Evie’s Awakening: Love in Holiday Junction, Book Three

by Franklin, Tami

  Speaking of eggs. They were everywhere.

  Plastic eggs stuffed with candy and prizes were scattered all over the lawn, tucked under the bushes, and hidden in the trees. Kids carrying empty baskets waited impatiently for the hunt to start, parents doing their best to console and distract them.

  It was a madhouse.

  He scanned the crowd for Evie, finally spotting her near one of the giant, painted Easter eggs. He jogged across the grass, and she smiled sunnily when she spotted him, raising a hand to wave.

  “This is crazy!” she exclaimed when he got close enough to hear her.

  “You just wait,” he replied. “When they blow the whistle, that’s when the real carnage begins.”

  Evie’s brother walked up at that moment, carrying two cups of coffee. “You must be Liam,” he said, extending a hand once he’d given Evie her coffee. “I’m Niko.”

  “Nice to meet you,” he replied as he shook the man’s hand. He could see the family resemblance, now that he was up close. He had to admit he’d been a teensy bit blinded by jealousy when he’d first seen the man in Evie’s text the night before . . . and very relieved to find out he was her brother.

  Lou stood at a microphone and called for the crowd’s attention, welcoming everyone to the egg hunt.

  “Here we go,” Liam said quietly.

  Lou lifted her whistle. “On your mark. Get set.” She blew the whistle and it was like a scene from Apocalypse Now. Children raced across the grass, scrambling for eggs and stuffing them into their baskets. Some fell, crying in the dust, left behind by the greedy mercenaries determined to have the most eggs, the most prizes. One child tripped, his eggs going flying. He screamed as a team of locusts descended on the discarded plastic orbs, fighting to claim the last one.

  It all lasted about five minutes. Then the children wandered away, some happy, some crying . . . many stunned and dazed.

  “Wow,” Evie said quietly once the area had cleared.

  “And they say New York is tough.” Niko shook his head slowly. “I feel like I’ve been in a war zone. I might need therapy.”

  Liam nodded in sympathy. “It’s hard the first time,” he admitted. “But pancakes at the diner might help you get over it.”

  Niko brightened. “I think pancakes would help a lot.”

  * * *

  The weekend passed much too quickly, in Evie’s opinion. After the rather disturbing egg hunt, they’d had breakfast with Liam, then he’d taken her and Niko on a trail ride. Niko had ridden before, and hit it off with Fee, but Evie had been a bit nervous. Liam was patient, teaching her the basics, and Domino was a gentle horse who followed Jack without straying from the trail. She’d enjoyed it a lot, and spending time with Liam and Niko together was a bonus.

  “He’s a nice guy,” Niko had said that night, watching her carefully.

  “Yep,” she replied.

  “Evie, what are you doing?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Evie.” He stared at her with those dark eyes, waiting.

  “I’m not doing anything,” she said with a huff. “I like him. He likes me. He lives here. I live there. That’s that.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “I hate it when you do that,” she grumped.

  “Do what?”

  “Act all wise and big-brotherly, when you’re the little brother.”

  “Younger brother,” he clarified.

  “Whatever.” She threw herself onto the bed, tucking a pillow under her chest. “There’s nothing going on between Liam and me, because there can’t be.”

  Niko stretched out next to her and tugged on the ends of her hair. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Promise?”

  Evie rolled her eyes. “I promise.”

  Niko hadn’t looked like he believed her, but he let the subject drop.

  The next morning, they went to Easter services with Liam at the First Methodist Church, since there wasn’t a Greek Orthodox church within fifty miles, then back to the diner for brunch afterward. It was crowded, but Liam had a reservation, and they sat in a booth eating banana walnut waffles and crispy bacon.

  “I love this diner,” Niko said, patting his stomach. “I want to live in this diner. I’m never leaving.”

  Evie laughed. “You’ll weigh three hundred pounds.”

  “I don’t care. It’s worth the sacrifice.”

