by Nina Lane
God. This was just an after-effect of their hot encounter, something to do with neurotransmitters and hormone surges. Heightened awareness. That was the reason Evan’s scent still tickled her nose. It was why she noticed his bare forearm, corded with muscle and dusted with golden-brown hair. It was why she looked at his hand curled around the coffee mug and remembered the way he’d cupped the back of her neck, as if she were someone precious to him.
“Wanderlust,” Evan repeated slowly. “That’s a loanword.”
“A what?”
“A word adopted into English without translation, like café or ballet. Wanderlust is from the German wandern, which actually means ‘to hike,’ and lust, which of course means ‘desire.’ Germans call that feeling fernwah now, the feeling of missing a place you’ve never been to.”
“How do you know all that?”
“I studied linguistics as an undergrad. I did a thesis on foreign words that can’t be translated into English but have significant meaning.”
Ah. His studies explained why he also knew the origins of pastry-related words.
“So what’s an example of an untranslatable word?” she asked.
“Maraki is a Greek word, meaning to do something with great creativity and leave a part of yourself in your work. Lagom is a Swedish word that translates to just the right amount of something. Gigli is a Filipino word that means the overwhelming urge to squeeze or pinch something very cute.”
“Aw. Like a baby?”
“I guess so,” Evan said. “But as a college kid, I always thought of that word when I looked at a pretty girl’s ass.”
Hannah laughed. He flashed her a smile that made his eyes crinkle at the corners, and for an instant she caught sight of the charmer who’d rescued her from homicidal whipped cream.
“Did you study linguistics because of Sugar Rush?” she asked.
“Partly, but I also like the science of figuring out how language is acquired,” Evan said. “How it varies according to geography. The discovery of patterns. I majored in business, with the idea that studying language would help with Sugar Rush’s international efforts at sustainability. That’s also why I started the Fair Trade Foundation.”
“The one Luke wouldn’t let you direct?” She winced a little when he glanced up at her. “Polly mentioned it. She said Luke had his reasons, whatever that means.”
“Yeah.” A shadow passed across Evan’s face. “He did.”
“Well, I know sustainability in travel is a huge thing,” Hannah said quickly, hoping to banish the shadow. “Even on smaller levels. I once stayed with a family in Mongolia who wanted to build half a dozen yurts near their lakeside village. They planned to offer tourists a chance to experience their lifestyle for a couple of weeks, helping with farming, making food and crafts, hiking… basically as a way to help their local economy while also educating people about their way of life and maintaining it.”
“Interesting. Maybe we should incorporate travel into the Fair Trade Foundation.” He studied her for a moment, as if he were trying to figure something out. “What’re you doing Friday night, Lockhart?”
“Baking muffins and cupcakes.”
“Come out with me.”
Hannah blinked. “You mean like a date?”
Amusement flickered in his expression. “Not like a date. An actual date.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re not obligated to take me out on a date. You paid for the auction bid.”
“This has nothing to do with the auction, but you did contribute $8.56 for me,” Evan said. “You might as well get something for your money. A night out, at least.”
Hannah tried to resist the want that bloomed inside her fast and hard—the desire to spend more time with him, to enjoy the attraction that crackled between them, to forget about her frustration over her blog and her selfish desire to leave. If the auction night was anything to judge by, spending an evening with Evan would be a delight. She hadn’t had many delights lately.
Except she was supposed to be cool and distant, right? She was annoyed with herself for behaving rather wantonly when she should have been working. Plus, he was Luke’s brother and—
“Stop thinking so hard, Lockhart.” Evan squinted, as if he could read her thoughts. “Give me one night. You might even be tempted by the dessert I can offer.”
Maybe even a dessert that didn’t have any sugar but plenty of heat. Her blood sizzled with anticipation, even as she managed to say, “Not a chance.”
“Is that a yes?” he asked.
She liked the light that appeared in his eyes again. It dispelled the lingering darkness of whatever was bothering him. And, unexpectedly, she liked that she might be able to help him forget his troubles. She’d never been a man’s clear sky before.
“I’m not refusing,” she admitted.
“I don’t dislike double negatives.” He lifted his eyebrows, his amusement deepening. “And this is not an unfavorable course of events.”
“I can’t say it is an unappealing offer.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet, baby.” Evan pushed back his chair and stood. “Do you have a blue dress?”
“Yes.”
“Wear it.”
Chapter
SIX
She was the answer. The thought of going out with Hannah, of her, eased the tension in Evan’s shoulders. Their encounter at the auction had obliterated his concern about his medical condition that night. Spending more time with her would keep the darkness at bay.
He still hadn’t told his family about his need for another valve replacement surgery—in fact, he’d shoved it so far to the back of his mind that he had no intention of dragging it out for months.
Then there was the irrational but undeniable hope for a miracle. Somehow his heart would magically repair itself, and he wouldn’t need the surgery anymore. Stupid how after thirty-one years he held onto that childhood wish even though he knew it would never come true.
“Hey, man, you go on your date yet?” Adam asked.
He was sitting on the sofa in their father’s living room, balancing a bowl of tortilla chips on his stomach. Across the room, the big-screen TV displayed the 49ers football game.
