The Apple Tree (Sunday Morning, #2) (50)

Dad cleared his throat in the middle of his prayer, which meant he saw Erin and I misbehaving.

“Amen,” everyone echoed my dad.

As the choir sang, my gaze navigated to Kyle, and he smirked. I was sure he thought I was lip-syncing—and I was. However, I wasn’t in the mood for his smugness because I was still mad at him. So I didn’t give him another glance for the rest of the service.

“Call me immediately!” Erin said after the congregation filed out of the church before I joined my parents and Gabby.

I nodded.

“Eve,” Drew called my name as I descended the steps in front of the church.

“And the plot thickens,” Gabby mumbled, hugging her Bible.

I shot her a scowl before facing Drew.

“Wanna go to homecoming with me?” Drew asked. “I got your dad’s permission.”

“Uh …” I surveyed the churchyard and found Kyle and Josh talking to the Vanderleests, but his attention was laser-focused on me. “I graduated.”

“No duh. So what?” Drew said.

“I broke up with you,” I whispered.

He chuckled. “I’m not asking you to go steady with me again. I’m asking you to homecoming because I don’t care to take anyone in my class. But I’ll probably be homecoming king, so I think I should have a date. You know?”

I barely registered what he said because Kyle and Josh headed toward us.

“Ask Erin,” I quickly said with a stiff smile.

“No offense, but I’m not that into Erin.”

“Drew,” Kyle said, putting his hand on Drew’s shoulder and giving it a firm squeeze. “Did you ice your arm after Friday’s game?”

Drew nodded. “Yes, Coach.”

“Hey, Drew?” Marcus, Drew’s friend, yelled from a small huddle of guys, all seniors like Drew. “What did she say?”

They all snickered.

“Your friends are laughing at you.” Kyle gave Drew’s shoulder another squeeze.

Drew rolled his eyes. “Uh …”

“He asked me to homecoming, Coach,” I said, batting my eyelashes.

Drew blushed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Coach Collins intimidated him with nothing more than a shoulder squeeze. But he no longer intimidated me.

“And what did she say?” Kyle looked only at Drew for the answer.

“Uh, nothing yet. But she was about to say yes.” He smiled so wide it made the corners of his eyes crinkle like he was giving his coach a wink, like he thought his coach would be proud of him.

“Is that so?” Kyle eyed me with peaked brows.

“I’m hungry, Daddy,” Josh said, pulling on Kyle’s leg.

I held open my arms to Josh, and he let go of Kyle’s leg so I could pick him up. “Are you coming to my house for dinner?” I asked Josh in my sweetest voice, before turning my back to both arrogant boys and carrying him toward my parents.

Hugging me with his arms and legs, he mumbled a “yes.”

My mom smiled while we approached her. “He’s like the little brother you never had,” she said.

I bit my tongue and returned a smile.

“Buddy, you’re going to get Eve’s dress dirty from your shoes,” Kyle said. I knew he’d be right behind us.

Josh’s tiny fingers dug into my neck for a quick second. Then his body jerked. I felt something warm and wet pool around my neck, oozing into my dress and sliding down my back.

“Oh no!” my mom said.

“Oh, jeez, Josh.” Kyle quickly took him from me as I stood unmoving like a board.

Josh wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, smearing the vomit.

“Oh!” Gabby turned green and cupped her hand over her mouth and nose.

“Poor thing. Was your tummy hurting?” Mom handed Josh a wad of tissues because he had a little vomit on his face.

Kyle grimaced at me. “Eve, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s nobody’s fault,” my dad reassured Kyle. “Eve, let’s take you around back. There’s a spigot. We can get you rinsed off before you get in the car. Gabby, grab some paper towels from the bathroom and a choir robe your sister can wear home.”

Everyone was staring at me.

“I’m sorry, Eve,” Josh murmured in a weak voice.

I started to shake my head, but it only made more of the vomit slide into my dress. “It’s fine,” I said, trying to sound genuine, but I knew my smile was as stiff as the rest of my body. And the sour stench was making me nauseous.

Mom jerked her head, gesturing for me to follow her to the back of the church where she and Gabby hosed me off like a muddy pig.

“COLD!” I jumped and tried to get out of the direct stream, but Gabby kept the stream on me while grinning.

“Hold still, Eve, so she can get you cleaned off,” Mom said.

After the vomit was rinsed from my body, Gabby checked both sides of the church to make sure no one was coming while mom unzipped my dress, blotted me with paper towels and covered me with a choir robe.

Erin was going to be bummed her family left so quickly and she missed the big event.





“Guess what?” Gabby startled me when I opened the bathroom door after my shower.

I dried my hair with a towel. “What?”