Evan
Evan
E van hadn’t had a day off in years. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he took a whole day off. He was the type of person who did better when he was busy, and that’s exactly how he planned to stay—busy.
He called his brother and asked him to stop by his place to help him run a quick errand. He was going to run by Carrie’s place and pick up her car, but he’d need Eli’s help to do that. Of course, his brother agreed to help him once he reminded him that he owed Evan. That was his go-to move when he wanted to guilt his brother into helping.
Eli showed up just before noon and Evan found him talking to Carried in the family room, trying to charm the pants off of her. “I see you met my brother, Eli,” he said. “I didn’t hear you ring the bell,” Evan said.
“That’s because I didn’t,” Eli said, “I used my key to let myself in. I didn’t know you had a pretty house guest staying with you, or I wouldn’t have barged in.”
“He nearly scared the life out of me,” Carrie breathed.
“Again, sorry about that,” Eli said.
“You shouldn’t be using my key when you know that I’m home, Eli,” Evan said. “Carrie is my new assistant at McTavish.”
“Wow, man,” Eli said, “you get your own assistant? You’re really moving up in the world, big brother.”
“Shut up, Eli,” Evan grumbled. “You’re an ass.”
“Hey, do you want my help or not?” Eli asked.
“Help?” Carried asked. “What do you need help with? I can help you, Evan.”
“I didn’t want to bother you and it’s not a good idea for you to help me. I’m going to get Eli to go over to your apartment with me and pick up your car,” he said.
“Oh, well, what will I do while you pick up my car?” she asked.
“You will sit here with the door locked and not answer it for anyone,” Evan said.
“I’d like to protest that plan,” she mumbled. “I’m sure it’s safe for me to go back to pick up my car. Do we even know if Alastair got out of jail yet?” she asked. He had heard back from Alex that her ex had made bail. He just hadn’t worked up the nerve to tell Carrie that yet.
“He’s out,” Evan admitted.
“You knew that he was out and didn’t tell me?” she asked.
“I didn’t want to upset you,” Evan insisted.
“You don’t know me well enough to know what upsets me and what doesn’t,” she challenged. She was right, he didn’t know her at all, but he was hoping to change all of that. Having some time off with Carrie would give them both a chance to know each other better. It was like getting a crash course in getting to know his new assistant, and he had to admit, he was looking forward to it.
“You’re right, I’m sorry,” Evan said. He noticed his brother looking between the two of them, smiling like a lunatic. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked.
“I’m just enjoying watching your new assistant put you in your place,” Eli taunted.
“Shut the hell up,” Evan said again as if his brother was actually going to listen to him.
“You want to fill me in about who’s in jail or was in jail? What’s going on?” Eli asked.
“I will on the way to Carrie’s place. Can you help me grab her car and bring it back here?” Evan asked.
“Sure,” Eli agreed, “it was nice to meet you, Carrie.” His brother was laying the charm on a bit thick, and Carrie seemed to eat it up with a spoon.
Evan grabbed his car keys and wallet from the kitchen counter and turned back to Carrie. “Remember, lock yourself in, and don’t open the door for anyone. I have my key and can get back in when I come home. Got it?” he asked.
“I’m not a moron,” she mumbled, “I know what to do, Evan.”
“I really like her,” Eli said as Evan shoved him out the door and into the garage. He did too, but he wasn’t about to tell either of them that. The more time he spent with Carrie, the more he liked how sassy and spunky she was.
They were just about halfway to Carrie’s place when his brother finally dropped the small talk that they had going on and asked about Evan’s new assistant. “So, are you two together?” Eli asked.
“What—no,” Evan protested. “She’s my new assistant. I just met her a day ago.”
“And yet, she’s living in your house,” Eli taunted. He knew that his brother was trying to give him some shit, but he planned on keeping his cool. Eli was always trying to yank his chains. Usually, he tried to hold his tongue, but sometimes, he really lost his temper.
“She was in trouble, and I offered to help her out,” Evan insisted.
“Where did she sleep last night?” Eli asked.
“That’s none of your business, but to shut you up, I’ll tell you. Carrie slept in the guest room. She’s my employee and I won’t take advantage of that relationship,” Evan said.
“So, it would be okay with you if I asked her out then?” Eli asked.
“I’d rather you not ask my new assistant out, Eli. If—no, when things go south, I don’t want to have awkward tension hanging around my office. Aren’t there enough other women in the world that you can choose to ruin one of their lives?” Evan taunted.
Eli shrugged, “Sure, but not many with that sexy-as-hell Scottish accent Carrie has going on. Even you have to admit that she’s hot, Evan. Look past the fact that she works for you and all that stuff—she’s hot.” Evan agreed with his brother, but there was no way that he’d give Eli the satisfaction of admitting it out loud. “Well, if you’re not going to do something about your hot assistant, I will.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Evan asked.
“It means that I plan on asking her out. She doesn’t work for me. Plus, she’s new here and probably up for a little fun while she settles in,” Eli explained.
“She’s pregnant,” Evan said. He wasn’t sure if she wanted to keep her pregnancy a secret or not but telling Eli that bit of news was like tossing water on fire. He could tell that his brother’s interest had quickly waned. “Still want to ask her out?” he asked.
“She’s pregnant?” Eli asked.
