Kiss Me Hard Before You Go (26 page)

“Evie,” he whispered.

She muttered, “Uh hmm.”

He sat beside her on the bed. “Cooper says you haven’t eaten.”

Her eyes were closed, and she let out a soft sigh. “I don’t want to.”

“You have to. Someone brought a Coke cake.” Finch was trying so hard; he’d drive across the state line if there was something specific she wanted, just so she’d eat.

She opened her eyes. “I’m not hungry,” she said.

“Just try.”

“Maybe tomorrow.” She closed her eyes again and rolled on her side, her back facing him.

“Promise me you’ll eat tomorrow,” he said and received no response from her. He stared at her, thinking that as she lay there, she looked like a wounded animal. “Night, Evie,” he finally said and shut the door behind him. He walked down the stairs, and Katie called after him.

“We’re in here,” she said, and he stepped into the kitchen.

Cooper and Katie were seated around the breakfast table, eating a slice of key lime pie. “Want some?” Cooper asked. Crumbs fell on his University of South Carolina sweatshirt, and whipped cream covered his bottom lip.

“Sure,” Finch said.

Cooper cut him an ample slice and placed it on a plate, sliding it in front of him. Finch took a bite and thought he had reached heaven. People in this town could bake.

“She won’t come down?” Katie said.

“No,” Finch said in between bites. “She needs to eat.”

“And get out of bed,” Cooper added with a full mouth. “We’re all sad, but having each other sure makes the grieving easier,” he added.

Katie furrowed her brows. “Hopefully tomorrow she’ll come around.”

“Speaking of which, I’ll be over first thing to help with the cows,” Finch said.

Cooper let out a laugh. “You trying your hand at farming?”

“Trying is an understatement,” Finch said. “Those cows just about killed us today.”

“Cows aren’t as stupid as everyone thinks,” Cooper said. “I’ll be here tomorrow to help you, or maybe I should say it the other way around.” He formed a wry grin.

Chapter 25

Finch showed early in the morning, with Doris, Friedrich, Mouse, and even Stoney in tow. “You don’t have to help,” he told them all, but they plugged their ears and rolled their eyes at such a notion.

“We ain’t gonna leave the poor girl stranded,” Doris said to him.

Cooper waited for them on the front porch. He paced back and forth and spit chew into his glass Coke bottle. Brown liquid oozed its way toward the bottom.

“See you brought a crew,” he said to them as they approached him.

“They wanted to help,” Finch said. “This is Doris, Friedrich, Mouse and Stoney.” He pointed, and they all smiled at Cooper.

He squinted, staring at them all. “Ain’t y’all a peculiar lot,” he said. He sighed and spit again. “Well... this oughta be good. Can’t complain about free labor, though.” He walked down the steps. “Y’all eat yet?”

“Yes,” Finch answered for them.

“There’s a million casseroles in the fridge if you get hungry,” he said.

“Why do they bring food?” Finch asked. “And why casseroles?”

Cooper shrugged, and Doris cut in before he could try and explain. “When my Papa died, people in my town brought pound cakes, pies, casseroles, hams, and fried chicken. It’s just what you do, Honey Lamb – to show respect.”

Finch let what she said sink in. When his mom died, he wasn’t offered a homemade pound cake or any other food for that matter. Sure, people hugged him and whispered their condolences, but his mom’s funeral came and went. There wasn’t any sense of formality – no offerings of food or visitations from family and friends – just a bunch of carnies standing around her casket at her funeral, and then off they went to go on with their lives.

He thought it was nice, and even though eating that much food is the last thing he would’ve wanted to do when his mom died, the gesture itself was what mattered.

“We would’ve done it for you, but we were on the circuit, and there ain’t no way to cook,” Doris explained.

Finch ignored her last statement. It had been so long, he had no interest in rehashing painful memories. “Is she up?” he asked Cooper.

Cooper blinked and tightened his lips. “Can’t get her out of that bed.”

Finch took a deep breath and frowned. “She can’t keep this up...” his voice trailed off.

