Chapter 4 - THE FIRST REAL KISS
Nora’s mother cornered us before we left.
Diane stood in the front hall with Miles.
No Charles.
Cowardly.
“Nora, you’re not leaving.”
“Yes, I am.”
“We need to discuss what your grandmother told you.”
“No.”
Diane glanced toward me.
“This is family.”
Nora smiled.
“You’ve used that sentence a lot today.”
Miles stepped closer.
“You’re upset.”
“Excellent observation.”
“You’re making emotional decisions.”
Nora laughed.
“You planned an engagement without me.”
“That wasn’t final.”
“You had a ring.”
His jaw tightened.
“It was supposed to show commitment.”
“To whom?”
Silence.
Nora moved toward the door.
Miles caught her wrist.
I stood.
Immediately.
Nora saw me.
“Evan.”
I stopped.
Miles still held her.
She looked at his hand.
“Miles.”
He released her.
Good choice.
Then he said:
“You don’t know who he is.”
Nora looked at me.
“Yes, actually. That part has been discussed.”
Miles blinked.
“He’s dangerous.”
“So is marrying someone who thinks permission is optional.”
That landed.
We walked outside.
When we reached my car, Nora stopped.
“That was awful.”
“I enjoyed parts.”
“Of course you did.”
She leaned against the passenger door.
“My mother is going to lose her company.”
“Maybe.”
“My grandmother may lose the land.”
“Maybe.”
“Miles thinks I belong to him.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re weirdly calm.”
“I’m not involved emotionally.”
She looked at me.
“Really?”
Bad question.
I stepped closer.
“You paid me for today.”
“Yes.”
“So far, this remains employment.”
Her eyes dropped briefly to my mouth.
I noticed.
She noticed me noticing.
“That joke from the café…”
“Yes?”
“You asked whether you get to kiss your girlfriend.”
“I remember.”
“She hasn’t said yes.”
“No.”
Silence.
Wind moved through the live oaks.
Then Nora whispered:
“Yes.”
I did not move immediately.
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
I kissed her.
Not dramatically.
Not the way men in my world kiss women when they want to own the moment.
Slow.
Enough time for her to change her mind.
She did not.
Her hand touched my jacket.
Mine rested against her waist.
When we separated, she looked annoyed.
“That was inconvenient.”
“Very.”
“This is fake.”
“Obviously.”
“You’re smiling.”
“So are you.”
She stopped.
Then laughed.
That sound again.
I was in trouble.
My phone rang.
Nico.
My head of security.
I answered.
“What?”
“Someone accessed Cole Development files tied to Magnolia House.”
My expression changed.
Nora noticed.
“When?”
“Twenty minutes ago.”
“Who?”
“Request came through Harper Atlantic’s outside counsel.”
I looked back toward the estate.
Charles.
“What did they request?”
“Your holdings within three miles.”
Nora whispered:
“What?”
I put the call on speaker.
Nico continued.
“They also requested vessel access, hotel ownership and security subsidiaries.”
I said:
“They’re profiling me.”
“Yes.”
“Anything else?”
“Someone ran Bennett Nora through a private background service this afternoon.”
Nora’s face changed.
“Who?”
“Harper Atlantic account.”
I ended the call.
Nora stared toward the house.
“Miles?”
“Maybe Charles.”
“Why?”
“Because I changed their plan.”
Her anger hardened.
“What do we do?”
Interesting.
We.
“First, you open your bakery.”
She stared.
“What?”
“You’ve spent eighteen months preparing.”
“How can I think about that now?”
“Because that was your plan before these people made themselves the center of your life.”
She went quiet.
“Second, you need Bennett Events financial records.”
“My mother won’t give them.”
“You’re operations director.”
“Not finance.”
“Then ask questions.”
“And if she refuses?”
“Then you learn something.”
She nodded slowly.
“Third?”
I handed her the thousand dollars.
She stared.
“What?”
“Our arrangement ended.”
Her face fell slightly.
I continued:
“If you want help after this, you don’t pay me.”
“Why?”
“Because then you don’t work for me and I don’t work for you.”
“That makes no sense.”
“It does to me.”
She looked at the money.
Then at me.
“What are we?”
“Currently?”
“Yes.”
I smiled.
“Complicated.”
She rolled her eyes.
But she put the money back in her purse.
The next morning, Nora walked into Bennett Events and requested every current loan agreement.
Diane refused.
Nora resigned.
Immediately.
That part I learned when she called me from the sidewalk.
“I did something.”
“You sound terrified.”
“I quit.”
I smiled.
“How does it feel?”
“Like vomiting.”
“That can be freedom.”
“You have strange motivational skills.”
Then her voice changed.
“My mother said if I leave now, she’ll lose the company.”
“Will she?”
“I don’t know.”
“Find out.”
“How?”
I looked at the financial investigator sitting across my office table.
May you like
“Funny you should ask.”
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