“Thank you.” Evangeline watched Renee walk toward the bar, then met Darren’s steady gaze. The smile on his face didn’t reach his eyes. She didn’t know if he was happy to see her here. She didn’t care. Whatever scheme he had going, she wanted to shut him down and move on with her life.
The sooner, the better.
She no longer went along with what others wanted her to do. No one dictated her life anymore.
Okay, well, Chris had forced her hand and made her get involved in this, but it gave her what she wanted. A clean record waited for her on the other side of this mission.
That’s all it was. A job.
She didn’t want to think too deeply about what would happen to Darren and Tom once they were caught. Or what they’d likely want to do to her when they found out she had betrayed them.
How many other people were involved?
What happened if they caught her?
She let those thoughts go and focused on the opportunity that fell into her lap today. She’d planned to talk to Darren and get him to tell her what he wanted from her. This might be a better way in. If she worked for Renee on the website, she’d be here to observe Darren and get close to him again.
Renee sat, set two wineglasses on the table in front of them, and then poured from the open bottle of wine. She handed Evangeline a glass and picked up her own. “To serendipity and meeting the right person at the right time.”
Evangeline clinked her glass with Renee’s. She sipped the sweet, cold wine and sighed. “That’s fantastic.”
“I’ll send a bottle home with you.”
“That’s too generous.”
Renee nodded to the tablet on Evangeline’s lap. “Then earn it.”
Evangeline pulled up the bowling alley website. “Now, this is nothing like your business, but it is the most recent example of my work and illustrates the types of things I can do for you.” She spent the next half hour describing the website features and how she could use the same features to update the winery’s website and enhance their current systems.
Renee listened intently. She loved the photos Evangeline snapped out front and suggested hiring a professional photographer to take more, including some candid shots from the upcoming wedding and business party scheduled next week.
“You should get a few shots of you and your husband together on the property and sipping wine in front of the fire. Your personal touch is everywhere here—show people this is your place and you want to share it with others.”
“I don’t care what it costs, you’re hired.”
Evangeline couldn’t contain her smile, her burst of joy, or the thought that it must be nice to have the kind of money where you simply said yes to what you wanted. “I’ll put together an estimate and an outline of what we discussed.”
“My husband will be happy to see it, but I’m sold and I want you to move forward with the design and concept we discussed.” Renee sipped her wine and took a second to think. “I’d like you to talk to my husband about the wine inventory and ordering system.”
“You can’t get anyone better than Evangeline when it comes to that.” Darren leaned over the back of the sofa and kissed her cheek. “Hey, you, this is a surprise.”
Yeah, just like the one I got when Tom showed up at the bowling alley.
She went along with Darren’s easy, friendly manner.
“When you talked about working here, well, I saw how happy and excited you were about your job. I thought I’d come and check this place out and see what you’re up to.”
Darren’s eyes went flat, but he kept the smile on his face. “I’m glad you came. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
Renee stood. “The bus tour will be here soon. I’ll give you a few minutes alone. Evangeline, please come back tomorrow. I’ll call you with a meeting time. My husband and I will go over everything with you.”
Evangeline stood and held out her hand and shook Renee’s. “Thank you again for this opportunity. I will have everything ready tomorrow.” Evangeline held up her wine. “This was the best way to conduct business. I hope all my meetings from now on take place over a glass of superb wine.”
“Let me get you the bottle I promised. Back in a sec.”
Darren waited only long enough for Renee to be out of earshot. “That was brilliant work.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry. What do you mean?”
“The website. Getting into their database system. It’s genius.”
Tom’s interest in her computer skills started making a lot more sense.
She didn’t let Darren know she was on to him. “It’s good business. It’s what I do.”
“Exactly. I thought maybe you could hack in and make changes, but creating the system and having permission to access it, that will make things so much easier. And not raise suspicions.”
She tilted her head, trying to make him think she was confused. “For what exactly?”
“Right. We need to talk about the plan and what I need you to do.” Darren smiled at Renee when she returned with not one bottle of the Riesling, but two.
“Enjoy. You’ve earned it.” Renee handed her the bottles and gave her a double cheek kiss goodbye. “Tomorrow.” Renee waved and exited through one of the side doors and out onto the sunlit patio.
Darren swept his arm out toward the huge wood door. “I’ll walk you out. That tour really will be here any minute.”
She gathered her purse and tablet and the wine and walked out ahead of Darren, but she turned back to him by her truck. She held her phone in her hand and discreetly tapped the screen with her thumb and hoped it worked. “I need to put together an outline of what I’ll be doing for the winery website for Renee to show her husband. What exactly is it that you think I can do for you here?”
Darren stared down at her. “What did Chris want with you the other night when he interrupted us at the bar?”
She should have expected him to be suspicious. “To let me know that he’s watching me and if I don’t live up to the terms of my parole, or step out of line even a little bit, he’s happy to take me back to prison.” She kept her gaze locked on his. “Oh, and that I should stay the hell away from you. Why aren’t you two friends anymore?”
