awkward reconciliations

Who: Evelyn and Dutch
Where: Occam Automotive
When: Late Afternoons

Evelyn had been feeling restless and helpless and it really wasn't a good combination. She hadn't been able to get a hold of Becky since talking to her brother, and Evelyn was very aware that stopping by the office or Becky's apartment and risking running into Kowalski just wasn't going to end well. She had finished the model plane, which despite everything had managed to bring a slight spirit lift. But that had been short-lived once she was faced with needing to find something else to do with her time. Her restlessness had disturbed her roommates to the point that one told her she needed to sit down and chill out or head out. So Evelyn had headed out, but that hadn't been particularly pleasant. She hadn't been lying to Jesse when she said that walking out in public wasn't easy for her. It may have been awful on empty streets, but the holiday crowds didn't make her feel much better. Because on an empty street she could give in to the urge to whip her head back and see nobody there. But in the crowd? There were so many people behind her, and unless she wanted to back herself into a wall that wasn't going to change. And no, Evelyn was not going to have the feel of brick against her back -- never ever ever again.

It had taken a while, but she had finally gotten a cab -- the streets were too crowded for her to attempt driving with her novice skills. And when it stopped before Occam Automotive she stepped out and took a deep breath before paying the driver and closing the door. She had money in her pocket, and a task at hand. So, yeah, she was here. It wasn't exactly a pleasant task, but it was a needed one. And it was also the only thing she could actually do right now, besides sitting around and twiddling her thumbs by the hallway phone. So she took another breath, shoved a hand into her pocket to secure the cash that was in there, and stepped into the bay, calling out, "Hello?"

The garage bay was nearly empty, for once. No bustle of work crews moving between vehicles or juggling tools, no hiss and crackle from the radio, and actually only two cars in the whole shop. With the hood up on the hardbodied Ford he'd secured for Ava and his elbows deep in its' engine, Dutch was actually the only human presence in the shop right now. The celebrations around town had meant it would be a slow day, to be sure, and the two boys he couldn't convince to take the day off? Well, he'd at least managed to kick them out in search of lunch, and to buy himself a bit of time..

This pass over Ava's car was a formality, a cursory glance to ensure nothing glaring was wrong, and once he was done he'd need to stash away some dirty money stored inside the other car. He thought he would've had time to do so alone, but then? One word punctuated the silence, making his back tense up with surprise and his hand slip from the wrench he'd been twisting. Turning as it clattered to the floor, the scowl on Dutch's face went from utter annoyance to utter surprise in a heartbeat's time. "Miss Evelyn?" he greeted in a rumble, wiping one sleeve of his overalls across his brow, "Everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," she murmured, not looking as comfortable as she would have preferred. She caught the look of annoyance. And even if it quickly morphed to surprise? She still recalled that Dutch had every right and reason to be annoyed with her. So a part of her thought he was annoyed and just covering up. She hadn't forgotten how he had seemed so quick to be done with her... granted, then he ended up offering her a job. Which she hadn't given an answer to then, and didn't know if it was still on the table. But that was partly why she was here, wasn't it? "I was just... stopping by. About the job, if it's still offered. And this." She took her hand out of her pocket, handing him an envelope with a decent portion of the car payment inside. And, after an awkward pause added, "And just... stopping by. To stop by." Yay articulation!

Stepping over to take the envelope, Dutch pushed back one edge to peer inside at the cash she'd put away before he scowled faintly, shook his head, and held it right back out to Evelyn. "Don't think I'd feel right takin' this," he explained quietly. Not after your brother already said he'd pay. She didn't need to know that, though; Dutch wasn't about to cause potential issues between Evelyn and the one guy he figured was looking out after her. "The car's an investment, Evelyn," Dutch said, "You use it however you need to, change your circumstances, and we're square." Which... she was doing? If she was here looking for work, it seemed like that might've been her intent. "I know nothin' about me's much to see. Not my shop, not my home, not me... but I do alright for myself. An' I don't get to give gifts too often, so frontin' for the car? It's not gonna break the bank for me. How's it treatin' you, anyway?" he asked, moving for the coffee pot with a nod for her to join him.

Evelyn started toward the coffee, but she didn't take the money. She wouldn't. And, despite everything, that was one fact she was steady on. "Dutch, you asked me to name my price. And I did -- and I didn't name one I wasn't able to afford. And the car runs great -- it is great. And, honestly? I'm thinking that either you got one hell of a deal, or I did. It's not about me thinking whether you're well off or not. Just... I agreed to a price, one that I had decided on to begin with, and I'm going to stick to it." There was a light touch of a smirk there, lingering for a moment before retreating. "Though... if the money bothers you that much -- you could always just give it away. Your boys gonna mind a holiday bonus?"

