“Sounds expensive,” Gray said finally, and Evie frowned. This was the tough part.
“It is. A bit.” She rushed to continue before he said anything more. “Yes, the profit margin will be slightly smaller, but still significant. And on top of that, this is an opportunity for Hart Enterprises to establish itself as an integrative and environmentally-friendly development company. It’s the wave of the future, especially out here in the northwest. And Hart is positioned to stake its claim in a growing market.”
Gray hummed quietly. “Well, you do make a good point.”
Evie fist pumped and took a quick peek around to see if anyone noticed. “I just need to convince my father of it. I have the initial drawings and rough estimates from some contractors.”
“Why don’t you send it to me first?” Gray said. “Let me look it over so you have another set of eyes on it. Then I can back you up when you go to Warren.”
“Really?” Evie felt a rush of gratitude for her longtime friend. “You’d be willing to do that?”
“Of course!” Gray sounded genuinely offended. “Send me what you’ve got, then we can set up a conference call with Warren tomorrow. That still gives us plenty of time to formulate a game plan before Monday. If all goes well, we’ll be able to resolve this all before then.”
“Okay.” Evie started the car. “I’m heading back to the Inn now and I’ll send you an email within a half an hour.”
“Sounds good,” Gray replied. “Give me a few hours to go through everything, then we’ll talk.”
Evie hung up and pulled out on to the street, smiling to herself. Everything was falling into place, and for the first time in a long time, she felt like she was actually doing something worthwhile.
Something good.
* * *
An hour and a half later, Evie was sitting on her bed, idly flipping through TV channels, when she got the call she’d been nervously waiting for.
“Gray?”
“Evie, you beautiful genius.”
She laughed. “I take it you like the proposal?”
“Like it? I love it,” he replied. “And don’t get mad, but I went ahead and showed it to Warren.
“You did what?”
“I know. I know,” he said in a placating voice. “I was just so excited and he came into my office and I couldn’t help myself.”
Evie stomach churned with nerves and she reached for her antacids. “Well?” she said, fumbling with the package. “Don’t keep me in suspense. What did he say?”
“He loved it.”
Evie froze, the packet of antacids falling back onto the night stand. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope,” Gray said gleefully. “He said it’s brilliant, and don’t worry, I gave you full credit.”
“I can’t believe it,” Evie said quietly, stunned. “I thought I’d at least have to talk him into it, and even then, it would be a tough sell.”
“Seems you underestimate yourself,” Gray said. “I’d get ahold of this architect of yours and get her working. If we can get this court mess worked out, Warren wants to get moving on Tobara version two-point-oh as soon as possible.”
“I know. Time is money,” Evie replied, her nervousness giving way to excitement. “He really liked it?”
“He did.”
“I should call him,” Evie said.
“Not right now,” Gray replied. “He’s in with the Board to discuss the Key West deal, then he’s taking off for Milan for some fundraiser.”
“What’s going on with Key West?”
“Nothing major, just some issues with the swamps . . . wetland stuff, you know. They’ll figure it out, but the Board needs some reassurances.” She heard the clink of a glass, and figured Gray was having a celebratory drink. “At any rate, I’m sure he’ll be in touch once he gets a minute. And you have a lot on your plate. When are you coming home?”
The question made Evie’s chest tightened. “I actually was thinking I’d stay for a bit. I can work with Abby, the architect, to get her going on the finalized plans. I’ll start the preliminary work on bids and permits from here.”
“What about the injunction?”
Evie frowned, thinking. “I would think they’d drop the request, once they’ve seen this new proposal. I’ll talk to Liam about it.”
“That would be good,” Gray said. “The sooner we can get that dealt with, the sooner we can break ground.”
“I’m sure it won’t be a problem.” She leaned back on her pillows. “Then I thought I’d take a few days off and see what Easter’s like in Holiday Junction.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Gray replied. “You deserve it. Then come home and be ready to work.”
