Page 38 of Fixing Hearts

Doing what she was told, Evelyn headed to the bedroom.

Once inside, she shut the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment, clutching the glass of wine.

The quiet pressed in around her, a stark contrast to the chaos of her thoughts.

With a deep sigh, she took a long sip before peeling off her blouse and slacks.

She caught her reflection in the mirror and paused.

Her eyes were rimmed with red, and the blankness in her expression startled her.

“You’re fine,” she whispered, though it didn’t sound convincing.

After pulling her hair up into a messy bun, she scrubbed the makeup off her face and pulled the sweatshirt Jasmine had laid out over her head.

It read “SHE PERSISTED” across the chest, making Evelyn smile the first time all day.

By the time she tugged on her black leggings, she felt more like herself.

Emerging from the guest room, she dropped onto the couch with a sigh. Jasmine handed her a bowl of pasta and curled up beside her. “Okay,” she said. “Start talking.”

Pausing to collect her thoughts, Evelyn took a sip of wine before answering. “I started the paperwork today,” she said. “For the job.”

“So this is one hundred percent real?” Jasmine said, her eyes widening, and Evelyn nodded.

“It’s real,” she said. “No regrets.”

“Wow, Evie,” Jasmine said, looking impressed. “I mean, that’s huge. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks,” Evelyn said as she poked at her pasta. “It’s only that I thought I’d feel more excited.”

“You don’t?”

“I do,” Evelyn said. “Kind of. I mean, it’s an amazing opportunity.

I’ll be doing work that matters. I’ll be leading a team.

I’ll get to travel and meet people and see real progress on the ground.

” She paused, then sighed. “But it’s like there’s this weight on top of it.

Like I’m carrying two things at once. Excitement and guilt. ”

“Guilt?” Jasmine asked around a bite of pasta. “About Jo?”

Evelyn nodded. “I told her,” she said, feeling a pang of pain. “And she was fine.” She took a deep breath. “Too fine. Like she was already letting go.”

Jasmine winced. “Ouch.”

“I thought maybe she would say something,” Evelyn said, staring into her bowl. “Not so much that she would ask me to stay. But at least say it sucked or show some emotion. But she told me to take the job. Like it didn’t matter.”

Pursing her lips, Jasmine was quiet for a moment. “Maybe she thought that’s what you wanted to hear,” she finally said. “Have you considered that?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean. You’ve spent your whole life being the responsible one. The achiever. The one who doesn’t waver,” Jasmine said. “Maybe Jo thought if she gave you an ounce of hesitation, you would think she was trying to hold you back.”

“But I don’t think that,” Evelyn said. “And I truly appreciate it. It’s only…”

She trailed off, and Jasmine nodded. “You wonder if Jo thinks things are over.”

“Right,” Evelyn said, her throat tight. “But I don’t want things to be over.”

“Did you tell her that?”

“No,” Evelyn admitted.

“Then how was she supposed to know?”

Evelyn considered her sister’s words. “I don’t know,” she said. “I guess I was thrown off by her complete lack of emotion.”

Jasmine reached over and took her hand. “Evie, you’re not moving to Thailand,” she said. “You’re not disappearing into the jungle. You’re going to be on the road, sure, but you’ll still be based here. You’ll still have a home.”

Confused, Evelyn’s brow furrowed. “Of course,” she said. “But so?”

“So,” Jasmine said, squeezing her hand. “Maybe Jo doesn’t have to be part of the life you’re leaving behind. Maybe she’s part of the one you’re building.”

Feeling a hint of relief for the first time since Dr. Wong told her about the promotion, Evelyn’s chest relaxed a little. “You think she would be open to that?” she asked, and Jasmine nodded.

“I think that if you talked to her like you were planning a future instead of saying goodbye,” she said with a shrug. “She might surprise you.”

“A long-distance relationship,” Evelyn said slowly, letting the idea sink in. “I mean, that’s what it would be.”

“Yeah,” Jasmine said. “Exactly, you’ll have weekends. Holidays. Time between trips.” She laughed. “Come on, you both have phones. You can text. Video chat.”

Evelyn nodded, starting to process how things would work. “I don’t want to lose her,” she said. “We could make it past this. Dr. Wong said it might be only for four to five months.”

“Even better,” Jasmine said with a smile. “It’s not like you’re asking her to do this forever.”

“You’re right,” Evelyn said. “This is only temporary, and it shouldn’t stop us from getting to know each other.”

“Then talk to Jo,” Jasmine said. “Not about what’s ending, but about what’s possible.”

Sitting in silence for a while, Evelyn sipped her wine, her thoughts racing. Could this really work? she wondered. Will Jo be willing? Suddenly, everything felt clearer. She looked at her sister. “Thanks,” she said. “For the sweatshirt. And the wine. And the wisdom.”

Jasmine raised her glass. “It’s what older sisters are for,” she said as they clinked glasses and drank. For the first time, Evelyn felt like things didn’t have to be over, and maybe they were only changing. She simply had to explain it to Jo.