  “So, you both are going back to New York tomorrow?” Liam asked, focused on his fork as he drew designs in the syrup on his plate.

  “Yeah, back to real life,” Niko replied.

  Evie didn’t say anything. She had no idea what to say. He looked up to find her watching him, and she blinked and looked away.

  “You need a ride to the airport?” Liam asked.

  “Carl’s going to take us,” she replied.

  “You taking that fancy plane?”

  “Of course,” Niko said with a wink. “It’s the only way to fly.”

  “I’ll have to petition the town council to get one,” he said with a wry smile. Evie didn’t want to talk about this, didn’t want to think about leaving until she actually had to get on that plane.

  “Do you think you’ll be back?” Liam asked, looking at Niko, but asking Evie. They all knew he was asking Evie.

  “Not me,” Niko said. “But Evie will probably have to come check on Tobara now and then, right?” He nudged her, and she smiled.

  “Sure,” she said. “I’ll be able to do a lot long distance, but I’ll probably be back for the ground breaking, at least.”

  That wasn’t much. It wasn’t nearly enough.

  “Excuse me for a minute,” Niko said, getting to his feet and tossing his napkin on the table. “I need to use the facilities.” He gave Evie a meaningful look and walked away.

  Liam cleared his throat. “Evie—”

  “I would come back, you know.” She shredded her napkin between her fingers. “I’d like to, if it was possible.”

  “Isn’t it possible?” he asked quietly.

  Evie sighed. “I don’t see how. We live on opposite ends of the country. Your life is here. Mine is—” She wadded up the napkin and put it on her plate. “I loved being here. More than I ever imagined.” She met his gaze, finally, willing him to understand that she wasn’t only talking about the town.

  “But like Niko said, it’s time for me to go back to real life,” she said.

  Liam frowned like he didn’t like the sound of that at all. Neither did Evie. She wanted to be here, with him. She wanted to ride horses with him and muck stalls and go camping and . . . well, everything. But some things just weren’t possible. She’d tried to think of a way, but had to finally admit, there wasn’t one.

  He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the ringing of his phone.

  “Sorry,” he muttered. “It’s Arthur Callahan. I should probably take this.”

  Evie nodded and sipped her coffee as he answered the call. She’d be okay. Tobara would be amazing, and her father would be so impressed he’d name her CEO. She’d have everything she’d ever wanted and eventually these days in Holiday Junction would fade away.

  Like a dream.

  Evie swallowed thickly, fighting back the sudden threat of tears.

  “Are you sure?” Liam said, his voice gruff, concerned. He glanced at Evie and his eyes were hard. “What time?”

  “What’s wrong?” Evie mouthed at him, but he shook his head at her, a frown on his face.

  “There’s no way we can stop it,” he said, his voice a near snarl. “Yes. Send it now. All of it. I need to see all of it. Thanks.”

  He hung up, staring unseeingly at the table.

  “Is something wrong, Liam?” she asked, and when he finally looked at her, her blood ran cold.

  He was furious.

  “Were you ever going to tell me?” he asked in a low voice. “Or did you think you’d just leave town, fly away in your private jet, laughing at thos
e small town idiots who fell for it?”

  “What?” She forced herself not to cringe at the venom in his tone. “Fall for what? What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, drop the innocent act,” he said with a humorless laugh. “I can’t believe I was such an idiot. To drop the injunction on your word. Because you said I could trust you?”

  Evie didn’t know what was happening, but she was beginning to realize it was bad. Really bad. “Liam, tell me what’s going on.”

  He got to his feet. “I’m talking about the demolition crew that’s scheduled to take down the textile mill tomorrow morning,” he spat. “You got me to drop the injunction just in time, didn’t you? Played me real good. There’s no time to file again, so we’re out of options. You win.”

