by Debbie Mason
“I’ll do my best. Now go to the light, Emily. They’re waiting for you.”
Emily lifted her face, and her features began to fade, sparkling in the golden light. “Killian. Oh, Killian,” she whispered before disappearing from sight. Without the heavenly light, the stark room grew cold.
“It’s time to go, Caine. Go to Evie. Go to Theia, your family. You’re going to need them. I think we’re all going to need one another.”
Caine stood with the phone to his ear. “Aidan, it’s Caine. I have the name of the man who broke into Evie’s and threatened her. He’s the head of security at the Bridgeport Hotel.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Evie paced behind the sales counter at Holiday House with her cell phone pressed to her ear. “Pick up, pick up,” she said, blinking back tears. She shook her head when it went straight to voice mail again. “Why isn’t he answering? The hospital said he left at five this morning. But Jasper checked, and it doesn’t look like he’s been back to the manor. You don’t think he left Harmony Harbor, do you?”
“Of course not. I’m sure he just wants to be alone.” Her mother handed a cup of coffee to Evie and one to Seamus.” Evie felt like she might float away. It was her seventh cup of the morning. They’d been pacing the store since four a.m., when they’d given up trying to sleep. She’d met her mom and Seamus on their way down to the kitchen.
“Why did I listen to him, Seamus? I shouldn’t have let him push me away,” Evie said.
“I did the same, lass. He’s not an easy man to sway once he’s made up his mind.”
Santa ho, ho, ho-ed, and their gazes shot to the door. They barely managed to swallow their disappointed groans when Jamie walked in. “Is Caine here? I heard his grandma died, and I’ve been trying to call him and text him, but he’s not responding.” He held up his phone. “He always responds right away. Doesn’t matter if he’s on a conference call; he always takes my call.”
“He just needs some time to himself. He’ll be fine. We just have to give him some time,” her mother said, and patted Jamie’s shoulder. “Come with me to the kitchen. I’ll get you a cup of hot cocoa. Would you like some toast?” she asked as they walked to the kitchen together.
“Lenore’s right. The lad’s a loner and likes his own company well enough. He just needs some time.”
“My mom was like that when my dad died. I didn’t understand it then. It felt like she was shutting me out,” Evie said. Their relationship had changed after that; they’d become distant. She wouldn’t let that happen to her and Caine. She didn’t want to lose him.
“Aye, we all grieve in our own way, on our own timeline.”
They turned once again when Santa ho, ho, ho-ed, and Evie was tempted to flip his switch and close up shop until Caine was found. This time it was Theia. Her gaze moved from Evie to Seamus, their disappointment reflected on her face. “What is wrong with him? Doesn’t he know we’re worrying ourselves sick?”
“Here. Come sit down.” Evie patted the stool. Theia didn’t look like she’d slept either.
“You sound like Marco and Rosa,” she said, but she walked behind the counter, hugging Evie before sitting down. “They’re both calling everyone they know, which means the entire town of Harmony Harbor is now on the lookout for Caine.” She gave them a watery smile. “Won’t he love that?”
All eyes went to Evie’s ringing phone on the counter. She picked it up and checked the screen, giving her head a disappointed shake. Theia slumped on the stool, and Seamus rested his elbows on the counter, holding his head in his hands.
“Hi, Arianna,” Evie said, trying not to let her disappointment leak into her voice.
“Hi, Evie. I know this must be a really difficult time for Caine, so I won’t keep you, but I just wanted to call to say congratulations on winning the bet. Connor and I are so happy for you,” she said, referring to her husband.
“But I haven’t won the bet.” Evie looked at Theia and Seamus and held up a hand in a what the heck is going on gesture.
Seamus and Theia straightened to stare at her.
“You must have. Hang on.” She heard Arianna talking to someone in the background before she came back on the line. “The man introduced himself as Alec McCleary. Connor says he’s head of Wicklow’s legal department, and he called to say they regretted to inform us that they won’t be building the office tower in Harmony Harbor. We’re rescinding the demolition order on Holiday House this morning. You won, Evie!”
