“But you’ve earned it.”
She let out a humorless laugh. “Not necessarily how our dear father sees it,” she said. “That’s why I have to fix this Tobara mess. It’s the only way I can show him that I’m ready.” She felt a telltale burning in her stomach and pulled one of her emergency antacids out of her jacket pocket.
Niko cocked a brow. “You sure have been downing a lot of those lately. You okay?”
Was she? Evie popped the tablet into her mouth and chewed, frowning at the chalky taste. “I’m fine. Just a lot on my mind lately.”
“Like Tobara? And Peyton Wheeler.”
“Like Tobara. And Peyton Wheeler.” When his worried look didn’t fade, she rolled her eyes. “I’m fine. Once I get this trip out of the way and everything’s back on track, everything will be great.”
Niko frowned, his dark eyes searching. “I hope you’re right,” he said. “You know . . .” He looked away, rubbing the back of his neck.
“What?”
He faced her again, jaw set. “This isn’t everything, you know? There is a life outside of Hart Enterprises.”
She scoffed. “I know that.”
“Do you?” Niko watched her closely, but she made herself meet his gaze. “You’re so wrapped up in this company— ”
“Well, someone has to be,” she snapped, and immediately felt bad about it. It wasn’t Niko’s fault that she had devoted her life to Hart Enterprises. It had been her choice—one she’d made a long time ago. Sure, once in a while she might feel like she’s missing out on something . . . might even be a little jealous of Niko’s freedom, but she didn’t blame him for that.
She couldn’t.
“Sorry,” she said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I didn’t mean that.”
“Sure you did,” Niko said with a cheeky grin. “But that’s your right as the responsible sibling. You get to be irritated with the irresponsible one.”
“You’re not irresponsible.”
“I am.” He leaned toward her. “I’m only saying that, on occasion, you might give it a try.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said wryly.
Niko looked like he wanted to say something more, but instead he sighed. “So what do you want me to do?” he asked. “While you’re gone.”
“Listen,” she said quietly. “Keep an eye out. You know, keep me informed.”
“Spy,” he said with a small smile.
“Call it what you will.” She moved past him into the hall. “Have a good trip.”
Niko reached out and caught her hand, squeezing it once before he let it go. “You can trust me, Sis. You know that, right?”
She smiled back at him. “I know,” she said as the doors slid closed.
* * *
“Happy birthday!”
Across the country in Holiday Junction, a chocolate cupcake with sprinkles appeared in front of Liam Durant’s face, and he startled, nearly dipping his nose into the frosting. He looked up to find Vi Chalmers on the opposite end of the hand holding the treat, a sheepish smile on her face.
“Sorry,” she said with a wrinkle of her perfect button nose. “This probably isn’t the celebration you were hoping for.”
Liam had to agree. He was sitting in the third row at the elementary school, waiting for an emergency town meeting to begin—an emergency town meeting that the mayor had insisted he attend to—quote—alleviate fears and put forth a game plan to deal with the current crisis. A game plan he had yet to develop, by the way. It didn’t matter to the mayor that Liam was taking the case pro bono, or that he had other work on his plate. Or that he hadn’t slept more than five hours a night all week.
He yawned. Of course, the proverbial cherry on the literal cupcake was having the ex-girlfriend who dumped him—twice—extending him pity-salutations on his twenty-ninth birthday.
Perfect.
Liam smiled, though, and took the cupcake. “Thanks,” he said. “We’re getting a little old for celebrations anyway, aren’t we?”
Vi laughed, and the sweet sound sent an arrow straight through his heart.
“Speak for yourself.” She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder with an exaggerated sniff. “Some of us still have plenty of our twenties left.”
Liam arched a brow. “You are literally two months younger than me,” he said.
“That’s forever in dog years.”
He snorted. “I’m not sure if I should be more insulted by that comparison, or if you should be.”
Vi crossed her arms, a frown on her face. “Fair point.” She waved a hand dismissively. “Anyway, I know things are—you know, kind of. . . whatever between us right now.” She shook her head. “But I couldn’t let the day go by without acknowledging it.”