Darren didn’t flinch or give anything away. “What did he tell you?”
She shrugged. “Nothing. He issues threats.”
Darren’s shoulders relaxed and the smile came back. “We had a falling-out about my brother. You know he’s been in trouble in the past. Tom is family. He sometimes colors outside the lawful lines. Chris didn’t like me defending my brother. I didn’t take kindly to him targeting Tom the way he targeted you.”
Well, that was a deflection she didn’t see coming. She needed to stay on her toes with Darren and not underestimate his ability to spin things to his liking. “You think Chris pulled me over because he had some kind of grudge against me?”
Darren gave her a look and shrugged, leaving it to her to come to the conclusion he wanted her to believe: He had nothing to do with what happened four years ago. Chris was after her and Tom.
“Stay away from him.”
“I’ve had my fill of cops and guards telling me what to do and watching my every move. Believe me, he’s the last person I want to see again.” Besides you. “About this job with Renee . . .”
“If you can get control of the database, that means we can change the inventory to our benefit.”
She played dumb. “I don’t understand. Why would we do that?”
“It’s simple. Let’s say they produce a hundred cases of that Riesling she gave you. They enter that in the system. I come in later and change that to eighty cases. They have no idea twenty cases are missing later on down the road when they ship out the orders.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to get involved in anything illegal. Been there, done that, got the scars to prove it. I’m not going back to prison. I wasn’t the one who stole the wine in the first place.”
&n
bsp; “I know. I helped your old man steal it.”
She gasped with surprise she didn’t really feel, but played it up for him. “You!”
Darren seemed to buy her act. “Your father never told you?”
“I told you, I never spoke to him after I went to prison. Then he died.” Grief still punched her in the heart when she let herself think about what happened, her father’s death, and living with her regrets. “Did you get him involved in whatever scheme you’ve got going?”
“I bet you’d like to think that, but your old man came to me. We were going to be family. Remember?”
“That was a lifetime ago.”
“Yeah, sometimes it feels that way to me, too.” He brushed his hand over her hair. “But here you are, back in my life.”
She held back the instinctual flinch and revulsion that he’d touch her like that again.
“And when I see you, all I want to do is kiss you.” He leaned in to do just that, but she put her hand on his chest to stop him.
“I’m trying to get my life back on track. I’ve got a parole officer, Chris, and my angry mother, all watching everything I do. This may seem like fun to you, but if I get caught, I go back to prison.”
“You won’t get caught doing anything. I just need you to get me in the database. Whatever I do, it’s not on you.”
Yeah, right. Darren wanted to draw her into the scheme, then he’d have her right where he wanted her and would use her for something else. He’d have leverage. And Darren liked to get people to do what he wanted.
“You never know, this job might lead to more. I’ve got connections at several of the wineries in Napa and Sonoma Counties.”
And there it was. She’d do this job for Cross Cellars, he’d help her get work at the other wineries, and he’d use what she did here to make her get him into the databases at those wineries. He’d be stealing without anyone the wiser. All thanks to her.
Well, he’d find she wasn’t such an easy mark.
The bus pulled into the parking lot.
“I’ve got to get back to work. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Darren squeezed her arm, and it made her cringe to have his hand on her, so casual and friendly. He walked over to where the bus stopped and the passengers were getting off. He greeted them with a wide smile and promises of a good time and great wine.
All he promised her was a way back to prison.
But that wasn’t going to happen this time. Chris promised he wouldn’t let that happen.
And she had some insurance.
She waved goodbye to Darren, climbed into her father’s truck, set her bag and the wine on the passenger seat, and started the engine.
She turned and stared at Darren leading a group of ten or so people into the wine-tasting room, all while planning to steal from the good people who built this wonderful place and gave him a job.
She had proof against Darren and insurance for herself. She hit play on the app on her phone. Darren’s voice filled the cab. “What did Chris want with you . . .”
She stopped the recording. “He wants me to take you down.”
And she wouldn’t quit until she did just that, because even though her father may have started this enterprise, Darren was responsible for putting her behind bars and contributed to her father’s demise. He deserved to spend some time behind bars. And she couldn’t wait to put him there where he belonged.
Chapter Nineteen
Rhea waited on the porch for Evangeline to return from wherever she’d gone today. Honestly, she had no idea what was going on with her daughter. It pained her to think that they used to be so close Rhea knew every little thing about her life, her friends, and her hopes and dreams.
Evangeline had been such a fun-loving, bright girl.
When Evangeline got into trouble, she used to apologize and try to make things right immediately. The woman she’d become took everything thrust upon her and swallowed it down deep. She didn’t share anything she didn’t absolutely have to or give anything away.
Rhea missed Evangeline’s bright, cheery smiles and infectious laugh. She hadn’t done either since she arrived home, and probably a lot longer than that.
Nothing but pain and sadness filled her eyes these days.
