by Debbie Mason
“I’ve always told you it’s as easy to fall in love with a wealthy man as it is a poor one. But it has nothing to do with his bank account. I admire Caine. He’s smart and ambitious and doesn’t let anything stand in the way of what he wants. He’s a good man. Your father would have liked him.”
“I think he would have too.” Evie rested her elbows on the sales counter to look to where the holiday lights glowed warm and bright in the dark night. “But because of him, I’m going to lose Holiday House. How do I reconcile that with my feelings for him?”
“I don’t know why, but you’ve made something more of Holiday House than what it is. It’s a house. It’s a business. But it’s not a home, and it’s certainly not who you are. And for the love of God, don’t let it stand in the way of you being happy with Caine.”
“You think he’s going to win our bet, don’t you?”
“As I said, he doesn’t let anything stand in the way of what he wants, and he wants that office tower. So yes, he’ll win the bet, and you’ll move on from here.” She put the cash in the bank bag and then bent down to put it in the safe. Once she’d closed the door and spun the combination lock, she straightened. “Now, I’m going to change for the holiday party at the manor, and I suggest you do the same. Your Christmas-tree sweater is as blinding as your Christmas-tree hat is ugly.”
“Aw, thanks, Mom. I’ll just mop the floor, and then we can go.”
Lenore sighed. “At least take off the hat and comb your hair. I’m sure Caine would appreciate it.”
Since this was the closest they’d come to having a proper mother-daughter chat in a long time, Evie didn’t intend to let her mother’s remark about her hat and sweater bother her. Honestly, she didn’t think anything could bring her down today. She’d been walking on air since she woke up beside Caine this morning. They were a thing, a really good thing, she thought as she wheeled the bucket of soapy water to the front of the shop. A text pinged on her phone, and she took it out of the back pocket of her jeans.
You better hurry up, Evie. The lad’s been bitten once, peed on twice, and had his beard pulled three times, but it’s the way the grown-up lassies are looking at him that has me concerned.
LOL I’m sure he can handle the grown-up lassies, Seamus. I should be there in twenty minutes.
And the lovely Lenore?
Will be there with bells on.
He sent an emoji of a leprechaun dancing a jig.
“Evangeline, I need you.” Her mother’s voice came from the kitchen.
“I thought you went upstairs.” Evie put the mop in the bucket and rested the pole against the wall. “What is it?” She walked into the kitchen, but no one was there. Not even Bruiser, which was odd.
She was about to walk back in the shop when her mother called her again. Evie followed the sound of her voice. She wasn’t in the kitchen. She was in the basement. “What are you doing down there? Come up here.”
“Evangeline, I need you.”
There was something off about her mother’s voice. She sounded desperate, and no matter how much Evie didn’t want to go down the stairs, she had no choice. She called for Bruiser as she opened the basement door, shivering at the drawn-out creak. “Come here, kitty, kitty, kitty.”
“Evangeline!”
“I’m coming. What’s wrong?” she said, trying the light switch several times with no luck. She turned on the flashlight on her phone and inched her way down the stairs. “What are you doing down here? Mom, where are—” She began when she reached the bottom step. A dark shadow rushed toward her, and she opened her mouth to scream, whirling around to run back up the stairs, but a gloved hand clamped over her mouth and the person dragged her off the step and deeper into the dark. Her heart pounded, and the room spun, the phone falling from her hand.
The man clamped an arm around her chest and then pressed cold steel against her throat. “This is a message from Emily. Stay away from her grandson or the next time it will be Aaron who delivers her message. Do you remember Aaron?” The man pressed the blade deeper into her throat. Fear made her gag. “Nod your head if you remember him.”
She managed a tiny nod.
“Emily knows where he is. She’ll make sure no one interrupts him next time. She’ll offer you to him on a silver platter should you so much as breathe a word of this.” He lowered the blade and pushed her hard. She stumbled and fell on the damp dirt floor, hitting her head on the corner of the furnace. “Stay away from Caine if you know what’s good for you.”
