Page 40 of Five Minute Man
Chapter 21
Holly heard a knockat the door. Glancing away from her screen, she looked up at the burnished brass clock on the wall and frowned. It was early afternoon. The only two people for whom she would be willing to interrupt her writing groove—Liz and Adam—would be at work for another couple hours. The postman had already dropped off the mail for the day, and she wasn’t expecting any packages.
“Ignore it,” she said to Max, who swiveled his gaze between her and the front of the house. Unlike other dogs, he didn’t bark at the door if Holly was around. He always looked to her first.
After a few seconds of silence, she turned her attention back to her computer and reread the last couple sentences to continue where she had left off, right in the middle of a really intense scene where her lead female character had seen her love interest shift into a beast for the first time. She had been on such a roll that she hadn’t even taken a break to pee for the last three hours.
Her fingers had barely touched the keys when the irritating knock came again.
“Go away,” Holly mumbled under her breath. What was it with people? If they knocked and no one answered, it meant that either, a) no one was home, or b) no one wanted to open the damn door.
Five minutes passed. Still, the incessant knocking continued. Whoever it was, they were persistent. And had just taken the express route right to the very top of Holly’s shit list.
Her concentration shattered, Holly got up and went to the door, ready to give whoever it was a much-needed lesson in socially acceptable behavior.
When Holly opened the door, however, the words evaporated on her lips. Standing on her front porch was Swedish Barbie, dressed in an expensive-looking, ass-hugging skirt and matching jacket. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a perfectly smooth bun with nary a hair out of place. Her makeup was so well done her Nordic features appeared airbrushed.
“Holly McTierney?” Barbie asked doubtfully, her gaze raking down and back up in blatant perusal.
Devoid of makeup, wearing one of Adam’s T-shirts and her super comfy pajama pants, Holly knew she didn’t look presentable enough to receive visitors, especially not ones who looked like they had just stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine. Which, of course, was one of the many reasons she hadn’t wanted to open the door in the first place.
“Yes.”
Holly kept her hand on the door, allowing it to open only wide enough for her and Max to check out who had so rudely interrupted their afternoon. That didn’t stop Swedish Barbie from nosily looking over Holly’s shoulder and into the house, an easy thing to do since she was a good nine or ten inches taller than Holly.
“May I come in?”
Holly leaned against the door. “I’m a little busy right now. What do you want?”
Barbie managed what was no doubt intended to be a friendly smile, but her eyes were anything but. Holly wondered if the woman knew about her and Adam. She had meant to ask Adam about her, given the exchange she had inadvertently witnessed at the Y, but it hadn’t come up. They had been too busy doing other, much more pleasurable things. And the few times she had thought about it, she hadn’t wanted to ruin the mood.
“My name is Eve Sanderson. I’m with the Covendale Valley Historical Society.”
Holly blinked but said nothing. She was vaguely familiar with the Society. Shortly after she had purchased the place, they had started sending her letters, asking for permission to inspect the property and include it as part of their colonial history tours. The thought of strangers poking around her house and busloads of school children traipsing over her lawn had her dismissing the idea pretty quickly.
“Despite our repeated attempts to contact you, you have not responded,” Eve continued. “You did receive several letters from us, did you not?”
“I did, and I did respond. I’m not interested.” She had only responded to the first letter. Each subsequent one went right into the paper shredder the moment she had ensured all staples had been safely removed.
Eve forced another small smile. “Then you are aware of the rich history of this particular parcel, and the Society’s desire to have it registered as a historical landmark.”
“I am. And the answer is still no.” Holly took a step back and began to close the door, when Eve put her hand out to stop it.
“Perhaps you do not understand the significance,” Eve began, her voice dripping with barely concealed condescension.
“No, I think it isyouwho does not understand,” Holly said firmly. Her searing gaze went to Eve’s hand. “I will say this one more time for you very slowly so you can keep up.I. Am Not. Interested.”
Expression thunderous, Eve narrowed her eyes. For a few moments, Holly thought Eve-Barbie might actually attack her. Holly kind of hoped she would. While not normally a violent person, there was something immensely appealing about taking Miss High-and-Mighty down a peg or two. It wouldn’t even have to be anything big, really, just enough to let Eve-Barbie know she wasn’t about to be pushed around by some Swedish supermodel wannabe.
Instead, her unwelcome visitor smoothed her features back into a semi-professional mask and smiled coldly. “You’re new here, so let me give you a piece of helpful advice. The Covendale Valley Historical Society has the backing of some very powerful members of this community who want to ensure that our local history is preserved for future generations. If I were you, I would think twice about engaging in a battle you can’t win.” Eve’s eyes practically glowed. “We care for and protect what is ours.”
A chill ran up and down the length of Holly’s spine as every one of her female senses flared to life. With a scary certainty, she knew they were no longer simply talking about the cottage.
Visions of Eve’s hand running along Adam’s bicep with serious familiarity clouded her vision for a moment, before she pushed them back. Anything he’d had with Eve must be over, right? Because Adam had been spending his evenings and weekends with her, not Eve.
Eve was probably just reluctant to let him go. Holly could understand that. She wouldn’t let Adam go easily, either.
“Let me make this perfectly clear so there is no doubt.Iam the legal owner of this house and the land surrounding it. I have no intention of applying for any historical recognition whatsoever, nor will I. This is private property. AndIcare for and protect what ismine.”