“Not yet,” Evan said.
“Really?” Their youngest brother Tyler, slouched in a chair with his tablet, lifted his eyebrows. “The way you and that girl were playing tonsil hockey, I thought you’d be hitting that Saturday night.”
Evan didn’t bother responding.
“I was surprised she kissed you back, though,” Tyler continued.
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing, don’t get me wrong.” Tyler shrugged, flipping his overlong hair away from his forehead. “She’s hot if you like that type.”
“What type is that?” Adam cracked open a beer.
“Kind of a wallflower.”
Evan glared at his brother. “A wallflower?”
“Yeah.” Tyler swiped at the screen of his tablet. “You should’ve seen her when the spotlight hit her. Looked like she was about to faint. I mean, don’t get me wrong, bro. She’s pretty and all. Just seemed a little dull, you know? She’d be perfect for Spence, not that he’d know what to do with her.”
He shot a mischievous look at their other brother, one of the twins who preferred spending time in the laboratories at Sugar Rush than he did on the social scene. Not even Aunt Julia could have wrangled Spencer into participating in the Cream of the Crop auction.
“That’s the best you can do?” Spencer asked dryly.
“How do you keep a major nerd in suspense for twenty-four hours?” A sly grin crossed Tyler’s face. “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
Spencer sighed. “As Dr. Who once said, you are a classic example of the inverse ratio between the size of the mouth and the size of the brain. And I’ll give you a hundred dollars if you can explain inverse ratio.”
“I’m pretty sure it has something to do wi
th the way your dick shrinks in direct proportion to a woman’s fuckability.”
“Boys.” Aunt Julia walked into the living room, dressed in a well-fitted 49ers jersey and jeans so artfully ripped in various places that they probably cost a fortune. “I will not tolerate that kind of talk about women. Tyler.”
“You know I love women wildly.” He turned his engaging grin on her. “By the way, I saw you chatting up that IT guy at the auction. Reeling in some cougar bait, Aunt Julia?”
She shot him a repressive look. “I love the sound you make when you shut up.”
“I’m taking bets on whether Spencer could manage half a boner for the girl who bid on Evan.”
Evan bolted from his seat in a flash of anger. Tyler barely had time to recoil. Evan grabbed the front of his brother’s T-shirt and yanked him so hard Tyler’s head snapped back.
“Enough,” Evan snapped. “You keep your fucking mouth shut about Hannah. Got it?”
“Whoa, man, just joking around.” Tyler held up his hands in surprise.
“Don’t.”
“Dickwad,” Adam added, shooting their youngest brother a look of disgust.
“Boys.” Julia sighed.
Evan pushed Tyler back in the chair and went into the kitchen. He didn’t often get physical with his brothers, not because he couldn’t hold his own but because they’d always treated him with a degree of deference. Unfortunately his arrogant little brother knew how to push all their buttons.
He gripped the edge of the counter and looked out the window at the backyard. For years he’d had no major medical problems, and aside from Luke, his brothers seemed to have forgotten he even had a heart defect. That wouldn’t be the case much longer.
He’d never wanted his heart to affect any part of his life, including his relationships with his brothers. They hadn’t known his driven efforts at sports and school had been his way of compensating for his health—or if they knew, they hadn’t made an issue of it. He’d always needed to prove he was as good as they were, for himself if no one else.
Only after their mother’s death eleven years ago had Evan backed into the shadows. His father, Luke, and Aunt Julia had had enough to worry about with both Hailey’s injuries and Sugar Rush’s decline. Not to mention the corporate vultures circling what they thought was a company on the verge of collapse.
Evan couldn’t give anyone reason to worry about him too, so he’d finished his MBA quietly and gone to work for Sugar Rush. For five years, he’d worked whatever position Luke put him in—and probably still would be if Luke hadn’t taken the Fair Trade Foundation away from him.
Then Evan had realized he’d done himself a disservice in flying beneath the radar, and it was finally time to do more. He just had to remind everyone of that.
He pulled his buzzing phone from his pocket. Speaking of reminding everyone he was good at what he did…
He pressed the button to accept the call from Luke, who asked immediately about Sugar Rush’s relationship with the Indonesian Singa Corporation.
“We stopped working with them years ago,” Luke said. “Why the hell is The Guardian asking about our involvement with deforestation and illegal sourcing of palm oil? And why would Singa claim to still be doing business with us?”
“Because Sam contacted them on behalf of the Fair Trade Foundation.” Evan bit back the urge to remind his brother that he’d been the one to put Sam in charge of the foundation in the first place.
“The reporter told me they’re talking to Greenpeace,” Luke said, frustration threading his voice. “And we don’t fucking need Greenpeace on our ass about deforestation. Not when social responsibility is part of Sugar Rush’s philosophy.”
“It needs to be more than a philosophy,” Evan said. “We need to be leaders on the issue of sustainability, which is just one of the goals of the Fair Trade Foundation. Sam doesn’t get it.”
Luke didn’t get it either. His brother was a powerful CEO who had revamped and saved the company, but he couldn’t see past profits and a rigid corporate culture about social responsibility that was more talk than action. The Fair Trade Foundation was supposed to change that, to make a real difference.
