Authors: Beth Cornelison
Kevin deserves a woman who can see past what he doesn't have and see what he's
got.
"Blaine isn’t half the man Kevin is. Kevin has more class, more integrity in his pinkie than Blaine could ever dream of having."
Her father’s dismissive scowl reminded her of the numerous times in the past her arguments had been pushed aside as her father decided what was best for her. "Okay, so not Blaine specifically, but someone like him. Forget about this man and come home with me where you belong."
But she belonged here. In Grayson. With Kevin. Everything inside her told her so. She had to take a stand now or regret it the rest of her life. This was what the past weeks had been about, proving to her father that she alone had the right to decide her future, her life.
"The fact of the matter is I intend to make Kevin a very large part of my future. This town, Harrison University, and Kevin Fuller are what I want. They are what make me happy. I’m sorry if you can’t accept that, but I have no intention of changing my life to fit your idea of what’s best for me any longer."
"And you're sure that this man—Kevin—feels the same way about you?"
Well, that was the question of the hour wasn’t it?
"I know he cares about me, but..."
But did he care enough to put his heart on the line? Did he love her? Did he see the same future together that she did?
"I...don’t know." She hated the wobble in her voice. The uncertainty.
"Are you sure he cares about you or...is it your money he’s interested in?"
Claire bristled. "Kevin’s not a gold digger!"
But his mention of money the night before needled her again.
There's not much I wouldn't do to get a little ahead for a change
. Doubt squeezed her chest.
"Sweetheart, I’m not saying this to upset you. I’ve dealt with enough people from all stations in life long enough to know that the one thing all people have in common is greed. Money talks, Claire, and when you have money, you have to be doubly certain about others’ true motives. I don’t want to see you hurt or taken advantage of. How well do you really know this man and his motives for...getting close to you?"
"Well enough to know he’d never hurt me." That much she knew for fact. Kevin would never
intentionally
hurt her. But...
Her father shoved his hands in his pockets, and a muscle twitched in his jaw as he stared back at her dolefully. "Well, for your sake, I hope so."
Her father took a seat in the wingback chair across from her and let the subject of Kevin drop. Still, her experience with her father’s doggedness and the calculating gleam in his eyes worried her. A nagging suspicion quivered in her stomach, warning her that the subject of Kevin’s motives was far from closed.
***
Kevin tapped his pen on the arm of his desk chair in the store office, unable to concentrate on the order forms and inventory sheets spread before him. His mind was on what was happening back at Mrs. P.’s house between Claire and her father. He hadn’t wanted to leave her to face her father’s wrath alone. But how could he tell her no when she looked at him with those gold eyes and appealed to him so earnestly for the chance to deal with her father alone, on her own terms? He had to respect her need for autonomy and her ability to handle her problems on her own, or he was as guilty as her father of usurping her right to choose her life for herself.
He heard the stir of voices on the sales floor, and he raised his head to listen, hoping one belonged to Claire. Instead, Mr. Albritton appeared in the door to the office. The man’s serious, businesslike countenance didn’t bode well, but Kevin stood and extended his hand to Claire’s father. "Afternoon, sir. What can I do for you?"
"Yes, Kevin, is it?" Mr. Albritton shook his hand and flashed a stiff smile. "I was wondering if you had a minute to discuss a business matter with me."
Kevin hesitated, narrowing an uneasy gaze on his visitor. "Business?"
Claire’s father waved a hand toward the empty chair across from the desk. "May I?"
"Of course. Please." Kevin waited for Mr. Albritton to sit before taking his seat again. Curiosity and a hint of wariness started a slow swirl in his gut.
Claire’s father casually crossed one ankle over the opposite knee and steepled his fingers. "So you’re the manager here, is that right?"
"Yes, sir. Going on eight years now."
Mr. Albritton raised his eyebrows as if impressed by how long Kevin had held his position. "How’s the pay?"
The direct, exceedingly personal question caught Kevin off guard, and he fumbled for a reply. Had it been anyone else, he’d have told him his salary was none of their business. But this was Claire’s father, and it served no good to set himself at odds with the man. "Can’t complain. I get by, pay all my bills on time," he said, hoping the evasive answer would satisfy the man.
