Change of Heart (The Flanagan Sisters, #2) (22 page)

“I never told Mama about my school excursions, because she would have gone without something to send me.”

He stopped painting. “That’s the difference between Carmen and my parents. For them, their needs came first, but they never saw it that way. They always had to have the latest television, a brand new car, a designer garden, but then they had no money to pay the bills, or for clothes for us, or school excursions.” He’d stopped believing their promises that he could go on the next excursion when he was in elementary school. “By middle school, I’d learned not to rely on them for anything after they’d forgotten for the third week in a row to pick me up from the art class I’d paid for.”

It was ridiculous. His mother was a personal assistant and his father was a manager at a local department store. Between them, they earned a decent income, but they didn’t know how to save for a rainy day, or any day really.

“They must be proud of you, though. You’re incredibly successful.”

Evan put down the paintbrush and debated for a split second whether he should lie to her. But he couldn’t. “I don’t think they know.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I haven’t spoken to my parents since they kicked me out of home.”

Carly gasped. “Why would they do that?”

“They always told me I was wasting my time painting. They thought I’d never earn a living and I had to get a real job like them. They never supported my drawing in the square, but I didn’t let them stop me.”

He hadn’t told them how much he earned each week. If he had, they would have asked him for a loan or made him put it into an account they had access to. They’d done it to his brother – ‘borrowed’ money from his account that he never got back. Instead, he’d hidden it in his room until he was old enough to get an account without needing his parents’ signatures.

“Then I got a full scholarship to Rhode Island School of Design. They said I was wasting my time and refused to pay for the bus ticket there. I had enough saved and I told them I was going.” He’d thought they’d be proud of him. “They told me not to come home when I failed. They weren’t going to support a freeloader. I haven’t been back since.”

It had been equal parts terrifying and freeing to leave. Evan had stepped out into the big unknown without a safety net, but he had followed his dream – and someone had believed his work was good enough to warrant a scholarship.

“They never tried to contact you?”

He shook his head. “I emailed them when I arrived, told them where I was staying, and never got a response. I kept in touch with my brother, and he’s still in contact with them, but I don’t know whether they talk about me.”

“It makes your achievements all the more amazing,” said Carly. “I always had my family’s support, no matter what I did. I wouldn’t have been brave enough to do this if they had been against it.”

“I was probably more stupid than brave. If you check the statistics, there aren’t many artists who make an income above the poverty line. Most have to work other jobs.”

“Most obviously don’t take the opportunities you do.” She got to her feet. “Don’t sell yourself short, Evan. People like Isobella and Desmond would never do game artwork, graphic design, or other more commercial work in order to make a career. You seize everything you can, and that’s why you’re successful. Yes, you’re the most talented artist I’ve seen, but you also work damn hard for it.” She stood in front of him, her hands on her hips, her eyes fired up with passion.

His heart swelled. No one had ever stood up for him. No one had ever understood that he worked hard to get where he was. He hugged her fiercely.

When he let her go, she took a step back and put a hand to her chest. “What was that for?”

His cheeks warmed. “You get it. Not many people do.”

“Well, you get me too. Not many people do.”

It was true. Somehow they’d found each other. 

All of a sudden his stomach started to churn.

***

C
arly was refreshed and ready to go when she strode into work the next morning. She was a little later than usual, because Evan had stayed the night again and he’d distracted her in the shower. Her cheeks warmed at the thought. She loved him so much, and it was equal parts thrilling as it was terrifying. What if he didn’t feel the same way about her?

Hayden was already at his desk and he gaped at her, then checked his watch. “I didn’t think you’d be in today.”

“I’m not late, am I?”

“For any normal person, no, but for Carolina Flanagan, hell yes. Are you still ill?”

She was in too good a mood to be offended. “I feel great. Thank you so much for helping me home and picking up those things for me.”

“Any time.” He followed her into her office, his head tilted to the side. “You are looking good.”

“Thank you. What do we have on today’s schedule?”

By the time he’d finished telling her, her good mood had dissipated. She sighed. “It never ends, does it?”

Hayden hesitated. “Can I make a suggestion?” He twirled his pen around and around in his fingers.

“Sure.” She indicated he should sit.

He pulled out a chair and sat on the very edge of it. “Last week proved you don’t need to do everything, Carolina. We managed fine without you.”

The relief was strong, but she couldn’t prevent the tiny bit of hurt that she wasn’t missed. She worked hard for her company.

“That’s not to say you’re not the cornerstone of the company,” Hayden went on, “it’s just that you don’t need to attend everything. That’s why you’ve got executives and managers and me.”

Rationally, she knew he was right. Nothing had collapsed when she’d been sick. Could she really delegate a few things so she had more time to herself, more time to be with Evan?

Her chest tightened. She’d be giving up control, but she had to. She hadn’t really been living before she met Evan.

She printed out her week’s schedule, put it on the desk between them and braced herself. “All right. What do you suggest I delegate?”

Hayden blinked at her. “Seriously?”

“Yes. You know everything that goes on around here. You probably have a better idea of what people are capable of than me.” The tension was tight in her chest and she regulated her breathing. It was all right. All she was doing was investigating the possibility of letting go of some things. It didn’t mean she had to do it.

Hayden stared at her for a moment and then grinned. “This is going to be fun.”

C
arly’s head was spinning by the time they were finished. “You think I can delegate
that
much?”

The amount Hayden had highlighted on her schedule was terrifying. But the scariest thing was the excitement beginning to simmer in her stomach. The idea she could let go of so many of the things she hated to do was so tenuous, she was afraid to hope.

Hayden grinned. “Not only do I think you can delegate that much, but I also believe you can make it seem like you’re giving them all a prize. A lot of your executives would love to go to all these lunches and dinners. They’re envious. If you split it up evenly between them – charities to one, business to another, and the schmoozing and networking to someone else, they’ll love it. You go to the meetings that mean the most to you, and then divide up the rest.”

