Leo (A Sign of Love Novel)(20)

She ignores my comment, straps her shoe back on and then heads to the sink to wash her hands, as I wash mine in the sink next to her. "You know," she says finally, "Jake loves a good cause. I can see why he's friends with someone like you."

She dries her hands and then turns around. "It's sweet really. Just don't get any ideas, okay? He's in my bed at the end of the day and I'm the one screwing his brains out."

With that, she brushes past me, knocking me to the side a little and walks out the door. I will not cry. I will not cry.

Damn, Leo, why did you send him? He totally played me. All that talk about do you feel it, too, Evie this and you're so amazing, Evie that and God! He has a girlfriend! And that thought makes me want to cry again so I shut it down and exit the bathroom.

I head back towards the kitchen. Landon is there and he pulls me aside whispering, "Holy SHIT, Evie, that's HIM, isn t it? Like him, him. Holy SHIT, he was, like, pacing the floor after you took off to the bathroom with Bitchy Barbie. Honey, the look on his face was tragic. WHAT is going on?"

I sigh as I take his hand and pull him over to the tray stocking counter. "Obviously, Landon. He has a girlfriend. He was probably shitting bricks that we'd both find out what a douchebag he is. Obviously I'm just an idiot who got all swoony about a guy after one date and some sweet words. When all along, he was just… I don't even know what he was doing! This is exactly why I do not need this type of thing. God, that was humiliating!"

He looks at me sadly and squeezes my hand. "Evie, remember what I said to you earlier. No matter how this ends, I am f*cking thrilled that you put yourself out there. Do you hear me, Fancy Face?" He takes my face in his hands and looks at me for a minute and then whispers, "God, so f*cking beautiful. No wonder Devil in Red was shooting eye darts at you."

I smile a real smile at Landon because he is seriously so sweet, and squeeze his hand back. "Hey, do you think it'd be okay with everyone if I stock trays back here instead of working the room?"

"Yeah, I think everyone would be fine with that. Plus, cocktail hour is almost over. Dinner is about to be served. Why anyone wants to eat dinner at nine at night is beyond me but I guess when you're the type of people who can afford $1400.00 shoes, you can make your own rules."

"Oh my God! You heard that?" I say, incredulously, loading a tray up with delicious looking phyllo dough pockets.

"I did, but honey, I saw some strappy sandals that were nicer at Payless Shoe Source last week for $29. I was gonna buy them but they didn't come in my size."

I burst out laughing and Landon winks at me and heads out the door.

I spend the rest of the night in the kitchen, loading up trays with the dinner courses for the other servers.

I'm loading up desserts when Tina breezes in saying, "Evie, darling! I heard you dropped caviar on the tall, blonde in red’s foot!"

I freeze. Oh no. I turn slowly towards Tina and cringe. "I did, Tina. It was just an accident. I cleaned it for her and it came out completely."

"Honey," she continues, smiling her big smile, "Do I look upset? That one looks particularly vapid. I'm just sorry you didn't score both feet." She squeezes my shoulder and rushes off.

God, Tina is so great.

Once dinner is served, including coffee, we servers are free to leave. There is another clean-up crew and they are in full swing in the kitchen now.

I'm washing my hands at the industrial kitchen sink when Landon walks back in. I notice he has a small frown on his face as he walks over to me and so I say, "What?"

"Dreamboat slipped this to me and asked that I give it to you. He said to tell you that they're his new favorite. And it must be said, Evie, he's hot, but he's strange." Then he hands me a mint and I recognize them from the complimentary bathroom baskets.

I furrow my brow, looking at the plain white wrapper of the mint lying in my hand. Then I turn it over and I can't help it as my frown turns into a smile. On the other side of the small package, it says in bold print, World's Greatest Mints.

I chuck it in the trash and go back to work.





CHAPTER 11


Evie is 12, Leo is 13



I am lying on the roof outside my room, staring up at the clear, summer sky. I love looking up at the stars because they make me believe that some things in this world are permanent.

I moved into this foster home a year ago, and I like it here well enough. My new foster parents have three of us living here, but I have my own room because there is a set of sisters and they share one. My space is small, an old transformed laundry room, but it has a window that lets out onto a very gently sloping portion of the roof and I love to come out here and lay under the sky.

My foster parents are clearly fostering for the checks they get for our care, but they're not mean people, just mostly disinterested in us, which is fine by me. Ideal, even.

A small stone hits the roof next to me and I smile. It's Leo's sign that he's coming up.

I hear him climb the trellis and then he's crawling across the roof to me and he plunks himself down next to me, reclining like I am. He's wearing baggy athletic shorts and I take in his knobby boy knees.

I look over at him and he's frowning.

"What's wrong, Leo?" I ask.

His face gets angry and he says, "What did I do to make him hate me so much Evie, other than BREATHE?"