For some reason, the thought left Evie feeling rather bereft, but she forced a cheery note into her voice. “I will.”
“I’ll talk to you soon,” Gray said. “And Evie?”
“Yeah.”
“Nice job.”
“Thanks.”
She hung up and dropped her phone onto the bed, then smiled up at the deer head hanging over her.
“I did it,” she whispered, then she gave a little squeal and got up to see what Carl had in the kitchen for her to snack on.
* * *
Although Liam often worked from home, he did have an office in town, a second-floor converted one-bedroom apartment, over the bike rental shop. Thursday afternoon, he came down the stairs, intending to run over to the Diner for lunch, and was met at the door by a very excited Evie Hart.
“Hi,” he said, letting the door close behind him. “What are you doing here?”
She was dressed in a striped top, gray tapered pants, and a pair of black loafers with silver buckles. Her hair was up again, her makeup business-perfect, but the wide smile on her face softened the look.
“I have news,” she said, bouncing on her toes. “Are you busy?”
He tucked his hands into his pockets. “Just heading out for lunch, if you’d like to join me.”
“Sounds good,” she said, falling into step next to him.
“So what’s the news that has you so excited?” he asked.
“Okay.” She sucked in a breath and let it out on a whoosh. “So, all this time I’ve been trying to think if there’s a way we could all get what we wanted. Hart would get a new development—a profitable development—and Holiday Junction would get to keep its textile mill, and the small town atmosphere that makes it the way it is.”
“Right,” he said slowly.
“And all this time, people have said things to me like—wow, it would be great to keep the old and combine it with the new, like Shakespeare—”
“Shakespeare?”
“—and then there was the hearth at the Inn, which is amazing.” She waved her hands, lost in her explanation, and Liam shut his mouth, trying to keep up. “And then I met Abby Harper.” Evie gave him a little nod, brows raised, like he should know why that was important.
“Uh huh,” he said. “I was there.”
“Right.” She waved a hand. “Right. But then I saw her portfolio and it was so beautiful and she had so many unique ideas and I thought. This. This is the woman who could make it happen.”
“Abby?”
“Yes, Abby. Are you paying attention?”
“I’m trying.”
She rolled her eyes. “So I asked Abby to come up with some designs that would utilize the textile mill while respecting its history and create housing that could be affordable and integrate the natural beauty of the area . . . and use sustainable and environmentally responsible products in its construction.”
And now, Liam was catching on. “This is what you were working on when you said you didn’t want to get my hopes up?”
“Yes!” She practically squealed, clutching his arm with both hands. “But now I can, because she came up with an incredible plan, and Hart Enterprises is one hundred percent on board!”
He stopped to face her in the middle of the sidewalk. “What?”
>
She pulled out her phone and tapped at it with her thumbs, and a few seconds later, Liam’s own phone buzzed.
“I just sent you Abby’s designs,” she said, practically vibrating with excitement. “It’s perfect, Liam. It saves the textile mill and it’s a beautiful, environmentally-friendly project that will actually be good for the people of Holiday Junction.”
He opened his email right there in the street, thumbing through the attachments. “And you say your father’s signed off on this?”
“Yes!” She let out a little laugh. “I’m meeting with Abby this afternoon to officially offer her the job. I have contractors standing by as soon as we have the final designs approved by the town and the county. It’s all happening.” She dragged him forward. “Come on, let’s talk about this over lunch. I’m starving.”
They went over the proposed plans in a little more detail once they’d each ordered a sandwich at the diner, Evie pointing out special features on the little screen of his phone.
“The first floor of the mill will be pretty much untouched—more restored than updated,” she said. “The second floor is where we’d like to make some more changes, but we want to incorporate some of the loft-style aspects of the original building—the original ceilings, exposed brick and venting, the catwalks overlooking the main area. The modifications would simply divide the space into smaller apartments and rental units.” She sat back and sipped her water. “Of course, we’ll be happy to work with the town if there are concerns about that, but I don’t think what we have in mind would be a problem, even with a historical designation.”
