Out of Focus #SYTYCW15 Top10 Finalist! [COMPLETED]

10| Friends

She stopped cold. So did her heart. Eva swung around, David squaring off with Goliath. "Are you threatening me?"

Hostility sparked from her like a live wire. Realizing he'd touch a nerve, Marshall stepped back and switched gears. He needed to proceed very carefully if he wanted to come out of this unscathed.

"Merely stating facts. I believe in you, what you're trying to do here, Eva. I want to make sure the right story is told. Help me."

Aggravated beyond measure, teeth clenched so tight she thought they might crack, she crossed the threshold, and rounded on him again when he moved to follow her inside.

"Back off. For five damn minutes. Back off."

Thankfully he stayed outside, visible in the large street-facing window. Eva made a pointed effort to ignore him as she haggled with the butcher. Ten minutes later she had a couple of beef bones and ham hocks bagged and paid for.

Marshall, of course, was right where she left him.

"What're those for?" he asked as she rejoined him back on the sidewalk, nodding towards her recent purchase.

Eager to get to her car parked only the next street down; Eva tossed a glare over her shoulder. "You're a nosey pain in the ass."

Unapologetic, Marshall lifted his hands. "Journalist."

"Your mom's teaching me to make homemade stock."

His eyes returned to her little buggy. "That's a lot of soup."

"I bought extra." Digging around in her back pocket, she hunted around for her keys, had a small moment of panic before she found them in her jacket tied around her waist. "For the puppies."

"Puppies?"

"Yes. We have three new additions at home." Finally at her car, Eva popped the trunk, drew up short when Marshall moved to help her and warned him off with a glare. Taking the hint, he backed off and reclined against the front fender.

"What did you do?"

"Excuse me?"

"No single parent in their right mind would take on three puppies on a whim unless they're compensating for some perceived wrong. So," he reached into his bag, pulled out a pear and bit into the ripe flesh, "what did you do?"

Stretched to the limits of her patience, Eva drew in slow, deep breaths as she loaded her purchases into the trunk of her car. When she was finished, she slammed the trunk shut and re-joined him on the sidewalk.

"Because I love your sister and have profound respect for your mother, I am going to phrase this as polite and succinctly as possible." She edged closer, until dirt-smeared converse met trendy loafers. "Stay away from me."

"Haven's a small island." Marshall folded his arms, pear dangling from his fingers. "Will be kinda hard to manage that."

"Try. Try really hard."

"Keeping a toe outside of enemy borders isn't really my style." He shot her a toothy grin, laughed in the heat of her frustration. "Come on, Eva. We can be friends, can't we?"

"Sure." She shot up her hands with an aggravated laugh. "Why not? Let's watch girlie flicks, eat ice cream and braid each other's hair. How's tomorrow night?"

"Okay. French braids are cool, but I don't do pigtails." Marshall rubbed a hand across his scruff. "Not with these cheeks."

"I was being sarcastic."

"So was I."

Growling, an inch away from pulling out hair--his--she yanked open the car door, set a hand on the hard top. "I really don't like you."