  Evie was stunned. “No. No, I didn’t—I wouldn’t—”

  His phone buzzed and he thumbed it open. “You wouldn’t?” he said in a mocking voice. “I suppose you never said, Have no doubt I will do whatever is necessary to ensure construction will not be delayed. ‘Whatever is necessary,’ I guess we all know what that means,” he snapped. “Gray and I have the situation well under control. They have no idea who they’re dealing with.”

  Evie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You hacked my emails?”

  “Give me a break, Ms. Hart, you’re hardly one to spout ethics.” He pulled out his wallet and threw a few bills on the table. “That covers my meal. You two are on your own.”

  “Liam, wait. You have to know I didn’t do this!”

  He whirled around. “Do I? You admitted you knew what Grayson Sparks was up to and turned a blind eye. And now you expect me to believe you were innocent in this little deception?” He spoke through gritted teeth. “I’m not a fool, Ms. Hart, despite what you may believe. But congratulations.” He gave a mocking little bow. “I’m sure Tobara will be a profitable success, and you’ll be CEO before you know it.” He leaned forward, his hand on the table. “You seem to be perfect for the job.”

  And with that, he turned and walked out of the diner, without looking back.

  Evie sat there stunned until Niko slid into the booth next to her. “Where’s Liam?” he asked.

  The wheels turned in her head as she tried to figure out exactly what happened. Then slowly, sickeningly, the pieces slid into place. She grabbed an antacid out of her purse as she dialed her phone.

  “I think I did something stupid,” she told her brother. “Really, really stupid.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “I trusted Gray,” she replied, as the call connected.

  You’ve reached Grayson Sparks, Chief Counsel for Hart Enterprises . . .

  With an irritated groan, she hung up and redialed.

  You’ve reached Grayson Sparks . . . She hung up and pushed Niko out of the booth. “Come on. We have to go.”

  “Go where?” Niko asked. “What’s going on?”

  “I’ll tell you on the way,” she replied, grabbing her bag to add to the pile of money on the table, then dragging her brother out of the diner. “I screwed up, Niko, and now I have to fix it.”

  And as they raced out of town and to the Inn to pack their clothes and head to the airport, Evie could only pray that it wasn’t too late.

  * * *

  The flight back to New York was interminable.

  She hadn’t been able to reach Gray, and Evie knew he was avoiding her calls. Her father was unreachable as well, although Evie thought it would probably be better to speak with him in person, anyway. He was her first stop once she got home.

  Gray would be her second.

  “So, Gray lied about the whole thing?” Niko had asked.

  “That little weasel had me dancing on a string,” she replied. “I don’t know if he actually told Dad about the plan or not. But he played me as much as he played Liam. He knew I’d be able to convince him to drop the injunction.”

  “And he got me, too,” Niko said. “Sent me out of town before I could figure out what he’d done.” He whistled between his teeth, shaking his head slowly. “So what are you going to do?”

  Evie narrowed his eyes. “Grayson Sparks made a huge mistake when he made me his enemy,” she said. “If he thinks I’m going to take this lying down, he’s sadly mistaken.”

  They landed in New York at about nine o’clock local time, and a car was waiting for them on the tarmac. She mentally went through her presentation as they wound their way through downtown traffic, not even noticing the blaring horns and shouting voices.

  “You want me to come up?” Niko asked when they pulled up in front of Hart Tower. “Moral support?”

  “No, I’ll be fine. You go on home,” she said, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “I need to do this on my own.”

  Niko gave her a little salute, and she didn’t wait until the car pulled away before heading inside, and up to her father’s penthouse apartment.

  He looked surprised when the elevator doors opened into his lush quarters. “Evie! I didn’t expect to see you until tomorrow at the office.”

  “I have an urgent matter to discuss,” she said, all business once again. With her father, it was always all business. In fact, it was a little disconcerting to see him in sweatpants and a t-shirt. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him in something that didn’t need dry cleaning.

  “Can it wait until morning? I was about to eat dinner.”

  “Sorry, but no,” she replied. “But go ahead and eat. I don’t mind.”