“No, no I don’t think so either,” Liam agreed. “This looks—well, Evie, it looks perfect, honestly.” She grinned and he couldn’t keep from returning it. “If Hart Enterprises agrees—”
“They do,” she said quickly. “My father sees the value of this project. It’s groundbreaking and will establish Hart Enterprises as a—” She blushed, waving a hand. “Never mind. He agrees. I agree. Trust me, if the town will get behind this, we can make something beautiful together.”
She smiled softly at him, and Liam wondered if they were still talking about Tobara. “I can’t imagine the town would do anything other than embrace this,” he said. “I mean, it’s everything we’d been hoping for, without even knowing we were hoping for it. And to be spared the cost of a court battle? Yeah, I would think this will be an easy sell.”
“Speaking of court,” Evie said. “What are we going to do about the injunction?”
He set his phone down on the table and dipped one of his French fries in ranch before popping it into his mouth. “I’ll have to talk to the mayor and the city council, but I can’t see why we wouldn’t withdraw the request for an injunction.”
Evie tried not to give a little victory dance right there at the table. “That would be great. As soon as we get everybody on board, we’ll be able to move forward.”
Liam signaled for the bill. “I’ll give Joshua a call right away and arrange a meeting. I assume you’d like to be there?”
“If you think it will help.”
“I think it will,” he said. “Once they see the plan, I think everyone will be happy.” He checked his watch. “I have to get back to my office for a conference call, but I’ll text you once I get everything set up?”
“Sounds like a plan,” she replied. She chewed her lip, looking like she wanted to say something more, but then she suddenly launched herself at him, pulling him into a hug.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist, inhaling her scent, feeling the warmth of her skin. He closed his eyes, indulging in her closeness for a moment. “Thank you,” he said.
They parted, and Evie gave him a little wave before turning to walk away. Liam spun around, a little extra spring in his step, and headed back to his office.
In the distance, the thunder rolled.
Liam had been right. The mayor and the council were thrilled about the new plan, and congratulated both of them for coming to a reasonable compromise.
“I knew this was an excellent idea,” Mayor Kendricks had said. “We only had to show you what Holiday Junction was all about and you couldn’t help but fall in love with it.”
Evie had smiled and agreed, because really? He was absolutely right. She had fallen in love with the town and its residents, and that was what led to her working so hard to find an alternate solution.
Liam withdrew the request for an injunction Friday morning, and the court clerk had texted Evie that afternoon that the appearance before Judge Clancey the following Monday was cancelled. The application for historical designation remained in progress, but Evie wasn’t worried. Now that everyone was on the same page, she was confident Tobara two-point-oh, as Gray called it, would be breaking ground within a few months.
Evie had broken the news to Abby, who was thrilled about the new job—not so much about the tight deadline—but she assured Evie she was up to the task and wouldn’t let her down. Everything was working out perfectly.
And now, Evie was taking a three day vacation.
She, Carl, and Mrs. Katswopis were in the kitchen at the Inn baking Easter melitinia, sweet cheese tartlets that Evie remembered from her childhood. The older woman bustled about the kitchen in a pair of jeans and bright green sneakers, giving orders, which Carl was not too crazy about.
“This is my kitchen,” he said, when she’d told him to move over so she could roll out the dough.
“Yes, but it’s my recipe,” she replied, holding the rolling pin in front of her like a shield.
“Children, behave,” Evie said, nibbling on an almond. Along with her recipe, Mrs. Katswopis had brought a plate of snacks—meats, cheese, sardines, olives, and nuts—and a bottle of ouzo. She poured the liquor into small glasses over ice and ordered Carl and Evie to, “Sip, don’t gulp. This is an experience, not a frat party.”