“Ain’t much we can do to change that girl’s mind. I remember one time her mama told her she had to wear a dress on her first day of school. I think she was six or seven.” He scratched his stubbly chin, thinking. “She wouldn’t budge. Refused to do it, and even after her mama got her in the dress, she had on a pair of jeans underneath.” He laughed. “Gray said he had to hold his laugh the entire drive to school.”

Finch laughed with him, picturing Evie dressed in a pair of jeans and a dress, pouting about it on her way to school.

“I’m sure she eventually won,” Finch said.

“Oh yeah. Her mama fought a good fight, but in the end, she just gave up on her. Evie’s always been her daddy’s girl, and well, that mama of hers, she...” he hesitated. “I ain’t gonna stand here and bad mouth the woman. She’s done been gone for a long time.” He looked at them all, tilting his head and his mouth was wide open. He stared more intently at Friedrich. “It’s time we get a move on.” He gestured for them to follow.

***

It didn’t take quite as long as the day before. Cooper’s experience and knack for dealing with cattle made things much more seamless, and once he started barking orders, they readily followed without question. Everyone had a job to do, and even though they were novices, their heart was in it. Stoney didn’t even know the girl, but if Finch liked her a whole lot, as Doris told him he did, then he’d help out. “It just about killed me to hear the poor girl crying like that the night her daddy died,” he told her.

Everyone but Finch and Cooper left once the task was done. They walked inside the house and found Katie sitting alone in the kitchen, eating a slice of lemon pound cake. “She won’t come down.” She shook her head and frowned.

“Let me see what I can do,” Finch said and exited the room, heading up the stairs in a hurry.

He knocked on her door and didn’t hear a response. He pushed the door open and saw she was in the same position as the night before. The room was dark and gloomy. He made his way to her window to open the curtains, letting the sunshine in, and Evie moaned from the shock of the bright light. She rolled over on her side and faced the door.

“Thought you were awake,” he said and stood in front of her. “You can’t keep laying here.”

She kept her eyes closed.

“Listen to me, Evie Barnes. You’ve gotta quit wallowing and get up,” he said and reached for her arm.

She jerked his hand off of her and glared at him.

“There’s the look I know so well,” he said.

“Go away, Finch!” she yelled with a cracked voice.

“No.” He sat down beside her, and she attempted to roll on her other side but he stopped her. “You can’t hide from me. You can’t keep hiding from the world.”

“I’m not hiding.”

“Seems to me you are. Look at you,” he said, staring down at her. “Your hair is a mess. You’re in the same clothes you wore yesterday morning, and you stink!”

“Shut up and go away, Finch Mills!” He made her so mad, but deep down, she knew he was right.

“I get it, Evie. You know out of everyone, I’m someone who gets it. But, this...” he pointed to her, “has got to stop. You’ve got a farm to take care of. You’ve got responsibilities. We can’t keep taking care of things for you,” he said, feeling his gut wrench. He was talking harshly, but he knew it’d be the only way to get through to her.

“Then don’t help. No one asked you to anyway,” she said, and he could see her eyes were welling up with tears. If she started crying, he’d lose it right then and there.

“I know I sound like a real jerk,” he said in a steady voice. “But you’ve got to get it together and quit feeling sorry for yourself.”

“I lost my dad,” she said, sobbing.

“I know,” he said in a hushed tone. “But do you think he’d want you to lay around in bed all day?”

She waited to answer him. “No,” she finally said, sniffling.

He pulled her up and into him, holding her tight. “Then start by getting up,” he whispered.

She backed away from him, staring into his brown eyes. She swiped a few tears. “It hurts. It hurts so bad, Finch.”

“I know,” he said, feeling his eyes starting to water. “But you’re strong. You can do this. You have to.” He kissed her on the cheek, tasting the saltiness of her tears. “If anyone can get through this, you can, Evie.”

Her lips quivered and more tears trickled down her blemished face.

He pulled her to him again, allowing her to sob against his chest. He kissed the top of her greasy head of hair, telling her it was going to be all right, that everything was going to be all right.

