Chapter 10 Eve
EVE
The walk from the Inn to the rental car felt lighter than it had any right to.
Mia practically glowed, her face softer than Eve had seen it in months, maybe years.
She’d spent the entire day with Nolan, learning about composition and light and how to capture moments instead of just images.
When she’d returned to the Inn earlier that evening, her eyes had been bright, her shoulders relaxed, and she hadn’t touched her locket once while telling them about her day.
“You know,” Mia said as they climbed into the SUV, “you two really should’ve been honest with William about not liking pasta.”
Eve laughed, starting the engine. “It’s fine. I’ll order chicken or something.”
“Can I order pizza?” Lila asked from the back seat, her voice hopeful.
“Of course,” Mia said, turning to smile at her daughter. “You can order whatever you want.”
The drive into St. Augustine took twenty minutes, the streets quieter now that the sun had set and the tourists had retreated to their hotels and rentals. Christmas lights still glowed in windows and along rooflines, casting warm pools of color across the cobblestone streets.
Salvatore’s sat on a corner near the historic district, its facade painted a warm terracotta, with ivy climbing the walls and soft light spilling from the windows.
The kind of place that had been family-run for generations, where recipes were handed down like heirlooms, and the owner knew half the customers by name.
Eve parked on the street, and they walked to the entrance.
The interior was exactly what Eve had hoped for.
Exposed brick walls, dark wood beams across the ceiling, tables covered in red-checked cloths with candles flickering in glass holders.
The scent of garlic, tomatoes, and fresh bread wrapped around them like a welcome.
They spotted William and Julie immediately, seated at a table near the back corner where the light was softer and the noise from the kitchen more distant.
William stood as they approached, his face lighting with genuine pleasure. “Eve, Mia, Lila. I’m so glad you could make it.”
Julie rose as well, her smile warm. “It’s wonderful to see you all again.”
They exchanged greetings and settled into their seats, menus appearing almost immediately courtesy of a server who looked like he might be the owner’s son or nephew.
This should have been a nice family meal. Easy. Comfortable. The kind of evening that left everyone feeling full and content.
But Eve couldn’t shake the feeling that something was just slightly off.
“So,” Eve said, once they’d ordered drinks and were browsing the menu, “how are the renovations to your house coming along, William? You must be eager to have your house back to normal.”
Julie’s head came up sharply, her eyes darting to William with a frown that appeared and disappeared so quickly that Eve almost missed it.
William smiled, but the expression didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Oh, you know how these things go. Contractors, schedules, delays. Nothing worth boring you with.” He turned to Mia. “I heard you spent the day learning photography. How did that go?”
Mia’s face lit up, and she launched into a description of light meters, aperture settings, and the way Nolan had taught her to see shadows as opportunities rather than obstacles.
Eve watched William redirect the conversation with the skill of someone who’d been doing it for decades. Smooth. Practiced. Completely natural unless you were looking for it. Eve was definitely looking for it now.
“I didn’t know you were renovating,” Mia said during a pause in her story, as she had just caught up with the conversation, which was not like Mia at all. She was usually very sharp. “What are you having done?”
William waved a hand dismissively. “Just some updates. The house is old, you know. Things need attention.” He turned to Lila. “And what about you, young lady? What have you been up to today?”
Lila launched into her own story about the fair and the rides and meeting Milly and Dan, and just like that, the subject of William’s house evaporated like steam.
Eve sat back in her chair, her mind turning over the exchange.
Julie hadn’t said anything. But that frown had been real. And brief. Like she’d been surprised by the mention of renovations.
Which meant either Julie didn’t know about them, or there weren’t any renovations at all.
Eve was willing to bet it was the latter.
Their food arrived, and the conversation turned to lighter topics. The Inn. The upcoming New Year celebrations. Stories about past holidays. Lila’s pizza looked enormous, Mia’s chicken piccata smelled divine, and Eve’s own grilled chicken with roasted vegetables was perfectly seasoned.
They were halfway through the meal when William’s phone rang.
He pulled it from his pocket, glanced at the screen, and his expression shifted. Just for a second. A tightening around his eyes. A flicker of something that might have been concern.
