The Arrangement

  The Arrangement

  Published in the U.S. by:

  OakTara Publishers

  www.oaktara.com

  Cover design by Yvonne Parks at www.pearcreative.ca

  Cover images © thinkstockphotos.ca: attractive young woman/filipw, 153524963; Harbin Engineering University at dusk/aphotostory, 187769759

  Author photo © Houck Portraits

  Copyright © 2014 by Hilary Hamblin. All rights reserved.

  Cover and interior design © 2014, OakTara Publishers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in professional reviews.

  Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, niv®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

  ISBN-13: 978-1-60290-486-6 ▪ ISBN-10: 1-60290-486-3

  eISBN-13: 978-1-60290-487-3 ▪ eISBN-10: 1-60290-487-1

  The Arrangement is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity and are used fictitiously. All other characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination. The perspective, opinions, and worldview represented by this book are those of the author and are not intended to be a reflection or endorsement of the publisher’s views.

  Printed in the U.S.A.

  )

  For Stacy,

  our prayer warrior.

  May all who read these words

  say a prayer for your healing.

  1

  )

  “D

  on’t fall in love…” Her mother’s warning repeated over and over to Evie as she sat across the table from her parents.

  They had approved of Ben Fisher as a fling Evie would outgrow, but not as a husband. Now, a year into her dating relationship with Ben, her parents were drawing the line. Evie had arrived home from the university an hour earlier with a bag full of dirty laundry and a backpack brimming with homework. Ben and his roommates had found a better apartment and were moving, so this weekend appeared to be the perfect time to visit her parents. Yet as soon as she dropped her bags in the foyer, they called her into the dining room.

  “It’s not that we don’t like Ben, honey. He’s a nice guy,” her mother droned on.

  “But he’s from a different world than you are. You have expectations and responsibilities to the family,” her father added.

  Evie squinted at her parents. They were doctors in a small town…not English royalty. What responsibilities did she have to anyone regarding the person she dated?

  “You and Ben have been dating for some time, and we’re concerned that things are getting too serious.” Her mother folded her hands in front of her and glanced at Evie’s father, as if signaling him to take a turn.

  “So, from now on,” her father announced, “if you want us to pay your sorority dues, car note, gas bill, restaurant tab, as well as…” He ticked off a list of Evie’s most treasured possessions. “Then you will end this relationship before it goes too far.” Her father looked her straight in the eye, his brows arched in expectation of an affirmative response.

  “You’ve got to be kidding,” she whispered, as the beginning of tears clouded her vision. “I’m twenty years old, I make good grades, and I’m graduating in just over a year. You can’t tell me what to do.”

  Anger boiled inside, racing to heat her face. How dare they interfere in her life in such a manner! For years, her parents had allowed her a later curfew than most of her friends and paid off her credit cards whenever the bill came. They had never set restrictions on her before, so why start now?

  However, neither smiled as they laid out their arrangement. They simply sat stoically, side by side, entrenched in their shared position.

  She couldn’t believe it. They had ambushed her. Evie grit her teeth to keep from screaming at them. Now the fact they’d both been home when she’d arrived made sense. Her mother and father were never home from work this early, and rarely did they spend a Friday evening together. That meant they must have been planning this discussion ever since she’d contacted them earlier in the week to tell them she was coming home for the weekend.

  “You’re right,” her father agreed. “But we also don’t have to provide these extras for you. As you said, you are twenty years old. You can get a job and pay for these luxuries on your own.”

  Evie opened her mouth to respond, but words would not form. Shock crept over her anger as she processed the reality of her father’s statement. She’d never considered herself the spoiled princess type, because she worked hard for her grades and other achievements. But material matters rarely concerned her, since her parents had always taken care of whatever bills rolled through the mail slot.

  Mentally, she quickly calculated how much she would need every month to continue living the way she was currently. The calculations easily reached $1500 a month. Where would she find a part-time job that would pay that much and still have time to continue her studies?

  Then she thought of Ben. What would she tell him? He’d be crushed by the real reason they could no longer date. Could she pretend to be angry at him? Angry enough about something that she could break off their relationship without telling him the truth? Could she make such a scene even believable? She pictured his face and ached at even the idea of hurting him so deeply.

  Her mother touched Evie’s arm gently. “You can think about it over the weekend and let us know what you decide before you leave on Sunday. I believe, after some time, you’ll realize we are right. We love you, Evie,” she murmured, “and we only want what’s best for you.”

  Her father’s keen eyes studied her. “While you are considering our agreement, we’d like you to join us for dinner tonight. The law firm we use turned our account over to a new lawyer, and he’s coming by for dinner. Taylor and Leigh Anna will be joining us as well.”

  Evie’s hope and resolve soared as she thought about her brother and his wife. Surely they wouldn’t allow her parents to dictate her love life. They would see her side and help her challenge her parents’ ultimatum. After all, she and Taylor had been partners in crime for years, and she had known Leigh Anna since kindergarten. She was certain her parents had never given Taylor this kind of ultimatum.

