Chapter Fifteen
Audrey pushed the last bite of her croissant around her plate, trying to appear engrossed in her food.
She avoided looking at Evan, whose unrelenting stare had made her skin crawl since brunch began.
The sunlight streaming through the bay windows of the Barker dining room felt too bright, exposing every tense line of the faces around the table.
Maggie, ever the diplomat, had offered to help Rhonda clear the dishes, but Rhonda waved her off with a tight smile. “You should relax, Maggie. Have some coffee with Phoebe. She wants to show you the wedding dresses she’s been trying on.”
Audrey caught the flicker of dread in her grandmother’s eyes, though Maggie quickly masked it with a polite nod. “Of course,” she said, rising from her chair.
As Maggie followed Phoebe to the sitting room, Audrey made her escape. She pushed back her chair, the legs scraping the floor loudly enough to draw Bert’s attention.
“Where’s the bathroom?” she asked.
“Upstairs,” Bert said, gesturing. “Just down the hall to the right.”
Audrey nodded and hurried out of the room, her heart pounding. She couldn’t stand being in the same space as Evan any longer. His presence was oppressive, his dark eyes drilling into her with a mix of suspicion and something far more unsettling.
Upstairs, the hall was dimly lit, with faded wallpaper peeling slightly at the edges. Audrey found the bathroom and shut the door behind her, leaning against it with a sigh of relief. She pulled out her phone and texted her best friend, Isabella.
Stuck at this awful brunch with creepy Evan Barker. Can we hang out after your shift?
The response came almost immediately: a party emoji and a thumbs-up.
Audrey smiled faintly and slipped her phone back into her pocket. As she opened the bathroom door, she froze. Phoebe’s voice echoed down the hall, her footsteps heavy on the creaking floorboards.
“I know,” Phoebe said, exasperated. “It’s so embarrassing. They’re hosting this brunch for the Holbrooks, and the house looks like it’s falling apart.”
Audrey edged closer, moving silently toward the sound of Phoebe’s voice.
“No, I’m not joking,” Phoebe continued. “Their estate is practically a mansion. I swear, I thought about calling off the whole thing.”
Phoebe’s voice grew fainter as she stepped into a bedroom and shut the door. Audrey hesitated, then crept down the hall. She pressed her ear against the door, straining to hear.
“I miss you too,” Phoebe said softly. There was a pause, then her tone shifted, defensive. “That’s not fair. I’m not a gold digger.”
Audrey’s heart quickened.
“Because I love him, that’s why,” Phoebe snapped.
“Look, marrying Cord makes sense, okay? Life will be easier. But who knows? Not all marriages last forever. Maybe one day, when I’m a wealthy divorcee, we can see if the fire’s still there.
But for now, I can’t mess this up. My family needs that plot of land, if not the whole property.
And you know we owe back taxes on this place. ”
Audrey’s breath hitched. The Barkers were in financial trouble, and Phoebe’s marriage to Cord was her way out.
Before Audrey could retreat, a voice boomed behind her.
“What are you doing sneaking around my sister’s bedroom?”
Audrey spun around to see Evan standing at the end of the hall, his expression dark.
“I took a wrong turn coming out of the bathroom,” Audrey said quickly, trying to sound nonchalant.
“Yeah, right,” Evan said, taking a step closer.
The door to Phoebe’s room flew open, and she appeared in the doorway, her phone clutched in her hand. “What’s going on?”
Evan pointed at Audrey. “She was eavesdropping.”
Phoebe’s eyes narrowed as she ended her call. “What did you hear?”
Audrey met her gaze without flinching. “Enough.”
A tense silence followed.
“I’m going back downstairs,” Audrey said, her voice steady. “I think we’re about ready to leave.”
She started down the hall, but Evan moved to block her path.
“Excuse me,” Audrey said, her tone firm. “I’d like to get by.”
Evan didn’t budge.
Audrey stepped to the side, and so did he. She tried the other direction, but he mirrored her movements again.
“Evan, don’t be a jerk,” Phoebe snapped, her exasperation clear.
With a sneer, Evan finally stepped aside. Audrey slipped past him, pulse hammering, and hurried down the stairs, her heart still pounding from the confrontation in the hallway.
The tension from her encounter with Evan clung to her, and she needed to speak with her grandmother immediately.
The dining room was empty now, the remnants of brunch scattered across the table—crumbs from croissants, half-empty glasses of orange juice, and a faint haze of steam rising from a forgotten coffee cup.
