by Zoe York
“Because you will make him more balanced too,” John said. “You will finally give him a reason to be more responsible.”
Oh boy. John thought Evan’s feelings for her would make him a better man. No, that his feelings for Ava would make him a better man. At least in his grandfather’s eyes. John would be incredibly annoyed to find out that not only was she not really Ava, but that Evan wasn’t spending that much time with Ava.
Cori felt a niggle of guilt at the back of her mind. Would Evan be better off if he was spending more time with Ava?
But no, that wasn’t fair. He was a great guy just the way he was. He didn’t need any positive influences from anyone.
And Lord knew he wasn’t going to get it from her.
She shook that off.
“You know that it was very important to your father that you find happiness, Ava,” John said.
His use of her sister’s name jolted Cori. She swallowed hard. “So I hear,” she said. And it made her heart ache a little. She loved that Rudy wanted Ava to be happy. But it hurt that he hadn’t been able to tell her that himself.
“He felt guilty,” John went on. “He knew that you worked hard because you thought it made him happy.”
“It did,” Cori said. That was no secret.
“It did,” John agreed with a nod. “For a long time. But he finally realized that he was looking at your successes as proof that he’d done something right as a father. And that that wasn’t true. So he decided to be a good father now.”
Cori swallowed hard as her throat suddenly tightened. “By bringing me here.”
“Yes.”
And setting Ava up with Evan. Even if he’d done it indirectly.
That niggle in the back of her mind grew stronger. Yeah, that was definitely guilt. But Evan had been making sure Ava had some fun. Yes, Cori had interrupted their dinner, but that had been helpful at the time. Supposedly, anyway. Her intentions had been good. And they’d had movie night. Cori had stayed out of the way of that one. That had been fun for Ava. Probably. Game night had been fun. Cori had been there for that and had stayed away from Evan. He’d followed her into the kitchen but…she hadn’t even kissed him. And she’d seen Ava laughing that night.
“I’ve definitely been working less,” Cori said to John. But she almost winced. Ava was still working a lot. Too much. She was doing pie shop work and still making conference calls with New York. And who knew who else? She’d supposedly taken movie night off. Cori knew Evan had been gone by eleven because that was when Cori had risked going home. But Ava could have gone to her office to work after he left. Cori hadn’t even checked. Because she didn’t want to actually hear that Ava had had a good time.
Cori realized that Ava may actually be working longer hours, making up for the time she was taking off here and there with Evan. She was going through the motions with Evan because she had to, but it wasn’t actually changing anything for her.
And Evan was just going through the motions with Ava too.
Cori glanced out the window to where Evan was on the sidewalk, still on the phone.
Evan said she was brighter and bolder than he was, but he was still the party guy, fun and spontaneous. He wanted to build a mini-golf course and take clients fishing. He was unconventional. So why was he taking Ava to dinner and doing movie nights at home? Those were…typical dates. Somehow she knew he wouldn’t have taken Cori to a steak house. They would have made homemade egg rolls and eaten them picnic style in the back of his truck. And poured the sauces on each other’s stomachs for dipping. If they did a movie night, it would have been a marathon and there would have a least been a theme, and cuddling under a blanket, and rewriting the bad dialogue, and acting out how the romantic moments should have turned out.
He wasn’t really giving Ava the full Evan experience. Because of Cori. Because she was in the way, distracting him with her St. Bernards.
“I’m glad you’re going out more,” John said. “And it’s very telltale that Evan hasn’t bought the town a Ferris wheel or something.” He chuckled and took a final swallow of coffee.
He was drinking it black. That was a definite mark against him. Not to mention how guilty he was making Cori feel.
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Evan has ten million dollars all to himself. It’s completely under his control and it’s for the town. I’m shocked he hasn’t bought something absurd like a Merry-Go-Round or a bouncy castle.”
Or a mini-golf course. Cori rubbed a finger on the center of her forehead. “He can easily afford some fun things too,” she said.