  She sighed inwardly. Then again, Taylor had never dated anyone seriously until Leigh Anna, and she was perfect. The petite, dark-haired girl with large brown eyes had captured her parents’ hearts from the beginning. It didn’t hurt that Leigh Anna’s father owned the very profitable local funeral home or that she intended to become a nurse practitioner. She was a perfect fit for Evie’s family.

  So why had Evie been the one to fall for someone whose family was so unlike her own? She considered Ben’s family even as she asked herself the question. What was wrong with them, in her parents’ eyes?

  Ben’s mother and father had a happy marriage. He had three younger brothers, all of whom played sports and expected to pay for most of their college tuition through scholarships. Ben himself had been a talented baseball player on full scholarship until he damaged his shoulder.

  Now he worked two jobs to save money so he could go to school every other semester. His education major might never make him a rich man, but he would have steady work with good benefits. Both of his parents were teachers, and his mom worked retail on the weekends and summers to pay for extras for the boys. They worked hard, owned a modest home, and drove late-model, although used, cars.

  Maybe they were not as well of
f as Evie’s own family, but they certainly did not crawl out of the gutter. Disgust grew as Evie mulled over her parents’ prejudices. Worse, they’d left no room for discussion in the “arrangement.”

  She took a deep breath. “What time is supper?” she muttered as nicely as she could. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling. Emotional outbursts ranked just below poor on her parents’ list of negative qualities in a person.

  “Seven,” her father informed her.

  “Fine,” Evie replied in an even tone. She pushed herself away from the table and, chin held high, walked back to the foyer to gather her things. Then, ascending the stairs, she hurried to her room and shut the door quickly, unable to resist a little slam. Dropping her bags on the floor, she threw herself on the bed and allowed sobs to take over until she could barely breathe.

  When her emotion was spent, she scanned her room with tear-streaked vision. The late afternoon sunlight streamed through the gauzy pink curtains on her windows and cast shadows on the beige carpet.

  A thought flickered. Maybe I could sell something and come up with the money for my bills…at least for a little while. But a swift inventory revealed only a few fairly expensive decorations. Even if she sold them all, she would probably only come up with $500.

  Her eyes darted to the wooden jewelry box on her dresser. She jumped from her bed and landed in front of the box with two steps. Taking out several necklaces adorned with elegant, precious stones, she calculated what they might be worth. She could perhaps live a little more than a month, maybe two, on the proceeds.

  Slipping her grandmother’s diamond ring on her right hand, Evie admired it, turning it in the sunlight until it glittered…. No, she couldn’t sell the ring. She couldn’t give up a precious heirloom for a month’s rent.

  The clock on her nightstand caught her attention. With slumped shoulders, she temporarily abandoned the search of her earthly possessions in favor of a much-needed shower before dinner.

  )

  An hour later Evie gathered her silky blond hair into a twist on top of her head and secured it with a shimmering blue barrette that matched the color of her eyes. She allowed a few strands to fall around her face and made a mental note to hit them with the curling iron before dinner. Twisting first to the left and then to the right, she swished her dress, a blue and brown swirled pattern, around her legs. Tiny straps accented the remains of her summer tan. A matching blue sweater lay on the end of her bed to keep her warm on the cool September evening.

  After checking the time, she headed into her bathroom to make fast work of curling her stray hairs and dusting powder over her face.

  A pro at attending her parents’ dinner parties after many years, she knew she had to look her best, for she’d be on display. Taylor, her brother, would be expected to discuss politics with the new lawyer, and Evie would be expected to look beautiful and smile incessantly. As angry as she was with her parents, Evie had no desire to humiliate them.

  Straightening her shoulders, she walked out of her room and down the stairs, carefully adjusting her sweater. Voices already sounded from the foyer. Adopting her public face, she reached the landing and stepped into view of the foyer.

  “Here she is,” her mother announced in a welcoming tone. “Eli Wheatly, this is our daughter, Evelyn.”

  Evie stopped. Her muscles tensed. The tall, dark-headed man in his early thirties who stood before her beamed a white, sparkling smile her way. His slick black suit nearly matched his mop of curly black hair.

  “Mom?” she questioned as she cast a weak smile toward the stranger and darted an incredulous look at her mother.

  “Evelyn, don’t be rude,” her mother chided teasingly. “Come down here. Eli is the new lawyer handling our account.”

  No. It can’t be…

  Evie stifled a scream and walked numbly down the rest of the stairs. “Nice to meet you,” she managed to choke out.

  “Very nice to meet you, Evelyn,” he replied, still smiling.

  “It’s Evie. Only my parents call me Evelyn,” she murmured through clenched teeth.

  “Evie, why don’t you show Eli to the living room?” her mother prompted. “Taylor and Leigh Anna are already waiting there with your father. Dinner will be ready in a minute.”

  Evie’s mother exited in the opposite direction toward the kitchen, leaving Eli and Evie alone in the foyer. After an awkward moment, Evie swallowed hard and led the way to the living room.

