She stepped into his embrace and hung on for a second. Dante was strong and warm and the kind of guy she would find it easy to fall for. Not that it would be a smart move. After all, he’d made it clear he didn’t do long-term, and she had spent years loving people who wouldn’t love her back.
He kissed her and then stepped back. “Come on. You can walk me to the door so no one feels compelled to attack.”
“Probably for the best,” she said, taking his hand in hers. “Clay knows martial arts. I think he could kill you with a matchbook cover.”
Dante winced. “I really didn’t need to know that.”
She laughed.
Her good humor lasted until they reached the living room. Dante grabbed his jacket and left, while she had to go face her brothers.
She hesitated, confused by Clay’s seemingly earnest words.
They loved her? That was news, as far as she was concerned. They didn’t act as if they loved her. Until she’d been forcibly moved to Fool’s Gold after her injury, she hadn’t seen any of them in over a year. Except for Rafe, who had shown up in the early part of the summer.
She wanted to say it didn’t matter, except she kind of liked the idea of having family who cared. She’d been alone for what felt like forever.
No, she told herself firmly. She wasn’t getting sucked in to home and hearth and all that crap. It was the season and Fool’s Gold. The town was holiday obsessed. How was she supposed to maintain a sensible amount of emotional reserve when she was going to things like tree lighting ceremonies?
She drew in a breath, then walked purposefully into the kitchen. Her brothers sat at the bar stools by the counter. They each had a mug of coffee and plates littered with dark crumbs. Her lone bag of bread was now crumbled and empty.
“You don’t have a lot of food around here,” Shane said. “You need to go to the store. Toast isn’t breakfast.”
Clay nodded at the refrigerator. “You don’t even have milk.”
“I drink my coffee black.”
“Why?”
She sighed. “You can’t do this. You can’t show up with no warning.”
“Because we might find you in bed with a guy?” Rafe asked flatly. “I don’t like you sleeping with Dante.”
Evie faced him. “You don’t get a vote. I’m over eighteen.”
“That’s not the point.”
“It’s exactly the point. He’s a good guy. I like him. It’s not your business.”
“I work with him.”
“Then don’t ask how his weekend was because, believe me, you don’t want details.”
Clay stood and leaned toward her. “Is it a money thing?”
Evie stared at him, unable to grasp what he was asking. Then she realized he was still talking about the lack of food in her refrigerator and not her reasons for sleeping with Dante.
“It’s not money. I don’t keep food in the house because if it’s here, I’ll eat it.”
Shane picked up his mug. “What else would you do with food?”
Clay punched him in the arm. “It’s about weight, moron.” He turned back to her. “You need to eat. You’re too thin.”
“Is that possible?” she asked, trying to go for humor and suspecting she failed.
“You’re not dancing anymore, Evie,” Clay told her. “It’s okay to be like everyone else.”
“Is that what you’re doing?”
He patted his stomach. “Charlie’s making sure of it.”
She waved her hand. “Okay, whatever.” She looked at all of them. “While I appreciate the effort, you can’t barge in here without calling first. Understood?”
They nodded.
“We wanted to surprise you,” Rafe said.
“Then you achieved your goal.”
He studied her. “Evie, I know it was bad before. When we were kids.”
It had been, she thought. She could be mad at them forever, but to what end? They were her brothers. They’d had their own growing up to do. She’d been a lot younger and the only girl.
“We all did the best we could,” she told him.
For a second she thought one of them might ask the inevitable “Even Mom?” But none of them did. Shane walked around the counter and pulled her close. Clay and Rafe joined in for the group hug. For the first time in as long as she could remember, her brothers held her.
When they’d released her, she smiled at Rafe. “Just so you know, I wasn’t a virgin.”
He groaned and covered his ears with his hands. “Stop! You have to stop.”
Clay chuckled. “Feeling pretty good about yourself, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
Chapter Eleven
Late Monday morning, Evie parked in front of the Fool’s Gold animal shelter. There was a large sign stating that over nine hundred and forty-seven animals had been adopted by the community and that donations were always welcome. When she got out of the car, she heard a couple dozen dogs barking and figured the meeting would be loud, if nothing else.
She walked toward the front door. Another car drove in and she recognized her mother’s Mercedes. As May got out of her car, Evie braced herself for whatever was to come. She was relatively sure her brothers would have shared the details of their visit to her place the previous morning. She wasn’t exactly thrilled about discussing her sex life with her mother, but she wasn’t sure she could actually get out of the conversation.
She waited for her mother to join her. May smiled broadly as she approached.
“This is going to be so exciting,” she said happily. “I can’t wait to meet all the animals. Rina was telling me that last year there was an iguana up for adoption. Though she said she decided not to give it any special beauty treatment for the holidays.”
“Aren’t iguanas huge?” Evie asked. “What was she going to do? Paint its toenails?”
“As long as she doesn’t expect us to do that.”
They walked inside and were met by a pretty young woman in her mid-twenties.
“Hi. I’m Tammy Blalock. I work here at the shelter.” Tammy smiled. “I also have a shift at Starbucks. So if you think you’ve seen me around town, you have.”