Mrs. Katswopis made a face at Carl, but rolled out the dough with sweeping strokes. Carl watched carefully over her shoulder. He wasn’t fooling anyone. He was practically drooling for this recipe, and wasn’t going to do anything to tick Mrs. Katswopis off.
Evie mixed up the filling between sips of ouzo—creaming together the myzithra cheese and sugar, adding the egg, powdered mastic, and flour. She beat the egg whites until Mrs. Katswopis decreed them stiff enough, and carefully folded them in.
The three of them sat waiting as the tarts baked, sipping ouzo and snacking on Mrs. Katswopis’ treats, and Evie felt relaxed and at peace—inhaling deeply at the familiar scent of the baking pastry. They’d just pulled the first tray of melitinia out of the oven when Carla appeared in the kitchen doorway, a satisfied smile on her face.
“Evie, you have a visitor.”
Of course, the first person that came to mind was Liam, and she sat up, a little excited . . . the ouza making her a little more than a little excited.
“Who is it?” she asked, then she gasped when a familiar face poked around the corner of the door frame.
“Niko?” Evie jumped to her feet and ran to her brother, jumping into his arms. “What are you doing here?”
He pulled away, a wide smile on his face, then gave an exaggerated sniff. “I came for the melitinia, of course.” He eyed the bottle on the counter. “And the ouzo, apparently. What have you been up to, Sis?”
“Leave me alone, I’m on vacation,” she said with a sniff.
“So I’ve heard. Gray told me about your big victory and suggested I take a few days to come celebrate with you.” He held out his hands. “So, here I am. Ready to experience a small town Easter with my sister. Heaven help me.”
Evie laughed and dragged him into the kitchen to introduce him to Carl and Mrs. Katswopis. The happy group munched on the tarts, which were delicious, and sipped ouzo into the early morning hours, and Evie had to admit she’d never had a more perfect evening.
Her thoughts drifted to Liam.
Okay, almost perfect
.
Before she could overthink it, she sent him a text: Mrs. Katswopis is teaching Carl the syrtaki. I can’t believe you’re missing this.
She was about to set the phone on the counter, but it buzzed almost immediately with a reply: What’s a syrtaki?
Evie smiled and lifted her phone to shoot a short video. Carla and Niko had joined the line, the slow music blaring out of Niko’s phone.
“To the left,” Mrs. Katswopis instructed. “Now right. Back . . . forward, tap your toe.” She led them through the dance steps as the music sped up.
“Evie, get over here!” Niko ordered. “Let’s show ‘em how it’s done!”
“Just a second.” She held up a finger and sent the video to Liam, then got up to move over next to Niko, and they rested their arms on each other’s shoulders. Before long, Carl and Carla got the hang of the dance and they were dipping low, bending their knees and moving quickly around the kitchen’s center island.
“Opa!” Mrs. Katswopis shouted, and the rest of them echoed the call as they laughed and danced around the room.
It was only later when she finally got up to her room, that she checked her texts.
Who’s the guy?
Evie felt bad that she’d left him hanging for so long: My brother, Niko. He’s here for the weekend.
She didn’t expect a reply since it was after two in the morning, so she went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and get ready for bed. She plugged her phone in to charge, surprised to see there was another text alert.
I can’t wait to meet him. See you at the Egg Hunt tomorrow? Or I guess, today?
She smiled at the thought. Wouldn’t miss it.
Evie snuggled under the covers, and as soon as she closed her eyes, she was out like a light.
* * *
The sun shone bright overhead when Liam arrived in the town square the following morning. The Holiday Junction Easter Egg Hunt was a huge draw, not only for the town, but for all the surrounding area. Parents from miles around brought their children for the event, and Holiday Junction put its best foot forward. The gazebo was draped with twinkle lights and pastel-colored bunting, the flowerbeds were in full bloom with tulips and daffodils, and a costumed Easter bunny hopped around, taking pictures with children and handing out chocolate eggs.
Evie’s Awakening: Love in Holiday Junction, Book Three Page 14