“Oh, no,” John said quickly, his smile disappearing. “He’d already got you playing hooky in the middle of a work day and having your sister cover for you when she’s not supposed to be baking. Don’t fall under his spell.”
Well…shit. She couldn’t tell him that wasn’t true. Or that the hooky thing had been her influence.
“I know my grandson can be very charming, but you are supposed to be immune to that.”
She was definitely not immune. But yeah, Ava did seem to be. “Did my father tell you that too? That I don’t respond to charm?” That was kind of sad. Surely there was someone that had, that could, charm Ava.
“He told me you respond to success and drive,” John said. “Which is why forcing you to date someone different was a good plan. You never would have done that on your own.”
Cori really hated John’s assumption that Evan fit because he was the opposite of successful and driven. But she couldn’t defend him too passionately or she wouldn’t be Ava.
“I guess there were a lot of good parts to Rudy’s plan.” Coming to Bliss had been a good thing. Working with her sisters to get the pie shop going had been a good thing. Meeting Hank and the guys had been a good thing. And she couldn’t say that her time with Evan hadn’t been good. It had been too good, in fact. It did seem that Rudy had known what he was doing. Which meant Evan really would be good for Ava…if Cori wasn’t in the way.
“Buying the town a Ferris wheel would somehow indicate that I’m failing at making Evan more responsible?”
She’d definitely put her vote in for the mini-golf course. Would Ava have done that? No. Cori knew the answer. Ava would have talked investing.
“Evan wants to be worthy of the responsibility Rudy gave him,” John said. “Evan is well-liked and people trust him with basic legal matters. But he’s not…someone anyone but your father would have given ten million dollars to.”
“But my father wanted me to date him,” Cori said, that fact fully sinking in for the first time. Rudy had wanted Ava and Evan together. “Seems he must have trusted him if he wanted him with his daughter.”
John laughed. “Well, for one, Rudy didn’t worry about you handling yourself with men. He wanted you to be a little softer, if anything. But he also knew that Evan would never agree to date you if it was premeditated. Evan doesn’t really plan well or commit easily. And he doesn’t like having a lot of expectations placed on him. But Rudy also knew that once Evan knew what you needed and that he could meet those needs, he’d step up.”
Cori frowned. “Rudy gambled on the fact that Evan is a good guy who loves to help the people around him.”
“He did.”
“And he won,” Cori said. Evan had done exactly what Rudy had expected.
“I have a feeling that your father didn’t get to where he got to in business by never gambling.”
“No,” Cori agreed. “Or by being wrong about people.”
John nodded. “Exactly. I thought he was crazy to put Evan in charge of everything he did. But so far, looks like Rudy was right. And I know that makes Evan happy—to know that he’s making Rudy happy.”
Cori sucked in a quick breath, then covered it with a cough. Dammit.
Evan probably wasn’t feeling all that proud and satisfied. After all, he was messing around with her behind everyone’s backs, half-assing his dates with Ava, and taking bids on a miniature golf
course.
Hell, maybe he wasn’t even taking bids. Maybe he was just going to go with the first company that showed him the brightest lights and best music. Because that’s what she would do.
Yeah, he could definitely be doing a better job here. And feeling proud of stepping up to help Ava actually find balance between work and play—something Ava really did need. If Cori would just get out of the way.
The bell tinkled again and Evan stepped back into the shop.
“Anyway, thank you. I’m not wrong often,” John said. “But I’m happy to be wrong about Evan this time.”
She didn’t really care about John’s expectations for Evan. He seemed like a bit of a pompous ass. But she did care about Evan’s expectations for Evan.
And once the post-coital buzz wore off and he really thought about how he was failing Ava, he’d be disappointed.
John stood as Evan joined them at the table. “I need to get going.”
Evan gave Cori a concerned look. “Already?”