“Is Sam still in Jakarta?” Luke asked.
“Yes, and I’m contacting legal to prove the Singa contracts were suspended two years ago.”
“This could turn into a PR nightmare if we don’t have proof we’re not doing business with them.”
“I already issued a statement about Sugar Rush’s stance on deforestation,” Evan said. “But if the controversy starts going viral, we’re in deep shit.”
“What’s the strategy?”
“It’s the first agenda item at the board meeting this afternoon. We’re finishing due diligence on Alpine. Once we get the final contracts, I’ll send them your way before the meeting.”
Evan needed his brother to know he’d succeeded. He had reviewed all of Alpine Chocolate’s financial documents, employee structure, customer base, taxes, real estate, and management issues. He knew how they would fit in Sugar Rush’s expansion of the chocolate division and the company’s overall culture.
And he had assured Luke he could close the deal. He couldn’t let a public controversy get in the way.
“I’ve got this,” he said, then changed the subject to get Luke off the topic of Sugar Rush. “Hey, how’s Polly doing? Her sister said she’s been getting some ideas to bring back to Wild Child.”
“She’s doing great. I think she’s worried about Hannah, though.”
“Why?”
“Last time they talked, Hannah said she wanted to leave Rainsville again.”
“Why would she?”
“I don’t know, man.” Luke sighed. “Polly doesn’t think Hannah will break her promise, but you know my girl. She wants to believe the best about everyone.”
Evan tightened his grip on the phone. “So why would she believe differently about her own sister?”
“Because Hannah has disappointed her in the past. She’s the one who told me Hannah is irresponsible. And it wouldn’t be the first time Hannah has left Rainsville with little advance notice.”
Like she’s done countless times before.
Evan knew Polly had reason to be concerned. Even if he hadn’t kissed her the other night, he’d have sensed Hannah’s restlessness, like it was seething just beneath the surface of her lovely skin. She reminded him of the ocean, constantly moving in different directions, pushed by both the winds and the water’s own undercurrents and riptides.
“I don’t want Polly to be disappointed again,” Luke said. “She needs to stay here for her classes, but maybe I should come back for a while. Make sure everything is okay.”
Whoa.
“You want to come back?” Evan said.
“Just for a few days. We can strategize about Singa, and I can check in on Wild Child.”
“And Polly is okay with that?”
“I haven’t talked to her about it yet.”
Evan’s brain went into overdrive. He knew his brother. He and Luke had been close their entire lives. Even their arguments about Sugar Rush after their mother’s death—when Luke had been determined to save the company from takeover—and Evan’s frustration with Luke’s overprotectiveness hadn’t caused him to lose sight of who Luke really was.
If his brother returned sooner than he’d promised, then Luke would dive right back into the business of Sugar Rush. And intentionally or not, Evan would get pushed to the sidelines once again, cast under the force of his brother’s powerful shadow.
No. Evan had been admittedly shocked when Luke agreed to take a nine-month leave of absence from Sugar Rush and let Evan take over as interim CEO. It was Evan’s one chance to prove he was capable of running the company, but if Luke came back right when he was trying to close the Alpine acquisition and deal with the rumblings about the illegal sourcing of palm oil—well, Evan would no longer stand a chance of “proving himself” because Luke wouldn’t be able to help himself f
rom taking over again.
Luke might be head over heels in love with Polly, but that didn’t mean he’d gone soft. Sugar Rush was still the company Luke Stone had saved, and he’d never let it completely out of his control.
Evan pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He had to deal with the Singa Corporation and complete this acquisition successfully, and then maybe… maybe… Luke would finally make him the head of his own division. Maybe Evan could finally be part of Sugar Rush because he was good, not because he was the entitled brother whose heart condition gave him a free pass.
“I’m handling the Singa issue,” he said. “And I’ll take care of Wild Child.”
“How?” Luke asked.
“I’ll make sure everything is okay with Hannah and that she’s not planning to bail on Polly.”
He wouldn’t believe Hannah capable of breaking a promise, but he also couldn’t let his brother come home. Not yet. Which meant he needed to find a way to ensure that Hannah stayed. It was far less a chore than it was a golden opportunity to see her again.
“I can’t ask you to do that,” Luke said. “Hannah isn’t your problem.”
Irritation rippled down Evan’s spine at the definition of Hannah as a problem.
“She’s not a problem at all,” he said shortly. “And I go to Wild Child for the Declairs anyway, so it’s not a big deal.”
“Neither is my coming back.”
“Look, man, you said you’d take the leave of absence,” Evan continued. “You made a promise to both me and Dad. Remember he’s making you use your vacation time. That means you need to stay in Paris. Don’t you think Polly will be upset if you tell her you’re coming back here? She’s the reason you left in the first place. And she wouldn’t be happy to hear that you’re coming back because of her sister. Especially without her.”
When Luke didn’t respond, Evan had a faint rustle of hope.
“Hannah has been at Wild Child every time I’ve stopped by,” he said. “She works twelve-hour days, if not more. She’s not going to bail. And you could very well fuck up her relationship with Polly by butting in where you’re not wanted.”