Page 53 of All Because of You

His father sat back in his chair without another word—but if he’d been Superman, his glare would have melted Evan’s flesh.

And for a long time, hehadbeen Superman, in Evan’s eyes at least. The crash-and-burn of his respect for his dad still stung.

Evan finished giving his recommendations then took a seat next to Ashley, whose huge grin reassured him he’d controlled the only thing he could—his own actions. As soon as the meeting adjourned, Evan stood. He’d forgotten his phone in his office drawer and needed to grab it before he left for home. Once he was in his office, he strode to his desk.

The door slammed behind him, and he turned.

His dad stood there, fists clenched at his side. “Just what was that all about, Evan?”

Evan leaned against his desk, attempting a casual stance while the pounding blood in his veins told him he was anything but. “I’m sorry you don’t agree with the recommendation, Dad. But it was the right thing to do.”

“The right—” His dad grunted. “Do you know what this recommendation will cost me?”

“No, but that’s not my concern. I’m doing my job. I never signed up to be a politician.”

“And you’ll never be one now. You can forget winning the bid for councilman after this.”

“I didn’t want it anyway.” Evan was questioning if he even wanted to stay in his current job. While he liked working toward a better Walker Beach, he recognized now that he’d taken the job to impress his dad. All weekend long, Bud’s exhortation for Evan to continue fighting for what he wanted had led to second-guessing everything he’d once believed. If he were to choose a career based solely on what madehimhappy, what would it be?

He still didn’t have an answer, but he was finally asking the question.

Dad’s eyes turned downward, and he allowed the snarl to fully come out now that they were in private. “I’m disappointed in you, son.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I wish you’d respect me for the fact I won’t be manipulated, that I’ve become a man capable of making my own decisions. But I’m finally able to respect myself, and that’s what really matters.” He turned, glimpsed a paper on his desk, and snatched it up. He’d planned to address this with his dad tomorrow, but suddenly his discovery just before the council meeting didn’t seem like something he wanted to wait on. “I’m glad you’re here, though. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Striding closer, his dad took the paper from his hand, eyes widening as he read. “What is this?”

“I contacted Carol Davenport about her sudden decision to not renew Madison’s lease. After some persuasion, she decided to do the right thing. Says you called her and asked for a favor as an ‘old friend.’ That right there is her written account of what happened.”

“You can’t believe everything you read.” His dad crumpled the paper and shoved it into his pocket.

“I have the email still, so I can print another copy.” The tension in Evan’s temple increased as his teeth clenched. “And it would be easy to forward to Piper Lansbury over atThe Walker Beach Press, should the things mentioned in that letter not be reversed. Immediately.”

Yep, there was the large vein popping from Dad’s forehead, the telltale sign that Evan had better watch out. But he wasn’t a child anymore, and Dad couldn’t take his belt to him. Sure, he could fire Evan, and he could tarnish his reputation. But Evan was tired of cowering.

“Are you threatening me?”

“Basically.”

The fists at Dad’s sides were back, and his rapid inhales echoed in the room. But then he got eerily calm. Removed his jacket, laid it across Alex’s desk, rolled up his sleeves, smiled. “You’re just confused, Evan. That girl, she has you confused.”

“Madison and I broke up, Dad.” At least, he assumed that’s what her silence and her fleeing Walker Beach meant. “This is about me doing the right thing, even when the guy who was supposed to teach me that failed at his responsibility.”

“You are way out of line here.”

“No, you are. And if I don’t hear that Carol has offered Madison an extended contract by the end of business tomorrow, then I will be forwarding that message to Piper.”

“What about Herman Hardware? Our agreement was based on the knowledge that there would be no competition.”

“That’s unfortunate but it doesn’t change my mind about what’s right.”

“But you agreed that it was better for the economy. Think about what you’re doing, son.”

“For once, I am. And I’m deciding to let the chips fall where they may. If Herman decides to cancel the contract, so be it. If they decide to stay and fight, I’ll help Madison fight harder.”

“You’re betraying your town. Your family.”

“No, Dad. You did that when you took a morally ambiguous road to get what you wanted.” Evan maneuvered toward his desk drawer, lifted his phone from inside, and strode toward the door. “Good night, Mayor Walsh.”

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