It was so damn appealing. It had never occurred to Carly that her staff might actually
want
to do it. For her, it had always been a chore. She was the head of the company, which meant she
had
to do it all. There was really only one thing she loved to do and that was the work with the refugees and with Casa Flanagan, but she could continue that. She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again. “Let’s do it. Can you arrange a meeting?”

Hayden whooped and made a note.

“What about these regular meetings?” She had different weekly meetings almost every day. “Surely I have to go to those so I’m aware of what’s happening in the company?”

He tapped his pen against the table. She’d never seen him this nervous.

“Too far?” she asked.

“No. I, ah, I was thinking perhaps I could go in your place?”

“You?” She was surprised. “Don’t you have enough to do? Why would you want to?”

He chuckled. “Not everyone hates meetings as much as you, Carolina. I can go and give you the summary. But that’s only if you trust me enough.”

“Of course I trust you. You’re my right-hand man.”

He looked relieved. Did Hayden not realize how much she valued him? She’d tried to show him.

“But I don’t want you to be overworked,” said Carly. “Do you really have time?”

He hesitated and then got to his feet. “Hold on a second.” He dashed out and retrieved a document from his desk, clutching it to his chest. “I’ve been working on this. It’s only an idea, you might not like it. It’s probably a bad idea.”

She held out a hand, giving him an encouraging smile and he gave it to her.

It was a very detailed proposal. He’d obviously been working on it for a while. It listed all of his regular tasks, added the tasks he wanted to do, and highlighted those he could delegate to others. He made a case for hiring an administrative assistant to work with him. Carly checked the figures, and the workload. It was more responsibility than he’d had before, but he was up to the task, she was sure.

“Would you
really
be happy with this much work?”

Hayden stopped tapping the pen and nodded. “There’s not been a lot of challenge lately, because my boss does most of my work.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “All right.” It was an easy decision. “Write a position description for the assistant and do a new one for yourself. You might want a new title too. Send them to HR when you’re done. I’ll tell them to expect it.”

“Really?” He seemed surprised.

“Of course.”

He beamed at her. “Thank you, Carolina. You won’t regret it.”

The use of her full name saddened her. Evan’s comment from the other day echoed in her head. “Call me Carly.”

He grinned. “Thanks, Carly.” He got up to go.

“Wait a second.” She scribbled a figure on a piece of paper and handed it to him. “Would you be happy with this new salary?”

He glanced at the paper and his jaw dropped. “Seriously?”

She grinned. “Seriously. You’re worth every penny. Now get to work. You’re going to be slammed over the next couple of weeks while we make my job easier.”

He laughed. “Yes, ma’am.” He saluted and walked out.

Excitement bubbled over. She reviewed her new schedule, which had scribbled notations all over it, and calculated how much extra time she would have in her day. She could spend a whole day programming if she wanted to. She laughed.

Getting sick was the best thing that could have happened to her.

***

T
he week at work was the best Carly had had in a long time. Though occasionally she got twitches that she was letting too much go, and she did attend one or two meetings just to make sure the handover was smooth, generally she had far less stress to deal with. To her surprise, her executives were all keen to take on different charities and business meetings, which left her with Casa Flanagan, which she supported with the Comunidad software and second-hand computers.

Hayden had run the two new position descriptions past her and she’d approved them, leaving the hiring of the admin assistant up to him. And the best news of all, she’d spent the equivalent of a day working on her app and had it close to the testing stage.

She’d spoken with Evan every night after work. He was busy painting, but they had arranged to spend the weekend together. She was driving to his place and then they were going somewhere – she wasn’t sure where. It was quite thrilling to have a whole free weekend in front of her where she didn’t know what was planned.

“I’m about to head off. Do you still want a ride?” Hayden stood at the entrance to her office.

“Yes, please.” Her heart was a little giddy. She’d made an impulsive decision during the week and now she was going to pick up the results. Quickly, she packed up her computer and grabbed her overnight bag.

“How are you finding your new role?” she asked Hayden as they rode down in the elevator.

“It’s great, Carly. Thank you for believing in me.”

“I should be thanking you. This week has been the most relaxed I’ve had in a long time. Thank you for making the suggestion.”

They got into his car and she gave him directions.

“Do you want to sit in on the interview for the admin assistant?” he asked.

“No. The person will be reporting to you, so he or she needs to be someone you can work with. If you want a second opinion, though, let me know.” She spotted her destination and pointed. “Over there.”

Hayden pulled up and looked at her. “A Mini dealership?”

She nodded, her smile wide. “I bought a car.”

He shook his head. “I think the flu messed with your head. Either that, or Evan has changed something about you.”

He was right. Evan had seen through her, given her the courage to do what she really wanted to do. “I’ve always wanted one.”

“That’s great. What are you going to do with the BMW?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure.” She got out of the car and grabbed her things. “Thanks for the lift.”

He was smiling as he waved and drove away.

***

H
alf an hour later, Carly was behind the wheel of her brand new red Mini. She grinned as she navigated the traffic to Evan’s house, stopping at a nearby supermarket to grab some things for dinner. When she pulled up at Evan’s, she tooted her horn and he came out.

“What do you think?” she called as his face broke into a huge grin.

“You bought a Mini.”

She nodded. “It’s all mine. Want to go for a spin?”

“Absolutely.”

He got in the passenger side and Carly drove onto the street.

“What made you buy a new car?” he asked.

“I was thinking about what you said the other day, about which car I would buy if I didn’t care what people thought, and I decided it was time I did something for myself.”

“Good for you,” he said. “So is it as good as you’d hoped?”