“I’m fine.”
“Hmm. You don’t sound fine.”
Casting her eyes to the ceiling, Evie crossed to the closet and unzipped the garment bag. “How would you know? I talk to you maybe once a year.”
“That hurts,” William replied, and Evie could imagine him clutching his chest in mock insult.
“I’m a little busy right now, Will. Did you need something?”
“I need you to come see me.”
“Why?” She straightened from her crouch to retrieve her shoes from the shopping bag she’d left them in, instantly suspicious.
“Because we have something I’d like to discuss in person.”
“We haven’t had anything to discuss in person in years.”
“Well, now we do. How soon can you come?”
Intrigued, Evie sank onto the edge of the bed. It was rare for William to demand an audience. He may have given her the start she needed in New York all those years ago, but since she started stealing for higher profile clients, he kept his distance. He preferred to do all communication through burner phones or encrypted servers. Which suited her fine. The man was obsessed with the sound of his own voice.
“Tomorrow.”
“Oh, you’re in town then. That’s good. I can’t tomorrow, but I could on Friday. Noon?”
“Sure. Noon on Friday is good.”
“Perfect. And Evelyn, darling, get some sleep. You sound exhausted.”
He didn’t wait for her reply before hanging up, and Evie tossed her phone on the bed with a shake of her head. Even through the phone, she apparently sounded like a mess.
Zipping her bag closed, she went to the closet and slipped Cait’s dress over her head, tugging it into place. A small smile ghosted her lips at all the times she and Cait had swapped clothes over the years. She imagined if she looked hard enough through her childhood bedroom, she’d find at least one piece of clothing that didn’t belong to her.
Fastening her great-grandmother’s pearls around her neck, she stroked them gently. Now she’d have her memories and these to remember her mother by. Stepping into her shoes as her alarm buzzed, she slapped at it and then waited the extra five minutes for the wake-up call from the hotel’s front desk before slipping out the door and taking the elevator down to the lobby.
The smell of coffee and eggs drifted from the restaurant entrance on the far side. No time for breakfast now. She wasn’t sure her nerves would be up for the task anyway. Instead she pushed out into the cool spring morning and let the crisp air raise goosebumps over her bare arms.
It wasn’t until she heard her name over the rush of morning traffic that she registered the black SUV parked across the street. Cait climbed out of the back, and Declan stood by the driver’s side of his Range Rover dressed in a tailored black suit with a dark gray shirt and black tie, sunglasses hiding his eyes.
Evie stood rooted in place as Cait quickly crossed the street and stopped in front of her.
“I know you have a car, but I thought you might appreciate some familiar faces. And maybe a ride.”
The stranglehold Evie had on her control loosened ever so slightly. “A ride would be nice.”
ChapterEleven
Declan watched their exchange and knew Cait had won her over in the way that Evie’s tense shoulders relaxed before they both waited for the light to change and crossed back. He held the door open for Evie while Cait jogged around to where Finn waited on the other side. Her jaw was set but her eyes were sad, and he had to resist the urge to wrap her up in a hug and run a comforting hand down her back.
When they pulled up outside the church, Declan could feel the anxiety rolling off her, noting the way she clenched her hands in her lap, lip caught between her teeth. He shot Finn a telling look and waited for him to help Cait out of the car.
“I just need a minute.”
He nodded. “We’ll wait.”
“What if I need a minute alone?”
“Do you?”