And Caine lost was her only thought. “That’s wonderful news, Arianna. Thank you so much.”
“I thought you’d be happier. I’m sorry—that’s a terrible thing to say under the circumstances.”
“No, it’s fine. I understand. It’s just that we’re really worried about Caine. We can’t find him. He just lost his grandmother, and no matter how we all felt about her, he loved her. And if what I think has happened did…”
“You’re right. It must be awful for Caine. But I think I might be able to help with locating him. Let me make a few calls, and I’ll get back to you.”
“What’s going on, lass? The Wicked Witch pulled something, didn’t she?”
Theia took out her phone and got up from the stool, walking away as she put it to her ear. Evie assumed she was trying to get details of what was going on at the company since she’d worked for Wicklow Developments for several years.
Evie returned her attention to Seamus. “I think she did. Caine’s cousin Alec McCleary just informed Arianna and Connor that they would no longer be building the office tower in Harmony Harbor.”
“So you won, then. Holiday House is saved…” Seamus nodded as it sank in. “She removed him as CEO.”
“It’s much worse than that,” Theia said as she got off her phone. “They’ve frozen all of Caine’s assets and seized his home and his cars until they’ve done a forensic audit. Alec is claiming that Caine’s been stealing from the company since he was named CEO. Emily leveled the charges five days ago.”
Evie’s phone pinged with an incoming text. She glanced at the screen. “Caine is at the harbor. Someone spotted him on the wharf.” Overcome with guilt for the part she’d played, she said, “You should go to him, Theia. You too, Seamus.”
“No,” Theia and Seamus said at almost the same time. “It’s you he needs.” Theia held up her hand when she went to protest. “Trust me. He needs you, Evie.”
* * *
Evie spotted Caine standing on the wharf looking out to sea. The water was dark, the foam-topped waves angry as they slapped against the pilings. The dull gray day suited the man standing alone with his hands in the pockets of his black wool coat, his dark hair whipping in the icy winds.
He turned as though he sensed her there watching him. His face looked ravaged, his eyes haunted. He knew. His greatest fear had come true. He was penniless and powerless, and she couldn’t love him more. The hard part would be getting him to believe her.
“Go away, Evie. I don’t want or need your sympathy.” The words were as angry as the sea, and they slapped at her.
But she wouldn’t let him drive her away. “I don’t blame you for being angry at me,” she said as she walked toward him. “It’s my fault Emily turned on you. If you hadn’t agreed to my bet, if you hadn’t gotten involved with me, you wouldn’t have lost everything.” She wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing her cheek to his broad back. “But you still have me. I love you, Caine.”
“Then you’re a fool.”
She drew her arms away and wanted to cry when his head bowed as though he’d taken a blow. Yet she knew that had been exactly the reaction he’d expected from her. He’d expected her to walk away. Instead she took him by the arm in an attempt to make him face her, but he wouldn’t be forced, and he was too powerful for her to move. So she wiggled in between him and the railing.
He looked down at her. “You don’t understand. I have nothing to offer you. She took everything and more.”
“I know what y
our grandmother and cousin have done. Theia talked to someone at Wicklow Developments. But you’re wrong. You have everything to offer. I didn’t fall in love with you because you were rich or were the CEO of Wicklow Developments. If anything, those were the reasons I tried not to fall in love with you. But your money and title don’t define you or make you who you are. Emily didn’t make you who you are. You’re smart, ambitious, and driven. Once you’ve moved past the shock and the anger, you’ll get back on your feet, and you’ll build something bigger and better than Wicklow Developments. Because it will be yours. Your goodness, your generosity, and kindness will shine through in whatever you do. Look at this as a gift, Caine. A fresh start.”
He raised his hand to gently move her hair from her face. “Only you could look at this and see a new beginning.”
He obviously didn’t want her love. It hadn’t escaped her notice that he hadn’t said he loved her in return. Afraid he’d see the hurt in her eyes, and not wanting to make this about her, she looked down at her boots.