She curled into a ball on the floor, shrinking away from her attacker, whimpering when his boots came close. There was a click, a bright flash, and then the sound of heavy footfalls on the stairs.
The door closed, and she was left in complete darkness. She sobbed, struggling to her hands and knees. “Mom,” she whispered, but almost as soon as she did, she realized he’d used a recording of her mother’s voice. Her mother wasn’t down here.
Meow.
“Bruiser, where are you?” She patted the dirt floor, searching the dark with her hands. They landed on a cage.
Meow. His raspy tongue licked her fingers, and hot tears of relief tracked down her face. She found the latch and opened it. He purred, rubbing against her arm. She picked him up and held him close, feeling steadier with his heavy weight in her arms.
Her phone pinged, and the screen lit up. She struggled to her feet and went to retrieve her phone. On the screen was a selfie of Caine with his two elves, telling her to hurry up. Telling her that if she was a good girl, he’d make all her wishes come true.
* * *
Colleen sat between young Jamie and Seamus in the back seat of Caine’s car.
“You could have let us change out of our costumes, nephew. The poor lad’s friends are having a good chuckle at his expense,” Seamus said as Jamie sank lower on the seat.
“Evie’s not answering her phone, and it’s been more than an hour since she responded to your text.” Caine glanced in the rearview mirror. “Jamie, if you’d take off your hat, no one will know you’re in costume.”
The lad lifted his hand to his hat.
“Yes, but I told you what Lenore said. Bruiser got caught in a trap in the basement, and Evie took a spill trying to rescue him. She’s fine though, lad. No need to worry about her.”
“Don’t you listen to him,” Colleen said. “You need to check on the girl. Thanks to Clio, your granny knows you and Evie are an item and that she’s questioning the stories Emily’s been telling you. And I very much wish you could hear me because we’re in trouble, lad. Clio gave Emily the information she requested. It’s only a matter of time before she uses it.”
“That ship has sailed, Uncle. Something isn’t right. Evie should have texted me.”
“She didn’t want to interrupt your Santa duties. You did a good job, lad. I’m proud of you. So is your stepgran—” Caine sent him a silencing stare in the rearview mirror. “So was Kitty. I have a feeling she would have declared your second angel assignment a smashing success and given you a gold star had you but asked.”
“Of course she would have. She feels guilty he’s spent thirty-seven years without his family in his life,” Colleen said, annoyed that Kitty hadn’t worked up the courage to tell Caine the truth. He needed to know because, in this case, Colleen believed the truth would set him free. Free him from Emily, who Colleen was positive had filled Caine’s head with lies about his family. Once he knew the truth, she was hopeful he’d stand for the Gallaghers and the manor.
“Lad, why is Simon riding shotgun and not one of us? It doesn’t seem fair we’re stuck in the back seat. It’s a little drafty back here.”
“Odd. I have the heat on and the windows are closed.” Caine raised an eyebrow in the rearview mirror as if looking directly at Colleen. Sometimes he reminded her of Jasper. Her old friend had sensed her presence from the beginning. Although it didn’t seem to be helping her these days. Jasper hadn’t picked up on one of the clues she and Simon had been leaving
him that they had a dangerous traitor in their midst. He seemed to be getting his wires crossed, thinking they meant Caine.
“We’re here now anyway. Jamie, you can wait in the car if you want or come in. I’ll drive you home as soon as I check on Evie,” Caine said.
The boy glanced out the window and slouched down. “I’ll wait here.”
Caine reached in his glove box and pulled out a wrapped present, tossing it back to the lad. “That’s for helping me out today.”
“Anything in there for your uncle?” Seamus asked.
“Sweet. This is awesome, Caine. Thanks.” Jamie beamed at the man and then at the iPhone in his hand.
“You’re welcome, and we’ll talk about your screen time limits later. As to you, Uncle, we need to have a talk about your future before you get yours.”
“That sounds ominous, lad.”
