Driving around Dodge City aimlessly later that afternoon, it was unclear where I was headed. With my small suitcase in the back of my truck, I had no real intention of actually driving the several hours to Lillian’s house in Oklahoma.
I finally decided to look for a hotel about an hour out of town. I just needed a quiet place where I could think straight and come up with a plan about how to approach things with the Suttons. The thought of that conversation made me ill.
As much as I knew it was wrong, one final stop would be necessary before getting out of Dodge.
Elle had mentioned that Evangeline was working a final shift at Addy’s car repair shop. Since I was leaving town for a few days, she would be gone to Missouri by the time I returned.
It felt like I needed to see her more than I needed my next breath. It was the only thing I was sure of as I drove around lost in my thoughts. I didn’t know what the months ahead would mean for me or where I’d end up. I just knew I couldn’t leave town without one last moment with her.
She would be pissed at me, but I didn’t give a fuck. If I was about to give up everything because I loved her, she was going to have to face me one last time.
Say goodbye to my face.
I’d never been over to Adelaide’s. When I parked my truck across the gravelly road from her property, I hesitated before going inside. I took everything in, thinking about how this was the place that Evangeline seemed to love most in the entire world.
Addy’s small gray house stood adjacent to the shop, which was a bigger structure with three large garage bays. The sounds of metal clanking and laughing could be heard from inside.
A husky female voice startled me. “Can I help you?”
“Hi. I’m—”
“Sevin,” she answered. “I know who you are.”
“You do?”
“I do.” She looked me up and down. “Wow.”
“I take it, you’re Addy.”
“Jesus H. Christ, Vangie wasn’t kidding.”
“What’s that?”
“She said you were handsome. She didn’t say you were the kind of handsome that might just turn an old lesbo like me straight.”
Addy made me smile, which wasn’t an easy task. I could totally see why Evangeline was drawn to this woman.
“Well, thanks.”
“I know why you’re here.”
“You do…”
“You’re here for her.” She smiled. “Vangie is in the garage working on a tune-up.” She nudged her head toward the house. “You want to come inside…chat with me for a bit?”
The firm look in her eyes told me she wasn’t asking me to come in; she was telling me. She was a big woman, not someone to mess with. Even stronger was her personality. It felt like I could feel her spirit if that were possible. This felt no different to me than meeting Evangeline’s mother for the first time. Addy probably knew more about her than anyone.
She led me inside the house, gesturing for me to have a seat at her kitchen table. Something garlicky was cooking on the stove.
Addy stirred the pot then wiped her hands on an apron and sat across from me. “I’m not gonna beat around the bush here. It’s not my style.”
“Alright…”
“You kids have gotten yourself into some deep shit.”
Finally, someone who spoke my language.
“How much do you know?”
“Everything, Picasso.”
Shit.
“Wow.”
“Don’t worry. You can trust me, okay?”
Looking straight into Addy’s eyes, my tone was almost frantic. “I love her. Tell me what to do, Addy. Just tell me what to do.” Being able to talk to another person about what was happening to me felt like a huge weight lifted off of my chest. It wasn’t normal to have carried all of this around alone for so long.
“I know you love her.”
It felt so fucking good to talk about this with someone.
Raking my hands through my hair, I let out a deep breath. “She’s really planning to leave town tomorrow?”
“Yes. Working on that damn car was what she wanted to do on her last day here, can you believe it? But that’s partly because she needs to keep herself busy, otherwise she’ll crack, and she knows it. By the way, I love that girl to death, too.”
“She won’t ever be with me because she’ll never hurt Elle. I just don’t see a solution.”
“I need to confess, I recently encouraged her to make a decision one way or the other. Seems she took my advice. Here’s the thing…I’m not so sure that was the right idea anymore. I feel like I should have tried to skew her decision, but I wanted it to be her own choice. If I tell her to do one thing, and she ends up getting hurt from it, I’m not sure I could forgive myself.”