She eventually let go and wiped at her face, giving him a slight grateful smile, so faint her lips barely curled, but he could see the trace of one, a flicker of her old self shining through.

“How about you take a shower and come down for some food?” he said and nudged her.

She nodded slowly.

“I’ll be downstairs.” He got up off of the bed and moved to the door.

“Finch,” she said, and he turned around, facing her. “Your face isn’t stupid at all.” Her grin was wider, and a slight gleam shone in her sea blue eyes.

He smiled. “And yours is the smartest I’ve ever seen.”

***

“We can’t let all of that food go to waste,” Evie said to Finch. “Tell them to come over tonight.”

“You sure?” he asked.

“Positive.” Feeding the people who helped take care of her farm was the least she could do. They had come over and helped without question, without an expectation of anything in return. They just did it because she needed the help, and Evie thought that even though the people in Haines showed they cared by coming over and offering her their condolences, the carnies showed heart.

Her long blond hair was braided, and she wore a wrinkle-free t-shirt and shorts—the first fresh articles of clothing she had on in days. She was determined to get out of the house and start with the funeral arrangements.

“I wish I could go with you,” Katie said.

“If you did, there’d be talk, and then your dad would be up here in no time. I still think you should get on that bus,” Evie said to Katie.

“There’s no way I’m doing that, so you’re better off dropping the subject,” she said.

Evie turned her head and spoke to Finch. “Just bring them over tonight. We’ll have the table set with a cornucopia of food.”

Finch bent down, kissed her on the cheek and tugged on her braid. “Never seen you in one of these before, but I like it. Your face looks really intelligent, although,” he smirked and paused, “you do have a Laura Ingalls look about you with it.”

She scowled at him and then playfully hit him on his arm. “Get out of here before I change my mind.”

***

The dining room table was set – Evie’s grandmother’s fine china was out, and the table was covered with her white lace table cloth. The table cloth and the china rarely made an appearance, and the last time Evie saw them was several Easters before. A silver candelabra was placed in the center of the table. Katie had spent most of the day cleaning the house to get everything ready, while Cooper went with Evie to the funeral home to plan Gray’s funeral.

Cooper dropped Evie off at her house and promised her he’d be back later on for dinner. He had his own life to contend with, and Evie told him he didn’t need to help her so much, but he refused to listen to her. She figured it would be the same way once Katie had a child. Being best friends with Katie for most of her life entitled her to a surrogate parenting role with her child. Cooper was like family, and with Gray gone, his role had more foundation to it.

She was amazed at how immaculate the place looked and praised Katie for working so hard. “Katie, you didn’t have to,” she said. As she trailed up the steps, she ran her fingers across the stair banister and noticed that not one speck of dust clung to it.

Dinner was served late to work around everyone’s schedules. Business at the carnival picked back up. As it was with anything else, people remember when it’s convenient for them. Gray had passed three days before, and most people thought that was plenty of time to show their respects and start enjoying the rides and spectacles again before the carnival left town.

Everyone had cleaned up for the evening. Friedrich wore a button-down black shirt and jeans. Mouse wore his usual dress slacks with a shirt and tie. He chose a gray plaid fedora for the occasion. Doris plastered on more make-up and didn’t alter anything else, wearing the same pink frocks she normally did. Stoney wore the cleanest shirt and jeans he had.

Finch smoothed down his wild mane of hair and tugged on his shirt. Doris insisted that he run to the florist and buy a bouquet of flowers. He never bought a girl flowers before, and the florist recommended red roses, but he knew Evie wasn’t a red rose girl. When he thought of her, he saw pink peonies.

“Those are beautiful,” she said, taking them from his hands and admiring them. This was the first time in her life that she had ever received flowers from a man; even her dad never bought her any. After she searched through the buffet and pulled out a glass vase, she carried them both to the kitchen, added water, and then brought them back to the living room. She took the candelabra off of the table, replaced it with the vase of flowers, and gave a satisfactory smile at them.