He wanted to argue this point, to repeat that her changing things was more than fair payment for him, but eventually Dutch knew he'd paint himself into a corner and Jesse's involvement would come out. He wasn't an eloquent man, or even a particularly sharp witted one much of the time, whereas Evie? Was obviously smart, to such a point that if Dutch could see it then he knew better than to challenge it. "I always get one hell of a deal," he murmured with a smirk, "Good an' bad alike." That said, though, he tucked the envelope into a pocket on his overalls, pouring probably-burnt coffee into two mugs and sniffing his own critically before offering one to Evie. "Gotta forgive me if it's charred," Dutch warned before taking a sip, "And for bein' surprised by this. I... you serious 'bout the job? You wanna work here?"

Evelyn took a sip, her lips smacking together for a second afterward because, yes, the coffee was a bit charred. But, well, he had warned her beforehand hadn't he? Despite her discomfort, borne more from her own guilty recollection than anything on Dutch's part, a smile slipped through at his question as she took another short sip of coffee. When she had swallowed she placed the coffee down, the small smile still in place for a moment longer. "Remember when I mentioned I could tell you what most of the parts do on a car? A girl doesn't really come on that kind of knowledge unless she's interested." And the smile morphed into a grin for a second, though that lingering guilt left that short-lived as well. "Though I haven't really been around cars too much -- I've just always leaned more towards technical reading than most fiction."

"Well, the reading'll serve you right if you're keen on this," Dutch said with a slight nod, "I was thinkin' I could use someone to handle inventory, part orders, all that. Plus maybe get my damned office in shape." He liked to think he had a system to it, but it was more that the office was so small that nothing could stay hidden for long. But if Evelyn was serious? Well, that'd mean things needed to change around here. It wouldn't be right to get her to leave the Drake because of it's mafia connections just to come over here, where dirty deeds still got done in the name of the Giacomos. "And if you were lookin' to work in the bays? We could get up to that in time, once the boys got used to a lady like yourself bein' around all the time."

It was funny, because for as much as she had told others and herself she would be hard-pressed to stay only behind a desk? There had always been some wall in her mind that gave even the most certain declarations a sense futility. Evelyn was used to major upsets to her main goals, and a part of her half-expected the same to somehow to occur here. So when Dutch mentioned the possibility of working in the bays? Well, after a brief moment of 'holy hell this could actually happen!', that grin returned again. "Great!" she answered, trying hard not to grin like a complete idiot. Granted, she wasn't naive enough to think it would be smooth sailing, but right now that just didn't lessen her spirits any.

"And you're in luck," she added, her enthusiasm a bit more composed, "I'm good with paperwork and actually like organizing messes." Not that he explicitly said his office was a mess, but if needed to be put in better shape? Evelyn could do that. She was good at stuff like that. Dealing with outside messes she was perfectly fine with and even enjoyed. ...It was the convoluted personal turmoils that got her.

Evie's enthusiasm wasn't matched, though it wasn't because Dutch was downtrodden. More that he was already thinking over how he might get his family to release their hold on his shop, and keep Evelyn absolutely clear of mafia dealings. Would there be issues with his crew? He knew Roy did odd jobs here and there, but if Dutch didn't forbid them, maybe there'd be no problem. "How soon you lookin' to start?" Dutch asked lightly, patting himself down for his smokes, since he was far enough away from anything that might go up in flames, "I've got a few things to put in order, and I'm thinkin' we'll need to cover a few ground rules for workin' around here."

Evelyn's enthusiasm fell off a bit -- because Dutch's lack of enthusiasm wasn't lost on her. And, what with not knowing his actual thoughts, she really could only assume that he wasn't nearly as enthralled with the idea of working here as she had shown herself to be. And that again left her feeling a bit childish for her previous response. Which was a bit frustrating, since he had offered her the job -- but the remembrance that she also probably wasn't his favorite person right now came quickly to mind to counter that frustration. And, of course, he was offering a job... but only because he didn't want her working at the Drake. It didn't actually mean he wanted her here... in fact, now that she thought on it, hadn't he preceded the offer with something similar to 'if you can't find anything else...'?

"I'm flexible," she answered, composure back to picture-perfect there "I've got money saved, and family to see, so I can start whenever you're ready." A part of her, always eager to start on a job, really wanted to say tomorrow would be great. But Evelyn had other things going in her life -- with her family and with Becky -- that she knew she should tackle those before she jumped straight into working. Aaaand, again, the lack of enthusiasm on Dutch's part didn't have her eager to immediately force her presence on the man.

