In the House On Lakeside Drive Read Online Free Page B

cream bowl sat on the coffee table next to the large bowl of kettle corn that Evan liked. Rachel’s thick blue robe was covered in cookie crumbs, and she could see traces of chocolate smeared over Sam’s face.
    “Admit it. It was fun.”
    Rachel smiled as she watched her charges sleep. “Always is.” Evan was content to hold her awhile, taking in all the things he never thought he’d have. A shiver raced up his spine, and he worked hard to hide it.
    “Cold?”
    “No. Just thinking.”
    “About?”
    “Lots of things. Mostly about how I’m glad I came here.” He pulled Rachel closer, as though she might disappear if he let go.
    “Came, or ended up?” the young woman said with a smile.
    “Either way. Turns out having a blown engine wasn’t a bad thing after all.”
    “Mmm.” The sounds of snores grew louder. “Rosa was asking about you the other day,” Rachel said. “Wanted to know if you were ready to sign papers yet.”
    Evan sighed. “I can’t.”
    Rachel broke from Evan’s gentle hold. “I get you’ve got some…issues, or whatever, but Evan, you love those kids. You love these kids,” she said, waving a sweeping arm at the sight before the pair. “If you can’t tell anyone, please, at least tell me—what’s stopping you? The projects are good—great in the summer—but I know you’d like something steadier. I can’t think of anything steadier than working for the school.”
    The thin man walked back toward his chair and sat down, nearly falling into it. “Rachel, there are some things about me…some things I have to work out for myself.”
    “Like what? Evan, I know you. I know who you are. Whatever you’re running from—and don’t deny that, pal, you are definitely running from something—I don’t care.”
    “What makes you think I’m running from something?”
    Rachel slipped into her own overstuffed armchair, keeping her voice quiet and even. “I’ve seen how you look at people sometimes, with this ‘oh, shit, they found me’ look on your face. I’ve heard you take on some of the biggest assholes in town with a voice you’re just finding. But honestly? I knew the night you came to the door, blown engine and all.”
    Evan blinked back, surprised. “That obvious?”
    “You looked as though I was going to call the cops at any moment. That’s the other thing I know—whatever you’re running from, it isn’t the law. You’re right, it’s personal and it’s your business, but…”
    The two stared into the fire, letting the growing snores envelop them. “I had some…problems,” Evan began, his words halting. “In college.”
    “Is that why you never finished?”
    “Kind of. My old man wanted rich professional kids, nothing less—doctors, lawyers, college professors, that sort of thing. No creative or blue-collar work accepted. By the time I left high school, I already had an ulcer from the pressure. Then Dad comes home with my acceptance papers to pharmacy school, and tells me I don’t have a choice since he’s the one paying.”
    “Pharmacy?” Rachel gave her boyfriend the once over. “Not in a million years.”
    “Hey, you don’t know my old man. It wasn’t like I had any job skills—we came from some money, and Dad was a hell of a litigator—so no one saw a need for me to work through school. Problem was, I hated it. I hated school, I hated going to class, and eventually I hated even getting up in the morning. When I took my internship, the people at the pharmacy were all right, but again, I hated what I was doing.”
    “Enough to try escaping?”
    Evan shrugged. “I tried a lot of things, believe me, and nothing made it better. In the end I finally quit school. I just knew I couldn’t live with myself if I became the pharmacist my dad wanted. Of course, the second I quit, he told me never to set foot in his presence again. The next day my bank accounts were empty.”
    “Shit,” Rachel said. “No wonder you don’t talk about home