Just a Kiss: The Bradfords, Book 5 (37 page)

“So Kevin told you all of his deep dark secrets?” she asked.

“He’s shared with me that he feels insecure about how well he’s living his faith.”

“But I told you how he’s always there for everyone and really lives a life that’s a great example…”

Bryan was nodding. “Exactly. He’s already got it. It’s not about the drinking and swearing and sex—not deep down where it really counts. It’s about what’s in his heart. It’s about caring about other people, sacrificing for them, believing the best about others, being willing to put yourself out there to make good things happen. All of what makes a good man a good man is already there inside him.” Bryan looked directly into Eve’s eyes. “Help him see that. You’re the best one because he wants to love you in spite of your mistakes. The rest will fall into place once he believes that he’s getting the big stuff right.”

Eve stared at him. Damn, this guy was good. “See, all I heard you say was that he should be drinking, swearing and having lots of sex,” she said, rather than admit that he knew what he was doing.

Bryan rolled his eyes. “That’s another way to go. Of course, that direction is a little
warmer
than I like it.”

She laughed in spite of herself, amazed that her body could still do that after everything that had happened. “Downright
hellish
, eh?”

“Something like that,” Bryan agreed with a smile.

They sat quietly for nearly a full minute. Finally, Eve said something that had been on her mind and heart ever since Mrs. Rosner’s visit. “I really might ruin his chances to be Drew’s guardian.”

Bryan nodded. “Maybe. If so, we’ll deal with that when it comes.”

“We?” she asked, surprised.

He nodded again. “Looks like I’m your spiritual counselor whether you like it or not.”

She appreciated him not rubbing it in and pointing out that she’d been coming to him all along. She reached for the handle on her door. “I really do appreciate meeting in my driveway. Coming to your office gives me the willies.”

He was shaking his head as she slammed the door shut, but she knew he was grinning as he backed out of her driveway and turned toward his house.

After all, he was making her a better person.

These religious types got off on that kind of stuff.

It was after two a.m. but Kevin wasn’t completely surprised to hear footsteps coming down the stairs. He couldn’t explain it except to think that of course his little brother would need something in the middle of the worst night he’d had in a really long time. It would be something big too. Drew was sick or there’d been a nightmare or something. Drew never got out of bed in the night, and if he did Kevin knew he wouldn’t come to him without Eve.

Eve.

Even thinking her name made his chest hurt.

He’d failed her. They’d screwed it all up. Again.

He tried to grab onto the fact that she was part of this. She hadn’t been upfront and honest with him. She hadn’t trusted him, which had led him to not trust her and to—stupidly—lie to Mrs. Rosner.

But, bottom line,
he
was the one who had lied.

Drew came around the end of the couch and stood there looking at Kevin.

Kevin didn’t make any sudden movements. He still felt Drew was like a wild squirrel or rabbit and would bolt if he thought Kevin was paying attention.

Instead he shocked Kevin by leaning closer to look at the Bible Kevin had open in his lap. Kevin had been trying to read it. He really had. But his mind had been wandering and the throbbing in his heart wouldn’t stop long enough for him to concentrate on any words.

“John 8:7 is a good one,” Drew said.

Kevin glanced up at him. His brother’s first words directly to him. And it was a Bible verse.

Quietly, Kevin flipped to the verse.

If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.

He was impressed. He looked at Drew. “That is a good one.”

Drew flopped into the arm chair that sat at the end of the coffee table. “Maybe I can put this in terms you can understand.”

Kevin wasn’t about to interrupt this. For one, Drew was talking to him. For another, he could use any advice he could get.

“It’s like Eve was the quarterback of the team and her dad was the center on the offensive line. His job was to pass her the ball—God, I guess—and then block to protect her. Her job was to pass God along to other people.”

Kevin knew his mouth was hanging open, but he wouldn’t have interrupted this for anything.

“But then she ended up sacked. A bunch of times. Her dad wasn’t protecting her. So then she stopped giving the ball away at all. She kept it to herself. But you know it’s hard to score any touchdowns that way.”

Kevin found himself nodding along to the seemingly ridiculous, yet incredibly insightful, analogy.

“Then you came along and she started thinking she had a new center, someone who could protect her and help her score.”

Kevin’s mouth curled up.

“But then she not only got sacked but she got really hurt too.”

His smile died.

“You can understand why it was hard for her to tell you everything.”

Drew sounded like he was four times his age.

“Yeah, I can understand that.”

The kid was right. Her dad had hurt her badly. It made sense that she would be careful trusting someone again, especially when Kevin’s faith and lifestyle were new—to them both.

He had felt fear and hesitation in light of the changes in her over the years. Of course that would go both ways.

“You and Eve have been talking a lot,” he finally said to Drew.

“Yeah.” The kid shrugged. “Mostly about football. And some about the Bible.”

Kevin really looked at his brother. He was dressed in gray cotton shorts and an Angry Birds T-shirt. His hair stuck up over his right ear and he had a crease from his pillow on his right cheek. But his eyes were bright and he met Kevin’s gaze directly.

“You seem to really get it,” Kevin said. Both the football and the Bible.

“I’m exceptionally bright.”

Kevin didn’t know what to say to that. It was like Drew commenting that the sky was blue. It wasn’t like Kevin needed to agree here.

After a long pause, Drew asked, “Are you?”

“Am I what?”

Drew rolled his eyes. “Exceptionally bright.”

Oh. No, Kevin didn’t think he was, actually. “If you were me, what would you do?”