Whatever. That was one way to put it.
Of course, Vi’s boyfriend, Kade Rivera, chose that moment to walk up and place his hand protectively on the small of her back. She practically glowed at him, and Liam ground his teeth.
“Hey, Liam. Happy birthday,” Kade said with a genuine smile. Why did the guy have to be so nice? It made it so much harder to hate him.
“Yeah, thanks,” he replied, lifting the cupcake in acknowledgement.
“We should find a seat,” Kade told Vi. “This should be a good one.”
Vi rolled her eyes. “You are so weird about town meetings.” But her voice was fond, and Liam’s stomach twisted. Vi used to sound like that when she talked to him. She used to be fond of him.
But that was ancient history, wasn’t it?
“See you later, Liam,” Vi said. “Hope you have a great birthday.”
Liam’s forced smile fell as they turned and walked away.
“Happy birthday to me,” he grumbled. Then he ate the cupcake in three huge bites.
He was still chewing when Mayor Joshua Kendricks stepped up to the podium and pounded his gavel, calling the meeting to order. He waited for the crowd to quiet, his pointed face lifted as he observed them all through his wire-framed glasses. In addition to being mayor, Joshua ran the local real estate brokerage and pretty much drove everyone crazy. But he cared about the town and dedicated his life to what he thought was best for it.
It didn’t make him any less annoying, unfortunately.
“We all know why we’re here,” Joshua said, gripping the podium firmly with both hands, his knobby knuckles white. “The purchase of the old textile factory by Hart Enterprises is an issue of grave importance that we are all concerned about. Initially, we had hopes that the development would be good for our town and bring in new business and employment opportunities, but we now have reason to believe that is not the case, and we, as a town, must come together to figure out the best way to fight these outsiders who want todestroy our town!”
A ripple of unease went through the crowd and Liam tried not to let his annoyance show. Joshua had been all for the development until recent media coverage of local protests turned the tide, and led to outrage among the majority of the town residents. Now he was covering his backside, politically speaking. Still, they needed to stick together if they were going to fight the development, and having the mayor with them was important.
“Of course, we’re grateful to Lena McKenna and the others who led the initial protests against the development,” the mayor said, leading another smattering of applause. Liam could see Lena across the aisle, nodding in appreciation as she waved off the applause.
“We all want what’s good for the town,” Lena said,
“Right.” Mayor Kendricks nodded, his scalp shining under the lights between the strands of his slicked-back, white hair. “Which is why we’ve brought Liam Durant into the fight. Liam?” The mayor motioned for him to come forward and Liam stood, flushing under the new round of applause. A few people shook his hand or pounded him on the back as he made his way to the podium. He’d known most of these people all his life, and it was strange to have them now looking to him for answers.
“Thanks, Joshua,” he said once the
crowd quieted. “I want to give everyone an update about how things are going in our dispute with Hart Enterprises.” A few people booed at this point, and Liam’s lips quirked. “Yes, well. That’s how we all feel, I suppose.”
He slid his hands into the pockets of his khakis, the hem of his plaid shirt scrunching up a bit. That was one nice thing about practicing law in a place like Holiday Junction. Nobody expected him to wear a suit on a day to day basis. Sure, he had them for court, but most hung in garment bags in the back of his closet, remnants of his early days in corporate law.
“We’ve filed our request for an injunction with the county court,” he said. “If approved it will delay any work on the property until we can get a ruling on the historical landmark status. Of course, that’s our hope, but there’s no guarantee the judge will grant it. And there’s no guarantee that the factory will be declared a landmark in the end.”
“What are our chances?” Joshua asked.
A lock of sandy hair fell forward over Liam’s eyes and he brushed it back, distractedly. “I wish I could tell you,” he replied. “All I can say is I’m doing all I can on my end to try and stop this thing.”