“You keep busy,” May said.
“I know. Life’s more fun that way.”
“Nice to meet you,” Evie said, suddenly feeling like a slacker.
“Rina’s already here,” Tammy said, leading them through the small office and into the back of the building. “She’s putting together a list of who we have to put up for adoption. We already have pictures up on our website and we’ve done some holiday graphics.”
Tammy’s long blond ponytail swung as she walked. Evie and May followed her into an open area with a thick outdoor rug and several low chairs. There were also toys and a feline climbing post.
“This is our biggest greeting area,” Tammy told them. “Where potential pet parents can spend time with some of our residents. Cats are this way and dogs are over there.”
As she spoke, she pointed at two different doors. One had a big cat painted on it, the other had a grinning cartoon beagle.
“Rina’s in with the cats,” Tammy continued and held open the appropriate door.
Evie and May walked inside. There were dozens of large, airy cages and nearly as many cats. Calicos and marmalades, tabbies and cats in solid colors. Some were sleeping, a few kittens were playing together in one of the larger cages. Evie was immediately drawn to a black-and-white long-haired tuxedo cat with green eyes and a disdainful expression.
Evie crossed to him and offered her fingers for him to sniff. He leaned forward slightly and touched his nose to the edge of her finger, then turned a little, as if offering his cheek. She rubbed his soft fur.
“Hi, handsome,” she murmured.
“That’s Alexander,” Tammy told her. “He’s about two or three years old. We’re not sure. He was found abandoned and starving a couple of months ago. He’s friendly enough around people, but understandably wary. He won’t purr
for anyone. People want to adopt a cat who purrs.”
Alexander looked at her, as if asking if she would be willing to purr, under the circumstances.
“No, I wouldn’t,” she told him.
Carina McKenzie, otherwise known as Rina, walked into the cat room, clipboard in hand. “Hi, May. Nice to see you again. You must be Evie.”
“Hi,” Evie said. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too. I really appreciate the help with the adoption. I didn’t want to give it up this year, but Dr. Galloway keeps telling me to stay off my feet as much as possible.” Rina wrinkled her nose. “She’s gotten more stern and is threatening to put me on bed rest if I don’t start listening.”
Tammy pointed to the door leading back to the getting-to-know-you room just outside the entrance. “Then maybe we should have this conversation out there, where you can sit, young lady.”
“Oh, yes. You’re right.” Rina put her hand on her large belly.
May followed them out. Evie paused, then glanced back at Alexander. The cat stared at her with an expression that said he wasn’t the least bit surprised by her leaving. After all, humans hadn’t treated him that well. There was no reason for him to trust her, either.
Evie hesitated, then followed the other women out of the cat room.
When they were seated, Rina handed them each several sheets of paper. “This is the layout we used last year at the convention center,” she said. “It worked well. The shelter already has the adoptable pets’ pictures up on the website. I’ve got the advertising started. There will be several mentions on the local radio stations and an ad in the local paper. The posters for the storefronts are going to be ready tomorrow.”
May had her iPad open. “I already have a note to pick them up and deliver them to the various stores.” She smiled. “Glen, Shane and Clay are going to help me. I’m also going to get the flyers.”
“Good,” Rina said. “We want to hand them out to as many people as possible.”
“I would like about a hundred for the dance studio,” Evie said. “My students can take them home.”
Rina smiled. “Great. Kids are my target audience. Now for the adoption itself. The dogs need to be groomed.” She pulled out another list. “Last year I handled most of that, but there’s no way I can be on my feet. However, I have a list of volunteers.”
Tammy nodded. “I’m heading that group. Rina’s been giving me lessons on basic grooming. For the cats, we think a good brushing is enough, and I’m not touching anything that slithers or crawls.” She shuddered.
“Cute matters when it comes to adoptions,” Rina told them. “Sad but true. So we want fluffy, great-smelling pets. Now here’s what we did last year on the actual day.”
They went over how many tables they would need and the layout at the convention center. Rina had another list of volunteers who would be delivering pets that morning. Evie was more than stunned when she realized how many moving parts there were to the event and found herself offering to drive cats and dogs to the venue. She was also surprised at how her mother seemed to have a complete understanding of the logistics involved.
“With luck, everything will be done by one or two in the afternoon,” Rina said. “I’ll be there, and so will Cameron.” She smiled as she mentioned her husband. “He’s working very hard to keep me off my feet, so I’m not sure how much help I’ll be.”
“You need to take care of yourself and your baby,” May told her firmly. “We can handle this. Having Tammy to contact will be a big help.”
She confirmed a few more details, all the while typing on her iPad.
They wrapped up the last of the details, then May and Evie walked out.
“I enjoyed that,” May said. “While I appreciate having plenty of free time these days, I’ve missed the responsibility of having a job.”
“The adoption is a lot more work than I realized,” Evie admitted as they stood by their cars. “But I’m glad to be helping. Thanks for asking me.”
