Page 8 of Happily Evan After (Dog Tags #5)
chapter
eight
Marley
What is happening right now?
Well, first of all, I’m driving aimlessly. I just knew I needed to get out of there fast. I pull over on the side of the road and grab my phone.
I call Lana because she’s the only one who knows about him. The hot guy from the bar. My “Rick” for the night. But her phone rolls straight to voicemail. She’s probably working. I could drive there, but Crescent Bend is nearly two hours away.
Still, I need to talk to someone, so I push to call the one woman I’ve sort of bonded with since moving here. It’s never been easy for me to make friends, and Shelby seems not to find me overwhelming or annoying. Or if she does, she hides it well.
“Hey, lady!” she says cheerfully when she answers.
“Hi. Quick question.”
“Shoot.”
“Are we good enough friends for me to have a total breakdown in front of you?”
“I’m pulling the ice cream out of the freezer as we speak. Come on over.”
“Thank you, Shelby.”
“Of course. And we are good enough friends,” she assures me before we hang up.
It doesn’t take me too long to drive out to her and Dane’s place. It’s on the same property as the dog sanctuary, but has a separate drive and entrance.
I’ve barely put my sensible sedan in park before I’m out the door and walking to their front door. Shelby meets me with a pint of ice cream and a spoon, then she leads me to the kitchen table.
That’s one thing I noticed after moving to the south. People congregate in the kitchen. Usually around a table, always with food and lemonade or sweet tea.
Shelby doesn’t even ask, she just puts me in a chair and sets a glass of iced tea in front of me. I shove a spoonful of ice cream in my mouth, then immediately regret it because, well, it’s really cold.
Once I get it swallowed, I ask, “You know how I told you that the baby daddy was just a one-night stand? And that I’d never see him again?”
Shelby stops mid-spoon-to-her-mouth. Her eyes go round. “Oh my God! Did you see him? Is it someone in town?”
“Yes. Well, I don’t know, actually. I just know he showed up at my clinic this afternoon, and I freaked out and just left.” I drop my head in my hands. “I mean, I literally ran out of my own office. Why did I just run away?”
“You were probably shocked, honey.” She squeezes my hand. “Okay, so can you break it down a little more for me? Was he there to see you? Do you think he just found you?” Shelby asks.
“I can’t imagine that. I mean, he might have asked my friend Lana, but she wouldn’t have told him without asking me first.”
“Did he have an animal with him?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think so. He and Dylan were just talking when I stepped out front. I thought it might be an emergency. I saw him and gah,” I put a hand to my heart. “He’s more beautiful than I remember him being. His hair is a little longer up top, too.”
“Evan was just at your office,” Dane says as he walks into the room. “He went to see you because I guess you were giving him a hard time about the vaccines.” Shelby’s husband chuckles, then kisses her on the head.
“Evan Cartwright.” Shelby whistles. “Solid choice. He’s definitely a hottie. And sweet as pie.”
“Oh, you think Evan saw whoever this was that you recognized?” Dane asks. He turns a chair backwards and straddles it, facing the table.
That’s when it all hits me, makes sense in my head. Evan Cartwright, as in Sergeant Cartwright, is one of Dane’s guys. He’s the medic I was giving crap to via text. My baby daddy doesn’t just live here; I’m going to have to work with him.
I lay my head on the edge of the table and bang it gently.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” I murmur as I bang, bang, bang.
“No, Dane, you’re missing the biggest detail,” Shelby says. “Evan is the man she recognized. He’s her baby daddy.”
I peek over to see Dane’s reaction.
Dane’s light, congenial expression shifts into something darker. “Are you fucking with me right now?”
“No, she’s right. Unless he has a twin. Oh wait, I think he said he had a twin that night, but that they weren’t identical,” I say.
“Fucking son of a bitch. I’m going to kick his ass.” Dane is up, and the door slams as he runs out of the house.
Shelby blows out a breath. “He was a little slow to catch on to that one. Poor guy has been stressed lately. I think it’s the speed at which the sanctuary is expanding.
He’s worried they can’t keep up with the need.
Especially with the recent fires in California.
It’s displaced a lot of dogs, and we’re one of the only places that are accepting some. ”
Then she frowns.
“He won’t really kick his ass, right?” I ask. “I mean, how much damage can two former soldiers cause to one another?” Even as I say the words, I know they’re stupid.
Shelby bites down on her lip, then stands, puts the lids on the pints of ice cream, and tosses them in the freezer.
“Let’s go make sure my man doesn’t kill your man,” she says. I follow her outside where she jumps into the golf cart parked in front of their house. “Hop in, it’ll be faster this way.” She passes her phone over to me. “You can see Dane’s location there, just tell me where to go.”