Then the smile was back, apologetic and practiced. “Excuse me. This is so rude, but I can’t ignore this. I have to take it. I’m so sorry.”
“Of course,” Eve said.
“Take your time,” Mia added.
“It’s fine,” Julie assured him.
William stood and moved away from the table, weaving between other diners toward the back of the restaurant.
Eve watched him go.
He didn’t head for the front entrance. He moved past the restrooms, into the corridor that led to the kitchen and the back exit.
She waited three minutes, watching the second hand on her watch tick around the dial.
Then she set down her fork and pushed back her chair. “Excuse me. I need to use the restroom.”
Lila nodded, already reaching for another slice of pizza.
Mia smiled. “Take your time.”
Eve walked toward the back of the restaurant, her footsteps quiet on the tiled floor.
She had no idea why she was doing this. No logical reason to sneak after William like some character in a spy novel. But her instincts were screaming at her. The same instincts that had saved lives in the ER and warned her when something was about to go wrong.
The hallway leading to the restrooms was narrow and dimly lit, with doors on either side marked with simple wooden signs. Women. Men. And at the end, a service corridor that probably led to the kitchen and the back alley.
William stood between the women’s restroom and that corridor, his back to her, phone pressed to his ear.
Eve slipped into the women’s restroom as quietly as she could and left the door open just a crack.
William’s voice filtered through, low and urgent.
“It’s nothing to be worried about and nothing that will get in your way,” he was saying. “It’s going to be okay. I’ll keep an eye on them, don’t worry.”
Eve’s breath caught in her throat.
Them.
He was talking about them. She was certain of it.
But who was he talking to? And what did he mean by “nothing will get in your way”?
If he was talking about Eve, Mia, and Lila, how could they possibly get in anyone’s way? They were tourists. Visitors. Here for rest and recovery, nothing more.
A shiver ran down her spine.
What on earth was going on?
William’s footsteps moved away, back toward the dining room.
Eve waited thirty seconds, counted them off in her head, then slipped out of the restroom and returned to the table.
She settled into her seat just as William reappeared from the opposite direction, his expression calm and pleasant.
“I ordered you another sparkling water, Aunt Eve,” Lila said, gesturing to a fresh bottle of water on the table.
Eve blinked. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
William sat down, reaching for his water glass. “My apologies for that. Sometimes business doesn’t respect dinner hours.”
“It’s fine,” Julie said, but her eyes lingered on him with a question she didn’t voice.
Eve picked up her fork, but the food had lost its appeal.
Her mind was reeling, turning over William’s words, trying to make sense of them.
She glanced at Mia, who was laughing at something Lila had said, her face relaxed and open in a way Eve hadn’t seen since before the accident.
Eve made a decision in that moment.
She wouldn’t tell Mia what she’d heard. Not yet. Not until she knew more.
She couldn’t explain it, but she felt it in her bones. Mia and Lila were in danger. Maybe not immediate danger. Maybe not the kind that came with sirens and flashing lights.
But danger all the same.
And if Mary were here, she’d want Eve to keep her girls safe.
That was exactly what Eve intended to do.
The rest of the meal passed in a blur of conversation Eve only half-heard. She smiled and nodded and answered questions, but her mind was already three steps ahead, planning, calculating, trying to figure out what William was hiding and why.
When they finally said their goodbyes and headed back to the Inn, Eve’s jaw ached from holding her smile in place.
Back in her room, she changed into pajamas and settled onto the bed with her laptop.
She typed “William Moore St. Augustine” into the search bar and hit enter.
The results loaded slowly, each one adding another piece to the puzzle.
William Moore’s family was old money. Shipping magnates who’d built their fortune in the late 1800s and held onto it through smart investments and careful management. The Moore name was attached to buildings, charities, and historical societies all over St. Augustine.
William had an older twin brother who’d died many years ago. The articles were vague about the circumstances, just a line or two noting his passing.
The brother had left behind a son.
Eve clicked through link after link, searching for more information.
The son was listed as deceased as well. No details about when or how. Just a mention in passing in an article about the Moore family legacy.
But there was no name.
Not one article, not one obituary, not one historical record mentioned the nephew’s name.
Eve sat back, staring at the screen.