Evie’s Awakening: Love in Holiday Junction, Book Three

by Franklin, Tami

  “Quaint,” Gray said with a sniff.

  Evie wasn’t quite certain if he meant it as a compliment or an insult. Probably the latter.

  Gray buttoned his suit jacket and straightened his pocket square before rounding the front of the car to join her on the sidewalk in front of McKenna’s Creamery. She didn’t know why the Chamber of Commerce held its meetings at an ice cream shop. Perhaps it was an attempt to keep her and Gray relaxed—at ease and casual. Evie glanced down at her navy blue suit and snakeskin pumps and wondered if perhaps she was overdressed.

  Her father always said you needed to dress like a knight for battle, and in his mind, every business meeting, every negotiation, every press conference was a battle. The clothes maketh the man—or woman, in Evie’s case—and she did feel somewhat protected in her business attire, even if it was silk and stilettos instead of chain mail and plate armor.

  “You ready for this?” Gray asked.

  She felt a telltale burning in her stomach and popped an antacid with a little frown. “We’re not ruffling any feathers. Simply asserting our authority as owners of the property, and offering a chance for the town to work with us, instead of against us.”

  “Looking for weaknesses,” he added. “Those most likely to be swayed.”

  “Kendricks perhaps.” She smoothed her hair and adjusted an earring. “Chalmers seems sweet, but that woman is no pushover.”

  “You need to watch out for Durant,” Gray said, plucking a piece of lint from his sleeve. “He seems to push your buttons.”

  She didn’t like the implication, or the way it made her cheeks heat. She especially didn’t like that Gray was right. Liam Durant got under her skin, and Evie didn’t let anyone get under her skin.

  Evie stepped toward the shop, but froze when she caught sight of a large group of people through the front window of McKenna’s.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Either this town has a bigger Chamber of Commerce than we thought,” Gray replied, straightening his tie. “Or word seems to have gotten out.”

  A bell tinkled overhead and a rush of warm air greeted them as they walked into the shop, and Evie fought a grimace when she spotted the number of people standing shoulder to shoulder inside, circling two tables pushed together, with a number of chairs surrounding them. All but two were occupied—the empty seats for her and Gray, Evie assumed—and she spotted Liam Durant across the room, catching her eye with a smile she could only describe as mocking. He was out of the suit now, wearing a blue button-down shirt, untucked, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a pair of rumpled khakis. It suited him more, but she would never admit to it, at least not to his face.

  He leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, but Evie didn’t buy the casual stance for a minute. The man was watching, and watching closely, and she knew she had to be on her guard. Pasting on a smile, she nodded at a few people as she approached the table, and slipped off her coat, draping it over the back of the chair.

  “Seems we’ve attracted a crowd,” Gray said as Mayor Kendricks stood to greet them.

  “Yes, well, our town has a vested interest in the future of the textile mill,” he replied. “It’s hard to keep them away.”

  Evie simply nodded and sat down, smiling at Lou across the table. The mayor introduced the others—Anne Patterson, who owned the local bakery, Mandy Harris, who ran the coffee shop in town, and the husband-and-wife owners of the grocery store, a man who owned an insurance agency, and two others Evie barely noticed since they were so quiet.

  The mayor said something to Evie that she couldn’t make out over the rumble of conversation around her.

  “What?” she asked.

  The mayor flushed beet red and got to his feet. “Excuse me! Excuse me!” he shouted.

  When the crowd fell silent, he glared at them. “Thank you. You are all welcome to stay, but please allow us to conduct the business at hand.” He sat down with a firm nod.

  “We, the Chamber, want to thank you for taking the time to come and speak with us,” Mayor Kendricks said. “We feel confident that if we can explain to you our position, we can come to some sort of agreement regarding the development of the property currently housing the historic textile mill on the edge of town.”

  Evie smiled. “I believe so, as well.”

  Someone grumbled behind her.

  “Quiet!” the mayor said.

  “I don’t know why we’re doing this,” the person shouted. “You can’t trust these people. They don’t care about us.”

