Try-State Area

Brunch

They ate at the kitchen island.

Emily was pleased to discover that Kate had grown up in downtown Brooklyn and attended an all-girl Catholic high school as well.

Kate asked Emily a lot of questions about her neighborhood, her school, her classes and her extracurricular activities. She seemed very impressed when Emily told her about her PSAT scores and her hopes of getting a National Merit Scholarship.

Evan barely got a word in edgewise between the two of them, but he sat there smiling and  quietly listening to their discussion of retreats, field days and ring ceremonies.

Emily helped clear up after lunch and washed the dishes. "Thank you for lunch Mrs. Murphy," she said as she handed the final plate to Evan for him to dry.

"Please call me Kate," she said as she stood up.

Kate picked up her cell phone from the counter. "Well, if you two will excuse me, I have some business calls to make. It was lovely to get to know you some Emily. I hope that I'll see you again soon." 

Evan watched his mother leave the room and then turned to Emily. He marveled, "My Mom never said more than two words to Morgan in two years yet she just spent two hours talking to you!"

"I've always been good with adults," Emily explained.

They went outside into the backyard. Evan sat down in a patio chair. "So what would you like to do next? Want to go see a movie?"

Emily picked up the towel and lotion she left there earlier. "I'd like that, but I really need to finish my term paper. I've barely worked on it all weekend."

"Okay. So how about I give you some time to do that and then we can hang out later?" he suggested.

The salad in Emily's stomach now felt like a lead weight.

How do I explain my date with Kelly to him?

She looked at her bare feet. They were still soft from the lotion he had massaged into them before.

"Um... well... you see the thing is... Earlier you said you want me to always be honest with you."

Evan squinted at her. He picked up his cap and glove from the table.

Please don't put the cap on...

Emily folded the edge of the towel and rubbed her fingers against it. "So um... then..."

Evan put the glove on his left hand.

He lifted the cap towards his head in the other, so she rushed to finish what she needed to say. "I need to tell you that I agreed to go on a date with Kelly later." 

Evan pulled the cap on his head and slammed his fist into his mitt. "That's fine."

It doesn't feel fine right now...

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm sorry."

Evan stood up and looked down at her, his face shaded by the brim of his cap. "You don't need to apologize to me Emily."

He strode toward the mound and didn't turn around as he announced, "You're allowed to go out with anyone you like."

He bent and picked up a ball from the bucket. His voice fell flat. "Thanks for being honest."

There's that stoicism again when he steps on the mound...

Evan whipped the ball into the waiting net.

Was that a curveball?

Emily wanted to ask but stood silently looking at his back. Evan picked up another ball and didn't turn around.

"I guess I'll just go then," she decided.

"Fine," he spit.

As she walked out of the gate Emily heard a wild pitch crash against the stockade fence behind the net.

She winced and tears burned in her eyes.