seven

Camille’s painting of the sunbeams breaking through a mist-laden redwood forest stared back at Sela. The painting rested against the wall in the back room of her store, waiting for the man she held it for to claim it.

“He was all set to get it a couple a days ago. I don’t know what happened,” Clara said.

I do. This was awkward. “Did he pay you for it?” Sela asked.

“Not yet. He wanted to thank you for holding it, and I was happy to tell him where he could find you.” Clara patted Sela’s back. “I’m sorry, dear. I hope I didn’t overstep.”

“No worries, Clara. I’m going to deliver this myself.”

Clara shot her a knowing grin.

Maybe that was because Sela hadn’t yet shared the stunning news with her about David’s brother. She simply couldn’t find the right words. In that way, she better understood Evan’s difficulty telling her the truth as well.

Sela peeled out of her work apron. “You mind watching the shop this afternoon?”

“Of course not.” Clara winked. The woman would likely have taken on an unusually crowded store if it meant Sela was out spending time with a romantic interest.

❧

After she wrapped the painting for delivery, Sela looked up the Blackwood office address, stuffed the painting in the back of her decades-old Suburban, and headed out.

The second Evan made his pronouncement that she would never see him again, she’d known she couldn’t abide by that. If nothing else was between them, Evan and his father were still David’s only living family.

David would have loved his brother had he been alive. He would have forgiven him anything, forgiven his father as well. He was that kind of person. Should she be any different? Sure, Robert Black had been devious, and she should watch herself when around him, but it wasn’t her place to judge the man for his misdeeds.

It was her place to pray for him.

And as for Evan, she believed he was sincere when he said he never intended to manipulate her. Nor would she have fallen for that, so the very idea seemed a stretch at best. She believed that he was genuinely interested in getting to know her.

And she returned that interest.

Still. . .he was David’s brother. She had to let any other ideas about Evan go, didn’t she? Thoughts of a deeper friendship with him had nothing at all to do with why she steered her vehicle through town to Blackwood Development’s offices.

Nothing at all.

Taking the painting to him felt good. Right. It would be her gift to Evan. Her way of saying all was forgiven.

Sela made her way through the lobby of the bank building, holding the painting. She rode the elevator up to the second floor and stepped into a plush foyer with a receptionist.

“I’m here to deliver and hang a painting for Evan Black.” Sela smiled, hoping to disarm the receptionist, hoping she’d have the chance to hang the painting. She’d have to return to her Suburban and grab the toolbox she always carried.

The receptionist hesitated as two calls came through at the same time. “His office is down that hall, second door to your left.”

The receptionist smiled and began answering the phone.

“Thank you,” Sela said. But the receptionist had already answered the phone and shoved Sela from her thoughts. She had always marveled that phone calls seemed to be more important than a person standing there in the flesh.

She carefully lugged the four-foot-tall painting down the long hallway. But as the walls closed in around her, her decision to come here today, give Evan the painting, seemed impulsive. The bounce in her step lessened. Evan might not be happy to see her. Maybe his pronouncement was as much for him as it had been for her.

In fact, now that she reconsidered her decision to appear unannounced at his office, Sela decided Evan would be displeased. But then again, she hadn’t come here to make him happy. She admitted she’d needed an excuse to make an appearance at Blackwood so she could present her case to both Evan and his father.

Sela hesitated at the doorway of Evan’s office until she was sure it was empty. She wanted to surprise him with the painting hung on the wall. She crept inside and began unwrapping it. She could grab her tool kit afterward. There was only one place the painting would hang well, so it wasn’t like his opinion was needed.

Voices in the hallway grew louder, and regret choked Sela.

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

Moisture slicked her palms, and her finger stung from a paper cut as she unwrapped the painting.

“What the. . .” Evan’s surprise was palpable.

Sela turned to face him. Robert Black—CEO of Black-wood Development and David and Evan’s father—stood just behind Evan, his frame filling the doorway. The resemblance between the two—between the three—was uncanny.

His grin spread wide, and he looked from Evan to Sela. “Well, Mrs. Fox, this is a pleasant surprise.”

Sela smiled in return, though everything inside her said she needed to bolt. To run from this man.

“What are you doing here?” Evan finally recovered enough to speak.

“I brought your painting. Thought I’d hang it for you.”

“I haven’t paid for that yet.”

“I know. It’s a gift.”

Evan came all the way into his office, frowning. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Sela could sense the words pained him. She returned her attention to ripping the rest of the paper off.

Moving to her side, he grabbed her hand to stop her progress. “Sela, what are you doing?”

Evan held her gaze, and the warm concern in his eyes caressed her wary, lonely heart. She’d been brave this far. With a little assurance, she could keep going with her plan. “You’re all the family David had left. I want to get to know you. I think he would have wanted that.”

After releasing her hand, he studied her. A light flickered in his dark eyes, drawing Sela deeper. She’d come here, convincing herself this was an attempt to honor her deceased husband. But now she wasn’t so sure about her reasons.

“This isn’t a good idea,” he said, shaking his head.

“Of course it is, son.” Evan’s father squeezed his shoulder. Then he stepped forward to address Sela directly. “I’m glad you’re giving us this chance.”

The man’s betrayal was at the forefront of her mind, but she read sincerity in his eyes. Was she too naive to judge a man’s character? Or at least this man’s?

“All right, Dad.” Evan grabbed his father’s arm and ushered him out. “Let me have a word with her alone.”

Evan’s father didn’t seem like the kind of man who would be herded anywhere, but then she saw him smile again. Evan shut the door behind him then approached Sela and shoved his hands on his hips.

His nearness sent her mind reeling. His lips slowly spread into a smile.

Not sure about her reasons for coming. Not sure at all.

