Evelyn’s face burned scarlet. “No one else asked me out. Donny walked in on me crying, and he offered to go with me. I had already bought a dress—I thought he was being nice.”
Another moment of silence. “Is that what happened, then? You found out how he felt and decided you needed space?” There was understanding in her voice. Compassion, even.
Evelyn stared at the floorboards between her shoes. “That’s not how it went. Although I wish it was. After that first date with Alek, Donny started talking to me differently—flirting. But I still wanted to be friends, as long as he could learn to respect my boundaries. Then he gave me a ride to work one day, and he just…lost it. He wouldn’t let me out of his truck, and he started driving like a crazy person. I thought we were both going to die. I haven’t spoken to him since then.”
Vanessa’s face turned cold. She rose to her feet, her hands clenched into fists. “He did what?”
Evelyn recoiled, frightened by the sudden transformation. “He apologized afterward. I think he was having some sort of mental breakdown, that’s all.”
The words did nothing to calm Vanessa, she kicked her chair, and it slammed into the wall before collapsing on the floor. “He knows what I’ve been through. He’s seen it first-hand. Now my own brother is pulling the same shit.”
Evelyn had retreated to the back of the room. She stood perfectly still, like a rodent hiding from a serpent.
Resolve spread across Vanessa’s features. She glanced at Evelyn and said. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve been to you all these years, and I’m sorry for my brother’s behavior.” Then she shoved the door open and stomped across the garden.
Evelyn stayed in the shed until she heard Vanessa’s car peel out of the driveway.
15
Evelyn left work early and trudged home, trying to come to grips with everything Vanessa had said. Every memory she had of Donny was cast in a different light. The friendly gestures, the teasing, the conversations that lasted long into the night—they felt natural at the time. Unforced. Now, it all felt creepy. She had shared her most intimate secrets with him. Knowing he had been attracted to her the entire time left her feeling violated.
She longed to talk to someone who had known Donny when he was young. Someone she could trust and open up to. But Candace hadn’t met Donny until their college years, and Sonya barely knew him. Vanessa had stormed off, apparently embarking on a rampage against her sibling, and Evelyn had no desire to insert herself into that looming confrontation.
Her feet scuffed to a stop, and she closed her eyes. There was someone who knew Donny as a boy, but she was the last person Evelyn wanted to talk to.
Maureen.
Evelyn continued walking, then changed directions, pacing back and forth on the same strip of sidewalk. She argued with herself, weighing the merits of a conversation with her mother. At last, she took out her phone, exhaled sharply, and dialed.
Maureen picked up on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Uh, hi. Do you have a minute?”
There was a shuffling noise. “Sure, honey. Listen, I’m sorry about before. You’re a grown woman, and you’re entitled to your own opinions about your father.”
“Thanks, but this isn’t about that.”
“Oh?”
“It’s about Donny.” Evelyn felt a fresh wave of embarrassment, and she chewed the inside of her cheek as she framed the question in her mind.
“Well, I haven’t heard from him recently, and it’s been weeks since I last saw him around town. Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, he’s fine, as far as I know. I’m actually wondering about before—when we were kids.”
“Okay…”
She took a deep breath. No turning back now. “Did Donny ever seem like he was…interested in me?”
“You meant the world to that boy.” She chuckled. “And he followed you around like a lost puppy. Of course he was interested.”
“I mean interested.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Did you know he had a crush on me?”
There was a long silence, which was an answer in itself.
“Maureen, did you know?”
“I suspected. It wasn’t until much later, after he and your father—” She stopped short. “I thought Donny had let it go and was content to be your friend. Why is this coming up now?”
Evelyn sighed. “Donny’s been acting weird. He…tried to sabotage things with my new boyfriend, and he’s acting really possessive.”
Maureen hesitated. “When did this start happening?”
“A few weeks ago.”
“Around the time your father was released from prison?”
The question gave Evelyn a chill. “Now that you mention it, yeah.”
When Maureen spoke again, her voice was barely audible. “Can we talk about this in person?”
“I guess so. Can you come to my place?”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Evelyn was about to tell her she wasn’t home yet, but the line went dead. She frowned, watching the numbers on the call log blink, then she tucked the phone into her pocket.
Lowering her head, she walked the last four blocks to her apartment. She unlocked the door, went inside, and before she could finish taking off her shoes, there was a soft knock behind her.
She opened the door, and Maureen checked over her shoulder before coming inside.
“Thank you.” Maureen folded her arms tight around her chest as if she felt uncomfortable invading her daughter’s home. “Are you alone?”
Evelyn raised an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I’m just being cautious.”
“There’s no one else here.” She felt herself growing impatient. “What’s this about?”
“It’s…complicated. And you have to understand, there are things even I didn’t know until your father got out. He wasn’t comfortable discussing certain things before the trial—in case I was called as a witness. Then, when he was in prison, he worried about being overheard.”
Evelyn let out an exasperated breath and stared up at the ceiling. “Why do you always have to make this about him?”
Maureen shook her head. “In this case, you did. Years ago, when you were still in high school, Donny approached your father and asked for permission to start dating you.”
“Really?”
Maureen shrugged. “It was a bit strange. By that time, your father saw Donny as a son, and he had no idea he was harboring feelings for you. He told Donny it wouldn’t be proper because we all lived under the same roof. But Donny was a good, responsible boy with excellent grades, so your father gave a conditional blessing—when Donny moved away, he could begin courting you.”
Evelyn nodded slowly. “But I started dating Jeb before Donny moved out.”
“That’s right. And your father and I assumed that was the end of it. Then, after…” She winced. “After the incident, when Vanessa and Donny moved out, I assumed Donny would tell you how he felt. But he closed himself off to the world. I think he was badly shaken by your father’s actions.”
“We all were,” Evelyn murmured.
Maureen braced her daughter, placing gentle hands on her shoulders. “There’s more to the story of that night than you know. There are details that only your father can share. He’s willing to wait until you’re ready to talk, but you should know there are things he’s hidden from you—for your own good.”