When Alec Met Evie (Appies, #6)

by Jenny Proctor

Thanks for helping Evie. Can I just give her your number?” “Sure.” “K, I will. But Alec⁠—” Her words cut off, and I wait as I toss my keys onto the kitchen counter and toe off my shoes. “What?” I finally prompt. She takes a breath, then hesitates before finally saying, “I’m just trying to decide if I need to say what I was thinking out loud.” “Just say it.” “It’s just that Evie has really been through something. She needs your help, but she doesn’t need you to be handsome and charming.” “What does that mean?” “It means that you’re you, and women love you.” “Megan. She’s, what, nine years younger than I am? I promise I’m capable of helping a woman without asking her out.” “I know. I know! That’s not even what I’m saying because honestly, I wouldn’t hate it if you did ask her out. I just mean maybe not right now, okay? She’s fragile.” “The thought has never occurred to me. She’s your age. I’m way too old for her.” Megan is quiet for a beat before she says, “You might feel differently when you see her. She’s changed a lot since high school.” “Unless she miraculously aged five years, I doubt it.” “Okay, okay,” my sister says. “I believe you. But the warning still stands. Be careful with Evie.” We chat for a few more minutes before I end the call, but even after I hang up, I can’t quite shake Megan’s words or the knowing tone she used when she said them. You might feel differently when you see her.