Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Everleigh's stomach twisted into a knot as she approached the reception desk where Vivi greeted her with a tight smile. Vivi didn't say a single word, just picked up the phone and tapped out what Everleigh assumed was a quick message to Mason.
Everleigh was sure that Vivi had seen her appointment on the calendar, so she didn't bother to tell her why she was there.
Vivi seemed content to ignore her, and Everleigh let it slide even though it hurt her heart.
Less than two minutes later, Mason stepped into the lobby, and his honey-brown eyes lit on Everleigh. “Ms. Beaumont, come on back,” he said.
As Everleigh gathered her purse and stood, Mason threw a quick wink Vivi’s way before leading her to the same conference room they’d met in just over a week ago.
He gestured for her to take a seat while he closed the door, then dropped into a chair on the opposite side of the table.
“Thanks for stopping in. I just wanted to review a couple of things in person before we proceed,” he said.
“No problem,” Everleigh assured him.
Mason studied her across the table. “Have you been settling in okay?”
Everleigh shrugged. “Fine, I guess. A little stressful living with my parents, but otherwise everything’s fine.”
She couldn’t begin to explain why she felt compelled to tell him that.
The way he looked at her with those penetrating gold eyes made her squirm like a sinner in church.
It was on the tip of her tongue to spill every single secret she’d kept over the past several decades—and there were a lot of those.
She shifted awkwardly in her chair and bit her tongue to keep everything from spewing out.
Mason nodded a little. “Are they aware of what’s going on?”
“God, no.” Everleigh's eyes widened dramatically. “I’d like to keep this between us if at all possible. My father would have the house locked down if he knew someone was sending me these pictures.”
A smile curled the corners of Mason’s lips. “I can only imagine. You’re an only child, right?”
Everleigh nodded. “Lucky me.”
“Lucky you didn’t have a twin who’s a know-it-all,” he deadpanned. “I would have given anything to get rid of him while we were growing up.”
Everleigh couldn’t help but laugh. “I think every sibling goes through that phase.”
“Maybe. I think I’d still trade him some days. Can’t get away from him.” He rolled his eyes. “When I got a job here, he had the audacity to apply too.”
Personally, Everleigh thought it was kind of sweet. Though she knew he didn’t want to admit it, Mason obviously admired his brother. “I didn’t realize he worked here, too. I don’t think I’ve met him yet.”
Mason grinned. “Maybe if you’re lucky it’ll stay that way.”
Everleigh shrugged one shoulder and smiled. “I guess I’ll have to take your word for it.”
“Oh, he’ll find you,” Mason warned. “If some idiot here hits on you, I can assure you it’ll be Miles. He means well, but just ignore him.”
“I’m all good on dating. I’ve already got enough on my plate with this craziness,” Everleigh pointed to the manila folder that lay on the table between them.
Mason’s expression turned serious as he flipped it open. “True enough. Did you happen to bring the picture you received at the coffee shop?”
“I did.” Everleigh extracted it from her purse and passed it over.
He studied it for a second before setting it on top of the pile of pictures that had trickled in over the past few weeks. “And you said this came while you were sitting there?”
“Yep.” Everleigh wrapped her arms around her middle as a cold chill moved down her spine.
“I still can’t figure out exactly how it happened, or who could have left it.
But I was sitting there with Sierra—my realtor—talking about prospective homes.
When we were done, she left to take a call with another client and I saw it sticking out of my purse. ”
Mason gave a slow shake of his head, his lips pressing into a firm line. “He’s getting bolder. Showing you that he’s in control, how he’s able to blend right in without you knowing. He wants to scare you.”
If that was true, it was working.
“Have you reported it to the police?”
Everleigh shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about it.”
He waved off her concern. “No problem. I’ll get that taken care of this afternoon. It’s just good to keep them up to date on what’s happening.”
“Sure.” Everleigh studied him. “What next?”
“I’m looking into a few of the people who were in or around the coffee shop when you received this.” He tapped the photo. “We’re getting closer. It’s just a matter of time before we narrow it down.”
Everleigh nodded. “That makes sense. Is there anything I should be doing differently?”
Mason shook his head. “Do everything exactly as you normally would. Any deviation from your regular schedule would be like waving a giant red flag in front of his face.”
“That’s probably true.” Everleigh sat back with a sigh. “I just can't figure it out. Why would they send me the photos at all? It seems so… juvenile.”
“That's how it starts sometimes,” he responded. “We just need to make sure that it doesn't escalate into something worse.”
Everleigh rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers. “It's just so frustrating. How did I not even notice?”
“Don’t blame yourself. He’s very skilled at being stealthy if he was able to slip that into your purse without you knowing.
Not only that, but Blackwater Key is a small town.
He blends in well enough that he flew under everyone’s radar, and no one saw anything out of the ordinary.
Otherwise, someone would have said something. ”
That, Everleigh knew, was a fact. People in small towns loved to talk. Blackwater Key wasn’t tiny, being located less than an hour outside of Miami, but it was small enough. Mason was right. If someone had noticed something strange, they would have approached.
“You said he,” Everleigh mused as his words fully sank in. “You think it’s a guy now?”
“I’m assuming it is, yes.”
“Why?”