“Just making a quick stop and wanted to say hi, but yes, I need to get back to the city,” John said. “Your grandmother has a to-do list for me.” He withdrew his wallet and tossed a fifty on the table.
Cori couldn’t help but be impressed. If they could sell all their pie and coffee for fifty bucks a piece, their financial situation would improve quickly.
“It was very nice to meet you, Ava,” John said. “I look forward to seeing you again.”
She gave him a smile. John and Evan shook hands and then John was gone.
Evan gave her a look as he dropped into the chair next to her. “Everything okay?”
“Do you mean does your grandfather believe that I’m Ava and that I’ve been the good influence on you that he and Rudy wanted me to be? Then yes. You haven’t done anything like putting a mini-golf course in, yet. That means I must be doing my job.”
Evan sighed. “My grandfather isn’t really a fun guy.”
She didn’t want to know the answer to her next question. But she already kind of did. “Did you know that Rudy wanted you and Ava together?” she asked.
Evan just studied her for a moment. Eventually he nodded. “Yes.”
“And you’re trying to tell me that doesn’t matter?” Cori felt her chest tightening. “You wanted to do what Rudy wanted in every other way, surely you wanted to be the one that helped Ava?”
“I…” He cleared his throat. “I thought about it. But I figured I could help her by being the one to find her the right guy.”
“You were afraid of not being the right guy?”
He gave her a small smile. “I never have been the right guy.”
Cori felt her heart squeeze. Well, that wasn’t true. At all. She hated that he didn’t see all the good things he did. “But you’ve never been with someone like Ava.”
“That’s true.”
Cori wet her lips. “You weren’t afraid of messing up with the ten million dollars? Or the will?”
“Of course I was.” Evan sighed. “But your dad didn’t give me a choice about those.”
“So when given the choice, you decided you weren’t the right guy.”
“Until I slept with Jill,” he agreed. “Then I realized maybe helping Ava was my chance to have a good relationship for the right reasons.”
Ouch. He hadn’t said it, and he maybe hadn’t even thought it, but that seemed to insinuate that any other relationship than the one with Ava was not as good. Or right.
“I can’t believe you couldn’t wait four months.”
Cori and Evan both turned as Ava came through the kitchen’s swinging door. Parker was right behind her.
Chapter 13
Cori and Evan both rose.
“You couldn’t have resisted for a few more weeks?” Ava asked. She focused on Evan. “I thought we talked about how everyone thought us not sleeping together was a sign that this was more serious. That everyone was buying that this was something different for you.”
“You talked to Ava about not sleeping together?” Cori asked Evan.
“I told her how everyone in town had noticed a change to my…typical pattern.” His expression was a combination of regret and sheepishness.
Yeah, but she and Evan fell right back into their typical patterns when they were together. In spite of all the very good reasons to stay apart, they hadn’t. No, she hadn’t been able to just freaking wait. She never put off having fun and feeling good.
“It was supposed to make it easier to break up later,” Ava said. “For now, it looks like we’re more serious than he usually is, but in the end, it will be our excuse, that we just never totally felt that way about each other.”
“Except now we screwed it up,” Cori said. She turned to Evan. “We’re screwing all of it up. We’re both doing what we’ve always done.”
He started to respond, then he just took a deep breath and shook his head. “Yeah. I guess we are.”
She moved closer to him, not touching him, but meeting his gaze directly. “I feel like being here, in Bliss, in the shop, with my sisters, has been really good for me. And that I’ve…gotten better. I’m proud of what we’re doing. But I want to be proud of everything.”
“And you’re not proud of being with me,” Evan said flatly.
“Because we shouldn’t be doing it. And you know it,” she said. “You want to be the right guy for Ava. But I got in the way of that.”
“I kissed you first.”
“When you thought I was Ava. And I sure didn’t rush to tell you the truth.”
“I haven’t fought one second of this, Cori.” His voice was low and firm, and he had an intensity in his stare that reminded her of the times he’d defended Rudy.
