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.
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 sucked.”
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 t
one 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.
“Ava,” Evan said, evenly. “This is a good idea. And we’re already knee-deep in planning. I need you to be on board here. And maybe even a little excited.”
“It is a good idea,” she agreed. Then she tossed her pen onto the top of her notebook and sat back in his kitchen chair. “But you and I both know that something’s missing.”
Evan sighed. He looked down at his own notebook. “Have you told her that something’s missing?” Because Cori wasn’t talking to him.
He and Ava had been working on putting together the Parking and Pie event for the past two weeks. The party was scheduled for a week from today.
As soon as Cori had walked out of the pie shop with his heart, Evan had decided that they were going to do this. They were going to show her that she did not have to stay out of the way, that they not only wanted her around, but they needed her. And putting this together with Ava had showed them both that was even truer than they’d thought. It was supposed to be a kind of tribute to Cori and her amazing, over-the-top-yet-totally-perfect ideas. Instead, it was clear that no one could quite pull it off like she could.
And that made him love her even more.
“She doesn’t want to talk about it,” Ava said. “She’s going to take tickets for us—the money part—but she said we have to do the rest.”
Evan shook his head. “Basically, she’s gorgeous, sexy, brilliant, and stubborn as hell?”
“Probably a good thing for you to know before you get in any deeper, huh?” Ava asked with a smile.
“I’m in really deep now, Ava,” he told her honestly.
“Good.” She picked her pen up again. “Let’s throw a not-bad party that will make her roll her eyes and jump in to save us.”
“This isn’t going to be the spelling bee all over again?” he asked. “She won’t realize what we’re trying to do and just walk out?”
Ava shrugged. “I hope not.”
“That’s not very comforting.”
Ava sighed. “Well it won’t be a total disaster. So there’s that. Everyone knows we’re working on it together. They all think it’s great. I’m getting everything organized and you’re making it fun. They figure this is the perfect type project for us to come together on. Everyone’s celebrating us being a couple and all of the wonderful things we’re going to be able to do together.” She said it dryly.
Evan groaned and ran a hand over his face. “It is great and we are a good team.”
Ava laughed. “We are. Just like Dad thought we would be.”
Evan looked at Ava. She was beautiful and smart and sophisticated and successful. And he had no desire to kiss her. They were a great team. But they weren’t meant to be.
“How is Cori?” he finally asked.
“I’ve gained five pounds and my kitchen is now bright yellow.”
“The kitchen at the house or the shop?”
“Yes.”
Evan laughed in spite of himself. “She’s bored.”
“Very bored,” Ava said. “Oh, and I do have a Piehole Game in the middle of my dining room.”
“Piehole?” Evan repeated.
“You know the saying “shut your piehole?”
“Okay,” he said slowly. “Yes.”
“And you know of a game called Cornhole?” Ava asked.
“I do.” Not that he could imagine Ava Carmichael playing the lawn game where people tossed bean bags through holes in a big wooden board.
“This is a combination. Cori made a game called Piehole. She made bean bags that look like little pies and the holes in the board are all mouths.”
Evan honestly wasn’t sure what to say to that. But as he thought about it, he felt his grin stretching. “She couldn’t resist.”
Ava shook her head, also grinning. “Nope. But adding some games is a good idea, right?”
“It is.” Evan’s mind starting spinning. “We could start everything around four p.m. They could play games for a while before we start the movie at five? I have a couple of ideas for other activities. But I’m sure Cori will have more.”
“She won’t tell us.”
“Maybe she’ll tell Noah. He’s sweet. A good listener,” Evan said.
“She might have written them down.”
They both looked up as Brynn came into the room.
“You think so?” Ava asked.
“Well, she’s writing something in that notebook while she pretends to work with us every night,” Brynn said, taking a chair at the table. She and Noah were both helping with the party too, of course. But the town knew that Ava and Evan were the driving forces.
“Wait what?” Evan asked. “Pretends to work?”
“We have new house rules,” Brynn told him. “Cori insists that we all have dinner together every night and then any work we do has to be together at the dining room table. We’re not excused until eight.”
He liked that. He knew that Rudy had been concerned about his girls and their relationships with one another. At least that was going well.
No, it was all going well. The pie shop was up and running. Business was slow, but the party in the park would help. Exactly as Cori had envisioned. And as for their romantic relationships. He looked at the two sisters at his table. He really did want to help them all with the conditions of Rudy’s trust. He always had. Because of Rudy. But now it was because of the girls themselves. They’d become his friends.
He wasn’t worried about Brynn. She was slow getting into the dating scene maybe, but she’d only been here for a little over two months, and it seemed that Noah was going to be plenty protective when it came to which guys got to take Brynn out. If she didn’t go on that first date—especially if Noah was going to keep insisting that his time with Brynn didn’t count—then Evan would nudge them in the next couple of months. But there was plenty of time for her to get her six dates in. As for Ava…he wasn’
t going to be able to keep this up for three and a half more months. That wasn’t long. He got that. But he couldn’t be away from Cori for that long. He was just going to have to find the right guy—or at least the right-ish guy—for Ava. But he could do that. Probably.
And Cori…well, she wasn’t having multiple casual sexual relationships, that was for damned sure. There was going to be nothing multiple about her relationships with men in Bliss. Or anywhere else in the world. And there was absolutely nothing casual about what was going on with him and Cori.
“Thanks, have a great time.” Cori stuffed the money into the money bag and kept her smile in place while the family of five drove their SUV past the table and into the park. Then she turned to survey the scene again.
Ugh. It was…nice. Very nice. The sun was shining and the temperature was just about perfect. Because of course it was. Ava Carmichael wouldn’t throw a party in less than ideal temperatures.
Noah was directing people into parking spots facing a huge movie screen. Almost like a drive-in theater. Cori had no idea how they’d gotten the screen or projector and she hadn’t asked. Since they hadn’t paid for it out of the pie shop account, it was none of her business. And honestly, the Dream Team of Ava and Evan had so many connections between them that they could probably pull anything off.
And yes, everything was very…nice. They had local high school kids acting as car hops, taking orders and delivering pie and drinks. They had music playing too. It sounded like one of those compilation CDs where kids covered popular songs from the radio. They did have the Piehole game set up along with a couple of other lawn games. And behind the Ethan Stone Memorial Pavilion was a large mud pit where kids were making mud pies. There was even a clean-up station with hoses and towels that bore the logos from Parker’s diner, Noah’s auto shop, and Evan’s law practice.
The other games had nothing to do with pie, but that was a minor detail. It was bugging the crap out of her, but it really was a small thing. The towels were very cool and everyone seemed to be happy to be here. Most of them were sitting in their cars or hanging out in the backs of their trucks, just kind of…waiting. But they were here and eating pie and that was the main point.
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