Betrayal of the Dove

Chapter Five

“Eve, I tell you I am so nervous. It’s not just that I have to go in that judge’s chamber and defend my hiring choice, but I have to close the shop again, and I’m not sure how this is going to affect business. And what if I lose? Am I going to have to pay this guy money I don’t even have? I know I didn’t hire him because there was somebody more qualified, but what if he convinces the judge it was something else.” She sighed. “And why am I asking you all of this. I am so freaking out here and I think I’m stressing you out with me.” She laughed. “Okay, since I’m talking to your voice mail and not you I should probably stop now. When you get back to the states, call me again; please?” Eve was still in London the last time she talked with her. She couldn’t imagine that was a cheap phone call to make. She just really needed to speak with her. She would help her pay the bill if need be, just so long as she called.

She wished Eve was back in the Sates, but ultimately, she was just grateful that she had made it out of Ireland alive. Thomas had called and told her what Blaine had told him. He was not happy about the situation by any means, but they all knew there wasn’t much they could do about it. Eve was her own woman and she seemed determined to put herself in the path of hell at any chance she got. London was safe—relatively anyway. While she didn’t want her to move there, she knew there was a chance she would.

The store phone rung and this time she answered it in the professional way she should answer it, even if she was getting increasingly frustrated over present circumstances that was no excuse to answer the phone with a one word irritable “what,” thrown out there.

“Hey big sis,” Eve said so sweetly and with an English accent on top of that. She imagined her sister was prepping for the big move—or trying to prep her for it. They were close. As the only girls in the family they had to be. Although, Eve had been blessed with her connection to Thomas. She was closer to him than she was anybody. She was always so cute hanging on to him too. Alyssa hadn’t really had that connection. She loved her brothers, but she never had what Eve and Thomas had with each other—that deep blood bond that seemed unbreakable. Eve was family all the way, while Alyssa was the independent rider. She loved her family, but she had no problem moving west after high school. She didn’t want to stick around in a city that she practically hated living in. So, family or not, she packed her car and hit the road. She kept in touch with everybody, but it wasn’t the same as Eve and Thomas’ relationship.

“I take it you got my message.”

“Yeah, you sound jittery. I don’t think I’ve heard you like this since…hmmm…your first date with Jarrod Womack. Oh yeah, I remember that.”

Alyssa laughed. “He was the hottest guy in my class; of course I was nervous,” she said. “Thanks for calling me back. I probably sound like a complete idiot right now, but I’m nervous. I have to show up there Monday morning for the nine o’clock hearing and my attorney tells me I’m in with one of the toughest judges in the state. Not just the city, Eve; the entire state. What’s up with that?”

“You’ll be fine. I know you. You’re my big sister. You’re the woman who packed her car and moved across country without anybody’s permission. You’re the woman who punched Morris Fischer in the nose because he pushed me down in the mud, and he was about three times your size in weight and probably almost that in height,” she laughed. “You kick butt.”

Alyssa laughed. She was the shortest in the family and they never really let her forget it, not that she could anyway. Her brothers towered over her. Eve wasn’t so bad, but she was still taller. “Anybody messes with my sister and they deal with me,” she said. It didn’t matter how big anybody was she was not going to stand by and let anybody hurt her sister. “But this is different. I don’t think I can get away with punching this guy in the nose…or the judge for that matter.”

“I don’t think so either.” She laughed. “Otherwise I’ll have to bail you out of jail.”

“From London? Yeah, that might not work so well.” She shook her head as she put a piece of jewelry back in the case and locked it. “I can’t believe I’m going to have to close the shop. I’m already closed on Sunday. Monday is one of my busiest days, and now I have to close. I hate that. Why couldn’t they pick Tuesday, when it’s near dead in here anyway? They picked Monday. That’s a good seven thousand in sales stopped at the door. I wonder if I can counter sue him,” she mused. If she won maybe she should sue him for making her lose revenue, and her sanity too because she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep or a peaceful day’s thought since she got those papers.

“I wouldn’t say you have to close.”

“I hired security, Eve, not store help. I have to close.”

“No you don’t,” the door swung open and in walked Eve, dressed in cream khaki pants and a deep red blouse.

“Oh my God! What are you doing here?” She kept the phone up to her ear even though her sister was there, right in front of her. Eve laughed.

“I came to help my favorite sister in the whole world,” she smiled. “Now stop using up my minutes, get off that phone and get over here and hug me already.”