She found Maggie in the sitting room, listlessly flipping through a photo album of Phoebe trying on wedding dresses.
Maggie looked up, her eyes narrowing. “What’s wrong?”
Audrey plopped onto the couch beside her, glancing toward the staircase to ensure no one was listening. “You’re not going to believe what I just heard.”
She launched into the story, her voice low and urgent, recounting Phoebe’s damning conversation with her ex-boyfriend.
Maggie’s face darkened as Audrey detailed Phoebe’s plan to secure the Holbrook fortune and her offhand remark about becoming a wealthy divorcee.
“That girl …” Maggie muttered, shaking her head. “I knew something was off about her. Cord is so blinded by his feelings, he’d walk right into a raging twister with his eyes wide open.”
Audrey leaned closer. “And then she said—”
“Where’s Phoebe?”
Both women jumped, startled by Cord’s voice. He stood in the doorway, his hands on his hips, his expression a mix of curiosity and concern.
“She’s upstairs,” Maggie replied smoothly, though her eyes darted to Audrey in warning.
Cord nodded. “Thanks. I’ll go say goodbye to her before we head out.”
He headed for the stairs, and Maggie exhaled sharply.
Audrey leaned in again. “Nana, this is serious. We need to tell him.”
“We will,” Maggie whispered, her tone firm. “But not here, and not now. Cord’s too stubborn to listen to reason when he’s in this mood. We’ll wait for the right moment.”
The car ride home was a minefield of tension. Cord, at the wheel, was in high spirits, oblivious to the storm brewing around him.
“So,” he began, his tone casual, “what did you think of Phoebe today?”
Maggie glanced at Audrey, warning her with a look to tread carefully.
“She’s very pretty,” Maggie said diplomatically.
“She looked lovely in those dresses,” Audrey added, though her tone was tight. “Any one of them would be perfect.”
Cord smiled, clearly pleased. “I know some of you have your doubts, but Phoebe’s the real deal. She’s sweet, smart, and she makes me happy.”
Audrey stared out the window, biting her tongue.
Maggie changed the subject. “Have you two decided on honeymoon plans?”
“Yep. Phoebe’s always wanted to go to the Bahamas, so we’re going on a cruise. After that, we’ll figure out where to settle down. Maybe buy a house. I’m starting to think mine’s too small. Maybe I’ll sign it over to Sandy.”
Audrey couldn’t help herself. “Are you seriously considering Chips Hogan’s place?”
Cord shrugged. “I don’t know. Phoebe really likes the property, but we’ll see. It depends on what she wants.”
Maggie shot Audrey another warning glance, silencing the retort that hovered on her lips.
When they arrived home, the atmosphere shifted. The Holbrook house, with its expansive porch and lush garden, stood in sharp contrast to the weathered Barker property. Maggie led the way inside, her stride purposeful.
“Come with me,” she said to Audrey, heading straight for her office.
Audrey followed, her pulse quickening. Once inside, Maggie shut the door firmly and turned to face her.
“Let me see what you found.”
Audrey pulled out the pages of legal documents she’d taken from Chips’s house. Maggie’s expression hardened as she took the birthday card out of her purse and reread the card, her lips pressing into a thin line.
“This is bad,” she said. “If Evan wrote this, it’s a smoking gun.”
“It’s more than bad, Nana,” Audrey said. “It’s evidence that Evan wanted Chips gone. Maybe enough to kill him.”
Maggie sighed heavily. “I’ll take this to Jill. She won’t be happy—it’s illegally obtained, after all—but she’ll know what to do with it.”
“Do you think Phoebe’s involved?” Audrey asked.
Maggie hesitated. “It’s hard to say. The girl’s got dollar signs in her eyes, that’s for certain, but whether she’d stoop to something this extreme …” She trailed off, her expression conflicted.
Audrey wasn’t convinced. “I think they’re all in on it. Evan poisoned Chips to get the land, and Phoebe’s marrying Cord for the money to buy it.”
Maggie nodded slowly, though she looked troubled. “I wouldn’t put it past Evan. But Rhonda and Bert? I’ve known them for years. This doesn’t feel like them.”
Audrey nodded, her mind still racing. Then, she remembered something. “Hey, I better go. I’m meeting up with Isabella this afternoon.” She gave her grandmother a kiss on the cheek and dashed out of the room.