Dutch smiled there as he lit up, nodding slowly and gesturing for Evie to follow him as he moved back towards his office. "It'll be soon, count on that," he assured her as he started walking, "I'm hopin' you take to working here well, Evelyn. It's not the Drake in looks or pay, but it's honest work." Mostly. "The boys on the crew are a good sort, an' from what you used to say? You'll take a lot less grief from our customers," Dutch added with a grin as he reached the office, gesturing beyond the door with mock-grandeur, "And here's the trenches you're so eager to fight in."

His humor got a smile out of her, but now that the idea that having her around wasn't Dutch's first choice had taken hold it wasn't easily shaken. "Very daunting," she conceded, her own tone mockingly grave. "Good thing you're bringing in a veteran, you should have seen the records room at the Drake. You would have needed a full regiment just to find a receipt for room towels," she shared, wryly keeping with the military theme. Of course, once she had done with it a monkey could have navigated the records with no problem. Evelyn did her best to keep her head down, play ignorant, and avoid any mafia-side of things; but when she became a concierge and had to constantly deal with the disorganized mess she was supposed to consult almost hourly? Well, Evelyn had to do something. And at least the DiGiovanni were smart enough not keep incriminating paperwork with the bed-sheet orders.

There was nothing to say there for a moment, so the moment saw Dutch lean up against the frame of his office door to study Evelyn, eventually giving a smaller, but more sincere smile. "I didn't expect to see you 'round here again," he confessed, "Money owed or not. I... I was pretty raw last time we spoke, an' I'm sorry for losin' my temper." He looked down at his feet then, shuffling them awkwardly. Conversation as a whole didn't come easily for Dutch, and honest conversation was a true rarity. "But I'm glad you opted to take my offer, Evelyn. I didn't want t'think of you hangin' around where you were."

Evelyn didn't say anything for a moment herself, taking that in, eyes staring into the office even if her attention wasn't on it. Then she spoke. "I wasn't sure if it would still be on the table," she admitted, voice quiet. "I wouldn't have blamed you if it wasn't." And then there was a bit more silence as Evelyn herself felt the awkwardness weigh in. It left a part of her tempted to make an out for herself and leave and say that she had somewhere to be. But an overwhelming majority knew to push forward, even if the awkwardness made her feel... well, awkward. "But... I would have come by anyway -- money owed or not," there was wry, though sincere, smile there as her eyes ticked onto him. And then it fell as she got to what had really been weighing down on her to say over the past few days. "I'm sorry about lying." And, again, awkwardness. Because being wrong and acknowledging being a liar was never really pleasant. "Especially since... you saved my life. The least I could have done -- should have done -- was tell you my name."

"S'right," Dutch agreed quietly, seeing no reason to tiptoe around that fact. He was a man with one secret in his life, but it was one that would get other people killed; there was no room for more. "But the apology's welcome an' accepted, Evelyn. From here on, you be straight with me and I'll return the favor in kind, okay? Do that, and we'll have ourselves a clean slate," he offered, "There's worse things in this city than what you did, I'd be a fool not to take a chance to help you out." He was a fool, but not for that reason. More for the total opposite; Dutch was still involved in a dangerous world, but at least if Evelyn was here then he could keep her clear of it, right?

"Alright. I can do that," she agreed, a touch solemn but sincere. "I will do that," she corrected. And she didn't know whether to smile or shrink a little bit into herself. A weight had been lifted, addressing the issue, but there was still the weight of What Was Left to Do. It wasn't an overbearing stressful pressure, just an urge inside her reminding her that, yes, the first steps were taken but it didn't just end there. There was a quiet moment of pensiveness, where she was obviously considering something, when she suddenly spoke up: "I have four siblings," she offered in a semi-out of the blue push toward honesty. "Virginia, Ruby, Dorothy, and Jesse -- he's the only boy." Another wry smile popped up there, as being surrounded by women probably hadn't always been an easy thing. "And two nieces: Jessie and Lucy."

The smile widened a bit as she gave Dutch a chance to process that, yes, one of her nieces was named Jessie as well. "They and my parents all live here in the city." Talking about her family like this felt really... odd. Kowalski had made an artform of using the most innocuous details to his advantage that, afterward, she had just fallen out of the habit of disclosing much about herself.

