen to unlock it. It was a Snapchat from Natasha, showing her kissing the guy from the bar. The message along the bottom read "Thanks for passing on this one. Phenomenal kisser xx."
Evangeline shut her phone off, rolled over, and went to sleep.
5
The soundof packing tape being dragged over a box to seal it shut was going stereo in Beau's ears. He had been building boxes for the past hour or so, getting ready to start packing up his mom's whole life. The plan was to work through the house methodically, starting at the front of the house and working his way back. Today, he’d tackle the kitchen, dining room, and living room. The bedrooms he’d do tomorrow.
He was in the dining room, wrapping his mom’s china plates in newspaper and stacking them carefully into a box. There was just the one cabinet of crockery in there. There was another one in the kitchen and yet another in the formal living room, except that cabinet was full of porcelain figurines. Beau had always hated those figurines, but as he finished up in the dining room and moved to the formal living room, he found himself caressing each figure just a little before wrapping it in newspaper. He couldn't part with any of his mom's things—not right now when everything was still raw—so his plan was to put everything into storage, then revisit it in twelve months. By that time, he should have his shit together and would be able to decide what to keep and what to give to Goodwill.
Christ. Thinking about what life would be like in a year was difficult to imagine. Having had enough for the day, he locked up the house and drove back to John's house. Despite it being Saturday, his friend was at work, so he had the place to himself. He opened up the fridge and took out a bottle of water. He drank half of it in one gulp, then walked through to the living room where he collapsed onto the armchair positioned toward the TV.
What was he going to do now? Sitting still only made him think about his mother and about how pointless his life now was. Worrying about his mom's health was not something he had to do anymore. He was free to live his life, to get a job he actually liked, to start his own family...
Start his own family... just like his mother wanted him to do.
"You were sure about Evangeline."
His mother's words echoed in his head, the memory of them haunting him just as her ghost would.
Evangeline. The woman who had changed the game—who still changed the game, even after all this time.
"Yo, Beau, you there?"
Beau blinked and looked up to see John standing there in his two-piece suit, his laptop case in hand. He was living the life Beau had only dreamed for himself.
"What's going on?" his friend asked, placing his laptop on the couch and going to the kitchen. When he returned, he handed Beau a beer and took a seat.
"I started packing up my mom's house today."
"That's tough, man."
Beau nodded and took a sip from his beer. "It brought up a lot of stuff I need to think about."
"Like what?"
He picked at the label absently. "Like what I'm going to do now. I gave up college for my mom, but I don't think I could go back."
"Why not?"
He shrugged. "What would be the point? I have a good job at the gym."
