Free Forever My Angel by Kelly Walker Page B

is firm yet lingering when she greets me.
    “Ms. Fitzsimmons.” I tip my head with a smile.
    Her nose crinkles like she’s caught a whiff of something foul. “Eva. Please.”
    “Eva,” I concede, unable to stop myself from sizing her up. She’s tall, a bit taller than Angel. And though her eyes don’t sparkle in that irresistible way Angel’s do, they are keen, leading me to decide she’s smarter than I gave her credit for.
    The wind is fierce, trying to steal our words as soon as they leave our lips.  Eva steps closer to me to be heard above the whipping air. “Shall we head inside and get started?”
    “I’m actually waiting on two of my associates. I’d like their opinions as well.”
    “Oh, of course!” She flashes me an apologetic smile. “I just got the impression on the phone that you were going to be busy today, and I didn't want to waste any of your time. But whatever you want is what we'll do.”
    She’s right, of course. I do have a shit-ton of things to get done today, and Dougie and Kevin will know where to find us when they see my truck sitting here. Eva shivers, and I feel guilty for making a girl stand out in the cold. “Let’s go inside.”
    “Great!” Her demeanor instantly brightens as we head to the door with a large keypad lock around the handle. She punches in a code and removes a key. “Also, if we have time today, there’s a third property I’d like to show you.”
    I feel like I’ve already combed every inch of the city looking for the right property, and I doubt there’s anything I’ve missed. Her father had tried hard to steer me to a few that he thought were better, but the two warehouses we’re scheduled to revisit this morning were the only two worthy of my short-list. “Your father didn’t mention anything about that.”
    “Then it’s a good thing I’m taking over your project, because I think you’ll love the spot.” Eva lightly touches my arm, guiding me inside the open door.
    I tune her out, looking around the expansive, mostly empty space. It’s exactly as I remember it. The warehouse is a great blank canvas; I could do pretty much anything I want with it. There’s ample space for a central bar, a DJ platform, seating, a small stage—anything I decide to do. The problem is that anything I picture is just more of the same. It’s just going to be another club, like all the rest, unless I can figure out how to set it apart.
    I glance up as Dougie comes through the door, looking exhausted. Motherfucker. I was hoping Kevin would make it here first, so I could occupy myself with going over security plans rather than talking with Dougie. “Sorry I’m late,” he mumbles.
    “All good, man.” Except it isn’t. He’s taken his breakup with Chelsea extremely hard, and it’s obvious he’s deteriorating. And now I’ve got to make it worse. “Eva, could you give us a minute?”
    “Sure. I’ll just step away and call the agent for the third location and let them know we’ll be by. Sound good?”
    She’s a sneaky thing. If she thinks we're going to play by her rules rather than mine, she's going to have to find a new game. "No."
    My rejection barely causes her to miss a beat. She walks away with a bright smile, though she pouts a little when she thinks I can't see.
    “So what is this place?” Dougie looks around skeptically.
    How to word this so it seems like a positive? “We’ve been friends a long time, right?”
    He nods.
    “That’s why I know I can trust you with this. I’ve been working on a plan to open another venture, and I’ve decided to move ahead, just as soon as I pick a location.”
    “Another bar?”
    “I was thinking more like a club, but I don’t want it to be just another run-of-the-mill club. I need to find a way to make it special.”
    “Sounds like a lot of work.” Dougie has always been the kind of guy to just go along with what life hands him. I think that's part of what drew him to Chelsea; they both had the same