“I’m sure it does. You were never one who liked to plan for the future. But I think it’s about time you did. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to check on Evie.”
Seamus, Simon, and Colleen got out of the car to follow Santa Claus Caine to Holiday House. Several cars honked their horns, and he waved.
Seamus laughed. “This falls under an I never, lad.”
“Tell me about it. Seems to be happening a lot in Harmony Harbor.”
“Would one of those be ‘I never thought I’d fall in love with the owner of Holiday House’?”
“I haven’t said I am, Uncle.” He rapped on the front door.
“You haven’t said you aren’t either. Here”—he nudged Caine aside—“I have a key.” He unlocked the door, sending a bucket of water rolling across the floor as he pushed it open. “Looks like they didn’t get the floor done.”
“Who’s there?” Evie called out, her voice shaky. Colleen caught a glimpse of her on the stairs.
“It’s us, Evie. Caine and Seamus. We just came to check on you. Lenore said you fell?” Caine said as he walked into the store.
“I’m fine. I have a headache, that’s all. Thanks for checking on me, but I’m not up to talking.” She backed up on the stairs when Caine strode across the store. “I don’t—”
Caine frowned. “What’s wrong? You’re not acting like yourself. I’ll take you to the clinic.”
“No. I said I’m okay. I just want to be left alone.”
Caine looked to his uncle for help. “Why don’t you let me have a look at your head, lass? It’ll put my nephew’s mind at ease. He’s worried about you.”
A snowball hit the window, and Evie blanched. “You have to leave. I can’t do this anymore. Just go away. Go now.”
“There’s something very wrong here, Simon. Very wrong indeed. Evie’s terrified. You’ll stay here with her. She needs protection. We all do, I’m thinking, including my great-grandson.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Caine looked at the sign on the ballroom door, CHRISTMAS CRAFTS WITH CAINE, and managed a smile for the woman beaming at him. He hadn’t felt much like smiling since the night Evie had kicked him out of Holiday House. But four days had passed, and this morning he’d given himself a long-overdue kick in the arse. He’d wasted too much time worrying and wondering about the woman. He had to get her out of his head. It was ridiculous she’d managed to carve herself a place inside of him in so little time. No other woman had.
But Kitty had ensured that he hadn’t spent the last few days moping about and feeling sorry for himself. Not that he would have, he assured himself despite a little voice in his head calling him a liar. Fine. He’d missed Evie. A lot. He scrubbed a hand over his face, worried his overly emotional and sensitive uncle might be rubbing off on him.
And thinking of his uncle, Caine made a mental note to text him. He’d tell him to stop updating him on Evie: how she looked, what she was doing, if she needed something, if she’d told him why she no longer wanted Caine in her life.
“The children are very excited about doing crafts with you this afternoon, Caine. My great-granddaughters and great-grandsons have all requested to be at your table. Your storytelling won them over.”
Caine looked across the ballroom at the children of varying ages who sat at one of the four tables. He was glad to see Jamie sitting with them. He thought the kid might bail on him after Christmas Carols with Caine.
“Caine, over here!” a little girl with dark curly hair yelled. She had a deep and booming voice for a child.
“I’ll be right with you, George,” Caine called to the little girl, unable to resist her smile. The kid was a handful, an adorable handful but a handful nonetheless.
“If you can’t tell, George is very fond of you. They all are, really.”
“They’re good kids.” They were, fun, sweet, and polite. Mostly polite, he corrected, thinking of yesterday when George challenged her cousins to a burping contest.
He watched as Jasper delivered craft materials to the tables. They were lucky to have the older man and Kitty in their lives. The couple doted on the kids. He imagined the children’s parents appreciated Kitty and Jasper even more than the kids did. And though he was loath to admit it, they were lucky to have the manor. There was something special about the place, and it wasn’t just that they were surrounded by family.
His grandmother lived in a mausoleum on a hill, well away from the village. Isolated, just the way she liked it. Once his memories of his life with his family had begun to fade, Caine had come to feel the same as Emily.
