Evvie Drake Starts Over(70)

“Do you remember the guy,” Andy said, “from high school, the guy who lit vodka puddles on fire with a lighter? And somebody said he had done it at home and he burned their toolshed to the fucking ground?” He took another drink. “That was nuts.”

“I have vodka,” Evvie said. “I could light puddles of vodka on fire.”

“No, thank you,” Andy brayed at her. “You are not the kind of girl who lights shit on fire.” He gestured at her with his beer. “Although maybe you are now, I’ve lost track of a lot. Dishes, everything.”

“Yeah, well. It’s funny how little information you get when you stop speaking to me.”

“I didn’t stop speaking to you. We stopped having breakfast together every single week because I got busy and you got busy.”

“Busy?” Eveleth almost knocked her wineglass over with her animated response to this one. “You weren’t busy, you were cutting me off.”

Andy wrinkled his brow. “I’m pretty sure you cut me off first, even if I didn’t know it at the time.”

Evvie was shaping every word with her mouth like it wasn’t responding the way she expected. “Oh my God, what is your problem? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the dishes. Why are you obsessed with every detail of my fucking life?”

   Andy’s beer clanked inelegantly against the table as he leaned forward with it in his hand. “What are you talking about, I’m obsessed?”

“You’re picking at me about everything I do. You’re mad that I didn’t talk to you all about my marriage, you’re worried about what plates I’m using, you’re on me about school like you’re my dad, you’re telling me not to help Dean. I don’t get it. I don’t get what your problem is.”

“You’re not making any sense. Have some more wine, would you?”

“Did you not want me to meet anybody, Andy? Is that why you’re mad about everything I do without telling you? Or are you mad it wasn’t you?”

Now Dean, who had been watching and hoping all this was going to sputter harmlessly like a birthday candle, the way his teammates’ drunk arguments always had, leaned forward toward her. “Hey.”

“No,” she said. “I’m serious. He’s pissed off at me all the time, and the minute you moved in, he decided he was ready to start dating again. What is your issue, Andrew? You have something you want to tell me about why you’re acting like a jealous boyfriend? You want to explain it to her?” She tipped her head toward Monica, whose feet were still in his lap.

Andy, even with the hoppy aroma currently wafting from every word he said, was now still. All he said, when he finally said anything, was “What?”

Dean stayed right by Evvie’s ear. “Listen to me. Listen, listen. You have had a lot to drink. You trust me, right? You trust me. I am telling you that you have had a lot to drink. This is a bunch of things you don’t mean. You’re upset, and you’re very drunk, and in the morning, this is already going to be an unhappy situation, so listen to me and let me help you and take you inside so you can go to sleep. Let’s go to sleep.”

She didn’t answer him. She was looking at Andy, who seemed to be getting the same whispered advice in his ear from Monica that Dean was trying to give to Evvie.

   “We’re going to take off,” Monica said. “Long night. I have a big to-do list tomorrow.” It was hard to say precisely who was the target of this politeness, under the circumstances, and who was supposed to be getting cover, but Monica pulled Andy up by the elbow. “Come on. Come on, we’re going.”

As Andy got up, he turned to Eveleth, pointed one finger at her, and said, “You’re crazy.”

Now Dean stood up, looked at the friend he’d had since elementary school, and held up one hand. “Goddammit, you are both drunk. Enough. Go the fuck home and I will talk to you tomorrow.”

But Monica at his elbow and Dean across the table weren’t enough to move Andy. He stayed where he was and he looked down at Eveleth, who was now refusing to meet anyone’s eyes at all, and he said, “Glad you found a project. If you decide to break up with this one and take off in the middle of the night, let me know this time. I’ll water the plants.”

“Go fuck yourself,” Evvie said, finally looking at him.

“Fucking crazy,” he muttered again as he pushed his chair out of the way and followed Monica through the side yard toward the car.

Evvie was sitting with her forehead resting on her hand, and Dean blew out the candle, then leaned down to her. “I’m going to go say good night to Monica, okay?” She muttered her agreement.

Dean found Monica putting Andy in the passenger side of her car, going so far as to lean over to buckle him up. “Hey,” he said to her. “You all right?”

She closed Andy’s door and came around to the driver’s side. “Not the most fun I ever had.”

“You know she didn’t mean that,” he said. “You know that was just the biggest bomb she could think of to throw.”

“Oh, I know that,” Monica said. She opened the door. “Make sure she falls asleep on her side and get her to drink some water, okay?” She shrugged. “I was an RA in college.”