Page 21 of All Because of You

Evan was done with this conversation. Turning, he headed for the front door. “You got your pictures. Let’s get out of here.”

Roxy didn’t move. “Fine then. Maybe you don’t like her. I don’t really care. All I care about is you not wrecking this deal for me. I’ve worked too hard—at a company full of men who think they’re God’s gift to women, by the way—to sacrifice this promotion because you’ve decided to go soft over a girl you haven’t seen in ten years.”

“I told you. I don’t even remember her.”

“It sounds like she remembers you.”

The storefront’s key dug into his palm as he fisted it. “We may not have been friends, but I never made fun of her. You were the one who insisted on calling her names.”

“You didn’t exactly rush to her defense, though, did you? And she won’t easily forget that, believe me.”

She pulled her purse strap tighter against her shoulder and strutted toward him, one short punctuated heel clop after another.

Blowing out a breath, Evan wrenched open the door and walked into the brisk outdoor air, breathing in the briny scent of ocean water. He waited a few moments before losing his patience. “Come on, Roxy. I need to lock up.”

She took her sweet time getting out of there. As he locked the door, she studied the front of Hole-in-the-Wall Hardware. “You know, three storefronts would probably be more to Aldrin’s liking. He really wants this store to make an impact.”

“That one isn’t available.”

Ignoring him, she pulled her phone out again and took a few more photos of the three storefronts next to each other. “For now.”

She shoved the phone back into her purse and snagged a pair of large white sunglasses, which she placed on the bridge of her nose. She peered over Evan’s shoulder, a smile curling over her lips. Then, without warning, she pushed up on her heels and kissed him on the cheek.

“What the . . .” His brain told him to wrench away, but she was stepping back before he could.

Roxy chuckled. “I hope Herman Hardware can count on you to get the job done.” Then she turned on her heel and left.

Evan rubbed the back of his neck. What had just happened?

“Well, that was just precious.”

Madison? He whirled and found her there, face contorted, her petite frame seeming much taller than it had just yesterday. “That wasn’t what it looked like.”

“I don’t really care what it looked like, Evan. All I care about is the truth.”

“I’m telling you the truth.”

Madison folded her arms. “So why were you hanging out with Roxy Chamberlain, then?”

Great. He was cornered. If he admitted he was showing Roxy the open space downtown, he might have to tell Madison about his involvement in the Herman Hardware deal.

He could lie, tell her that Roxy was just in the neighborhood, had wanted to reconnect as old friends.

But no. Evan was done with that way of life. Lies only brought heartache. Which meant he needed to come clean. But how, when Madison’s eyes flashed like a summer storm with a mind of its own? “Uh—”

“Is it all a game to you, Evan? Do you even . . .” Madison huffed, biting her lip, and her eyes grew glassy for a moment before she rubbed the end of her nose.

He stepped nearer, but she moved backward. It was only then that he noticed a few people watching them as they passed on the sidewalk. Evan inclined his head toward Madison and lowered his voice. “You want to discuss this inside? I can whip up a few cups of coffee on Chrissy’s old coffeemaker. Remember how she—”

“Don’t.” Madison ground out the word between clenched teeth. “Stop talking about her as if you cared. It’s so obvious that you don’t. Bud Travis told me everything. About Herman Hardware. How you’re the one actually behind it all. How long have you had this in the works? And how could you do that to Aunt Chrissy? You planned to run her out of business, all while pretending to be her friend.”

“No, you have it all wrong, Madison.”

But she wasn’t listening. “And you and Roxy, well, you were probably having a great laugh at my expense. Again.” Fumbling with her keys, Madison’s hands shook as she inserted the right one into the door and twisted the knob. It didn’t open and she banged her hand on the frame, pressing her forehead against it in defeat. “Just go, Evan.”

Evan reached for the handle and gently twisted it. The door gave way. “Madison, please.”

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, though . . .”

---