Dutch chuckled softly as he processed it, wondering if it ever irked Jesse. Maybe not, maybe it was a point of pride or the niece was his kid, who knew? "You'd said all your kin was in the city before," he said with a wink, amused by how there'd been truth nestled in the old lies, "An' I met Jesse, he seems a good sort to be sure. Next time you talk with him, tell him any time he needs some work done he'll get it a touch cheaper around here." He would've offered even if Evelyn hadn't wanted the job; Jesse had struck him well in their only encounter, had made him think of Dutch himself in his younger years, with one key difference. Jesse still had his family, and seemed bound and determined to hang onto them.

"I'll pass that along," she smiled, "though I don't know how much use the offer'll get." Considering Jesse himself didn't own a car -- but that didn't mean he never drove one. Because, yes, Jesse was rather sparse on particular details of his life, but he had never really hid what he did or the kind of connections he had. Evelyn's expression then wandered into pensive, and not something idly pensive, but rather the 'clearly thinking on a truly serious matter' kind of pensive. "He said he knows where he can find the guy," she voiced, tone low and unreadable on that. She hadn't been for Jesse hunting the guy down before -- only for her brother's sake, even if never stopped him, than any concern for that... bastard -- but she was infinitely more troubled about it now that she had asked Jesse to take her to him, or him to her, or however that was going to work out... either way, she had asked to see the face of the man who would have killed her had Dutch not shown up, and it wasn't an easy thought to bear.

The look on Dutch's face was quickly becoming a guarded one, unreadable but for a note of worry somewhere in it. 'He' had to be Jesse, and 'the guy'? There was no doubt, there was only one man in the time Dutch had known Evelyn who would qualify for such a statement. The guy who'd hurt her, and who'd been hurt in kind. "Oughta be real careful if you go lookin' for him, you or your brother," Dutch advised, "Both as to what you're gonna do if you find him, and as to why you're lookin' in the first place." Because good lord did he know just how slippery of a slope vengeance was.

There was a short and meaningless laugh there. "I've lost track of the number of times that kind of talk's come up with my brother." Sometimes she still fruitlessly pounded that nail on the head, but sometimes Evelyn just felt tired of the same stories and the same conversations and their same exact result that she just... left it. "Granted, I know he's smart -- and he's careful. But he's not invincible either..." The fact that, for all the stuff he got into, Jesse had never been charged and the like was a testament to her brother's skill. But he could still get into serious shit -- had gotten into some of it-- and he was a human being that could still end up dead one day.

"But he isn't going to change his mind on this. And since he won't, and if he's going to find the guy... I told him. To tell me. Because... I think I need to see him." She didn't want to, that much was obvious from her tone if not really her expression. She didn't want to come anywhere near that man with a ten-mile-pole... but she didn't want her phobia to consume her, and if knowing the face might help? Then she would try.

"I get that," Dutch told her with a nod, "Gotta face your demons if you ever wanna stop feelin' them watch you. Thing is, your brother? If I were him, I'd wanna do more than see him. I'd wanna hurt him... bad, and once you take that step? There's no comin' back." Lord did he feel hypocritical saying this; in a few hours time he was planning to go beat Ian Sullivan to the brink of brain damage. But maybe that was why he was saying it, because he'd crossed that line a long time ago, and could still see it in hindsight.

"You and Jesse, you're both gonna do what you're gonna do. But hopefully, maybe your brother'll see a better way than most folks in this city do. You already took some good steps towards that yourself," Dutch praised quietly, "I'll just cross my fingers that it runs in the family. Speakin' of, I need to get in touch with him sometime. Think you could let him know? I was thinkin' of havin' a drink or two down at the Round."

She smiled a little, acknowledging the praise. Appreciating it, even if she didn't mention it. "I'll let him know," she promised. "I was going to drop in on him tomorrow." Or Becky. Well, both. She just wasn't sure who she would try first. She hadn't heard anything about what was happening in regard to that situation. Her calls kept missing Becky, and calling her brother's building had been a long shot to begin with. But she knew something would happen, if it hadn't already, and she was worried. She hadn't been by Becky's yet -- maybe because of the chance of running into Kowalski there, or maybe because she was just avoiding. But, even without word, she couldn't let herself avoid forever.

Though those thoughts were at the forefront, Dutch's phrasing hadn't escaped her and her eyes focused more onto him. He had said 'need', like they had business. And Evelyn couldn't help thinking whatever business the men had with each other concerned her somehow--unless they had some other business in common. "What do you need to talk to him about?" she asked, nonjudgmental but certainly curious.