“Talk to Eve. Tell her I’m sorry. And then tell her how I feel about her and that the other stuff doesn’t matter.”

Kevin nodded and sighed.

Clearly Drew had gotten his intelligence from his mother, because there wasn’t a lot of astuteness with women on the Campbell side of the family.

Chapter Thirteen

If she was going to feel like crap in the morning, the night before should at least include rum.

Her head hurt, her heart hurt, she felt fuzzy headed and none of it was from the two beers she’d had—actually, one and two-thirds—last night.

Thoughts of Kevin had plagued her all night. And that was even without Bryan’s added insight.

She had underestimated Kevin’s ability to love her. She’d judged him as less than what she’d needed as much as he had her.

Damn preachers and their intuition.

Eve sighed as she looked into her fridge. She’d been spending so much time at Kevin’s that she’d sadly neglected her own shopping.

Of course, she did own a restaurant.

Swinging the fridge door shut, she realized that not only was she going to need to go into Sherry’s to eat, she needed to work. The pile of paperwork that had accumulated on her desk might keep her mind off of the mess the rest of her life had become and if that didn’t work, she could help out front. Sunday after church was a busy time.

Her heart squeezed at the thought of the Sunday crowd. She was supposed to be part of that crowd today. For the first time in years. Kevin and Drew were in church, she was sure. Not even a late night in jail would keep Kevin out of the pew. In fact, he was probably first in the door
because
of
the late night in jail.

Forty minutes later, she was digging in her purse for her car keys when the doorbell rang.

She jumped, her eyes going immediately to the clock. Church had let out about five minutes ago. She took a deep breath, set her purse down and proceeded calmly to the door.

Then she wrenched it open, convinced Kevin would be on the other side.

He had some major groveling to do after all.

Instead, she blinked into the bright sunlight shining on the heads of the five women on her porch. It looked like they were wearing halos.

“Lacey?” she asked, surprised.

The blonde grinned at her as Libby handed Eve a huge thermos. “Hazelnut cream coffee,” she said.

“What’s going on?” But she readily took the coffee.

Monica held out a plate of cinnamon rolls with frosting so thick Eve’s mouth started watering.

“Breakfast,” Monica said.

“Breakfast,” Eve repeated, confused.

She looked at each woman, including Beth Reynolds and Connie Fisher, who stood smiling behind Libby. Beth had always been a quiet, mousy girl who liked books better than people and blended into the background, but she had a beautiful, sincere smile that helped ease some tension in Eve’s shoulders. Connie, on the other hand, was an energetic older woman who was generally known for being loud and boisterous. This morning, though, she wore a bright smile and a twinkle in her eye that made Eve smile in return.

“Why?” Eve finally asked them.

“You had a late night,” Lacey said. “We heard all about it.”

“And because you’re awesome,” Libby added. “We were talking before church about how you stuck up for Heather last night in front of everyone.”

Eve blinked at her. “You heard about that? At church?”

Lacey grinned. “Libby leads the adult Sunday school class. Everyone shows up early to chat and have coffee before we start.” Suddenly she stepped forward and grabbed Eve in a hug. “Thank you for being such a good friend to Heather and Drew.”

Eve hugged her back, too stunned to do anything else. Internally, though, she cringed. She shouldn’t be surprised that Lacey and Libby went to church and were now here because Eve had defended their friend. She knew better than anyone that people weren’t always what they seemed.

“That’s really nice,” she said as Lacey released her. “But you know I was arrested for that last night, right?” She looked at Connie and Beth. Lacey and Libby were personally invested here. Surely the rest of the church group didn’t feel they should reward people who broke the law.

Connie smiled. “You were doing the right thing. You stood up for someone who needed someone to support them.”

“I hit her,” Eve confessed, to see if anyone flinched.

They didn’t.

“I know.” Lacey’s grin showed that she wasn’t a bit offended.

“I would have too.”

Everyone turned to look at Beth.

“Except that I don’t know how to throw a punch,” she added with a little smile.

Eve couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing.

“You ladies want to come in for rolls?” she asked, stepping back.

“Nah, you get to keep them all,” Monica said. “You earned them.”

“And I’m hoping you’ll let me bring a casserole or something over tomorrow,” Connie said. “We were talking about how you and Kevin have stepped up to help Heather and be there for Drew. Not only defending them in the bar, but truly being there. That’s a lot of work and sacrifice. I’d like to help you out somehow if I can.”

Eve felt tears well up and she blinked rapidly. “Connie, that’s…really nice.” That seemed inadequate somehow. It was about more than a casserole that was for sure. She was being
admired
by someone. That hadn’t happened in a long time.

The women said their goodbyes and Eve enjoyed her breakfast. The cinnamon rolls were Monica’s—which meant they were amazing—and the coffee was perfect.

When she walked into Sherry’s twenty minutes later, she was feeling better. Surprised, but better.

Maybe not everyone in church was an asshole.

Deep in thought, she was halfway across the restaurant before she realized everyone was quiet and staring at her.

She stopped. Quiet in Sherry’s was unheard of.

Had someone died?

She looked around. “What?”

Was
this
about last night? Were the assholes in her very own dining room instead?

She felt her heart start to pound and her eyes narrowed, but before she could say anything she heard a man behind her clear his throat.

Turning, her mouth open to respond to…whatever…she froze.

Kevin stood by the front counter, Drew perched on one of the stools beside him, a plate of half-eaten pancakes in front of him.