Caine’s hand curved around the back of her head, and he drew her against his chest, then wrapped his arms around her. “I’m not discounting your love. That in itself is a gift, Evie. But I’ll not have you throwing it away on me.”
She lifted her head to look up at him. “I once thought you were the worst thing to happen to me, but you’ve turned out to be the best. So even if you don’t feel the same about me, it’s okay.”
“It’s not a question of me loving you, Evie. I knew I was in trouble the moment I willingly—albeit reluctantly—walked into your rat-infested basement and left a flea-ridden golden retriever at your back door to protect you. But that’s not the same man I am now. I’m not joking when I say I have nothing, Evie. I’m penniless and homeless.”
“No, you aren’t the same man you were when you arrived in Harmony Harbor. You’re a better version of you, Caine. And while I might have cost you all your material goods, I think I can take a little credit for you becoming the best you you can be.”
His lips twitched. “You sound like an advert for the military, Evie.”
“You can make fun of me all you want, but it’s true. Something that isn’t true though? You’re not penniless, and you’re not homeless. You’re a Gallagher and part owner of Greystone Manor.”
“They’ll want nothing to do with me now. They’re losing the manor because of me. I haven’t the money to pay off their loan.”
“I have an idea.” He was going to hate it, and no doubt the rest of his family would too, but Evie wasn’t about to let the man she loved give up without a fight. “Have you ever seen the movie It’s a Wonderful Life?”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Caine sat at his great-grandmother’s desk in the study at Greystone Manor, staring at the numbers on the screen. He didn’t know who he felt sorrier for, Evie or the Gallaghers. He sighed and corrected himself even though he hadn’t said the words aloud, the family. His family. Evie had corrected him so often he was surprised he still slipped.
It had been a week since she’d presented him with her idea to save the manor that day on the wharf. The family had been about as happy as he had been about reenacting the scene from It’s a Wonderful Life. It was the scene where everyone in Bedford Falls arrived at the Bailey house with their piggy banks and jars full of coins to save George and the savings and loan.
Only this time, it was the people of Harmony Harbor coming out to save Greystone Manor from foreclosure. He wondered if, like him, the family felt it came a little too close to fulfilling his grandmother’s wishes that they get down on their knees to beg and borrow to save the manor.
“Mr. O’Malley got here just under the wire,” Evie said, ushering the older man and his glass jar filled with nickels and dimes into the study. Caine’s gaze moved from the older man in his Santa hat and light-up bow tie and suspenders to Evie. He wished some of Mr. O’Malley’s good cheer would rub off on the woman Caine loved. Poor Evie was having a tough time keeping her optimistic spirit alive.
They’d agreed the cutoff for accepting donations would be eight p.m. on December twenty-third. It was thirty minutes to, and they were 300,000 dollars short. Or, judging from the size of Mr. O’Malley’s jar, somewhere around 299,950 dollars short.
Still, Caine dutifully poured the silver coins onto the desk and counted them out, typing in $50.05 beside Mr. O’Malley’s name and phone number. Caine had insisted that every donation be recorded, whether the person wanted to remain anonymous or not. He’d known that in the end they’d fall short and the money would need to be returned.
He thanked Mr. O’Malley and wished him a Merry Christmas, assuring him there was still hope—more for Evie’s benefit than for the older man’s, whose wink as Evie led him from the study seemed to indicate he thought Caine had kissed the Blarney Stone.
“You know,” his uncle said as he walked in to deposit a large envelope on the desk, “I’ve had three ladies tonight tell me I remind them of Clarence from It’s a Wonderful Life.”
“Then they should have their eyes checked,” Lenore said, depositing another envelope on the desk. “You’re an older version of George Bailey. What’s the actor’s name?”
“Jimmy Stewart.” His uncle looked like he was wondering what he’d done to warrant the compliment. “And you, love, are as pretty as a pitcher of warm milk.”
