Page 72 of Hot and Bothered

Instead, they had kept the conversation light and surface-level, never delving into any subject that might spark more conflict. They hadn’t mentioned Jacob and his family, they hadn’t mentioned my sister, they hadn’t mentioned the wedding.

Maybe they weren’t as upset with me as I’d thought. Maybe they were hoping to reconcile and this was their first step. I had no intention of moving back home again, but it was looking like I wouldn’t have to cut off my parents completely.

Maybe it was possible to live my own life and still have a relationship with my family.

27

Aloud ringing woke me and Evan from our slumber. I groaned and rolled over, peeking my head up to see what the commotion was.

“Who’s calling this early?” Evan grumbled as he flailed an arm at his bedside table.

I wondered what could be so important it couldn’t be said through text.

He answered the phone in a groggy voice. He shot straight up, swinging his legs out of bed and planting his feet firmly on the floor.

“Got it,” he said tersely. “I’ll be right there.”

I sat up straight, too.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, alarmed.

“It’s my mother.” He tugged on his jeans and threw a t-shirt over his head.

“Is she okay?” I also grabbed my clothes on the floor and shimmied into a dress.

“She’s probably okay.” Evan sounded doubtful even as he said the words. “It’s Christie I’m worried about. She doesn’t handle it too well when Mom gets like this.”

“Gets like what?” I asked.

Evan shoved his wallet, phone, and keys into his pocket. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Wait, I’m coming too,” I said.

“No,” he shook his head.

“Why not?” I asked, confused.

“You don’t need to see this,” he replied.

Now I was even more worried.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but if you need to be there for your sister then I want to be there for you.”

“Alice.” He breathed out heavily through his nose.

“I’m coming.” The words were more demanding than any I’d ever spoken before, and I was almost surprised at myself.

“Fine,” he said curtly, a strained line between his brows. “You can come. But just—”

“Just what?” I asked when he stopped abruptly.

“Never mind,” he muttered. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

We hurried to his car. The ride was silent. We weren’t too far away from wherever we were going, because within fifteen minutes we had pulled up into a house in the middle of a quiet residential neighborhood. Evan got out and closed the door behind him, striding up the front steps without looking behind to see if I was following.

I cautiously followed in his footsteps, not sure what I was going to see.

When I stepped through the front door, everything looked normal. A typical suburban house. Within moments, Evan’s sister came flying down the stairs.