When Alec Met Evie (Appies, #6)

by Jenny Proctor

I look up and see Evie walking down the sidewalk with Ruth, a baby in her arms. I stand and make my way toward her, meeting them at the foot of the driveway. The baby is facing outward in Evie’s arms. She has a head full of dark hair the same color as Evie’s and big blue eyes. As far as babies go, she’s pretty cute. I’ve never seen one with so much hair. The baby kicks her legs the slightest bit, and Evie looks down and smiles. “Are you saying hi to Alec?” she says to her daughter. She lifts her gaze to meet mine. “Alec, this is Juno.” I reach out and let Juno take my finger, her chubby fist closing around it with surprising grip. “Hey there, Juno,” I say, shaking her finger like it’s an official greeting. This makes the baby smile and something small turns over inside my heart. “I think she likes you,” Evie says. “Want to hold her?” “Oh, absolutely not,” I say, and Evie laughs. “I don’t know anything about babies.” “There’s only one way to learn,” Ruth says with a knowing grin. “Did your friends leave?” Evie asks, looking toward the curb. “I didn’t get to say thank you.” “They did, but they don’t need any thanks. They were happy to help. And they already agreed to come back when the house is done and you can officially move in.” Evie smiles, but it’s tight around the edges, and I can sense how much she hates needing this much help. I definitely shouldn’t tell her I just gave my credit card number to the disaster repair guy to secure their services. I’m pretty sure her lan...