  “Jerome’s right,” a woman with short, black curls agreed. “They just want to move in and take over our town.”

  The accusations quickly escalated.

  “Our property values will skyrocket—”

  “—going to ruin everything!”

  “—can’t afford to lose my business—”

  “—send them back to New York!”

  Evie got to her feet and held up a hand. It took a moment, but the crowd finally quieted and she was able to speak.

  “I’m telling you that you’re wrong,” she said. “I’m here because I believe we can come to an agreement, some sort of compromise that will satisfy everyone involved.”

  Durant scoffed, and Evie shot him a narrow-eyed glare.

  A brunette standing behind the counter with her arms crossed lifted her chin. “How do you plan to do that?” she asked.

  Evie smiled at her. “Ms. McKenna, I wondered when we’d hear from you.” She glanced at Gray, who tipped his head and raised his eyebrows.

  The woman straightened, tucking a stray lock of brown hair behind her ear. “You know me?”

  “I do watch the news,” she replied, smirking a little when the woman blushed. “You’ve made quite a name for yourself.”

  Lena’s eyes narrowed and she leaned forward on the counter. “You didn’t answer my question,” she said coldly. “You say you want to find a compromise, but what exactly do you have in mind?”

  Evie’s heart pounded. She could feel them all watching her, hostility piercing her like dozens of tiny arrows. But she was well-practiced with her poker face, and it didn’t falter.

  “Gray and I are here to figure that out,” she replied calmly. “We want to spend some time here. Get to know you all. Find out what you—what this town—needs.” She met the wary gazes head-on, one by one, willing them to believe her. To trust her.

  “We want to be part of this community.” Evie smiled, and to her surprise, the woman with the black curls seemed to soften a bit. “Yes, we want to make money. So do you, right? You’re all business owners. You understand that, don’t you?” A murmur, begrudging, but not angry, rippled through the crowd, and Evie felt a little surge of victory.

  She could feel Durant’s attention, but ignored it. “So, to answer your question, Ms. McKenna, I don’t know.” She held out her hands, palms up and gave a little self-deprecating shrug. “But I hope we can figure it out together.”

  “Excellent.” Mayor Kendricks nodded, slapping his hand on the table once. “We will be happy to set up meetings with—”

  “Hold on a second, Joshua,” Durant said, pushing away from the wall. “I don’t think meetings are what we need here.”

  His steely, blue gaze sent a shiver down Evie’s spine. What was he up to?

  Kendricks sighed in irritation, but asked, “What do you have in mind?”

  “If they want to get to know the people of this town, they need to live the life of the people of this town,” Durant replied. “Have dinner with Lou at her house.” He waved a hand toward the woman, who looked surprised, but not opposed to the idea.

  “Frost cupcakes at the bakery. Make lattes at the Grind.” He looked skyward, as if searching for ideas. “Help set up for the Easter egg hunt. I don’t know . . . muck out my horse stalls. That’ll give ‘em some insight. I guarantee it.” He smirked.

  Evie couldn’t keep from flinching at that suggestion. The last thing she wanted to do
was muck out a horse stall.

  How exactly did you go about mucking out a horse stall, anyway? Evie thought she saw it in a movie once.

  But the crowd was warming to the suggestion.

  “The camp out is this weekend!” someone called, and Durant’s smirk morphed into an evil grin.

  “Perfect,” he said. “Go on the camp out with the Sunshine Scouts.”

  Evie felt her face drain of color. “A camp out? That’s ridiculous!”

  “No, it’s not,” Liam replied. “If you’re really interested in finding out what this town needs . . . working with us, then show us. Unless you’re all talk.” He cocked a brow at her in challenge

  Gray held up a finger. “I think it’s an excellent idea,” he said.

  “You do?” Evie gaped at him.

  “Of course.” He smiled, leaning back in his seat and running a hand over his yellow, silk tie. “Hands on experience. Working side by side. It’s a great way to build a relationship between Hart Enterprises and the good people of Holiday Junction.” He sent a charming smile toward the crowd.

  Evie’s eyes narrowed, ever-so-slightly. She knew that smile. Gray was up to something.