Rhea didn’t recognize the woman who returned from jail. She didn’t look or act the same. Once outgoing, now reserved, her daughter hid her feelings. The light in her eyes had dimmed. Anger, regret, and resentment shadowed her face.
She had every reason to feel those things after what happened to her. Rhea had put some of the darkness in her eyes with her harsh words and treatment.
Rhea’s regrets weighed down her heart.
Rhea hadn’t said anything at the funeral when Chris talked about how Evangeline got the scars on her body. At the time, she’d thought her daughter deserved to suffer for what she’d put them through and how hard Richard had taken her arrest and absence. Rhea had wanted her to pay, especially on the days that Richard sank into the bottom of a bottle instead of turning to her for comfort.
Richard had been wallowing in guilt and missing Evangeline while his daughter had been repeatedly attacked and nearly died. Richard lived in his misery, while Rhea blamed Evangeline. True, in her more charitable and nostalgic moments, Rhea missed Evangeline, too. She couldn’t fathom what possessed her sweet girl to do something so stupid and hurtful. But more often her anger overtook her.
Even as angry as Rhea had been, she’d never wanted her daughter to be attacked like that. Never.
The sight of Evangeline’s scars made Rhea’s heart bleed. She wanted to hurt those who had hurt her precious daughter.
Now her feelings had been turned upside down, and she wanted to hurt Richard. His silence and cowardice were unforgivable.
Rhea couldn’t forgive herself for the way she’d thought about and acted toward Evangeline.
She understood now why Evangeline had refused to see Richard while in prison or even speak to him. Because of that, Rhea had let her sit and rot in that place instead of demanding that her daughter tell her the truth.
A tear slipped down her cheek. How could she turn her back on her child without ever really trying to reach her? Evangeline had been in pain, betrayed by her father and cast aside by her family, who thought the worst of her when she’d simply been trying to protect them from the awful truth.
Richard, in his misguided attempt to increase the income for the ranch, had put himself, the ranch, and his own daughter in harm’s way.
As much as Rhea missed her husband and grieved for him, she despised what he’d done. The anger she’d shown Evangeline didn’t compare to the rage she directed at Richard’s ghost.
He lied to her every day of the last four years. He turned away from her and the love she tried so desperately to shower on him. If only he’d confided in her, trusted in her love and the years they’d worked together to raise their family and build the business, they could have worked this out. At the very least they could have shared the burden and worked out a way to help Evangeline, even if only to support her decision to take the fall, and to make her time away as easy as possible. Not that her life in prison could be changed, but with letters from home, maybe those years would not have been so isolating.
Maybe then she could have welcomed her daughter home with open arms, instead of scathing words and hurtful accusations.
More tears came with the thought of how she’d accused Evangeline of killing her father.
He’d killed himself. One day at a time. One drink at a time. One lie at a time. Every unspoken word ate away at him.
Keeping the secret destroyed him.
Rhea would have been angry to learn the truth, but they’d have gotten through it. They had gotten through many things over the years. His pride, his conscience would suffer because he’d done something wrong and his daughter paid the price. If he’d told Rhea, she would have helped him come to terms with the terrible situation.
She felt useless when Evangeline took the blame, pled
guilty, and went straight to prison. The feeling amplified now because her husband wasn’t here. She wanted to scream out her anger and frustrations at him. He left them without ever making things right with her and Evangeline.
Oh, how her daughter must hate them. They’d failed her so badly, Rhea didn’t know if she could ever make up for the things she’d said and done. Her words to Evangeline must echo in her head. Rhea didn’t think any apology would eradicate the hateful words she’d spewed and the vile feelings she’d shown Evangeline.
The truck closed the distance down the long driveway to the house. Rhea had to try to reconnect with her daughter. She hoped Evangeline hadn’t hardened her heart to the point where she couldn’t find a way to forgive.
Evangeline parked and got out of the truck, pulling out her heavy bag, purse, and two bottles of wine. She walked up the steps to the porch and would have passed right by Rhea if Rhea hadn’t stepped in front of her.
Evangeline sighed and held up the wine bottles, one in each hand. “I got another job today, with Cross Cellars. I left a message for my parole officer about moving. It won’t be long before I’m out of your hair.”
“About that and what you said today . . .”
“I’m sorry you had to hear that. I never meant to say anything. Joey . . . He made me mad and I spoke before I could hold my tongue.”
“You’ve been doing that a good long time now.”
“It was the only thing to do.”
“I’ve thought a lot about that today. You didn’t say anything because you were protecting your father and this family. He kept quiet to protect himself. You were selfless. He was very, very selfish.”
Evangeline’s shoulders sagged. “Mom, what was he supposed to do at that point? I was caught and guilty of being in possession of stolen goods. If he came forward, he would have gotten into much more serious trouble for stealing the wine in the first place. He’d have gone to jail. What would have happened to you and this ranch without him?”
For the first time since Evangeline arrived home, Rhea reached up and touched her daughter, cupping her scarred cheek in her hand. “Look what happened to you because he didn’t come to your rescue.”
The Me I Used to Be Page 16