“Yep,” Evan drawled, kind of proud of himself for finding a way to douse his brother’s overly active libido. “The guy who has followed her from Scotland, and is causing trouble for her here, is the father. He’s a drug dealer back in her hometown and he found out that she ran to America because she’s pregnant with his baby. He followed her here and it’s why she’s hiding out at my place.”
“Well, that changes things,” Eli said. “I mean, I don’t have a clue as to what to do with a baby.”
“Or a pregnant woman, apparently,” Evan teased.
“I’m just not ready for that kind of responsibility,” Eli admitted. His brother wasn’t ready for any responsibility but telling him that would only end with the two of them fighting like it usually did. “I won’t be asking her out.”
“Good to know,” Evan breathed. He pulled into the parking garage and cursed when he saw Carrie’s car. It was parked in space number fifteen, just as she said it would be, but the car had been vandalized. Red spray paint left a very clear message to Carrie from her ex, saying that he’d find her. Apparently, he wasn’t very happy with her ability to hide away from him or the fact that he had to spend a night in prison.
“Shit, tell me that’s not her car,” Eli said.
“I’d love to, but it’s her car,” Evan mumbled. “She said that it’s parked in space fifteen, and I’m assuming that her ex figured that out for himself. He just got out of jail,” Evan said.
“Well, he’s been busy then,” Eli said.
“No kidding,” Evan grumbled. “I need to call this into Alex. He’ll want to know about it since he owns the car. He was letting Carrie use it since she just got here. This asshole has no idea who he just fucked with. Alex will eat this guy for lunch.”
“No doubt,” Eli agreed. Evan pulled around the garage, parking in a space away from Carrie’s car. If her ex was still around, he didn’t want to give up who he was or the fact that he was helping Carrie out.
Alex answered the phone on the first call. “Yeah, man,” he said.
“Hey, Alex. I’m at Carrie’s building with my brother, Eli. We came to pick up her car and you might want to get over here and take a look at it. She told me that it’s your car and she’s borrowing it, but apparently, that doesn’t matter to her scumbag ex. The car is trashed, and I’m betting that he’s to blame.”
“Yeah, I think that’s a good guess. I’ll send Luke Tracy over to take a look at the car. I’ll also have him beef up security around the building. You didn’t take Carrie over there with you, right?” Alex asked.
“Of course not. I left her back at my place and told her to lock herself inside,” Evan said.
“Okay, get back over to her and tell my cousin that I’m putting a guard on her. She’ll give you some fight but tell her that it’s not up for discussion. We’re past the point of letting this slide. This guy means business and she’s right about the fact that he’s dangerous.”
Evan didn’t like the sound of that. “Have you heard from her father?” Evan asked.
“Rod was able to get in touch with him and apparently, Alastair had a few guys pay him a visit. They beat him up pretty badly and broke his arm. Rod was able to convince our uncle to come to America. He said that Carrie needed him here so that she wouldn’t worry about him and put herself and the baby at risk. Our uncle would do anything for Carrie.”
“Well, I’m glad that he’s going to be here soon. Can I tell Carrie?” Evan asked.
“Yeah, but maybe leave out the part about him being beaten. I’d also like for her to see a doctor. Her father said that she hasn’t been to one yet. She found out she was pregnant by taking one of those at-home tests. I think that she needs to be checked out.” Evan had to agree with Alex, but he didn’t want to be the one telling Carrie what she should and shouldn’t be doing with her life.
“I’ll let her know that her father is on his way to the states and that you’re arranging a doctor’s appointment for her. I can even make sure that she gets to it but telling your cousin what she should and shouldn’t do won’t end well for any of us.”
Alex’s laughter filled the other end of the call. “It seems that you know my cousin better than you’re letting on, Evan. Just do your best with her, and Rod and I will take it from there. My priority right now is the security of her building and making sure that the tenants are safe. We own that building and it’s our duty to provide a safe home for them. Rod’s taking care of our uncle’s travel arrangements. As soon as his doctors say that it’s safe for him to travel, we’ll fly him over here.”
“All right,” Evan said. “I’ll come up with some cover story as to why it might take a little bit extra time for him to get here.”
“Tell Carrie that there’s a hold-up with his passport,” Alex said. “She’ll believe that for now. We’ll let her father tell her what happened when he’s here safe and she won’t have to worry about him.”
“I won’t lie to her,” Evan said. “I’ll tell her that her father has agreed to come to America, but that’s about all I know. If she starts asking me questions, I’ll tell her the truth.”
“Fine,” Alex agreed. “It’s your call, just try to keep her calm.”
“Will do,” Evan said. “I’m heading home now.”
“Make sure that you’re not being followed,” Alex said.
“I will. I’ll have Eli keep an eye out,” Evan agreed. “Talk soon.” He ended the call and pocketed his cell phone.
“What now?” Eli asked.
“Now, we go back to my place, and you can head out. Alex is sending over security for Carrie, and I have to explain why her father is coming to America without upsetting her,” Evan said, recapping his and Alex’s conversation.
“Good luck with all of that,” Eli said. “You sure you don’t want me to stick around?” He was sure. The last thing he needed was his brother flirting with Carrie while he was trying to keep her calm.
“I’m sure,” Evan said. “Thanks for the offer though.”