“It’s a great idea,” Evie mused.
“If you’re rebuilding, I’ll find another location. But if you don’t want to run a bookshop anymore, maybe you could come work for me. I pay a good salary, and you’d have plenty of flexibility. You could run the office, do the bookings, and take the photos. It’d be a small operation at first, so you’d be managing it alone. But I’m hoping it would grow over time and we could hire help.”
Evie pondered his words. It wasn’t a bad idea. It might be just what she needed. But giving up the bookshop space wasn’t something she was ready to do.
“Thanks, Bradford. It means a lot to me that you’d want me to be part of your business. I’ll talk to my landlord and think about it. Can I get back to you?”
He grinned. “Yes, please think about it. We’d be great together.”
His positivity was contagious. She felt hope stir in the pit of her gut. Maybe her future wasn’t so dim. Perhaps she could reinvent herself again. She’d done it before.
After Bradford left, Evie pushed herself to her feet with a groan. She’d spent days sorting through the ruins of her bookshop. Every part of her body ached, and every muscle was tired and sore. One more hour of it and she’d head home. The house was quiet now, with Emily gone. She’d called when she made it home safely to Emerald. She seemed calmer and more at peace with her lot in life. Their talk had given both of them a sense of release after so many years of tension. They could move on and embrace the lives they’d built for themselves without animosity or jealousy. The anger was gone, and instead, a warm affection remained in its place.
She had her sister back. Even if nothing else worked out in her life, at least she had Emily. She hadn’t realised just how much she needed that reconciliation until she had it. She felt like a different person to the one she’d been before. Her anxiety about what the future held had dimmed to a vague sense of discomfort.
“I’m sorry about the fire.” When David spoke, it startled her. She’d been so deep in her reverie, she hadn’t seen him cross the street from the primary school.
She pressed her hands to her hips and met his gaze. “Thanks.”
“You doing okay?”
She shrugged. “I am, which is basically a miracle.”
“Do you know what happened yet?” His dark eyes brimmed with compassion. “How did the fire start?”
“We’re not sure. The forensic team said that their findings were inconclusive.”
“That’s frustrating.”
He leaned against the railing. His brown hair was combed back in waves away from his face. His skin was more tanned than it’d been when he first arrived.
“Did Emily call you before she left?” It was the last thing she wanted to discuss with David, but knowing her sister as well as she did, it was a necessary conversation to have.
His eyes widened. “Left? Where did she go?”
Evie sighed. In the past, she would’ve been angry at her sister, but now she simply felt sadness for David. “I’m sorry, David. She went back home. To her husband.”
“Her husband?” His brow furrowed. “She’s married?”
“She should’ve told you.” Evie ran her fingers through her hair. “But yes, she’s married. She has been for almost two decades. She and her husband were having troubles, so she came to stay with me for a little while. Now she’s gone back home to try to work things out. I’m afraid you were caught in the crosshairs.”
“Oh.” He crossed his arms. “Where’s home?”
“Emerald — central Queensland. Her husband works for a mining company. She has two adult children as well, although they don’t live at home any longer.”
“Wow. She didn’t mention any of that to me. We had about four dates—I would’ve thought something like that might come up.”
“Again, I’m sorry. She’s a unique person, my sister.” Evie cleared her throat. “We’ve been estranged for a number of years, but we’re making amends.”
“I’m glad you’re working it out. As far as she and I go, I’d already told her that I didn’t think we had a future together. Four dates was enough. She’s a little more than I can handle.” His eyes twinkled.
Evie laughed. “She’s more than any of us can handle.”
“So, the two of you are nothing alike, then?”
“We’re complete opposites,” Evie replied.
“But you look exactly the same.”