May smiled at her. “I’m the one who needs to thank you. I couldn’t possibly do it all alone. Glen is terrified I’m going to bring home all the animals that don’t get adopted, but I’ve promised I won’t. Right now we have travel plans. Getting a new house pet wouldn’t be fair to the animal. But Rafe and Heidi are thinking of looking at dogs.”
Evie thought about Alexander. She wasn’t sure how a cat would fit in her life. She’d never had a pet before and hadn’t grown up with them, either. For all her love of animals, May hadn’t wanted pets around. Probably because she’d had enough to do with four children and little money, Evie thought. Maybe she should look up cats on the internet and find out what was involved with owning one. The guest room of her townhouse faced south, and there was a small window seat. Didn’t cats like to lie in the sun?
They worked out when they would next meet to discuss the event, then Evie started to say goodbye. But before she managed to get out the words, her mother touched her arm.
“I heard about what happened with your brothers and Dante.”
Evie had managed to forget the incident while they were helping with the animals, so she was unprepared to have her mother bring it up now. She felt herself flush, which was followed by reminding herself she was an adult and what she did in her private life was no one’s business but her own. As good as the words sounded, however, she didn’t exactly remain convinced.
“My brothers need to knock before walking into my house, and I need to make sure the front door is locked,” she said.
“Dante seems very nice,” her mother said. “I hope you’re being smart about things.”
Smart? As in not falling for a man who had made it clear he wasn’t interested in a relationship? Smart as in…
“You’re talking birth control,” Evie said slowly, her stomach clenching as an emotional blow hit directly home.
Of course that was something her mother would worry about. She’d had to deal with the consequences of an unplanned pregnancy. The fact that Evie was the result made things a little awkward.
May touched her arm again, this time hanging on. “No,” she said quickly. “I’m talking protecting your health. I hear so many scary things on the news about sexually transmitted diseases. Dante has a bit of a reputation and I was worried.”
“Oh. You mean condoms. Don’t worry. We used them.”
May’s expression turned sad. “Is that what you think? That I regret having you?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, Evie, I don’t. I wouldn’t change anything.” May sighed. “All right. That’s not true. If I could go back in time, I would do so many things differently, when it came to you. I would be there for you and make sure you felt as if you were a part of the family. But I would never, ever not have you. You’re my baby girl.”
When Clay had mournfully informed her that her brothers loved her, she’d almost been able to believe his words. But with her mother, she was less sure.
“I want to think that’s true,” she said slowly.
“I know.” May squeezed her arm again, then released her. “You’re cautious with me, and I understand that. You’ve been through so much. I just hope you’ll give me a chance and the time it’s going to take to win you over. I’m not giving up on us, and I’d like you to get to the place where you feel the same way.”
Evie nodded slowly, not sure what she felt. May hugged her briefly, then got into her car and drove away.
Evie continued to stand in the parking lot and thought about all the reasons she could still be angry with her mother. Unbidden, a disconcerting thought popped into her head. She was twenty-six. Her mother had only been a few years older when her husband had died, leaving her a widow with three boys and no money. No doubt she’d been terrified and desperately lonely. One night a handsome stranger had come calling, and May had made a mistake.
The man had disappeared the next morning, and a few weeks later, May had discovered she was pregnant.
For the first time ever, Ev
ie tried to understand what that must have been like. No doubt May had been humiliated and ashamed. She would have also been worried about how she was supposed to pay for the birth, not to mention all the things an infant needed.
What her mother had done to her wasn’t right, but maybe, just maybe, it was a little understandable. As Dante and Charlie and even her brothers had pointed out, she had to be willing to accept what was offered. To make peace. Being a part of her family wasn’t a given—it required work on everyone’s part. May had shown she was willing to go more than halfway. Now Evie had to decide how far she was willing to go herself.
* * *
DANTE FINISHED GOING OVER the contract. Most people found the idea of a novel-length legal document daunting, but he enjoyed the challenge. Most of the company’s business transactions were straightforward. Still, every now and then, someone tried to screw with them. His job was to make sure that person wasn’t successful.
He saved the document on his computer, then printed out a final copy for signature. As the paper spewed out into the tray, Rafe walked around the corner and paused by his desk.
“Have a minute?”
Dante took one look at his friend’s face and knew he wasn’t going to like whatever Rafe had on his mind. He also had a good idea what the subject was going to be. But Evie was Rafe’s sister, so the man deserved to be heard.
“Sure.”
Rafe pulled up a chair and sat down.
“Do I need to kill you?” he asked, his voice deceptively calm.
Dante studied his friend. He could challenge the question—Rafe wasn’t the murderous type. But Rafe was more than a business partner and he deserved answers.
“Evie and I like each other.”
“And that’s supposed to make it okay?”
“It’s supposed to tell you that I understand why you might be concerned,” Dante told him. “Look, we’re spending some time together. I didn’t mean for it to happen. You’re the one who asked me to look out for her.”
“Not by sleeping with her. What were you thinking?”
“That she’s a beautiful woman with a great sense of humor who shares my ambivalence about the holidays.”
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