  “Unfortunately, I’m allergic, so I won’t be able to go on the camp out.” He all but pouted, a regretful look that Evie doubted anyone could take seriously. “But I’m sure Evie would be happy to participate.”

  “I would?” She ground her teeth.

  Gray smiled easily, but his eyes sent a message Evie was well acquainted with. Play along.

  “We’re here to work with all of you,” Gray said, turning back to Durant. “In whatever way you think best.”

  “Great!” Liam rubbed his hands together. “Then you should speak with Sean about the Sunshine Scouts—”

  “Hold on.” The mayor raised a finger. “I think it would be best for a representative from the Chamber to go along, as well.”

  Liam blinked. “Really? Why?”

  “If we’re trying for an exchange of information, it makes some sense,” Gray said, nodding thoughtfully. “An ambassador, of sorts.”

  “Exactly.” Mayor Kendricks jabbed a finger toward him. “I think Liam is the natural choice.”

  Durant looked like he’d sucked on a lemon. “What?”

  Evie felt laughter bubble up in her stomach.

  “The rest of us all have businesses to run,” the mayor replied, waving to the others at the table. “Your schedule is relatively clear, isn’t it?”

  “Well, yeah, but—no, I mean. I have clients,” he protested. “And I have to get ready for our hearing.”

  “I would think this takes priority right now,” Kendricks said, drumming his fingers on the table. “I’m sure your clients would concur.” A few people shouted out agreement, and Liam deflated. Apparently, those were said clients, robbing him of any excuses.

  “I’m sure we can count on you to show Ms. Hart the ins and outs of living in Holiday Junction.” He gave Liam a pointed look. Liam looked furious, but said nothing.

  Evie had a feeling there would be a conversation after the meeting. A very heated conversation.

  Gray, on the other hand, appeared immensely satisfied.

  “It’s settled then,” he said, getting up and buttoning his jacket. “Mr. Mayor, I’m sure we can count on you and the Chamber to compile a list of activities you feel would best serve in helping us reach our objectives?” He tugged on Evie’s arm, and she stood, still a bit stunned.

  The mayor looked a little confused as well. “Uh, yes, of course. We’ll get right on it,” he said.

  “Fine.” Gray picked up Evie’s coat and held it while she slipped it on. “You know where to reach us,” he said. And before Evie could fully absorb what was happening, they were out the door and back in the car.

  “What.” Evie buckled her seat belt. “Was that all about?”

  Gray grinned and pulled away from the curb. “That, my dear, is what we call in the business, distraction.”

  “Distraction,” she said flatly.

  “Precisely.” He flipped the signal and turned a corner. “You go make doughnuts and brew coffee and camp out—” He made a face. “Leaving me to do what I do best. Snoop around and look for weaknesses.”

  Evie nodded slowly. “And Liam Durant . . .”

  “Liam Durant will be out of my hair,” he said, glancing at her. “And in yours. Sorry about that.”

  She frowned. “Thanks.”

  “Well, consider it taking one for the team,” Gray said. “You keep Durant distracted, and I’ll figure out a way to get this project moving without any more delays.”

  Evie shifted to face him, the seat belt cutting across her shoulder a little. “You really think you can do that?”

  Gray smirked. “Evie, it’s what I do,” he replied. “It’s a good thing you decided to come. This is going to make everything much easier.”

  She wasn’t so sure. “What exactly are you going to do?”

  “Whatever I have to.”

  Evie sighed, not liking the way that answer made her stomach twist and her heart pound in her throat. Gray sometimes operated on the shady side when it came to ethics. It was why he was on the payroll, after all.

  But knowing that and being part of it were two very different things.

  “Chin up, Evie,” he said reaching across the seat to nudge her cheek with a knuckle. “We’ll get this settled and make Daddy happy. He’ll forget he ever thought of making anyone else CEO.”

  Evie gave him a faint smile, but her stomach continued to churn as she chewed another antacid. That was what she wanted, right? And what Gray was doing—what they were doing—wasn’t any different than what corporations across the country did every day.