"You get by." Mr. Albritton grunted and nodded knowingly. "
Getting by
is good, but...would it be fair to say money is a concern for you? Or rather the lack of it?"
Kevin shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with the line of questions. "I...suppose, but I don’t—"
"Mr. Fuller, I’ll be blunt. My daughter has gotten it in her head that you have feelings for her, and I want to know where you stand. What are your intentions regarding Claire?"
Whoa
.
Kevin wiped his suddenly damp palms on the legs on his jeans as he sat straighter in his chair and cleared his throat. "Well, I...I only want what’s best for Claire. I care very much ab—"
"And do you think
you
are what is best for Claire? That a life of
getting by
is what she deserves?"
A fist of doubt closed around Kevin’s throat. "I—"
"I guess I don’t have to tell you that Claire comes from money. Our family has a position of power and privilege that I worked years to build. She may be going through a bit of a rebellious stage at the moment, but in a few months, when the reality of what she’s turned her back on hits home, I have no doubt she’ll come home, ready to take her place again in the family."
A twinge of dread coiled inside Kevin. All the concerns and doubts he'd suppressed about his involvement with Claire rushed up to the surface.
"When she does come back," her father continued, "I’ll welcome her with open arms." He paused and pinned Kevin with a gaze as cold and hard as steel. "But only her. Not any strays she picked up along the way. I won’t allow Claire to be used as a stepping stone to easy street for some down and out loser who managed to sweet talk his way into my daughter’s bed."
And there it was. The leave-my-daughter-alone-you-dirtwad warning he’d known was inevitable. Yet somehow hearing it hurt a hell of a lot worse than just anticipating it.
Kevin returned a level glare. "I assure you, sir, I have never, nor will I ever, use your daughter for personal gain. Claire is very important to me, and the last thing I want is to see her hurt."
"I’m glad you feel that way. Then you’ll understand why I must ask you to step aside and allow Claire to come home with me. She belongs in Asheville with her family, in the environment where she grew up. Surely you know that the novelty of this..." Mr. Albritton waved a hand toward Kevin. "Blue-collar affair she’s undertaken with you will wear off. And then what? How will you make her happy? How will you provide even half of what she’d have if she came home?"
Claire’s father had cut him open and turned him inside out. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. Her father gave voice to every qualm and reservation Kevin had had from the moment he’d laid eyes on Claire. The frog was laughing his ass off.
Kevin faced Claire's father while the man's questions roiled deep inside. What if Claire’s interest in him really was about shocking her father and proving a point?
And what if it wasn’t? Even if she really did care about him, could he let her give up the life of privilege she was accustomed to, give up her
family
to be with him?
"Claire believes you are an honorable man. I’d like to believe that, too, Mr. Fuller. Prove to me that you truly have my daughter’s best interests at heart and walk away before she gets hurt."
Walk away from the best thing that ever happened to him? Turn his back on the woman he loved?
Hell, no
.
If Claire didn’t want him, he’d let her go, no strings attached.
But it had to be her choice.
He would not, could not end things with her because Mr. Albritton demanded it. "I’m afraid I can’t do that, sir."
Claire’s father sighed. "I was afraid you might hold out for a bit of incentive." He shrugged. "But if it will get you out of my daughter’s life, save her from the careless mistake she’s making, it’ll be worth every cent." He reached in his front suit pocket and pulled out a checkbook.
Kevin tensed. He couldn’t be bought. No amount of money could equal the treasure of happiness and passion he’d found with Claire. She gave meaning to his life.
Purpose. Joy.
Love.
His heart performed a back flip.
Hard as he’d fought not to, he’d fallen in love with Claire. His princess. But God, he fell dismally short of being a prince. How could he think that with him she’d find her happily ever after?
Ribbit
.
The loud rip as Claire’s father tore off the check he’d scribbled jarred Kevin from his thoughts. His chest tightened as Mr. Albritton extended the bribe toward him. Kevin took the check with every intention of shredding it in front of the man, so that Mr. Albritton knew exactly how he felt about Claire.
