Chapter 29

Evie

Iclutch my mug of steaming coffee, finding it hard to make eye contact with Adam, sitting across from me at the kitchen table. I'm wearing the lush terry robe he gave me to wear after the deluge. The initials AD are sown on the breast pocket, the belt cinched around my waist. Adam's scent is all over me. I may never get dressed again.

When he materialized by the poolside and stripped off his shirt, revealing sculpted muscles beneath, I couldn't hide my astonishment. Then, when he gracefully dove into the pool, surprise quickly turned to excitement.

Watching him swim toward me, his strong strokes bringing him closer, I knew he was planning to kiss me. And then, when his lips were right there?—

"Evie, are you okay?"

I blink away the sultry memory and take a sip of my coffee, finding my voice. "That storm was crazy. It came out of nowhere. The sky was blue with only a few clouds. Then, bam!"

Despite making an attempt to sound light and airy, I'm babbling on. I'm wound up tight.

Adam chuckles, and I meet his eye. He looks different. Maybe embarrassed?

Did I imagine the entire thing? Maybe he was just being playful. Sheesh, I almost kissed him.

I chide myself for once again second-guessing my instincts, letting insecurity and doubt fill my mind.

Adam goes to the large bay window, looking out. He keeps his back to me. "It can get like that out here. In June, I was hiking in the park and was hit with ten minutes of pounding hail. The climate out here is constantly changing. Very different from the coasts." He pauses and turns around, his face serious. "About earlier... in the pool?—"

I feel the heat rise to my face. And then my phone rings. Bill the Bull.

I'm dying to know what Adam wants to tell me. At least I think I do. But something is up at the office. "It's my boss," I say. "I should take this."

"Of course," Adam says, grabbing an apple from the table and taking a bite. He seems nervous.

I excuse myself and go into the living room. Heavy raindrops bounce off the surface of the pool and onto the cement, leaving puddles all around. "Hi, Bill. Sorry I missed your call yesterday. My phone died."

"I see."

His tone is curt. I picture him sitting behind his desk, his slicked-back hair stuck in place with heavy-handed pomade.

"What's going on? You never call on weekends."

"How's your vacation?"

Alarm bells are going off in my head. Bill the Bull never asks how things are on my end. The wind picks up, the rain pounding on the glass door, droplets streaming down the glass like thick tears. "What's going on, Bill?" I repeat.

"I got a call from Jerry late on Friday. I didn't want to ruin your vacation."

Jerry is the firm's CEO and Bill's father-in-law. I can't imagine what this is about. "Please come out with it. You're scaring me."

"Remember when attorneys from Becker and Stone came by a couple of months ago?"

I wrack my muddled brain, pulling up the memory. The rival firm had previously attempted a hostile takeover of Stilton and Everett then switched tactics, offering a merger. Jerry had been wary, and I suspected the deal never got past the first meeting. Especially since I hadn't heard a word about it since. "Yes, what of it? Did they hammer out a deal?"

"Yes, yes, we did."

Something in the way he's speaking gives me pause. Is Bill taking over the reins from Jerry? God, I hope not. Without Jerry's oversight, he'll run the place into the ground.

"The deal was being kept quiet. I wanted to give you more of a heads up, but?—"

A pang of dread runs through me.

"What happened!" I hear myself shouting and quickly bring it under control. "Bill, tell me everything . . . please."

I end the call and walk to the patio door. The sun is peeking out from behind the scattering clouds. Pulling the robe tighter around my waist, I step outside and dissolve into a puddle of tears.

I hearthe patio door open behind me. I don't turn around.

Adam keeps a respectful distance. "I'm sorry, Evie. I couldn't help but overhear some of your conversation."

I must have been terribly loud if he could hear me from the kitchen over the pounding storm. A wave of embarrassment rushes over me as I recall Bill's final patronizing words. "You'll find something else."

I'm fifty years old. Finding a job will be near impossible at this stage in my career.

I swipe at my face, speaking softly. "I just got canned."

"Oh." Then, "Was it unexpected?"

"Very much so. I'm blindsided."

As I say those words, something pulls at me. Bill had to have known this was coming down the pike yet he never said a word. Actually, the scumbag tried guilt-tripping me for going on vacation. My blood is boiling now, the anger a living, breathing thing.

I turn around, suddenly seized by a sense of determination. Adam stands in front of me, chewing on his bottom lip.

Speaking more to myself than to him, I say, "I made it too easy on my boss. I won't go down without a fight."

It's as if a switch is flicked. I feel remarkably energized. "I need to go back to New York. As soon as possible. I'm so sorry. I know I committed to helping you at your sister's wedding, but this phone call changes everything."

Adam frowns but doesn't argue. "Can you tell me about it?"

"No time," I say, rushing past him. "I need to pack. But I'll call you as soon as I deal with this and catch you up."

"But—"

I stop cold. What am I doing?

I turn around, feeling awful. Adam looks shell-shocked. I go over to him and take his hand. Filled with conflict, I speak softly. "Thank you for your hospitality. These last few days have been incredible. I will find another way to make it up to you. I promise."

I turn away and this time, hurry inside.