❧

She’d done it now, involving herself with his father personally.

Evan pushed his fury down. For now. As he gazed into Sela’s searching stormy-ocean eyes, the way they shimmered with hope, how could Evan do anything else but smile in return? Besides, this wasn’t her fault. How did he make her understand that she should leave now and never look back?

Too late for that. His father would never let go until he had what he wanted, one way or another. Evan sighed.

He’d planned to speak with his father today about trans-ferring back to the Virginia Beach office, which would mean giving up his promotion. But he wasn’t on board with this development project near the Smith River, after everything that had happened.

He’d been torn about whether to stay or not. His father’s behavior bordered on unethical, and his betrayal in not telling Evan about his brother was difficult to let go.

No matter what, Evan loved his father. But he needed some space from the man so he could think things through clearly without being influenced. His desire for approval battled with the respect he was quickly losing for his own father. Leaving would be the best thing for now, putting distance between him and Sela, too. She consumed his thoughts—but she was tied up in the clash with his father.

On the other hand, he needed to stay here and work on this project so he could find out why his father wanted that property. Evan would need to be here to stand in his way. He would need to be here to protect Sela.

He sighed, knowing that she had just made the decision for him.

She didn’t understand that Robert Black would play on her sympathies and desires to reach out to David’s family. Evan hated admitting it, but he was beginning to see his father in a new light. In a way he’d failed to see before. Either Evan had ignored the truth or he’d not previously been subjected to a situation that brought out the darker motives driving his father.

In the end, Evan feared that the man would use and abuse Sela in every way possible. Acid burned in his gut. He hoped he was wrong.

Sela looked away, probably reacting to his expression. He’d been silent, caught up in tumultuous thoughts that had turned his smile to a frown.

Evan couldn’t stand to see the hurt in her eyes. He couldn’t stand to cause her pain for another millisecond. “I can’t believe you’re here after everything,” he said. “Why would you want anything to do with me or my father?”

“I told you already. And. . .I can’t simply forget that David’s brother and father are within a few miles of me. I’d like to get to know you better.”

Again, Evan shook his head. “My father wants that property, Sela. I don’t know why it’s so important to him. I’m afraid he’ll persuade you into doing something you shouldn’t.”

“Give me some credit. I’m not young and naive.” She tucked a strand of her gorgeous auburn locks behind her ear, looking so much younger than she was. Sela was regal and sophisticated. But she was wrong—she was, in fact, innocent and naive. How could all of those qualities exist in one woman?

“My father didn’t build this company without knowing how to persuade even the most experienced businessmen.” Evan suddenly questioned what tactics his father had used in the past when faced with someone like Sela who refused to consider his propositions.

“Look, Evan. I’m starting to feel like an idiot for coming. It’s just that you spoke with such finality, and it was too much to take given that we’d only just met. I finally met David’s brother, his father—family he would have wanted to know. I thought maybe we could spend a little time together, that’s all. Maybe you’d like to hear about your brother.”

Evan pursed his lips. He wasn’t sure that living in the past was what was best for Sela at all. A vibrant, beautiful woman like her should be living her life to the fullest. In fact, she should already be remarried by now. He figured she hadn’t allowed anyone to get that close.

Yet she’d admitted to him that she liked him. There could have been something more between them. . .until this.

He stifled his despondent sigh and offered a slight smile. “I’d like that. But let’s keep this between us, okay? No need to involve my father more than necessary.”

Sela rewarded him with her beautiful, affectionate smile. “Agreed. This is good. Maybe we can try to put aside what happened. Start over. I’m sure David would want this.”

What about you, Sela? What do you want? Sela appeared to try so hard to move beyond everything. Evan didn’t have it in him to deny her. “Thank you for the painting, by the way. It means a lot to me.”

“It was my pleasure.” She pulled her gaze from him to look at the painting. “I have the tools in my Suburban and can hang it for you, if you’d like. I had already planned to do that, actually.”

Glancing at his watch, Evan frowned. “I have a conference call here in fifteen minutes. I’ll do it later.”

He searched her eyes. Did she guess the reasons he’d initially wanted to purchase it? Those reasons now left him unsettled.

“Well, then, I guess I should get going.” She tugged her keys from the pocket of her formfitting jeans and glanced at the floor then back up to him, bashful like a schoolgirl.

Sophisticated. Young. All in one package.

“Leave me your cell number, and I’ll call you next week,” he said. “We’ll hang out, and you can tell me all about the brother I never knew.”

Her smile faltered. Was this more for her than she was letting on? Evan found himself hoping that was the case. She grabbed a scrap of paper and a pen from his desk and scribbled on it.

“Looking forward to hearing from you.” She smiled then exited his office, leaving her citrus perfume to envelop him.

Leaving him to wonder if it had all been a dream.

Could something more grow between them in the face of all that stood in the way? Did Evan want it to? Was he being manipulative by not telling her if he did? He’d forgotten how complicated a relationship could be.

Without even trying, Sela had all but shoved aside his decision to avoid getting involved again. But then again, they were just getting together so she could share memories of his brother with him. Whatever it was that he had with her was more complicated than anything he’d experienced before.

And the fallout would likely be more painful.

Sophisticated and young. Naive and wise—opposing qualities wrapped up in one person.

Evan figured that only Sela could bring with her both hope and dread. Evan’s heart thrilled at the possibility of a future with her, and yet he was also terrified at a possible, devastating heartbreak. Still, she was worth it.

And regardless of what happened between them, Evan would protect her from his father’s machinations.

He stared out the window in time to see his father traipse off toward the pier. What was that about? Evan was too distracted for the conference call now and decided to reschedule. He had a few words to give his father.

Well-chosen but respectful words.