Upstairs, Audrey changed out of her brunch clothes, pulling on jeans and a sweater.
As she passed her bedroom window, she heard voices below.
She stepped closer, peering out and saw Phoebe standing by her car, her posture casual but her expression anything but.
She was talking to Sandy, who had just emerged from the toolshed with a hammer and nails in hand.
Audrey watched as Phoebe leaned toward him, her hand brushing his arm in what was unmistakably a flirtatious gesture. Sandy stiffened, taking a step back, but Phoebe persisted. Her hand moved to his waist, and she tilted her head, saying something Audrey couldn’t hear.
Sandy’s face twisted in revulsion. He removed Phoebe’s hand with deliberate care and said something sharp, his tone cutting. Then he turned and stormed back toward the house, leaving Phoebe standing alone, her expression unreadable.
Audrey didn’t wait. She ran downstairs and out the door, catching up to Sandy as he climbed a ladder to fix a sagging shutter.
“What was that about?” Audrey demanded, planting her hands on her hips.
“Nothing,” Sandy muttered, hammering a nail into place.
“It didn’t look like nothing,” Audrey pressed. “She was all over you.”
Sandy sighed, setting down the hammer. “You shouldn’t have been spying.”
“I wasn’t spying. I saw it from my window,” Audrey shot back. “Are you going to tell Cord?”
Sandy hesitated, his gaze dropping to the ground. “What good would it do? He’s in love with her. He’ll believe whatever she tells him.”
“You don’t know that,” Audrey argued. “Cord trusts you.”
Sandy shook his head. “I’m staying out of it, Audrey. Maybe you should too.”
When Audrey returned inside, Phoebe was in the sitting room with Cord and Maggie.
“I know we just spent the whole morning together,” Phoebe said, her voice strained, “but there’s something I forgot to talk to Audrey about. It’s urgent.”
Cord and Maggie exchanged surprised looks, and Audrey felt her stomach drop.
“Sure,” Audrey said cautiously. “Let’s take a walk.”
Outside, the air was crisp, and Phoebe’s heels clicked against the stone path as they walked in silence.
“I wanted to apologize,” Phoebe began, her tone soft.
“For what?” Audrey asked.
“For my brother,” Phoebe said, her voice trembling. “I know he can be … difficult. He’s always been that way, and I thought he’d grow out of it, but so far he hasn’t.”
Audrey stopped, turning to face her. “Do you think he’s dangerous?”
Phoebe hesitated. “No. I mean, I don’t think so. But I can’t say for sure.”
“Phoebe, I found the birthday card he gave Chips,” Audrey said bluntly. “The threats. The violence. It’s not normal.”
Phoebe’s eyes widened, but she quickly regained her composure. “Evan loves to cause drama. He hated Chips, sure, but he wouldn’t actually hurt anyone. He just … likes to push buttons.”
Audrey frowned. “You really expect me to believe that?”
Phoebe sighed. “Look, whatever Evan does, it has nothing to do with me. I can’t control him, and it’s not fair to judge me based on his actions.”
“Is that why you’re marrying Cord?” Audrey asked sharply.
Phoebe’s face twisted with hurt. “No! I love Cord. I’m not a gold digger, Audrey. I swear.”
Audrey folded her arms, unconvinced.
This was the second time in less than an hour she had heard Phoebe deny she was a gold digger.
Phoebe stepped closer, her voice pleading. “Please don’t tell Cord about the card. Or my ex. Yes, we talk sometimes, but it’s innocent. I swear. Audrey, I love Cord with all my heart, and I don’t want to lose him.”
Audrey stared at her, trying to discern the truth. Phoebe’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and for a moment, she almost believed her.
“Will you tell him?” Phoebe asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” Audrey admitted.
Phoebe nodded, biting her lip. “One more thing,” she said. “Will you be one of my bridesmaids?”
Audrey blinked, caught off guard.
Phoebe smiled faintly. “Think about it, okay? Tell Cord I’ll call him later.” Then she turned and walked to her car, leaving Audrey standing alone.
When Audrey returned to the sitting room, Cord was waiting, his expression curious.
“What did Phoebe want?” he asked.
Audrey hesitated, the words heavy on her tongue. Finally, she swallowed hard. “She, uh, she asked me to be a bridesmaid.”
Cord’s face lit up, and Maggie’s jaw dropped, her shock evident.