Chapter Three
“I now declare this build started!” Max’s excited voice rang clearly over the site as his shovel dug deep into the soil beneath their feet.
Simon waited with the rest of the huge group that now stood around them; his family, the construction crew, locals who had heard they were breaking ground today and wanted to show their support, the local reporter, and one from Bialga.
Max bumped Simon’s shoulder with his own. “Come on! What are you waiting for?”
Simon stood beside him, shovel in hand. He blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?”
Max laughed and gestured to the ground. “There’s a reason you have a shovel, and it’s not just to look pretty for the pictures. Dig, already!”
Laughter peppered the crowd. He certainly wasn’t pretty like his brothers were. Simon looked down. Max had dug his shovel into the ground, but hadn’t lifted it even an inch yet.
“With you? You want me to dig at the same time?” he clarified.
“Yes, with me. At the same time. Hurry up, Si!”
Simon couldn’t hide his surprise and happiness at being included like this. Honestly, he had thought it was for the photos.
He shoved his shovel into the soil and glanced at his big brother, who nodded with a downward jerk of his chin. “On three.”
He positioned his hands properly and tensed his muscles as Max counted down.
“ One. Two. Three! ”
As one, they lifted their shovels of soil and deposited them to the side. The crowd cheered, whistles and claps surrounding them. Simon couldn’t help the grin that exploded on his face, happy laugher bursting from both him and his brother. He hadn’t felt this cheerful in longer than he could remember.
His life would always have a gaping hole in it where Amy had once been, but the day-to-day stuff had gotten easier over the last few months. He didn’t feel so guilty smiling these days; didn’t feel as if being happy or laughing was a crime.
It wasn’t easy, but he felt like he was starting to finally wake up from a long nightmare.
Bittersweet sadness suddenly washed over him. Amy should’ve been here to see this. She’d loved the Cow. They’d met there, after all, and she’d waitressed for Max for a few years until she’d been offered the job at his mother’s bakery.
He glanced around the site and the large group of people as Angie Schultz from the Bialga Daily News got him to move closer to Max for a photo.
Amy would’ve thought this a hoot—him in the papers. He stepped back out of the way as Angie moved in to chat to Max after the photo and caught sight of Eva standing over at the side of the group talking to Cat. She’d brought what looked like a hundred cupcakes with her to celebrate, setting them up on a trestle table near the project manager’s area.
Walking up behind them, Simon stopped near Mali who was talking animatedly with Darby. Without even looking at him, Mali rubbed his arm, her silent support and understanding tightening Simon’s throat.
Mali had been Amy’s best friend. She’d been such a comfort since Amy’s death. He glanced around the large group. The whole town had rallied around him, not leaving him to wallow or sink, their support constant and solid. Honestly, he believed that was the only reason he was able to function in any capacity at all, let alone mostly normal like he was now.
It still hurt—a lot—but the intensity was at least bearable now.
Eva glanced at him and he nearly physically recoiled from the disappointment that glared back at him for a moment, then was shuttered away behind a cool, detached, professional expression.
What’s that all about?
Cat smiled at him then headed toward her table of cupcakes. Simon shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and stepped in front of Eva. “Hey.” He motioned around them. “Quite the turnout, yeah?”
Eva nodded, not quite looking at him. “Yes. It’s good publicity.”
He frowned a little. It was as if her entire personality had changed in the short time since they’d previously spoken.
No. Not changed. Just… muted.
He tried to catch her eye with a small smile. “Everything okay?”
That got her attention. She looked surprised that he’d asked. “Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”
He studied her face for a moment, then shrugged. “No reason.”
Eva’s attention flicked to something behind him, and her face paled dramatically as she gasped.
Simon looked over his shoulder. A well-dressed guy was walking toward them.
No. Sauntering, not walking. A wide, shit-eating grin laced his face as his focus homed in on Eva.
The man opened his arms wide as he drew closer. “Leenie! Wow. You’re looking fabulous! Look at all this”—he gestured around them—“Isaac must be so proud of you.”
