Page 115 of The Book of Summer

“It’s so incomprehensible,” Bess says. “My brain can’t process…” She grabs the sides of her head. “It’s as though you’re telling me one thing, and my mind is just spitting it back out, like a wonky dollar bill in a soda machine. ‘Do Not Accept.’ Jesus. Fifteen years. Well, at least Cis had the decency to wait until after my grandmother died to commence the sinning. Ruby would’ve been horrified.”

“I dunno.” Evan shrugs. “I get the sense she might’ve understood. Don’t you think she’d want her daughter happy, if nothing else?”

“No, absolutely not,” Bess says. “I mean, yes, she’d want Cissy to be happy in general but not in an Oprah ‘follow your bliss’ kind of way. Grandma Ruby was a make-your-bed-and-lie-in-it type. I’m imagining strongly worded letters sent from the afterlife. On linen stationery.”

“I guess we’ll never know.”

Evan slaps his hands together and stands.

“I hate to break up the party,” he says. “But I must go. Lacrosse practice is in an hour and I haven’t been home yet.”

“Practice? Weren’t they just playing in a tournament?”

“If they were still in the tournament, I wouldn’t need to make them practice,” Evan says with a wink.

“Wow.” Bess laughs, melting toward him already.

She tried to be angry. She really gave it her all.

“You’re quite the hard-ass,” she says. “Isn’t it raining?”

“Cissy’s right, you are a Californian,” he says and snorts. “Theywanted to practice, so I agreed to a quick one for fun. Then I’m having them over for dinner and a movie.”

“At your house? I wouldn’t let my kid go to that at all,” Bess says. “Hey everyone! Coach is hosting a sleepover! He doesn’t have a son on the team but no big deal!Pretty sure you can get arrested for that.”

“It’s a barbecue, not a sleepover,” he says. “And the parents are invited. I’m actually good friends with many of them.”

“Smart cover.”

Evan gives a brisk laugh and then surprises Bess by pulling her into a snug hold. As she breathes him in, Bess warns herself to be careful. The feelings coursing through her will not do at all. And so she wiggles free.

“Thanks for stopping by,” she says, eyes sweeping the room. “And somehow convincing me that I shouldn’t be mad at you. As for Cissy, my fury endures.”

“I can live with that. Should I come over tomorrow?” he asks as they return to the foyer. “To pack?”

“I don’t know why you’d want to, but sure. I need help and it’s probably better if there’s a buffer between Cissy and me so I don’t strangle her.”

“Where is she, anyway?” Evan asks.

“Stalking engineers? Screwing your dad?”

Evan opens the door.

“There are worse things in this world,” he says, “than the romance of a couple of fogies.”

“Like my situation?”

He frowns.

“That’s not what I meant at all.”

“I know,” she says, and waves him away.

Evan gives her another hug—perfunctory this time. After exchanging good-byes, he steps onto the drive. Then he stops. He pauses before flipping back around.

“Bess…” he says, digging around in his pocket as he makes his way back to her. “I need to give you something.”

From his wallet, Evan removes a piece of paper.