Chapter 3 - THE SECRET BEHIND EVAN COLE
Nora withdrew her hand from mine.
It shouldn’t have bothered me.
It did.
“What is he talking about?”
I looked toward Miles.
He smiled like a man who’d finally found his weapon.
Diane stared.
“Dock operator?”
One of Nora’s uncles whispered:
“Oh, my God.”
Apparently someone else recognized me.
I stood.
“Perhaps this conversation should happen privately.”
Nora shook her head.
“No.”
Her voice trembled.
“You knew everything about me before we came in here.”
“Only what you told me.”
“And you let me think you were just some businessman having coffee.”
“I am a businessman.”
Miles laughed.
“That is one description.”
I looked at him.
“Careful.”
His smile disappeared.
Nora noticed.
And that was worse.
She stepped backward.
“Evan, are you mafia?”
Nobody moved.
I could have lied.
For years, people around me lied because truth was expensive.
But Nora had spent the entire afternoon trying to tell her family who she really was.
She deserved better.
“Yes.”
Her face changed.
“How involved?”
I held her gaze.
“Enough that your mother was right about one thing.”
“What?”
“I’m not a safe man to use as a fake boyfriend.”
Eleanor sighed.
“Well, at least he’s honest.”
Diane looked furious.
“You brought a criminal into my mother’s birthday?”
Nora turned on her.
“I didn’t know!”
Miles stepped closer.
“Nora, come with me.”
She looked at him.
“No.”
“I’ll take you home.”
“No.”
“You’re upset.”
“I said no.”
Something dark flashed across his face.
There it was again.
The assumption that her answer didn’t matter.
Then I noticed Diane looking toward Miles.
Not surprised.
Not alarmed.
Nervous.
I knew that expression.
It belonged to people who had too many secrets in the same room.
I turned toward Miles.
“How long have you known who I am?”
“Long enough.”
“Why?”
His face tightened.
“Your companies interfere with ours.”
“Which company?”
“Harper Hospitality.”
I almost smiled.
His family’s hotel business had recently tried to acquire warehouse property near the Charleston docks.
Property owned through one of my legitimate holding companies.
Their bid failed.
That explained his hostility.
But not Diane’s fear.
Nora looked between us.
“What are you two not saying?”
Miles stepped closer to me.
“You stay away from Bennett business.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Why?”
“Because it’s none of yours.”
Nora laughed bitterly.
“You were literally about to propose to me as part of a business alliance.”
“Nora—”
“No.”
Then Eleanor struck her cane against the floor.
Everyone stopped.
She looked toward Diane.
“Tell her.”
Diane went pale.
Nora turned.
“Tell me what?”
Eleanor’s voice softened.
“Your bakery money.”
Nora frowned.
“What about it?”
“The savings account you’ve been building for eighteen months.”
Nora’s face changed.
“How do you know about that?”
“Because your mother knows too.”
Silence.
Diane looked away.
Nora’s voice dropped.
“Mom?”
Then Miles said:
“You shouldn’t have hidden money from your family.”
My body went cold.
Nora stared.
“How do you know about my account?”
Nobody answered.
Then Eleanor whispered:
May you like
“Because they’ve been watching every dollar you save.”
And according to her, someone had already moved part of Nora’s bakery money into the new Bennett-Harper partnership.