Simon’s frown returned, deeper this time.
What was she, a puppy?
“Vance.”
That was it. No hello. No introduction. No warmth at all in her hard voice.
“Now, Leenie. Don’t be like that. We haven’t seen each other in so long. I thought I’d show my support and come today. You know.” Vance winked at Simon, which only succeeded in making his blood pressure skyrocket. This guy was a douche. “Be the supportive husband, and all.”
Simon jerked back, eyes wide, and looked at Eva.
“ Ex -husband. Ex, Vance. I haven’t heard from you in over three years. Why are you here?”
The strain in her voice was obvious to anyone with ears. So. Divorced, and not amicably, by the sound of it. She was trying to be calm, professional—even he could see that—but it was costing her.
Vance’s smile became strained at the edges, but he kept it on his smug face. “It was a mistake. I should never have cut off all communication. It was wrong. I’ve been following your career since the… incident. I wanted to show my support for your new build here today.”
“Well, thanks, you’ve done so. You can go now.”
Vance stepped closer. Simon resisted the urge to growl at the bastard.
“Leenie—”
“I’ve asked you not to call me that. I don’t like it. My name is Evangeline .” Her face tightened almost to a grimace.
Okay. This prick needs to leave.
“Vance, is it?” Simon interrupted.
The guy in question looked at him. He nodded.
“Maybe you could catch up another time, hey? Evangeline is pretty busy here today.” He turned his attention to Eva. “In fact, Max asked me to come get you. He has a question about one of the amendments to the plan you suggested.”
Vance’s lip curled momentarily. So fast that Simon wondered if he’d imagined it. Then a fake-ass, slick smile widened his mouth. One that definitely didn’t reach his eyes.
“But this won’t take long, and L-Evangeline and I have lots to discuss. Don’t we, pumpkin?”
Eva winced at the endearment.
Simon gritted his teeth. He couldn’t stand seeing her so uncomfortable. “I don’t think you understood me. I asked you to leave. Nicely . Don’t make me ask again, because the next time won’t be so friendly.”
Vance stepped back, surprised. He looked Simon up and down, obviously noting his plainer clothes. Yes, he was clean, tidy, and presentable, but he certainly didn’t wear, or own, a suit worth what was now on Vance’s slimy ass.
Heck, that suit probably cost more than Darby’s house .
And he didn’t care.
Did the idiot think he could make Simon feel inferior by looking at him like that? Better people than him had tried and failed.
“Who do you think you are? All I wanted—”
“Vance! Not here. Please.” The last was said in a whisper. “Please,” she repeated, her face showing every bit of worry that must be running through her whole body.
Simon didn’t step forward, but he leaned a little in the shorter guy’s direction, his face still stony. “Goodbye, Vance.”
It had the desired effect and Vance stepped backward. He glanced between Simon and Eva, assessing. Simon fought the heat that wanted to flood him. He knew exactly what the prick was thinking, where his mind had automatically gone.
Let him think they were sleeping together. Simon didn’t care one way or the other, as long as it didn’t get messy and he left.
That smarmy smile drifted back onto Vance’s face, and he looked back to Eva. “Later then.”
Eva didn’t bother to answer, proving even more that she didn’t want anything to do with this joker. Simon watched him go with a scowl.
“Thank you.”
Simon looked at Eva, concern curling deep in his stomach. “Are you okay? He seems like a piece of work.”
She looked up at him then, and his gut dropped at the tears building there. “Eva?”
He cupped her face as she bit her lip in an obvious attempt to stop the wobble he’d seen.
She sucked in a gasped breath. “He didn’t even ask how Matty is,” she whispered, her face crumpling.
Something nasty squeezed Simon’s gut down low. “Who’s Matty?”
Eva lost whatever battle she’d been waging, the tears tumbling down her face. Simon couldn’t bear the pain in her eyes and hauled her into his arms, but her next words froze his heart.
“He’s our son.”