Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
R andy glanced at his watch as he knocked on Evie’s door. He was a little later than normal, but he’d still picked up fresh buttermilk and blueberry muffins from The Sweet Shoppe. As Evie opened the door, he immediately knew something was wrong by the look on her face.
“What? What is it?”
“I—” Her voice cracked.
He stepped inside and pulled her into his arms. “Tell me.”
She clung to him for a moment before pulling back. She motioned for him to follow as she turned toward the kitchen without a word.
As they got to the kitchen, his eyes darted over the scattered papers on the table. Setting down the bag of muffins, he turned his full attention to Evie.
“What’s going on?” he asked gently.
She took a shaky breath, her hands fidgeting with the edge of one of the papers. “A man came by this morning. A Mr. Barlowe. He… he says he has a legal claim to the cottage.”
Randy frowned. “What do you mean, a legal claim?”
“Apparently, my grandfather used the cottage as collateral for a loan years ago,” she explained, her voice breaking. “The man says the loan was never repaid.”
His mind raced, trying to make sense of this new information. “But your grandmother left you the cottage. How can someone else have a claim on it?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know all the details. He has all these legal documents.” She gestured helplessly at the papers scattered on the table.
He moved closer. “Okay, let’s take this step by step. Did he say how much is owed?”
She nodded, reaching for one of the papers. “It’s all here. The original loan amount, plus years of interest. It’s… it’s a lot.”
His stomach tightened as he saw the figure. “And how long did he say you have to repay it?”
“He said two weeks. He can’t do that, can he?” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “If I can’t come up with the money by then, he says he’ll take possession of the cottage.”
His mind whirled with questions. “Have you spoken to a lawyer? There might be some way to challenge this or at least buy more time.”
She shook her head. “I haven’t had a chance yet. It all happened so fast, and I’m… so overwhelmed.”
He squeezed her shoulder gently. “We’ll figure this out. There has to be a solution. Do you have the man’s contact information? Maybe we can arrange a meeting and try to negotiate.”
She nodded, rifling through the papers until she found a business card. She handed it to him and he studied it carefully.
“I think our first step is to meet with a lawyer. Call Mr. Howe, Miss G’s lawyer, and show this to him.”
“Yes, that’s where I should start. You’re right.” She walked over to the counter and picked up Miss G’s address book. She leafed through it, then dialed. After speaking on the phone for a few minutes, she turned to him. “I have an appointment in an hour. I explained how it’s kind of an emergency.”
“Try not to lose hope. We’ll explore every option. We’ll figure this out.”
At least he hoped they would, because he’d been feeling so lucky that she’d decided to stay here on the island. Would she change her mind if she lost the cottage?
Evie felt Randy’s reassuring hand on her back as he opened the door to Mr. Howe’s office.
No one was at the receptionist’s desk, but the door to Mr. Howe’s office was wide open. They walked over to it and saw him, dressed casually in slacks and a short-sleeved knit shirt. His desk was a large, old wooden one covered in stacks of papers. One wall of the office was lined with dark mahogany shelving stuffed with books. She knocked lightly on the doorframe.
Mr. Howe looked up. “There you are. Evie, good to see you. And Randy, hello.” Mr. Howe walked over and shook their hands. “Please, take a seat.”
They sat across from him. “Sorry about no receptionist. I gave her some extra time off during the holiday season. She has four kids and lots to do.” He smiled at them. “Now, I assume you brought the document?”
Her hands trembled slightly as she handed the document to Mr. Howe. She watched anxiously as he carefully read the paper, her stomach knotting with each passing second. When he finally looked up, his expression was serious.
“I’m afraid Mr. Barlowe’s claim appears to be legally valid,” Mr. Howe said, frowning.
Her heart sank. She’d known it was a possibility, but hearing it confirmed made it all too real. She struggled to keep her composure.
Randy reached over and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She glanced at him, managing a small, grateful smile.
Mr. Howe leaned back in his chair, tapping his pen thoughtfully against his desk. After a moment, he spoke again, a hint of optimism in his voice. “Of course, with personal loans, it’s hard to prove authenticity. And at the very least, I believe I might be able to buy you more time.”
Her heart leaped at his words as she clung to this tiny hope. She leaned forward eagerly. “What do you mean? How?”
