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  “He doesn’t seem that old now, does he?” she mocked me, causing my face to stain crimson.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I hissed, furtively looking to ensure that no one else heard her.

  Maya chortled and grabbed my hand, skipping me playfully back to the dining room.

  “Oh, I think you know exactly what I’m talking about,” she giggled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that particular shade of red on you before.”

  “Shame on you,” I muttered angrily, pulling out the silverware from the china hutch. “Your mind is always on sex. The man is in mourning and you’re checking him out!”

  But as I continued to lay out the forks and knives, I wondered if I was chiding my sister or myself.

  3

  Evan

  I had been back in Minnesott Beach for a week when I realized that I couldn’t stay in my sister’s house any longer.

  It was a bittersweet understanding but one that I knew was necessary to act upon for both Alex and myself.

  If looking around Charlie and Jocelyn’s house made my heart hurt, I could only imagine what it did to my niece who was beginning to understand that her parents were not coming back.

  Every corner of the property was filled with pictures, of memories of a happy, life-filled family, one that would never be again.

  I was sure that the little girl walked into every room, expecting to see her mother or father standing there with open arms and the thought almost brought me to my knees with sadness for her.

  Nothing that innocent should know so much pain.

  On the Monday following the funeral, I left Alex with Amelia Viera.

  I was so grateful that they were still in Minnesott Beach, probably among the few people who had remained that I knew.

  So much had changed since our childhood and yet the town had not grown from a sleepy waterside haven.

  Only the Vieras remained.

  And their beautiful daughters.

  I had been taken aback seeing Vyolet and Maya at Oscar’s house the previous Sunday.

  In my mind’s eye, the triplets were still twelve-year-old, running amok with pigtails and braces.

  It took me a long time to accept that the stunningly beautiful Vyolet who answered the door was the same girl who had sold me Girl Guide cookies two decades earlier.

  What’s more is that I could sense the electric current surging between us, despite the impossible timing.

  Whatever you think you felt for Vyolet was not real, I told myself as I drove my rental car up toward the bungalow. You are a barrage of bizarre emotions right now.

  But the logic did not seem to alleviate the connection I felt toward her.

  “I’ll be back in a couple hours,” I promised Amelia when I dropped off my niece. “It’s just estate stuff and I don’t think Alex needs to be a part of it.”

  “Of course not,” Oscar’s wife agreed. “You take as long as you need. Alex and I will have lots of fun, won’t we, dear?”

  Alex cast me a panicked look.

  It would be the first time we would be apart since I had arrived in North Carolina.

  “It’s okay, Alex,” I told her softly, pulling her toward me for a hug. “I am going to be back soon.”

  “No!” she cried. “Please don’t leave me, Uncle Evan.”

  Amelia gave me a sympathetic smile and I touched Alex’s small cheek gently.

  “Aunt Amelia wants to play with you,” I tried. “Maybe you can show her how to play some new games.”

  “Oh, I would love to learn some new games!” Amelia cried with false bravado.

  I gave her a grateful look and forced a grin on my face.

  “See?” I told the girl. “You can’t disappoint Aunt Amelia now, can you?”

  She seemed unconvinced and the naked pain in her russet colored eyes nearly split my heart in two.

  She’s worried that I’m going to leave her like her parents did, I thought, swallowing the lump of emotion in my throat.

  “Okay,” Alex whispered but I could see tears forming in her haunted dark eyes. “But please come back.”

  I gave her a quick peck on the cheek and thanked Amelia again before hurrying out the door.

  I was worried that if Alex cried, I might do the same.

  As I headed out of Minnesott Beach toward Oriental, I considered what was about to happen with the estate.

  I did not want to stay in the modest two-storey house that Charlie had built for his family but the thought of selling it sent a knife to my heart also.

  Then there was the question of whether I should return to Seattle where my own condo sat waiting.

  A condo in the city is no place to raise a child, I thought tersely.

  What did I know about raising a child?

  Having children had always been for other people, not me.

  While my co-workers were getting married and planning baby showers, I was busy climbing the corporate ladder and securing my future.

  I had dabbled in relationships of course but nothing had ever inspired me to think about settling down or God forbid, procreating.

  Suddenly, the task seemed daunting and terrifying, a hundred thousand awful thoughts coursing through my mind as I made the short drive to the next town.

  I did not realize it but my foot was weighing heavy on the gas and I made it into Oriental in ten minutes instead of twenty.

  My GPS led me into the heart of town and I realized how much the town had changed since I had last been.

  It maintained its quaintness with red brick buildings, mom and pop businesses. Mothers played in the sprinkling of parks with their children, all whom were home for summer break.

  It had the aroma of low crime, no dingy alleyways, no sketchy people on the sidewalk, dealing drugs or pedaling their own bodies.

  Now this would be the place to raise a child, I thought, suddenly much calmer.

  An idea was taking shape in my mind.

  The law office of Schiller and Schultz was in a small commercial plaza and when I parked my car, I saw that there was a Starbucks across the street.