Caine hid his smile behind his hand, amazed that his uncle managed to amuse him with only ten minutes to go before he had to tell Evie and his family that their bid to save the manor had failed.
He glanced at the two envelopes, praying for all their sakes that the checks would put them over the top. “It’s not enough, is it?” Lenore said, turning the screen as Caine added the names and amounts, a hundred dollars each, to the electronic ledger.
“You had no luck getting your cousin to relent?” Lenore asked him.
“None. If anything, the call made matters worse,” Caine admitted.
“He had it on speaker, and Evie happened to be there. She shared what she thought of Alec McCleary,” Seamus said.
“She gets that from me.” Lenore smiled, then glanced at his uncle. “I think it’s time to put our plan into action.”
“Aye. I agree, love.”
“What plan are you talking about?” Evie asked as she walked into the study. She came around the desk to lean over Caine’s shoulder and peer at the balance on the screen.
She made a small disappointed sound, and he reached around to take her hand, bringing it to his lips. He turned her hand over to kiss her palm. “It was a brilliant idea. It just wasn’t meant to be.”
“Lenore has a brilliant plan too, and while it might not save the manor, it will ensure that McCleary doesn’t try to cook the books. If he does, Lenore will uncover his subterfuge. Won’t you, love?”
“I have yet to have anyone fool me, but I’ve always enjoyed a challenge. So with your permission, Caine, Seamus and I would like to go to Ireland to oversee the audit.”
“I appreciate the offer, and there’s no one else I’d want overseeing the audit other than you, Lenore, but I highly doubt Alec will let you in the door.”
“I believe Seamus has taken care of that,” Lenore said, casting his uncle an admiring smile.
“I have indeed. And while I may have spent a fair amount of time with my face in a bottle, so have plenty of politicians. I’m also charming, with a gift of gab and have, for a man who spent most of his life living in low places, friends in high places who were willing to put the squeeze on Alec McCleary.”
“Thank you, Uncle, and thank you, Lenore. I couldn’t ask for two better people in my corner. I just wish I could pay you—or at the very least pay for your flight, but I’m afraid even that’s beyond me.”
As though sensing how difficult that was for him to admit, Evie wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek to his. “It’s as important to learn to receive as it is to give.”
“My daughter’s right. And in a way, y
ou’ll be paying me more than what a couple of plane tickets and my time are worth. Now that you’ll be working at Holiday House with Evie, I’m sure she’ll be able to pay back my loan in no time at all.”
“Thank you for your confidence in me, Lenore.” He tipped his head back to look at Evie. “Did you forget to tell me something?”
She made a face. “It’s always good to have a backup plan, right? So if we didn’t raise enough money to save the manor, I thought you could move in with me and help at the store.” She shrugged. “Good idea?”
“That depends. Am I going to be CEO of the LLC I’ve set up for you or manager of Holiday House? And we’ll need to talk about my compensation package.”
“Mom, you need to use your wizard brain to get Caine back his money, and you need to do that as quickly as possible,” Evie said.
Caine laughed, but he sobered quickly when the Gallaghers entered the study en masse. “I’ll go and—” Evie began.
Caine put out a hand to stop her. “No. You belong here too.”
“Caine’s right, Evie. We couldn’t have done any of this without you.” Kitty gave him a tremulous smile. “And you wouldn’t be here without Evie, and for that she will always have our gratitude. I know I speak for all of us when I say that you’ve made our family complete, Caine.
“I just wish your grandfather’d had a chance to meet you. Ronan would have been so proud of the man you are. I see him in you.” Jasper handed her a hankie, and she sniffed and dabbed at her eyes. “And he would have tried as hard as you have this week to save the manor, but it can’t be saved, can it, Caine?”
“I’m sorry, and I know some of you have yet to forgive me for my part in this.” He looked to the back of the study, where several of his Gallagher cousins stood with their arms crossed. “Trust me, I know how you feel.”
“Do you blame me for this, Caine?” Kitty asked.
“No, of course not. How could I?”