“You didn’t ask for my involvement though. You came to the shop to check in and instead of just telling your mom and everyone that Ava left, I jumped in and pretended to be her. You came over to ask Ava out and I kissed you. You took her to dinner and I interrupted. And you did toss me out of your car the other night.”
He made a little growling noise. “We’re still on that?”
“I’m just saying, all of the interruptions have been me.”
“I haven’t regretted one second,” he said, his gaze boring into hers.
“But—” She took a deep breath. “I’m keeping you from doing what you wanted to do, from doing what Rudy wanted you to do.”
“Cori—”
“I want you, Evan,” she said before he could say something to change her mind about doing the right thing. “And I’ve never resisted going after something I’ve wanted. So this is a way to prove that I’m better now too. I’m going to let us both do what we should do. I’m going to let you go. And you’re going to help Ava.”
“It’s only for a few more months,” Ava said quickly, suddenly seeming over her annoyance.
But Cori shook her head. “Evan can’t go from one sister to the other.”
“Then we’ll tell them the truth. I started dating Ava but got to know you and fell for you.”
“You mean you’ll tell everyone that you made a promise to Ava but then couldn’t keep your pants zipped?” Cori asked, crossing her arms.
“If that’s what people think, fine. That doesn’t bother me. We all know the truth,” Evan said. “I don’t care what everyone else thinks.”
“But you do,” Cori said. “You care what this town thinks of you, how they feel about you. That’s what you care about most. You want to be beloved and wanted here, Evan. And you won’t have that if you create this much of a scandal.”
“I’m in love with you, Cori.”
His words sucked the air out of her lungs. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever heard. And the most painful. “Well, of course you are,” she said. She gave him a half smile. “Because you aren’t supposed to be. And you’re a contrary personality. Like me.”
Evan’s jaw ticked and he took a step closer. “If that’s your way of telling me you’re in love with me too, that kind of suck
ed.”
She fought the urge to wrap her arms around him and refuse to let go. “I’m going to go.” She turned for the door.
“Where? You can’t leave, Cori,” Ava said, her tone panicked.
Yeah, that part was definitely inconvenient. She looked back at her sister. “I’m not leaving. I’m…fixing this.” Typically, her way of fixing things did include getting out of Dodge. But they were still hanging on by their fingernails and if she left now, she’d mess it all up for her sisters. “It’s a big learning curve for me, but I’m trying.”
“Where are you going to go?” Ava asked.
“Home,” Cori said simply.
“But—”
And she knew Ava wasn’t sure where Cori considered home. Well, Cori at least knew that now.
“I’ll be at the house, working on the books.” And out of everyone’s way. “Dinner’s at six. And just so you know, we’re having three desserts tonight. There will be lots of chocolate. And there’s a very good chance I’m using the blowtorch.”
Her hand was on the door when she heard, “I love the view from behind, but I’m not letting you walk away from me for long, Cori.”
She sucked in a deep breath and gathered her bravado. Then she shot Evan a big Cori grin over her shoulder. “I can absolutely say that you are a ton of fun, Evan Stone. Be sure you show my sister that side. There’s no reason to hold back.”
Then she took the hardest step of her life…out of the pie shop that was full of all of the good things in her life.
“We’re doing this, Ava.”
Ava gave Evan an arched eyebrow. “I’m sorry, did you mean to phrase that as a question?”
“No.”
She leaned one elbow onto the table and rested her chin on her hand. “You know, you are hot when you get all bossy, but since you’re in love with my sister, that doesn’t really do anything useful for me. So how about you tone it down a little?”
Evan blew out a breath.
The past two weeks without talking to or even seeing Cori had been the hardest of his life. Probably not as hard as seeing her and not being able to kiss her, touch her, laugh with her, but still excruciating. He knew he shouldn’t appreciate that she was avoiding him, but at the same time, it made it easier to plan this party. He was, however, losing his patience.
