“Hi,” he said, knowing his voice sounded a little off. The woman turned and looked at him before cocking her head to the side as if trying to study him as well. “I’m sorry to be so forward, but do I know you?” A small smile flittered across her face before she spoke.
“Maybe, what’s your name, cowboy?” Cowboy? He looked down and understood why she thought that. He was wearing his blue jeans, flannel shirt, and boots. It was comfortable and it worked for filling out papers at his new job.
“Brett Graham, and you are?” He held out his hand and the woman laughed.
“Really, you’re Brett, wow what are the odds. You obviously have no clue who I am then.”
“Darlin’, I’m sure if I had seen you before I would remember. You don’t seem like someone who is forgettable.” However, as he said it her face dropped and he wondered what he said wrong.
“Obviously I am. Have a good day, Brett.” She turned from the cooler and went to the cashier to pay. She pulled out two dollars from a small pocket in her shirt before leaving the change in the donation jar. The cashier smiled and said bye to her. Not wanting to be out of the loop, he hoped the cashier would know her.
“Hi, ma’am, I was wondering if you might be able to help me with something.”
“I can sure try, what can I help ya with?” The older woman smiled at him.
“Do you know the woman who was just in here?”
“Oh shucks, honey child, I sure do. I’ve known her since she was a knee-high to a grasshopper.”
“Really, that’s great, what’s her name? I can’t seem to remember it.”
“Not sure you would anyhow. You see she has been shy and quiet up till recently. She kept to herself until her daddy done and sent her away. Now she’s back to take care of him, bless her heart. Poor man done got hit by a car and all. He’s alive, praise the lord, but pretty beat up some.”
“Okay, I’m sorry about that, ma’am, I really am, but do you have her name?” Brett was hoping he could put a name with the face but he couldn’t.
“Not for me to tell you, honey child. If she wanted you to know, she would have done told you herself. I say if you want something, you go and ask her.”
Saying his thanks, he made sure to grab a quick case of beer from the cooler and headed home. Maybe Adam would know of her. With the beer in his hand, he did the quick ride home thinking about the enchanting woman who was stuck on his brain.
“Adam, you home, man?” Brett called out as he walked into the house.
“Yep, in the kitchen, you get the beer?”
“Only a case, but think I might need something stronger.”
“You too? Did you have a weird day? Oh, how did the interview go?”
“Got the job, so I’m happy about it and it will do great things for this town. Hey, do you remember a sexy blonde at all. I ran into one, but she kinda blew me off.”
“Did she have killer legs and hot as hell rack and a sweet soft smile?”
“Yeah, that’s the one, you know her?” Brett was coming to the end of his rope, and it seemed like Adam knew her.
“I don’t know her per se, but I had an incident with her. She hit my truck.”
“Oh shit, is it okay, is she okay?”
“Yeah, it was when I got food but I didn’t get her name. She seemed to freak when I told her who I am. Did you get a name?”
“No I didn’t. She seemed like she was in a huge hurry, but I’m going to keep my eyes open. She is different. I know her from somewhere, but don’t have a damn clue from where.” Adam agreed and together they finished eating their dinner before separating for the night to sleep.
Chapter Four
Evan was excited to finally get to look at buildings, even though she already knew which one she wanted. It was small and on the corner, perfect for traffic, yet allowed her to stay exclusive to clients who wanted specific pieces. She had spoken to her aunt earlier in the morning about the shop, and although her aunt told her not to settle down, like her mother did, she did wish her well. Coming from that woman, it was a complement. After running her hands down her dress, she made sure she looked professional. She was going by Ellie now, instead of Evan or Evangeline. In school most people thought her name was just Evan, even her teachers called her that. So simply going by Ellie was easy enough, so people wouldn’t put two and two together and the fact she looked different would also help.
She was grateful for the summer she had come into her body, and suddenly grew boobs and two inches. Still on the shorter side of five-five, she was happy. Better groomed and hell, she looked worldly as Lawson pointed out to her. Slipping out of her car, she was happy to see that Lawson was already waiting for her.
“Hey, sugar, you look delectable. I am still shocked you’re in town, but I’m glad you’re back. Ready to check this out?” Smiling, she accepted his arm to follow him inside.
Right away she noticed that while the main structure was good, the interior and even the door would need work. The building was built back in the early forties, and living in Georgia through hurricanes, it had remained structurally stable. It had some old world charm to it that appealed to her and something she was drawn to. As Lawson started to read off the specks of the layout, she was happy to see it would actually work well with her business.
“So the room in back, is that a separate bathroom and does the plumbing work?” As she started to rattle off her questions, she was happy to see everything was doable. She just needed to hire a contractor who could do the work and not damage the main integrity of the building itself. But all this would depending on the price they were asking.
“How many offers have you had on this location?”
“We have had some, but the sellers, to be honest, don’t want to sell it because then they could allow it to be torn down and sold off for land.” Evan could understand, especially since land was a high commodity in this area.