  Oriental has more going for it than Minnesott Beach, I mused as I parked the car and headed toward the coffee shop. I could stay here.

  I wondered if I was losing my mind considering such an option.

  Your home is in Seattle. You can’t just throw away your entire life there to move back to Hicksville, North Carolina.

  My mind was far too unfocussed for me to commit to anything right then.

  The appointment was at nine o’clock and my watch told me I had fifteen minutes.

  As I entered, ordering my latte, I stood by the counter to stare out across the parking lot.

  My eyes immediately rested on a white car which had just pulled in and I felt a spark of excitement flash through me as I recognized the vehicle.

  The driver’s side door opened and a long, graceful leg appeared followed by another before a tall, stunning blonde fully exited, tossing her hair over the shoulder of her white romper.

  With her purse slung over her shoulder, she sauntered toward the door, sunglasses blocking the cobalt blue eyes I knew were carefully hidden beneath.

  Vyolet pulled the glasses atop her head, digging into her purse for her wallet.

  “Evan?”

  The barista handed me my coffee and I nodded in thanks, taking it and joining my friend’s daughter in the line.

  “May I buy you a coffee?” I asked.

  She turned her head at the unexpected question, the word “no” ready to spring from her lips but her mouth froze in an “O” as she recognized me.

  “Evan!” Vyolet gasped. “What are you doing here?”

  I smiled, holding up my latte.

  “Getting a coffee. They are reading my sister and Charlie’s will today,” I replied. “My appointment is at nine so I have a few minutes to kill.”

  Instantly, her face softened.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she murmured, her eyes w
ide with compassion. “If there is anything I can do…”

  “That’s very kind,” I told her. “I would love to buy you a coffee if you have a minute to chat.”

  “Oh, you don’t need to –”

  “I insist,” I interrupted. “It’s the least I can do for such lovely company.”

  To my mild amusement, Vyolet’s cheeks turned pink.

  She’s blushing!

  I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen a woman blush.

  Seattle women were cynical, unimpressed.

  Vyolet Viera was a refreshing blast of summer air to their frigid winter cold.

  And she really was a woman in every sense of the word.

  As she ordered her coffee, I found myself admiring her svelte but curvy frame. There was not an ounce of fat on her body but her hips and breasts filled the tiny outfit perfectly.

  Vyolet seemed to have a hypnotic effect on me. It seemed that in her presence, I temporarily forgot about my woes and pain.

  Instead, I was enthralled by her beauty and radiating sweetness.

  She made me want to do very bad things to her.

  “Evan?” she called and I realized I had fallen into a twisted reverie far away from the bright coffeehouse in which we stood.

  I almost blushed as I moved to sit with her.

  “Where is Alex?” she asked.

  “Your mother was kind enough to take her for me,” I explained.

  “If you should ever need someone to watch her while you are working over the summer, I am happy to do it,” she told me and I eyed her appreciatively.

  “Are you still in school?” I asked.

  She chuckled.

  “In a manner of speaking,” she replied. “I teach Grade School at Pineland Elementary on High Street.”

  I blinked.

  “You’re a school teacher? Like your mother?”

  Vyolet stared down at the counter and nodded, apparently embarrassed.

  “Yes,” she murmured. “I have always admired my mother. I knew I wanted to teach from the time I was very young.”

  I was taken aback by the guilelessness of her words.

  How many women in the mid-twenties want to be like their mothers?

  Staring at her, I suddenly felt I was talking to someone from a completely different century.

  “I imagine that you will be heading back to Washington after the will is read,” Vyolet asked and I thought I caught a hint of wistfulness in her voice but perhaps that was only wishful thinking on my part.

  “I haven’t decided what my next course of action is,” I confessed. “Truthfully, none of my options seem overly appealing. I am trying to focus on what’s best for Alex but I’m going in blind here. What the hell do I know about raising kids?”

  I paused, chewing on the insides of my cheeks.

  I didn’t know why I had said so much to her. It sounded desperate, whiny and angry but it felt good to speak my insecurities aloud.

  “I don’t think anyone is ever prepared to raise children,” Vyolet volunteered gently. “The best laid plans of mice and men, right? I have yet to meet anyone who claims that they were perfectly equipped to deal with the challenges of child rearing.”

  My mouth relaxed slightly into a small smile.

  “I guess that is saying a lot given your background with children and parents,” I sighed and Vyolet chuckled, shrugging.

  We sipped our coffees silently for a minute.

  “What would you do if you were me?” I asked. It was a genuine question. I wanted some feedback from an unbiased party and I had so few of them in North Carolina.

  Vyolet sat back and studied my face carefully.

  “I could not imagine what it’s like to be you,” she answered honestly. “All I can offer you is the knowledge that Oriental’s school system is very well rated and Oriental is a wonderful, safe place to live if you want to leave Minnesott Beach but stay close by.”

  The plaintiveness in her words sent a shiver through me.

  There was no mistaking her subtle “friendly” advice.

  She wanted me to stay nearby.