Curiosity led him to glance at the sum written on the check, a morbid interest in how much Claire’s father thought it cost to buy off the man who loved his daughter. The size of the check stunned him, paralyzed him.
That was a lot of zeroes.
***
Claire parked her Bug in front of the hardware store and climbed out. Sure enough, her father's Jag was parked near the front door.
When she'd woken from her nap and Mrs. Proctor had told her that her father had gone out, she feared he'd come to the store. Her stomach pitched thinking of the hurtful things he could be saying to Kevin, the manipulation, the intimidation. Not that Kevin couldn't stand up to her father's tactics, but he shouldn't have to. Kevin didn't deserve to be treated as badly as she imagined her father might stoop. Her father could be cunning and merciless in getting his way. Lord knows she'd been subject to his manipulation before.
Picking up her pace, she hurried into the store, her sandals slapping the pavement. The bell over the door jingled when she plowed inside.
"Hey, missy! I was wondering where you were at today!"
Claire turned to the old farmer who'd greeted her, and a smile blossomed on her face. Clyde Schnider, the first customer she'd waited on when she'd started at the hardware weeks ago, tugged at the strap of his overalls and sent her a gap-toothed grin.
"Afternoon, Clyde. How's that knee?"
"Hurting like the dickens, thank you. You know what that means, don't you?" Clyde's grin widened.
Claire scanned the sales floor for her father but didn't spot him. She faced Clyde again. "What does it mean?"
"Storms are coming."
"Storms?" Claire glanced outside at the bright cloudless sky. "Are you sure about that?"
"The old knee doesn't lie. When it flares up like this, it means the barometer's fixing to drop. Mark my words. We'll be havin' storms here by Monday. Bad storms."
"I'll be sure to put my umbrella in the car." She patted the man on the arm. "Thanks for the warning. Tell Cora I said hello, won't you?"
"I will if you'll tell me where Ray moved the insecticide. Got aphids attacking my garden."
Claire glanced down the aisle to the display of insect-killing chemicals, still in the same spot it had been throughout the summer. "Right over there. Aisle two."
"Thanks, doll. Have a good one." He winked at her and limped down the aisle. She watched Clyde for a moment, and a strange warmth unfurled in her chest. The townspeople had assimilated her, an outsider, into their community. The welcome and acceptance she'd received wrapped around her heart. She truly was home.
Sighing contentedly, Claire headed toward Kevin's office. The door stood ajar and voices rumbled from inside. The discussion sounded serious, more involved that friendly banter. She heard her name mentioned and frowned. They were discussing her behind her back? Warning bells clanged as she stepped up to the door to listen.
"By cashing this check, you’ll be agreeing to cut all ties with my daughter. You’re not to see her or contact her ever again." Her father's words shocked her, but seeing Kevin accept the proffered check chilled her to the marrow.
Claire pressed a hand to her mouth. Bile rose in her throat, and for a moment, she thought she would be sick.
She might have expected her father to use his money and power to get his way, to buy off the man she loved.
But Kevin...
Kevin's acceptance of her father's check and the stipulation to cut his ties with her slashed a wide swath through her soul.
She pressed her back to the wall beside the office door so she wouldn't be seen. As if through a tunnel, she heard Kevin's voice.
"That could be difficult seeing as how I gave her a job working here at the hardware store."
"So fire her."
The potent helix of pain and anger wound around her heart, and tears of frustration burned in her eyes.
Not again! How could this be happening again?
With a stroke of his pen, her father thought he could decide her life and sell off her future. With no thought to what she wanted, what made her happy. That truth cut deep enough.
But this time, her father had made his deal with the man she loved. The man she'd believed loved her. Kevin's betrayal shattered the tenuous bonds of trust she believed they shared, destroyed the fragile hope blossoming in her heart.
Her head spinning with conflicting emotions, she stumbled toward the front door.
"Hey, Claire, where you going?" she heard Ray call to her, but she didn't stop.