  They ended up in the kitchen, Evie flipping through the presentation on her laptop as her father dined on takeout filet and asparagus. He listened carefully, not taking notes, and not asking questions until she finished.

  He sat back and wiped his mouth with a linen napkin.

  “The ROI is significantly less with this plan,” he said.

  “If you’re talking straight numbers, yes,” Evie admitted. “But there’s something to be said for being on the ground floor with a project like this. For being the first.” She spread her hands out on the kitchen island, meeting her father’s gaze. “Hart Enterprises can’t do things like we’ve always done them forever,” she said. “We need to be innovative. We need to be on the cusp of new technology, new design. We need to try . . . to experiment. Otherwise, we’ll never move forward, and I don’t think that’s the reputation either of us want for this company.”

  He pondered her words, lips pursed. “Sparks knew about this?”

  Evie felt the anger rear up again, and her eyes narrowed. “He knew. He told me he’d presented the idea to you and you were all for it.”

  “So you’d pull strings in Holiday Junction and get them to drop the request for an injunction.”

  “Exactly.”

  “And then he’d move forward, as planned, with nothing to stand in the way.” Her father studied her. “Have you spoken to Gray yet?”

  “Not yet. He’s my next stop.”

  “And how do you plan to handle him?”

  Evie squared her shoulders. “I plan,” she said, “to fire him.”

  She wasn’t sure exactly what she’d expected, but it wasn’t for her father to burst out laughing. “He doesn’t know who he’s messed with, does he?”

  Despite herself, Evie’s lips lifted in a smile. “So you won’t fight me on this?” she asked.

  He waved a hand. “Absolutely not. It’s your call.”

  “And what do you think about Tobara?” she asked. “The new Tobara?”

  Warren Hart leaned back in his seat, in a t-shirt and sweatpants, but every inch the captain of industry. “I think I’ve never seen you so passionate about a project,” he replied. “You remind me so much of your mother.” He blinked rapidly and Evie was stunned.

  “I do?” she asked.

  “Yes, in so many ways.” He shook his head, wiping away tears.

  “I didn’t—we never talk about her,” she said quietly.

  “Sometimes . . . it hurts to remember,” he replied, then he looked at her thro
ugh shining eyes. “But I guess it also hurts if you don’t, doesn’t it?”

  Evie nodded, and before she could think too much about it, she rounded the island. Her father got to his feet and met her halfway, taking her in a tight hug. She clung to him, tears pricking her own eyes, as she realized how much she’d missed this . . . craved it.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ll try to do better, all right?”

  Evie pulled away and gave him a watery smile, nodding.

  “And I think you’re right,” he said, squeezing her shoulders. “We need to try new things, push the boundaries a bit. Tobara sounds like the perfect opportunity to do that.”

  “Really?”

  “You have my backing on this project, wherever you choose to take it,” he said. “I’ll send out a memo stating that fact first thing in the morning.” He studied her for a long moment. “And I’ve decided I’ll be retiring next summer. It’s time to do some fishing. Maybe take up golf.” He shrugged. “Maybe I’ll even go back to Greece. You and Niko could come, if you have the time.”

  “I think that would be great,” Evie replied, wiping her eyes.

  “You might be too busy,” he said. “I’m naming you as CEO when I retire.” He hugged her again. “I’m so proud of you, Evie. I’m sorry I haven’t said it enough.”

  Evie held on tight, warmth at her father’s praise filling her body. She’d finally done it. The culmination of years of hard work would finally pay off.

  “Thanks, Dad,” she whispered, thrilled by the praise, but wondering why she didn’t feel quite as victorious as she’d hoped.

  * * *

  Evie squared her shoulders as she faced Gray’s door, then knocked firmly three times. After a few seconds, he pulled it open. His shirt was open and he held a drink in his hand. By the glassy look in his eye, it wasn’t the first.

  “Evie?”

  “Gray.”