Boomer Benedict stood at the back of the room, swiping a hand over his comb over. “I don’t understand what the problem is,” he said. “I heard they’re putting in a Java Junction. I kind of like Java Junction. They have those little mints.” He pinched his fingers together, apparently to exemplify how little the mints were.
“Boomer, sit down,” Joshua groused.
Boomer did, of course. He worked for Joshua at the real estate brokerage and did pretty much anything Joshua said.
“I’m just saying,” Boomer said with a shrug. “That maybe it won’t be so bad.”
“How can you say that?” Lena got up from her seat and faced Boomer. “They want to put up luxury condos that none of us could ever afford to buy. And stores none of us could afford to shop at.”
“And the building is hideous,” someone called out.
“Right!” Lena pointed toward the speaker. “It’s a horrible, modern, concrete monstrosity that is completely wrong for our town. And it’ll drive up all of our property taxes.”
“But Java Junction—”
“For heaven’s sake, Boomer,” Joshua said, throwing up his hands. “You can buy those little mints online. I’ll get you a box, okay?”
“Really?” Boomer looked exceedingly pleased, and Liam wondered for a moment if perhaps that was his plan all along. Could Boomer Benedict actually be that devious?
He caught sight of the man staring blankly at his own rounded belly.
Maybe not.
Liam cleared his throat. “We don’t need a Java Junction. Besides, the Daily Grind has much better coffee, anyway.”
“Thanks, Liam!”
He smiled at Mandy, owner of the local coffee shop. “No problem,” he replied. “As I was saying, I’m doing all I can when it comes to working with the legal system, but it’s important that everyone here does their part as well.”
Alice Camden, owner and reporter for the local paper, the Holiday Junction Journal, asked, “What do you recommend, Liam?”
“Well, you’ll play a big part, Alice,” he replied. “Media coverage is what brought the town together on this issue, and it’ll put pressure on Hart Enterprises, too. Letters to the editor, in-depth coverage. Everyone should share their stories, too.” He pointed out toward the audience.
“What kind of stories?” Anne Patterson asked.
Liam leaned forward on the podium. “The textile factory was the lifeblood of Holiday Junction for almost a century. It’s part of our history and I bet we all have aunts or uncles or grandparents with a connection to it in one way or another. We’ve all been to events hosted out at the factory. Like the haunted house, and remember the big Founders’ Day picnic we had out there a few years back?”
Joshua scratched his cheek. “We need to put a personal face on this controversy,” he said. “The media likes that.”
“The TV reporter who was here last month for the protest reached out to me yesterday,” Lena said.
“That’s good,” Joshua replied. “Get her out here and tell her we have some great personal interest stories. The mega-corporation trying to stomp out the heart of a small town. They’ll eat it up.” He gave her an approving nod.
Liam thought perhaps the mayor might be enjoying this a tad too much, but he held his tongue.
“We want everyone who’s able to come to court when our case is heard,” he said instead. “A show of unity will be very important and great for the media, as well.”
“Excellent,” Joshua said.
The meeting wrapped up quickly after that, the crowd converging on the refreshment table like locusts. Liam grabbed another cupcake—it was his birthday, after all—and retreated to a quiet corner. He had just pulled out his phone to check his emails when Braden McKenna, Lena’s brother, walked up and leaned against the wall next to him.
“You look like you could use something a bit stronger,” he said, nodding toward Liam’s cupcake. “Want to head over to the pub and I’ll hook you up?”
Liam laughed. “I’d love to, but I have a late night of legal briefs and an early morning conference call. No time, I’m afraid.”
Braden made a face. “Being a lawyer’s nothing like in the movies, is it?”
“Not a bit.”
“Well, stop by on Friday night, then,” Braden said. “Even hotshot attorneys need to wind down once in a while. Otherwise your brain explodes.”
Liam shot him a doubtful look.
“You need to have some fun.” Braden shoved his shoulder. “Get out. Have a drink. Maybe meet an eligible lady?” He waggled his eyebrows.
Liam’s gaze darted to Vi before he could stop it. “Not a lot of eligible ladies in HJ.”
