Out of Focus #SYTYCW15 Top10 Finalist! [COMPLETED]

11 | Declan

Despite some residual annoyance over her little hiccough with Marshall the other day, the morning had started with such promise. No surprise puddles from the puppies too anxious to wait for Eva to rise and set them loose in the yard. The girls woke in high spirits-even Hailey had a smile on her face.

Now that right there should have set the warning bells in her head to fire.

With Hailey heading out the door for Drama Camp, Eva checked in the backyard to find Payton and Lucy working with the puppies through a series of simple commands the obedience instructor down at the pet shop had shown them last night.

Roll over. Sit. Stay. Simple, easy commands. Not that they were making much progress, but watching the fit of giggles and laughter made her smile. In her bliss and content to enjoy a quiet morning of emails and edits, Eva booted up her laptop, opened her email.

And that's where the day decided to go horribly, horribly wrong.

Thank you for expressing an interest in Lavender Cottage, Ms. Turner. Unfortunately, I have no inclination or desire to sell up at this juncture and am, therefore, turning down your proposal.

Sincerest regards,

DM.

Scowling at the correspondence she'd received, Eva rummaged around for her cell and dialled the gallery. Jenelle answered in a smoky but professional voice.

"Hey, are you busy?"

"Not incredibly, no. We had a bit of rush, but things are simmering down."

"Good." First things first. "Why didn't you tell me that your brother's been snooping around the gallery?"

The line quietened and Eva could hear both Jenelle's faint breathing and the soft music wafting through the gallery speakers. "He wasn't snooping. Just looking to speak with you."

"And you didn't tell me because...?"

"Because you've been playing the hermit all week.

No, Eva thought. Not good enough. "All you needed to do was make a simple phone call, Jen. I should have been told. Warned."

"Jesus, Dolce and Gabbana, okay. I'm sorry. Why are you so snippy? Everything alright?"

"Yeah." Turning around in her seat, Eva clicked back over to the laptop, the words from the email glaring back at her. "Truth is I called to discuss something else. I want you to tell me what you know about Declan MacKenzie. What's his connection to this place? To Haven?"

"Declan? Why are you asking me?"

"Because the Mackenzie's and Davies are close family friends, aren't they?" Feeling a bit peckish, Eva moved in to the kitchen, rooting around in her cupboards until she found a bag of marshmallows she saved for making the girls Rice Krispy Squares. Digging it, she popped two large sugary pillows into her mouth.

"Our mothers, perhaps..." Jenelle sighed, and a squeak of a shutting door told Eva that she'd sequestered herself inside of Eva's office for their call. The new and expensive addition of the wireless headset allowed Jenelle the ability to move about with phone calls seemed to be coming in handy. "Okay. Um, well he grew up in that house, though I don't think he cares awfully much about it."

"Why do you say that?" Eva asked, licking sticky sugar off her fingers. Dammit, she was stress eating. Securing the clasp back on the bag, she returned it to the cupboard and slapped it shut.

"Because he'd moved off island about the same time as Marshall, his mom moved shortly thereafter once his father died. Declan inherited Lavender Cottage ten years ago when his grandmother passed and barely stayed long enough to see her in the ground and read the will. Two weeks later he'd rented it out. That place has seen a long string of tenants since then. You and your girls being the longest to live under its roof."