“Oh yeah, okay, bye.” Alyssa hung up the phone before running from behind the counter and throwing her arms around her sister. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too. After I spoke with you the first time I figured I had better get myself on a plane and come help you. And if you want me to, I’ll punch the jerk in the nose.” They laughed together.

“No, then I’d have to hide you from the law. I’d end up in jail and Thomas and Gavin will probably blow up Scottsdale to get us out of here.” They laughed together.

Eve took Alyssa’s hand in hers and gave a gentle squeeze. “Tell me what I need to know to keep this shop open for you.”

“Oh it’s simple,” she took her behind the counter. “I have keys to all of the cases. The cash register is a cinch and there’s a very cute security guard behind those closed doors.” She smiled.

“Yeah, you might have mentioned him to me once or twice, or more;” she winked at her. “I want to meet him.”

“Okay, but he doesn’t know I think he’s cute. I have to keep this business only you know.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m his boss. I can’t afford to get sued again you know.”

“You like him,” she assured her. “You should tell him.”

She shook her head no. “Now, let’s get back to the store information. I’ll give you the code for the alarm so you won’t get the shock of your life if it goes off on you. I think Shane wants to change it, but he hasn’t gotten around to that yet.” She knocked on the security room door and waited for Shane to open it.

“Shane, this is my sister, Eve. She’s going to keep the store open for me on Monday.”

“Nice to meet you,” he stood and extended his hand to Eve.

“Likewise,” she smiled before gently nudging Alyssa’s arm in one of her famous “you go girl,” kind of nudges.

Real subtle, Eve. Alyssa was serious when she said she was not going to embark on a relationship journey with an employee. She watched Eve and Shane and the ease at which they seemed to communicate with each other. Eve had grown up so fast, and changed so much. She wasn’t just her little sister, she was a grown woman with a career and the tenacity and kick butt attitude to follow through. They were so much alike in so many ways, and in other ways they were so different.

When they left out of the security room and Shane closed the door, Eve smiled at her with a knowing look in her eyes. “Future brother-in-law,” she nodded.

“You are so crazy, girl.”

“That man looks at you the way Adam used to look at me,” and then came the somber look in her eyes. She knew it had to be hard for her to get through each day when she thought about the man she had lost that day. She was hurting so much and it nearly killed Alyssa to be there within reach and still not be able to do anything to help her, to take away the pain and the sorrow and all the heartache—she wanted to2013/11/19 20:45:27give her sister peace, but she was powerless to do so.

“Why don’t you go take your stuff upstairs and get some rest?” She looked out the windows. “Where’s your car?”

“I sold my car the week before going to Ireland. I didn’t think I would be coming back. Plus, shipping a car isn’t cheap. I rented a cute little BMW and it’s down the street. The parks in front of your place were taken so I had to circle around. I’ll move it later.”

“No, you’ll move it now. I’ll park my car on the street and you pull into my space back there.”

“Alyssa.”

Alyssa tacked her hands to her hips. “No arguing with me, Eve. You go get your car right now missy.”

Eve laughed. “Yes mother,” she kept laughing all the way out the door. Alyssa grabbed her keys from behind the desk and knocked on the security room door again.

“I’m going to move my car so Eve can have my space. I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll move my truck,” he said. “So you can stay where you are.” His voice was so gravely serious that she figured there was no point in wasting time arguing with the man.

“Fine, then you’ll be right back,” she said. “There aren’t any parks close by.”

“I’ll find something.”

“Hey,” she said as he was getting ready to walk out the door. He turned around and waited for her to say something. “Nothing,” she shook her head. She was tempted, and almost ready, to ask him if he wanted to go out to dinner with them tonight. But she couldn’t do that. Dinner would be almost like a date and they were not dating. She just had to keep reminding herself of that fact. Although some part of her mind was already screaming that they were dating. Lunch every day at her place was pretty much a date…although she had justified it by saying it was just two people who worked together eating lunch at the same time in the same place.

He nodded his acceptance of her words before walking out the store. First order of business for her was to call Thomas before Eve got back in there. Thomas was probably the only person who could talk her into staying in the States instead of moving to London. Of course the moment he answered the phone he assumed something was wrong with her. “Brothers,” she mumbled. “I just called to tell you Eve is back. She’s here and she’s going to help me out with the store on Monday.” She listened to him complain about the fact that she hadn’t called him. “Well she didn’t call me either until she got here. Listen; call her Monday at the store. She won’t be able to run away from you then.” She was amazed that he agreed to her plan. When it came to their family Thomas wasn’t exactly the sit back and wait kind of guy, but he was going to wait this time. Thank goodness for that.