"All of this," Dutch answered, waving an aimless hand out at the garage, "You takin' the job, mostly. I figured it'd ease some worry for him, or cause some new ones if he still thinks I'm sweet on you." He chuckled a touch, head shaking at the very idea. Sure, Evelyn was a lovely woman, and if Dutch had been ten or fifteen years younger? Maybe he'd have considered it. But he wasn't, and as long as he couldn't shake the resemblances she bore to his wife, Marcelena, it would be doubly wrong of him to look at her in that way. "I'd warned him, too. About Sullivan," Dutch added with less levity, "That if you found trouble, he might be at the root. And if you're not workin' for him, I don't think Jesse needs to be watching for any threats there." And after Dutch got through with him, Evelyn was going to be the last thing on Ian's mind.

"You mentioned Ian to Jesse?" she frowned, not really happy to hear that. Jesse was overprotective enough as is when it came to relationships -- which was an area she never appreciated that protectiveness in. "Dutch, I know who runs the Drake--" Oh, she knew. "--but he's never done me any kind of wrong." Which counted for something in Evelyn's book -- not everything, but at least something. It wasn't really an advertised fact or knowledge often gleaned at first glance, but Evelyn very much saw people in shades of gray. Usually. She didn't expect them to be perfectly good or evil. After all, her brother was a criminal but she'd still call him a good man, the man who had saved her life was undoubtedly with his flaws, there were girls of questionable repute on her hall she still respected.

"S'why I wanted to talk with him. I was worried when we met, same with him. I was also a touch drunk," Dutch explained with a rueful grin, "Came on the heels of findin' out you'd been lying, to boot. So I was feeling pretty raw, worryin' that if you got caught in a lie over there, they'd own you. I wanted your kin to know who they'd be facin' down if you ended up in a pinch." He sighed, shaking his head at the whole situation and aimlessly wiping his hands on his overalls. "Jesse's got nothin' to worry about with Sullivan, you being here makes that clear for me. An' I'm sorry if I made things trickier for you than they already were."

"Nothing any trickier than what I made for myself," she admitted. She still wasn't any happier to hear that Sullivan had been mentioned to Jesse, but her issue lay more in the situation than with Dutch himself. And, considering the fault for the situation was largely at her feet, her issue really lay with her. "You just... make sure to let him know there's nothing to worry about -- because I don't think he'll take much stock in it coming from me." She couldn't really blame him, as her good judgment had exactly been showcased lately. "And Jesse... he's overprotective. And he can be very overprotective. Which isn't always a bad thing but... sometimes it causes more trouble than not."

The ghost of a smile her lips echoed that statement. Because her brother could be stubbornly protective, and Evelyn could be just as stubborn about not wanting it. Granted, that position wasn't so completely solid as it had once been -- because, yes, there were some things that Evelyn wanted protection from. She just wasn't sure she'd take that protection if it left her feeling protected in other areas as well. Because even if it sucked? Evelyn would take learning the hard way than feeling sheltered. Even if Jesse didn't aim for sheltering her, she knew herself to know she'd still feel like that was the case.

Dutch nodded at the request, watching the play of thought in Evelyn's eyes and expression for a moment. He could follow the logic and put himself in Jesse's spot, wondering how to best protect his family against looming threats. He could definitely see himself overreacting. "I'll make sure it gets said," Dutch assured her, "And if I think there might be trouble? I'll drop word to you and him then, too." There still could be, based on what Dutch had planned. "For now though, I oughta close up shop and send you on, Miss Evelyn. I'm due down at the Round sooner or later, and if it hits 'later' they'll start worryin' about turning a profit for the day," he explained with a self-deprecating smirk.

Evelyn smiled a bit awkwardly at that. She hadn't known Dutch long at all, but she had already caught onto him being a bit more than a social drinker. Actually, she wondered if part of the issue was -- as to his drinking? -- there wasn't really anything 'social' about it. But, really, she had a hell of her own shit to get together before she went about preaching on the man's way of takin' the edge off a hard life. "I'll get going then," she murmured, not taking offense as she turned around to leave. Although she paused for a moment, thinking of something, and grabbed a nearby piece of paper and wrote on it, then handed it to Dutch:

"For when you're ready for me to start -- the top one's the number to the boarding house -- I'd try that one first -- even if I'm not there, the other girls are pretty good about leaving messages." Unlike her brother's building. "The bottom's my parents' house. If I don't get back to you from the other number you can always leave a message there." And then she was quiet for a moment, unsure if she had more to add on that front, ultimately deciding she didn't. "And I'll pass along the message to Jesse. Take care of yourself until then," she finished, not actually thinking there was any serious concern otherwise, just going with the parting regardless before heading out the door.