“You’re not going to see them if you’re only looking at Violet Chalmers,” Braden replied, crossing his beefy arms over his chest. “You need to get back on the horse, my friend.”
If there was one thing Liam didn’t like about living in a small town, it was that everyone—and he meant everyone—knew when you’d been dumped.
“I’ll think about it,” he replied, if only to get Braden to give up.
He wasn’t going for it, however. “Friday night,” he said firmly. “I’ll come to your house and drag you out, if I have to.”
“Okay, okay!” Liam said, laughing. “I’ll be there.” His phone buzzed with a new email. “Sorry,” he said, his eyes dipping to the screen. “It’s from Hart’s lawyer.”
“What’s he say?”
Liam scanned the email. “He’s coming to HJ,” he replied, “He says he wants to meet with town leadership before we go to court and see if we can’t come to some kind of agreement.”
“Well, that’s great, right?” Braden asked. “If they’re willing to talk, isn’t that a good sign?”
“Could be,” Liam replied absently. “Or it could be that they want to come and flex their muscles a bit. Try and feel us out to see how determined we are.”
Braden took in the crowded room with a pleased smile. “I think they’ll find we’re pretty determined.”
Liam huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, if they think they’re going to come to town and steamroll a bunch of yokels, they’re sadly mistaken.”
“When’s he coming?”
Liam checked the email and hissed out a breath. “Tomorrow afternoon.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.” Liam scrubbed a hand over his face. “He’s trying to throw us off our game. He knows we’ll have to scramble to get ready.”
“Sorry, man,” Braden said. “If I can do anything to help, you know all you have to do is ask.”
“I know. Thanks.” Liam scanned the room. “I need to grab Joshua and figure out what we’re going to do.”
“No problem. I’ll see you Friday night.” Braden pointed two fingers at him as he backed away. “And don’t worry so much. You got
this.”
Liam wasn’t so sure, but he smiled in response anyway, then headed off to grab the mayor before what he was sure was going to be yet another sleepless night.
At about three o’clock the following afternoon, Liam stood waiting at the Lake Cathote airport, about ten miles south of Holiday Junction. It was a beautiful day, crisp and sunny, and as he looked up, a flock of geese arched across the blue sky, their call echoing in the small canyon. Lake Cathote was surrounded on three sides by government land, with a small tourist community of rental houses and condos on the south end. It was relatively quiet since it was only early April, but come Memorial Day weekend, the kickoff of the summer tourist season would be well underway.
In the end, Liam and the mayor had decided the two of them, along with Lou Chalmers, representing the Chamber of Commerce, would meet the visiting attorney. A show of force, but nothing too overwhelming. They didn’t want to look desperate.
“Can you believe they’re coming in a private jet?” Mayor Kendricks said for probably the fifth time.
“Well, Hart is a billionaire,” Liam replied, checking his watch. The tower had alerted them when the plane was half an hour out, and they were expected any minute.
Lou twisted at the waist a couple times, stretching her back. The woman’s spiky blonde hair danced in the breeze, and she wore huge sunglasses and a red trench coat over her gray suit. Louise Chalmers ran the local bookstore in addition to being his ex-girlfriend’s mom. It was a little awkward, he had to admit, but he’d been close to Lou since he was a kid and thought of her like a second mother.
“What do you know about the lawyer?” she asked Liam, reaching over her head.
“Grayson Sparks?” Liam tugged at his collar, the tie strangling him a bit. Maybe the suit was a bad idea. He’d wanted to meet Sparks as an equal, let him know that he wasn’t a small town lawyer that could be easily intimidated. But now he was rethinking his tactic.
“He’s good,” Liam admitted. “He’s been in-house counsel for Hart for about ten years. Before that, he made a name for himself at Ellerman-Kincaid. Tough. Some might say brutal. Not entirely ethical, although that could be said of a lot of attorneys operating at his level.”
Evie’s Awakening: Love in Holiday Junction, Book Three Page 2