“I remember,” she murmured, and shook his hand. What a surprise. No smart remarks. No ultimatums. Looked like at least one brother could be reasonable. “Mason didn’t say when you’d be joining us.” She could sure use a buffer from his brother.
“Oh, I won’t be moving in right away. I’m still tying up some loose ends at our base camp, and we invested in a town house when we were scoping out the landscape.” He shared a glance with his brother. “But I’ll be here soon enough.”
The thought of being here alone with Mason set off a firestorm of nerves inside her.
“After I get the chance to work my magic on this place. I’ve been waiting years,” the slender man said as he moved forward. He didn’t have the bulk of the other two, but she could tell he made up for it with loads of personality. The good kind.
“Hello, EvaMarie,” he said, holding out his hand. “It’s been years since we’ve seen each other, so I don’t expect you to remember me. I’m Jeremy Blankenship.”
“Oh, yes. I thought you looked familiar. It’s good to see you again...”
Now that she had a name to go with the face, her memories clicked. Jeremy was a son of one of the active horse racing families who had decided to go completely against the grain and attend school for an interior design degree.
“Can we move past the pleasantries and get to work, please?” Mason groused.
“You’d better get used to pleasantries and small talk if you plan on socializing much in this town,” Kane warned.
Jeremy nodded his agreement before turning his gaze back to EvaMarie with questions in his soft brown eyes that had her tensing. “When I heard the Harringtons had bought the estate, I didn’t expect to find you still here.”
Before she could answer, Mason cut in. “EvaMarie will be overseeing a lot of the daily work and details for me.”
Jeremy looked between them for a moment. “Oh, so are y’all together?”
“No.” Mason’s voice was short, but EvaMarie wondered if that was a hint of satisfaction she heard. “When I say she’ll be working, I mean it literally. As in, for me.”
There it was... EvaMarie felt her face flame, blood rushing to the surface as she wondered how many other people he would find satisfaction in telling her new status to. Part of her wanted to crawl away in defeat, but she forced her shoulders back, projecting a confidence she was far from feeling. With any luck, this job would be a gateway to a new life for her. One that wasn’t going to be at the same level as she’d had growing up, but despite what a lot of people were probably gonna think, she was fine with that.
At least she’d be one step closer to this life being hers.
There was no point pouting over what she couldn’t change...yet. That was one thing life had taught her. The key was to simply put her head down and power through. “Jeremy, would you like a look around?” she asked, assuming that’s why he was here.
“Would love it. After all, I can’t interior design if I haven’t seen the interior, right?” He smiled big, as if to show her his approval, then linked his arm through hers and led her down the hallway.
She might just like having him here.
Most of the rooms were just going to need new wall treatments, updated lighting and furniture. Uncomfortable at first, EvaMarie soon put forth a few tentative ideas and received an accepting reaction from all but Mason, who remained aloof though not outwardly antagonistic. She directed the little party around the downstairs, then into the kitchen and family room.
“This would be a great place for a leather sofa and big screen television,” Kane said. “Right next to the kitchen. Perfect hang out space.”
The discussion devolved into name brands and types of electronic equipment that had EvaMarie yawning. Then Kane climbed the three steps to the main kitchen area. The rest of them followed. EvaMarie tried not to cringe. This room had been in desperate need of a makeover for years. Its mustard yellow appliances and farm motif dated it from the early eighties at the latest.
“I want more extensive work in here,” Kane said. “Stainless-steel appliances, new granite countertops, the whole shebang.”
“My brother,” Mason interrupted, “in this area, I give you free rein.”
“That’s because you don’t want to starve,” Kane teased.
Mason winked, pointing at his brother. “You are correct, sir.”
Without thought, EvaMarie said, “Well, looks like one of you learned to cook.”
The men glanced her way. Once more she felt that telltale heat in her cheeks. Maybe she’d gotten a little too comfortable—the last thing she should have alluded to was her one and only trip to the Harrington household when she was a teenager. That’s when she’d realized that the extent of Mason’s cooking skills included opening a box and the microwave door. Of course, hers weren’t comprehensive, but her mother had the housekeeper teach her the basics. She’d enjoyed it so much she’d taken home ec and some specialty classes once adulthood allowed her to pursue a small number of her own interests.
“Well, we will definitely coordinate these two spaces so they flow together,” Jeremy said, smoothly glossing over her sudden embarrassed silence. He gestured back toward the living area beyond the bar that served as a divider between the two spaces. “Do you gentlemen want a true man cave here or something more subtle?”
“Man, too bad there isn’t a place for a big game room,” Mason said. “We can at least watch the Super Bowl on a big screen here, but something more intense would be a great addition.”
Kane nodded. “Pinball machines, a poker table, a wine cellar. Wouldn’t that be awesome?”
“What are the odds of us getting something that’s awesome?” Mason asked Jeremy with a grin.
“Well, all of these first-floor rooms are open to the hallway. How true to the style of the house do you want to hold to?”
The guys bantered back and forth, Mason’s smile breaking through full throttle. For the first time, EvaMarie caught a true glimpse of the Mason she remembered. Oh, he was older, more ruggedly handsome. But that smile showcased the fun-loving, friendly resonance of his youth.
She’d missed it, as much as the thought scared her.
As they talked more and more about what would make a really cool splash in the house, EvaMarie could feel her stomachache growing. Ideas sparked in her brain...as did the voice of her father calling her a traitor. The push and pull of what should be clear family loyalties confused her. After all, her family had had a difficult time with what life had thrown at them. While losing their home was just part of that life, losing it to the Harringtons was unforgivable to her father.
She shouldn’t be helping them. But she needed to do a good job, right?
“What about the basement?” she asked, the words bursting forth before she’d actually made up her mind.
The three men shared a glance, then Jeremy asked, “What basement?”
EvaMarie offered the interior designer a tentative smile despite her guilt and led the way back out to the breezeway. On the far side of the stairwell was a regular door that opened to a fairly wide set of stairs. She could feel Kane as he leaned around the doorway. “Looks promising,” he said.
“What it’s gonna look is dusty,” she said as she started down, flicking the light switch on as she went. “I can’t even remember the last time anyone was down here.”
She’d actually forgotten about the space, which was currently used for storage. Probably a good thing. Thinking about packing and moving all the stuff down here too might have thrown