“So, what’s on the agenda today?” he asked as Kitty walked with him into the ballroom. Like the rest of the manor, the massive room was decorated for the holidays. They’d gone with a winter wonderland theme, all white and sparkly. Evie would love it, he thought. He pushed the thought aside to smile at the children smiling at him.
“Santa and Rudolph puppets, followed by sugar cookies, hot chocolate, and a movie. George picked today’s feature film, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, starring Uncle Scrooge McDuck.”
“Are you sure George picked the movie?”
Kitty twinkled up at him, looping her arm through his. “She might have had some gentle nudging in that direction.”
* * *
Another day, another dollar was Evie’s weary thought as she walked to the front door to turn the sign to OPEN and to flick Santa’s button from Off to On. It was pretty pathetic that ten days before Christmas she couldn’t work up even a little enthusiasm for the holiday. It was Emily’s fault. The woman had ruined Christmas and Evie’s relationship with Caine.
“No, you did that all by yourself. You let her win,” she murmured as she walked back to the sales counter to open the safe.
She could hear her mom and Seamus arguing as they came down the stairs. She was ruining their relationship too.
Her grace period was up. The wound on her head was healing. Her days of blaming the blow to her head for pulling away from Caine were over. She looked up at Santa’s ho, ho, ho. She hadn’t realized just how over her grace period was until the moment Theia walked into the store.
Caine’s best friend stalked to the sales counter and stabbed her finger at Evie. “I trusted you. I trusted you not to hurt him. I thought you would be the best thing for him, and you turned out to be the worst. How could you? How could you turn your back on him?”
“It wasn’t like that.” It was exactly like that, and she knew enough about his past to understand that to Caine it would feel like she’d abandoned him. Her heart hurt at the knowledge. “It’s not like we were in a real relationship.”
“Yeah? Does that lie help you sleep at night?”
She barely slept at night, which was becoming more obvious every day that passed. She was surprised Theia hadn’t noticed. Then again, Evie had hurt her friend. She no longer ranked as someone Theia Gallagher cared about.
“She doesn’t sleep,” Evie’s mother said, coming to stand beside Theia. “Maybe you can get her to tell you what’s wrong. She won’t tell me. And don’t let her pretend she doesn’t care about Caine. She was in love wi
th him.”
“Stop giving her a hard time, Lenore.” Seamus came around the counter to rub Evie’s shoulder.
She didn’t understand how he could defend her when she’d hurt his nephew, a man he loved like a son. It made her feel like crying every time he came to her defense.
“Maybe if you’d stop coddling her, we’d get to the bottom of this,” her mother said. Lenore’s sympathy had lasted less than forty-eight hours.
“I’m sorry. I have a headache,” Evie said. Raising her hand to the taped piece of gauze on her forehead, she walked from behind the counter to the kitchen. Usually it was all she had to do to get them to leave her alone. But the tactic didn’t work with Theia. Evie heard footsteps following close behind her. She turned on the tap at the kitchen sink, keeping her back to Theia.
“How did you hurt your head?”
Evie repeated the same story she’d told to half the town.
“Hard to believe Bruiser got trapped in a cage. How did the cage get down there anyway?”
No one had asked her that question before. “My aunt Noelle must have had it.”
“Noelle was allergic to cats. Your father’s entire family was,” her mother said.
“What aren’t you telling us, Evie?” Theia asked.
“Oh, now, come on. Don’t the two of you be ganging up on her.”
“Maybe if you’d come by the manor to see your nephew, you wouldn’t be so quick to defend her, Seamus,” Theia said.
“He told me I was to stay with Evie. Is he not well?”
“What’s wrong with Caine?” She couldn’t shut off her feelings for him no matter how hard she tried. But one look into Theia’s eyes told her she should have tried harder.
Caine’s best friend narrowed her eyes. “You say that like you care. But if you cared, you would have taken his calls or answered his texts.”