“Okay, so shoot it to me straight, what are they asking for?” Evan knew she had money saved, a lot actually. She had learned from a young age working at Dave’s Tire and Lube to get only what you need. She still followed that, but she allowed herself some items here and there. Lawson shot off a number and it wasn’t as bad as she thought, but her dad had taught her how to haggle.
“I’ll make an offer, take thirty thousand off the asking price since I will have to do repairs. I can do a lot myself, but the woodwork, flooring, and electrical will need professional help. I can check out the plumbing unless it connects to the main city valve and doesn’t meet the city code.” As she rattled on, she was lost as Lawson just blinked at her.
“What, did I lose you or something?”
“No, not at all, I am just shocked, and pleasantly surprised at how much you actually know about this. Most of the women I have shown buildings to have told me to refer to either their husband or accountant. You, my dear, are a treasure and a breath of fresh air this town needs.” He laughed at her while he scribbled numbers and issues on the form. “Let’s head back to my office, get these faxed over, go to lunch, and catch up.” Looking at the time, she hadn’t realized how late it was. Slipping into her car, she followed Lawson to his office to sign the start of her new life.
*****
Looking over the same paperwork, Adam thought his eyes would start to cross. It had been a simple divorce case, however, the paperwork showed that the children in this wasn’t outlined and it seemed that both parents were not fighting to get them, but trying push them to the other. This was why he went into family law. Yes, he could do other things too, but corporate law wasn’t his passion, even though his father tried to push him into that field. Sadly, it wasn’t until he got out of town and away from this high society that he realized what an ass he was. Maybe it was Amanda who showed him that, with her never-ending thoughts of fashion, the newest celebrity breakup, or who was being audited by the IRS. She had become a shell of a person who had no brain waves and planned to be a rich man’s trophy wife. Something he had no d
esire to accommodate her with. Last he heard she was living it up with some friends in Switzerland for the holiday.
Shaking his head at his wayward thoughts, he decided it was time to eat lunch. He hadn’t brought any leftovers from last night, so he figured heading to the diner for a sandwich would be good. Which was right across the street from his office, it was an easy walk. Throwing on his sunglasses, he waved to his secretary, Virginia, letting her know he was leaving. He didn’t have any appointments or trials he needed to attend, making it a paperwork and phone call day. It kept him busy and made the time fly by. The small bell rang overhead alerting the owners and wait staff of his presence. It was a small family run diner, you could pick a seat on your own. Adam thought the food was better than any five-star restaurant.
Waving at the young waitress whose name happened to be Lizzy, he placed an order of sweet tea and a turkey sandwich with homemade chips. She smiled down at him as she hurried away. Picking up his phone, he wished he had brought a book to read, but instead he started reading the newest updates on his ESPN app. Lost in an article, he didn’t even glance up when the bell dinged, announcing another customer either coming or going. Adam had chosen a small booth near the back because he didn’t like to be bothered while he ate, well that’s what he told himself, but the truth was he liked to people watch, and sitting at a small table up front didn’t offer the view. Finished reading his article on a quarterback who was out for the season due to an injury to his rotator cuff, he looked up. While he had been completely lost in his article, he didn’t see the two people who had sat down in the booth in front of his. The first one he knew as Lawson, the other was his mystery woman, but today her hair was in a low braid to the side.
As much as he wanted to stand and ask for her name, he couldn’t do that. Instead, he did what any normal person would do, he eavesdropped.
“I’m glad you liked the property, sugar, I’m sure we will hear from the owners before we even get back. So what do you think about contractors? There are a few in town that charge good prices and would be able to help you keep on budget and get the right look. Now I have to ask, what about your other job?”
Adam was trying to listen to what was being said, but right then Lizzie dropped off his food with a small wink. Great, that’s all he needed was a teeny bopper flirting with him. Smiling back out of common courtesy, he tried to listen some more.
“I have contacted my office back in Virginia and they have my notice. Although, I did get a nice offer to move to the office in Italy that almost tempted me to stay with them, but I really want this shop. Contractors are another story. I need someone who can do the work without taking over and changing it too much, well that is all depending on if I get the property.”
“Ellie, you will get it, hell, you may have undercut their offer, but at the same time you want to keep the shop as is and not tear it down like the others. I say don’t worry about that. Just focus on your dad and then when that’s done look for contractors and someone who can do the work you want.”
“You’re right.” Adam took another bite of his sandwich as he listened to them talk about various designs and places she had been, but he had stopped when Lawson mentioned next month’s high school reunion. Shit, he had forgotten about that.
“I don’t know if I should go, Lawson.”
“Come on, darlin’, you have to go.” Adam couldn’t remember her but he felt like he should have. There was something to this mystic woman that drew him like no others had. How could he not remember her, or someone named Ellie? Was there an exchange student, someone who visited? So many questions ran through his head when Lawson chimed in.
“Looks like I just got an email about the property, and it seems good to go, so it’s yours.” He watched as she squealed with delight while she jumped out of her seat and ran to Lawson, hugging him tight. “See, told you that you had nothing to worry about. I say you come out to dinner tonight with Chad and me. Well that is if you can with your dad, you can even bring him along if you want.”