  “Your mom tells me you are a junior political science major,” Eli said as he followed Evie through the house.

  Evie nodded, refusing to speak even though she knew Eli was innocent in her parents’ scheme. As the shock wore off, though, Evie’s anger toward her parents grew.

  For a second, the fire she imagined shooting from her eyes to her father did just that as she and Eli entered the living room.

  Her father returned her glare with one of warning.

  She seethed inwardly. How could they insist she end her relationship with Ben one minute and in the next breath throw her together with someone else?

  Evidently Eli’s parents are closer to the right caliber than Ben’s, she told herself. But Evie cared little about Ben’s—or Eli’s—work or parents’ position in society. Her focus turned from finding a way to stay together with Ben to merely surviving the evening without embarrassing herself any more than her parents already had.

  “Taylor!” she exclaimed, trying to hide her anger.

  Her brother crossed the room to hug his younger sister. He shared Evie’s blond hair and blue eyes but had their father’s tall, stocky frame. Thin metal glasses framed his eyes, giving his clean-shaven face a studious look. “Evie, Dad said you were home this weekend. How are classes?”

  “Same as ever. Are you going to homecoming next month?”

  Taylor shrugged. “Don’t know. Guess it depends on the weather. You know I’m not big on the whole reunion thing. I keep in touch with some of my frat brothers. That’s enough for me.”

  “Taylor,” his father protested, “you have to go to homecoming. You can make a lot of good contacts through the alumni you’ll meet.”

  Taylor rolled his eyes after he’d stepped out of his father’s line of vision.

  Evie stifled a giggle. “Come on, Taylor, it’ll give you a chance to catch up with Ben.”

  From the corner of her eye, Evie caught a second look of warning from her father. Triumphant in her little dig, Evie smiled at her brother and moved past him to sit next to Leigh Anna.

  “How’s the nursing program going?” she asked, changing the subject and leaving Eli to talk to her father and brother.

  Leigh Anna’s dark eyes sparkled as she discussed the new procedures she’d learned that week and how much she enjoyed clinicals.

  Evie half listened to her sister-in-law as her brain churned with ways to get out of entertaining her parents’ lawyer all night. Just skipping out crossed her mind, but even in her present state, her conscience wouldn’t allow such a plan. Right as Leigh Anna finished her discourse on nursing school, Evie’s mother announced dinner had been served in the dining room.

  Evie lagged behind the crowd, her heels clicking on the brick floor as she studied her mother’s table arrangement. A white tablecloth covered the antique cherry table and almost blended with her mother’s white china. Only the platinum rim around the dishes set them apart.

  Everyone found a place around the table as soon as they entered the room, leaving only one open spot for Evie—next to Eli. She smiled politely as she approached her chair. Eli smiled in return and stood to pull her chair out from the table for her.

  She stared at him in disbelief. Eli was not her date, yet even on their most romantic evenings Ben had never pulled her chair out from the table for her.

  Ben… Her thoughts drifted to the man she loved so deeply, the man her parents were making an obvious attempt to replace.

  “Evie,” her father called from his pl
ace at the head of the table, “Eli’s father was a U.S. Congressman. He’s very interested in politics himself. With your political science background, you two should have a lot in common.”

  A blush burned Evie’s cheeks. Could her father be more blatant? “I really don’t have much of a background. I’m just now getting into the real poly-sci courses,” she explained.

  “Oh, that’s okay,” Eli excused her. “Dad never played much by the established rules—you know, you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. He was more of a wild card. He believed he was sent to Washington to represent the voters, and he would do whatever they needed.”

  “He made certain we got the same amount of money other states received.” Evie’s father laughed. “I sure have missed him these last couple of years.”

  “Me, too,” Eli whispered.

  Evie noted the sadness in his voice and shot a questioning gaze at her father.

  “Congressman Wheatly suffered a heart attack during his last re-election campaign and passed away several weeks later,” her father explained. “You surely remember seeing it on the news, Evie.”

  Evie nodded, searching her memories of political news for something about an ill congressman. Maybe she did remember that story during her freshman year, but she’d been so busy studying and pledging her sorority that she had paid little attention to the national and state news that year.

  Her father continued his match-making quest despite Evie’s obvious silence. “Evie, here, wants to be a campaign manager when she graduates.” He beamed a smile toward their guest.

  Evie responded with a polite smile of her own.

  “Really?” Eli’s voice filled with interest over this latest bit of information. “Are you more interested in a state campaign or something more on a national level?”

  Evie knew her smile could not last forever, so she plunged into the conversation, swearing silently to have a word with her parents when Eli left. “I think I’d like to start out with a state race, maybe a local representative or senator, and then, if someone worthy runs, I’d love to work on the governor’s campaign. Eventually I want to get involved with a national campaign, but I want to do more than hand out buttons and answer phones. I want to be involved in the policy making. To do that, I need to get my feet wet.”