The lawyer set down his pen and folded his hands on the desk. “There are a few legal strategies we could employ to delay the process,” he explained. “It’s an old document and there might be technicalities we can use to our advantage. I’ll also do some looking into the Barlowe family.”
She nodded, her hope growing. “How long do you think you could delay it?” Not that she thought she’d be able to come up with the sum, anyway. So, eventually, she’d still lose the cottage.
Mr. Howe rubbed his chin. “It’s hard to say for certain, but I’d estimate we could potentially buy you an additional two to three months, maybe even more, if we’re lucky.”
Evie felt a bit of relief wash over her. It wasn’t a solution, but it was something. A chance. She glanced at Randy, who gave her an encouraging nod.
“Thank you. Start wherever you think is best.” She wondered how much his legal fees would amount to.
“I can get started right away.”
“I… I had just decided on keeping the cottage,” she admitted.
A warm smile spread across the lawyer’s face. “Genevieve had hoped you’d keep it.”
Surprise flickered through her. Nana hadn’t ever told her she wanted her to keep the cottage. “She did?”
“Yes, she did. And she told me to help you in any way I can. There will be no fees for my services. Genevieve helped me greatly when I first moved to the island. I never would have had a successful practice without her help. She was a special lady.”
“She was.” Evie nodded, marveling again at how Nana had quietly helped so many people.
“I’ll keep in touch,” Mr. Howe said as he rose.
“Thank you.” Gratitude welled up inside her. “I appreciate any help you can give me.”
She and Randy walked out into the bright sunshine. He turned to her. “See, there’s hope.”
She took a deep breath, tilting her face toward the sky, allowing the sun to wash over her, then looked at Randy. “A little hope is better than none.” She allowed herself to believe, just for a moment, that everything might work out after all.
Evie invited Randy over later that evening to open another item from the Christmas box. They settled on the couch with the box on the table. The lights from her Christmas tree cast a warm, cheerful glow around them. She’d put on Bing Crosby’s White Christmas album, another one of her favorites.
“You pick. I like watching you choose.” He smiled at her, his eyes filled with warmth and… and something.
She opened the box and reached inside, then unwrapped her chosen item to find a small velvet pouch. She loosened the drawstring and pulled out a small piece of glass. “Oh, it’s sea glass. And it looks just like a Christmas tree, doesn’t it?”
He took it from her and inspected it. “It does look like a Christmas tree.”
“How will we ever figure out why she had this?”
“Now this time, I’m not sure. Maybe she found it?”
“Maybe. But it seems like all the items have a deeper meaning than just something she found and liked, doesn’t it?”
“I guess so.”
“Maybe this is another one we won’t find out about, just like we don’t know who that little girl is in that photo ornament with Nana or who Fred and Lula are.” She had to admit she was getting a little discouraged that they weren’t doing very well with figuring out why Nana kept some of the items.
He looked over at her. “You okay?”
She attempted a smile. “I’m fine. It’s just been a really long day.”
He stood up. “I should go. Let you get some rest.”
She rose. “I’m probably lousy company now, anyway.”
He reached out and touched her cheek, running his finger across it lightly. “You are never lousy company.” He took her hand as they walked to the door.
He paused at the door, wrapped his arms around her, and held her close. “It’s going to be okay. You’ll see.”
As he slowly stroked her back, she could almost—almost—believe his words.
Almost.
He pulled back and gazed at her intently, his eyes searching hers. Her breath caught in her throat and her pulse quickened.
Was he going to kiss her?
The moment stretched between them, charged with unspoken possibility. But then his expression softened into a small, lopsided smile that made her heart skip a beat. Without a word, he turned and walked out the door, leaving her standing there with both disappointment and longing swirling inside of her.
As she watched him go, she wondered what might have happened if he had stayed just a moment longer.
Though maybe she’d read the situation wrong. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to kiss her.
But did she want him to kiss her?
Everything in her life was so up in the air right now. Just a day after she thought she’d had things figured out.
She turned and looked around the room. Even the Christmas decorations and pretty lights couldn’t hide the stack of packing boxes mocking her in the corner of the room.
Uneasiness settled on her shoulders. Should she go ahead and keep packing? Because if she lost the cottage, she’d have to have all this sorted out.
But she didn’t have the heart to attempt it tonight. She flicked off the lights and headed to bed, hoping to escape into a book.