“Because of the circumstances.” Mason leaned his elbows on the table and studied her. “Like I said before—whoever it is wants you to know they’re there. Men typically like to wield that power. Women tend to be stealthier.”
Everleigh gave a slow nod. She thought she’d paid attention to her surroundings before; she’d have to be extra vigilant now and keep an eye out for men who ventured too close.
“He'll act out again,” Mason said. “And next time we’ll be ready for it.”
Everleigh didn't know if that was a threat or a promise, but she trusted him to keep her safe either way. “Thank you. I'm sorry it's been a waste of your time so far.”
“Not at all.” He surprised her with a quick grin. “Just promise me that when all this is over, you'll tell all your friends how awesome we are.”
Everleigh let out a laugh. “I will definitely do that.”
Mason reached for the manila folder to his right, then froze and flicked his gaze to her. “I know this is a weird question, but what are you doing Saturday?”
Everything inside Everleigh stilled, and she froze like a deer caught in headlights. Mason quirked a little smile. “Not a date. We're having a cookout and I thought you might like to come.”
“Oh, I wouldn't want to impose.”
“No imposition,” he assured her. “I thought it might be nice for you to get out a little bit somewhere chill. A bunch of the guys will be bringing their wives and girlfriends.”
Ice slithered through Everleigh's veins. Would Knox be there? She kind of hoped so. He’d made himself scarce when she'd come into the office, and she was hoping to see him again.
She noticed he wasn't wearing a ring, so she doubted he was married.
But what if he had a girlfriend? She knew she shouldn't cast stones, but the thought made her physically ill. “I'd love to but...”
“You'll be safe with us,” Mason continued, completely unaware of her inner turmoil. “You should definitely come.”
Everleigh bit her lip. “Where is it?”
“Vivi's got a house over in Red Creek. We’re moving back in there, so it's kind of a housewarming party too.”
Everleigh thought she'd seen something spark between them. “So you and Vivi are together?”
He gave a little nod, and she smiled, remembering the diamond she'd seen flashing on her left hand. “Then I guess congratulations are in order.”
“Thank you.” He grinned. “I've gotten tokens of both congratulations and sympathy, so…”
He shrugged good-naturedly, and Everleigh couldn't help but laugh. Even when Vivi was little, she was a spitfire. She could only imagine the woman she'd grown up to be. “She’s an amazing person. You're lucky to have each other.”
“We are,” he agreed. “I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
He snatched a piece of paper off a notepad and scribbled down an address. “Here. Come by around one o'clock.”
Everleigh took the paper from his hands. “You're making it really hard to say no.”
“That was kind of the point,” he deadpanned. “You ever hear of Rina Sterling?”
For a moment, Everleigh was dumbfounded. Rina was a country music singer whose stardom had exploded over the last couple of years. She’d been on the cover of magazines everywhere. Everleigh wasn’t sure there was a person on earth who hadn’t heard of her. “Is she a client?”
“She was. Now she's married to one of our agents.”
Everleigh tried not to allow her surprise to show on her face, but she must have failed miserably. “That tends to happen a lot around here,” Mason said with a smirk, seeming to read her mind. “Luke was working for his girlfriend, Hannah, when they met, too.”
The idea of falling for someone you worked for or vice versa seemed a little taboo, but Everleigh was happy they’d found each other, regardless of whatever situation had brought them together. “I’m sure that was hard for them,” she murmured.
Mason tipped his head slightly to one side. “I think they resisted initially. But they’re happy together, and that’s all that matters.”
“Very true.” Everleigh nodded slowly, absorbing what he’d said.
Her stomach cramped into a tight knot at the thought of Knox taking on a beautiful client and falling in love with her.
She still wasn’t sure if he was dating anyone, but there was only one way to find out.
She stared down at the slip of paper clenched between her fingers.
God, she really didn’t want to see him with another woman. Her heart ached already just envisioning a pretty blonde on his arm, a huge smile on her face as she stared adoringly up at him. Her stomach flipped, and she swallowed hard.
Everleigh needed to talk to him; she still wanted him so badly, and the past couple of weeks had turned that flickering flame of unrequited love to a full-fledged inferno.
She wanted desperately to see if there could ever be anything between them again.
He’d loved her so much once. Could they go back to that?
Could they finally make it work, now that time and family weren’t working against them?
“You really should come.”
Everleigh flicked her gaze up to meet Mason’s, and he offered a little smile. “Everyone’s down to earth. Good people.”
“It sounds... great, actually. And if I happen to stop by”—she stressed the word if, just in case she chickened out—“what should I bring?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “Just stop by and enjoy yourself for a while.”
“I appreciate that.” Everleigh tucked the address into her purse, then slid the strap over her shoulder and stood. “I'll keep an eye out for anything strange and let you know right away if anything happens.”
“Perfect.” He opened the door and escorted her back to the lobby. “Think about what I said.”
“I will. And thank you.” Everleigh headed out, fully aware that Vivi refused to look her way.
Outside, Everleigh made her way to her car, then slid into the driver’s seat.
She tossed her purse on the passenger seat, and her gaze caught on the strip of paper sticking out of the top.
She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel.
If she could catch Knox alone, really talk to him, maybe—just maybe—they could figure out if there was still something there.
Shifting into gear, Everleigh turned the car onto the main drag and headed for the grocery store. If she was going to do this, she was going to go all out.