  But even as she told herself that, the words fell flat. And she began to wonder if what she wanted was really worth the price.

  The following morning, Liam pulled into the parking lot at Wu’s Grocery Store and waited. It felt a bit cloak and dagger, not to mention kind of ridiculous, since Wu’s wasn’t even open yet, and his was the only car in the lot. But Callahan fancied himself a P.I. along the lines of Magnum, so he was all about making even the most benign of meetings seem clandestine.

  Liam sighed and checked his watch. He needed to pick Evie Hart up in a half an hour, so he hoped Callahan wasn’t late. He couldn’t believe the woman was actually going on the Sunshine Scouts camp out. He couldn’t believe he was going. Braden had laughed hysterically when he’d called to tell him the reason he wouldn’t be hanging out at the pub that evening.

  Liam wished he could find the humor in the situation.

  When he’d brought the issue up to the mayor after the Chamber meeting, rather vociferously, Joshua had said that Liam needed to keep an eye on Hart while the rest of them did the same with Grayson Sparks. Liam thought Joshua had the thing backward—Sparks was definitely the greater threat—but the mayor had been insistent, and he was the boss, so . . .

  Liam startled when his passenger door opened and Arthur Callahan climbed inside. The older man wore sunglasses, a Hawaiian shirt and khakis, taking the private eye stereotype to the extreme. At nearly fifty, Callahan was the oldest cop on the Holiday Junction police force, and didn’t technically have a P.I. license, although he was working on it as part of his retirement plan. He did a little moonlighting, with the mayor and Chief of Police turning a blind eye as long as he didn’t violate any privacy laws. And he owed Liam. Although sober now, Callahan’s past was littered with a few alcohol-fueled missteps, and he probably would have lost his job without Liam’s help.

  “Morning,” Callahan said, sipping coffee from a paper cup. “So what’s the job?”

  Liam had to fight not to roll his eyes. He’d tried to tell Callahan what he needed over the phone, but the man wanted to discuss it in person. Liam suspected it was so he could get into his private eye wardrobe.

  “I need you to see what you can dig up on Evie Hart and Grayson Sparks,” he replied.

  Callahan
eyed him over the cup. “The New York developers?”

  Liam nodded.

  “What are you looking for?” he asked, setting the cup on the dash and pulling a little notepad from his shirt pocket. He clicked his pen and jotted down some notes.

  “I don’t know,” Liam replied. “But they’re up to something, and I need to know what it is. From what I’ve heard, Sparks isn’t known for playing by the rules. I assume he’ll probably try to pay people off or offer donations to the town.” He used air quotes around the word. “But I’m not sure how low he’ll go.”

  Callahan grunted and scribbled in the notebook. “What about Hart?”

  Liam let out a low groan and scrubbed a hand over his chin. “I’ve been assigned to keep an eye on her,” he replied with a frown. “But see what you can find. I don’t have to tell you that this is important.”

  Callahan nodded. “I’ll keep an eye on Sparks. And I have a few contacts that might be able to do some digging where I can’t.”

  “Nothing illegal.”

  Callahan scoffed. “I’m a cop,” he replied. “I’d never violate the law. But if information is dropped into my lap, I’d feel obligated to pass it along.”

  Liam snorted. “Right.”

  “Relax,” Callahan said, tucking his notebook and pen away as he reached for the door handle. “I’m on it. I’ll keep you posted.”

  And with that, he grabbed his coffee, got out of the car, and slammed the door, casually heading off down the street.

  Liam sat there for a minute collecting his thoughts, then turned on the car and headed toward the Holliday Inn to pick up Evie. He had a feeling it was going to be a long weekend.

  And that was only the beginning.

  * * *

  “How do I look?” Evie asked, stepping out of the bathroom and holding out her arms.

  Gray glanced up from his phone. He sat slouched in one of the chairs across the room, suit jacket discarded on Evie’s rumpled bed, and long legs crossed at the ankles.

  “Bit overdressed, don’t you think?” he asked, taking in her linen trousers and silver loafers. “Don’t you own a pair of jeans?”