The two of them hugged one more time before his phone rang. Without looking at the number, Adam answered, “Graham,” in his normal clipped tone.
“Hey, man, do you have plans tonight?” Brett asked from the other end.
“Nah, I am just doing paperwork today, nothing that will take all night. Why what’s up?”
“Well, the parents called wanting us to come to dinner tonight. Thought we might as well get it out of the way so we can say we did our duty with them. So yes, no, or…”
Adam growled into the phone suddenly annoyed. He knew it wouldn’t take long for his parents to find out that Brett was in town, which meant showing up now and again for dinner. He didn’t have an issue with his parents, but more or less the way they treat others who are less than them. Knowing his mother would hound him until they came, he told Brett to agree before hanging up the phone. The mystery Ellie was still talking to Lawson and as much as he would like to talk to her, he looked down at his watch and noticed it was time to head back. Throwing down some cash, he made sure to leave a nice tip. As he headed out the door, he tried his best not to turn around and look at her again.
*****
Brett hung up the phone with Adam and sat around the house waiting to do, well something. He didn’t start his job until Monday and he was really bored. Already he had gone to work out, a run, changed the oil on his truck, gotten a haircut, and was debating making something in the garage. He was a tinkerer when he got like this. He enjoyed fixing old things or building something new. Even though he was working for a company to help build houses, he would be taking on smaller projects to help with construction designs on commercial and residual buildings.
He went to school to do something, but never would he had thought he would be in the field he was in now. Originally, he was going to be the good son and get his MBA or accounting degree his parents wanted so much. But once he got out of the town and started working at a construction site for some humanity credits, he found a hidden passion. Changing his major was easy but his parents, well, they fought him on it, but in the end they did pay for the schooling.
Heading to the garage, he looked around and noticed Adam kept all his tools and work items where he left them when he went to work at various locations. Since there was nothing new to fix in the house, he pulled out some graph paper and started creating a design for a new dining room table. The one they had was nice and all, but it was store bought and it didn’t seem to fit what they wanted in the house. Drawing out a large table with nice wide legs and instead of all chairs, he would do a bench on one side and a couple chairs. It would give the house a homier feel. Getting to work with a pencil in hand, he started making measurements for the amount of wood he would need and focused himself on the work to avoid the thought of why suddenly their mother had insisted on dinner tonight.
Normally that woman didn’t bother them too much, but something in her voice bugged him. She was up to something, and he was bound to find out at dinner. Right now, he wanted to get lost in his work and the feel of the pencil and paper.
Chapter Five
Evan was on cloud nine when she signed the contract with the previous owners and since it was a quick sale, they could have everything done within a week. Shocked at this news, she couldn’t be happier, yeah she could, her dad would be feeling better. He seemed in better spirits when she arrived home and was even sitting in the living room watching ESPN. She told him about her plans for her new shop and that news brought a smile to his face.
“So you’re telling me my little girl is coming home to stay?”
“Yes, Dad, I am. I got the shop, but it needs more work, and it will allow me to help you out more.”
“Oh hush now, I know you’re busy. I’ll be fine, always have and always will. Can’t keep me down for long. Only thing stopping me right now is this damn arm and the busted truck. I’m waiting for the police report to see what will happen with insurances and such.”
“T
hey are still processing it? The guy hit you, Dad, it should be cut and dry, no waiting. I’ll talk to them tomorrow.”
“No, no, honey, it’s fine. We have a small police department and they get busy, and it’s not like I’m going anywhere.” His comments made her madder than hell. They were giving her dad the runaround because he wasn’t some rich high-powered snob. If they didn’t talk to her dad soon, she was going to say something.
“So you got any plans to celebrate?” her dad interrupted her thoughts.
“Actually that is up to you. Lawson invited me to dinner. No, Dad, hold up, it’s not a date. It’s with him and his partner, Chad. Is that okay? You can come with us if you want.”
“Oh hush now, child, I’ll be fine. You go have some fun for me. I’m happy you’re getting out, even if it is with Lawson.”
Kissing her dad on the cheek, she headed to her room to text Lawson and to find something to wear. He told her to dress comfortably because he wanted barbeque, which simply meant messy ribs and clothes you can get dirty. Finding something, she smiled, things were finally going to work out in this town, well as long as others don’t remember her as Evan, but new Ellie.
*****
Brett pulled into his parents’ large plantation-type house with Adam at exactly fifteen minutes before six o’clock.
“You ready to do this?” Brett said, looking over at Adam.
“Not really. But I figure if it sucks, we can go get something to eat and grab some beers. What do you think?” Brett knew he liked his brother for a reason. Granted they were twins, though not identical, they were still close by nature.
“Alrighty then, let’s do this.” Walking up to the door and hitting the doorbell, waiting for Sarah, the maid, to answer, sure enough, within one minute she did.
“Mr. Graham, Mr. Graham. Good evening. Your parents are waiting in the study, dinner will be ready shortly.” Thanking her, they headed down the large hall to the study where their parents were sitting with a drink in hand. His dad was drinking what looked like a scotch, and his mother had a glass of white wine.
Seducing Their Swan Page 3