  Our eyes locked and Vyolet licked her lower lip, the plump pinkness yearning to be bitten.

  I wrenched my eyes away, feeling a familiar sensation in my groin.

  This is Vyolet Viera! This is Oscar’s daughter. Get your head out of there before you cause a scandal in this town and violate an innocent girl.

  But I could not let go of the fact she was so obviously a woman.

  “Oh! I think you’re late for your appointment,” she cried suddenly, glancing at her cell phone.

  As I looked at my wristwatch, I saw that she was right.

  It was five after nine.

  I had completely lost track of time in her company.

  “Damn!” I jumped to my feet and grinned apologetically at her. “Thanks for taking note. I think you are far more distracting than I expected.”

  Again, her cheeks stained red and she tried to hide her expression behind her blonde hair but it was futile.

  “I will walk out with you,” Vyolet offered and together we hurried toward the parking lot.

  “Who else will be here?” she asked, digging into her purse for her keys.

  Suddenly I froze in mid step to stare at her.

  She glanced back at me and did a double take on my expression.

  “What is it?” she demanded. “Did you forget something?”

  I shook my head slowly.

  “I have no idea who else will be there,” I said, the realization filling me with worry for some inexplicable reason. “Maybe no one.”

  Who else could there be? Both our parents and Charlie’s parents were also deceased. Charlie was an only child and I was Jocelyn’s only sibling.

  Unless there was someone on Charlie’s side whom I did not know…

  “Evan? Are you all right?” Vyolet asked, stepping toward me and placing a hand on my bicep.

  I looked at her pleadingly.

  “I don’t want to go in there alone,” I whispered, hating myself for confessing such a thing to her. It made me feel weak and inept.

  A look of understanding crossed over her face and she shrugged nonchalantly. I wondered if she could read my inner thoughts.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replied sweetly, slipping her hand into mine. “You’re not alone. I’m coming too.”

  She led me toward the offices and in that moment, I knew that it did not matter whose daughter she was or what the age difference; there was a yearning in me to know Vyolet Viera in the most intimate way.

  And I feared that no amount of suppressing that feeling would prevail.

  4

  Vyolet

  I did not join him inside the lawyer’s inner office but instead waited in the small outer lobby under the unusually watchful eyes of a middle-aged receptionist.

  As I sat there, I wondered what she was thinking.

  Does she wonder who I am, waiting on this handsome man? Is she jealous? Does she think I’m Evan’s lover?

  A part of me hoped so and I reddened at the idea.

  This is how Maya thinks. She is rubbing off on me, I thought, dismayed with myself.

  As he had feared, Evan found he was the only person in attendance for the reading.

  I felt as if I was in the office with him, my nerves slightly shot as I tried to sit still and resist to urge to pace about the office.

  I had made plans to meet a friend for lunch but as I remained in the firm, I texted Josie and told her I had a headache.

  I don’t know what inspired me to lie. Josie wouldn’t have cared if I had simply canceled without explanation but a small, guilty part of me wanted to keep my newfound connection to Evan a secret at all cost.

  It’s because you know whatever attraction you have toward him is wrong and you’re trying to hide from your own guilty conscious, I thought, annoyed with myself for indulging in such a childish crush on my father’s friend.

&n
bsp; Evan had been conferring with the attorney for just over two hours and when he finally came out, I could read the exhaustion on his face.

  I jumped up eagerly as he shook hands with the lawyer and walked toward me.

  Offering him a timid smile, I looked at him expectantly.

  “Was it as bad as you expected?” I asked softly.

  He glanced over at the nosy receptionist who seemed to be leaning forward to listen to the details.

  Grabbing my hand, he led me outside into the bright July sunshine without a word and I found myself clinging to his hand as if savoring the feel of his skin against mine.

  “Let’s get out of here,” he sighed, unlocking his car with the key fob.

  I did not hesitate to climb into the passenger seat, despite the fact my car was still parked in the lot.

  It seemed natural that I would go with him.

  He squealed out of his space and I could clearly read the tension on his face.

  “I just need to go for a little drive and clear my head before I pick up Alex,” he told me, eyeing me through his peripheral vision.

  “Sure,” I replied. “You were in there for a while.”

  Evan was quiet for a long while and he followed the roads down toward Whittaker Point along the Neuse River.

  I didn’t push the issue, sensing he didn’t want to talk about it.

  “They left me everything,” he said finally as the car slowed to a park near the tip of the point.

  No one was around but the screeching gulls who dove around almost maniacally as they taunted one another.

  “The house, the cars, the insurance money, their savings. They have some money put aside for Alex’s school but they have entrusted everything to me.”

  I waited for him to continue because I could see there was so much more he wanted to say.

  His breaths seemed to be coming out in short rasps and I longed to look inside his mind for just a moment to see what it was that tormented him.

  “I am so torn,” he said woefully. “Should I stay in the house and ensure that Alex gets it when she’s old enough? Should I sell it and put the money aside for her to use?”

  “Have you spoken to Alex about what she wants?” I asked simply.