The Crying Bridge

The Crying Bridge--Chapter 8

Evan's house was old, like most of the homes around town, and Del could tell from the outside that it was quite a bit more spacious than her house but still on the modest side. She parked behind his truck and walked up the front steps. She knocked on the door and Evan answered almost immediately.

When Del saw him, she was glad she had chosen to dress up a little. He was wearing a pair of casual slacks in a soft brown color and a short-sleeved button-down shirt that was a light blue with a brown stripe running through it. Like her, he wasn't dressed in an over-the-top formal way but could easily fit in, whether at a very casual restaurant or something a little fancier.

Evan's eyes widened in appreciation at her appearance. "Wow," he said, stepping back to let her inside. "You look incredible."

"Thank you," Del said. "I wasn't sure what to wear since I didn't know where we we're going."

"Yeah, sorry about that...I honestly haven't decided where to go yet." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Do you have any preferences?'

"Just one," she said, stepping closer and slipping her arms around him. His arms immediately embraced her back. With the wedge heels on, she didn't have to reach much to kiss him. She kept it relatively short and sweet, but made sure it let him know she was glad to see him. He returned the kiss in the same manner, and she knew he was happy to see her, too.

"That doesn't really tell me where you'd like to go for dinner," Evan said, "but I won't complain." He reached back and grabbed a set of keys from a small table next to the door. "How do you feel about steak? Or would you prefer something lighter, something ethnic?"

As they went out the door Del said, "I'm up for anything. You know the terrain better than I do. We can take my car if you want, since I'm parked behind you."

"I don't mind driving," Evan said. "Just back out, then you can pull back in."

"You can still drive," Del said, and she tossed him her keys. Evan caught the keys easily, one-handed. Something about the quickness and ease of the catch gave Del a small shiver of delight.

"Really?" Evan asked. When Del nodded, he smiled. "Cool. I've never driven a LUXURY car before." He rubbed his hands together like a little boy.

"Oh, that's cute, Evan," Del said, smiling at him. "Come one. Let's just go."

Once Evan had adjusted the seats and mirrors, they started out of town. "Well, there is a really great steakhouse down on the riverfront in the city, but I didn't think to make reservations. It's usually pretty crowded, but if you don't mind maybe having to wait a bit for a table, it'll be worth it."

"Okay, that's fine," Del told him. "I've never minded waiting for a good meal."

"Thank God," Evan said. "I know so many people who make such a big deal about that. They just can't seem to understand that restaurants don't have unlimited capacities."

"Well, in Chicago, you almost always have to wait, so I guess I'm used to it." Del paused then said, "Hey, do you know who I met yesterday? Jenny Sherloff."

"You were at the high school?" Evan asked.

"Yeah, I had a meeting with Karen. Jenny was so nice, she invited me to lunch with her and we really hit it off, had a great talk."

"Jenny is a sweetheart," Evan said, "like a sister to me. Did she tell you about Greg?"

"She did. I can imagine what it's been like for her. My parents died when I was 19, and sometimes it's still just so hard to deal with it."

"Jenny is a very strong person," Evan said. "She fell apart pretty good for awhile but then just picked herself up and started getting through each day. It was hard for me to see her struggling with it so much in those first several months, but I don't know that I was much help to her. Greg was my best friend. His death hit me pretty hard, too. I still feel guilty sometimes, like I wasn't there for Jenny like I should have been."