Linda Lee - Eva's Deadline

Eva scrubbed a hand over her forehead. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she denied Mark his inheritance. She had no choice but to give up her own career opportunities and spend a year in her hometown.

With a resigned sigh, she returned to her cubicle. Lying on the top of her desk was the latest issue of Seattle’s Best. The cover featured the title of an article she’d written, along with her byline. A lump formed in her throat. She stared at the cover for a minute or two, then picked up the phone and punched in Lawrence Prentiss’s number.

* * *

AS SOON AS MARK received the news that Eva had accepted the terms of Seb’s will, and because his own efforts to break the will had proven just as useless as hers, he called an emergency meeting of the staff. Such as it was. Only four people worked for the newspaper full-time and the rest were freelance. The employees dutifully filed into the lounge, poured themselves coffee and sat at the vintage Formica-topped table.

The fragrant aroma of the coffee mixed with the sugary smells from Bon Ton Bakery’s doughnuts. Mark bought the pastries especially for the occasion, hoping to soften the news they were about to receive. He’d filled his mug and taken a couple sips, even though he had no desire for either coffee or sweets.

“What’s up, Mark?” Bernie Sanchez, in charge of advertising, gripped his World’s Greatest Husband coffee mug, a present from his wife, Maria.

Dora Winters, circulation manager and, at sixty, their oldest member, looked up from the multicolored scarf she was knitting. “This meeting is about our future, isn’t it?”

“I bet it has to do with Eva.” Underneath eyebrow-grazing blond bangs, April Hensen’s eyes shifted warily. In her mid-twenties, April did double duty as receptionist and compiler of the Police Beat column.

Their photographer and webmaster, Cody Jarvis, also a twentysomething, fingered the digital camera hanging around his neck. “I thought she went back to Seattle.”

“She did,” Mark said from his seat at the head of the table. “But she’s coming back.”

“What?” everyone chorused.

He held up his hands. “Simmer down and I’ll explain.” He launched into his prepared speech, beginning with Seb’s will and ending with, “Both Eva and I tried to find a way out, and neither one of us was successful. So she and I will be coeditors for the next year.”

A stunned silence filled the room, setting Mark’s nerves even more on edge. But maybe silence was a good sign, and they were only taking time to digest the news.

Bernie was the first to speak. He looked at Mark, a frown wrinkling his forehead. “I was kinda hoping you’d continue to be our leader. Why do we need two bosses?”

“The only answer I have for you is that it’s what Seb wanted.”

“I got the impression she doesn’t want to be here.” Cody folded his arms over his chest, covering the Herald logo on his T-shirt. “And if that’s true, then what kind of a boss will she be?”

“She has a job in Seattle that she really likes,” Mark said.

April flipped her long hair over her shoulder. “Yeah, she thinks she’s better than we are because she works for a big-city magazine.”

“Now, April.” Mark leveled what he hoped was a reproving look at her. “I think you’re being a bit unfair. She prefers the magazine because that’s the kind of writing she wants to do, not because that kind of writing is better than what we do here.”

April’s scornful expression indicated she wasn’t buying Mark’s lame excuse for the impression Eva had made.

Bernie took his mug over to the coffee urn for a refill. “Didn’t she and Seb have a falling-out?”

“My understanding is, yes, they did,” Mark said. “Dora, you’re the only one of us who was working here at the time. Can you help us out?”

Dora put her knitting down on the table and smoothed a hand over it. “I was here. I’ve been working for the Herald for almost twenty years. I’m a real old-timer. Why, I remember when I hired on. That was when Seb and Boyd Carlstrom were partners, and, oh, my, did we have a time getting this operation off the ground—”

Mark cleared his throat. Sometimes, keeping Dora on track was a challenge. “I’m sure you did, Dora, but about Seb and Eva?”

Dora looked away. “A bad time, that was. It goes back to when Eva’s brother, Brett, died. He drowned in a boating accident, you know. On Pine Lake.”

“He was older than Eva, right?” Bernie slipped into his seat. “I heard some of the guys at Sam’s Garage talking about him. Said he was kinda wild.”

Dora nodded. “He liked a good time. And, yes, he was two years older than Eva. Seb had his heart set on Brett following in his footsteps here at the Herald. When Brett died, Seb went into hiding, and Boyd had to run the show. It was awful. Seb never got over losing his son. Never.”

“What happened to Seb’s wife?” Cody asked. “I’ve never heard much about her.”

“She died two or three years before Brett. Pancreatic cancer. Nasty stuff. Can take you just like that.” Dora snapped her fingers. “Janice was a lovely woman. Quiet and unassuming. Kept in the background. Seb definitely has been the boss in that family.”

“But what exactly caused Seb and Eva’s split?” Mark asked.

Dora shrugged and picked up her needles again. “Seb never wanted to talk about what happened with Eva. Maybe she just didn’t want to be second choice.”

“That doesn’t mean she has to take out her bad attitude on us,” April said.

“Not gonna be too good for morale around here,” Bernie grumbled under his breath.

“Remember, this is what Seb wanted,” Mark said. “And the terms are only for a year. We can handle it.”

A tension-filled silence descended on the group. Bernie drank his coffee and stared into space. Cody pulled a cloth from his back pocket and dusted the lens on his camera, while Dora concentrated on her knitting. April pouted and studied her fingernails.

Finally, Mark said, “I know you’re all upset about this turn of events. But I gotta say again, it’s what Seb wanted. He must’ve had his reasons. We’ll welcome Eva and do the best we can while she’s here. For Seb’s sake. For the Herald’s sake. Can I have your cooperation on that?”

The staff nodded their agreement.

When the meeting was over, Mark rinsed out his mug and hung it on the mug tree. Maybe Eva’s disappointment at being her father’s second choice to take over the business was the reason for her reluctance to accept the terms of his will.

Still, something told him there was more to the matter than that. Would he ever know? Judging by their relationship so far, he couldn’t see them becoming friends, much less confidants.

In the meantime, he must be careful to live up to the standards he’d set for the others. It wouldn’t be easy. As coeditors with different viewpoints, he and Eva were sure to clash over how to run the paper. Yes, the coming year promised to be challenging indeed.

* * *

“IS THIS ALL?” Eva glanced around the apartment’s combination living, kitchen and dining rooms, then shifted her gaze to Mrs. Halsey, the building’s owner.

Mrs. Halsey frowned and brushed a lock of gray hair from her forehead. “I’m not sure what you mean. What more do you want?”

“It’s just so...small.”

The apartment was on a corner of the town’s Main Street. It was on the second floor, above a mini-mall, with stores and antiques shops geared for the tourist trade—what there was of it in Willow Beach.

“Don’t forget the great view of the ocean.” Mrs. Halsey gestured to the picture window.

Eva walked over and gazed out. Mrs. Halsey had a point. From here she could see the ocean in all its glory, waves breaking on the sand, and she could even make out a couple of clam diggers trudging along with their buckets and shovels.