Desire by Design - By Paula Altenburg Page 0,72

being a moron, but Uncle Bob was something, all right. “Plus, you insulted her professionalism. Do you even care how you made her feel today?”

“I’ll make it up to her.”

Matt wondered what world his uncle lived in. “If I were you, I wouldn’t send her flowers. Perhaps you haven’t noticed, but she doesn’t like them very much.”

“No, I won’t send her flowers. But I have arranged for her ex-husband to be sent on a special long-term research project in the Arctic Ocean,” Bob said. “Good thing Evie got in that punch when she did. Seems the federal government needs a shellfish expert, and the University’s president highly recommended him for the position.” Uncle Bob, whistling merrily, sank an imaginary putt. “You should take up golf, Mattie. You get to be friends with a lot of influential people.”

From the South Pacific to hunting shellfish in the Arctic…ouch. That would have to hurt almost as much as Claude’s broken nose. Uncle Bob was a man who really knew how to throw a punch.

In that instant, Matt forgave him. “Thank you,” he said. He’d been grateful before for the things his uncle had done for him over the years, but this trumped them all. “I don’t know how to repay you.”

“A private donation would be nice. Eve’s been making noise about wanting me to buy curtains for a youth Internet café project she’s been volunteering on.” Bob looked at him thoughtfully for a long moment. “I keep trying to tell you that she’s too good for you.”

“She is, but I’m going to marry her, anyway.” All he had to do was figure out some way to get her to say yes. Deep down, tough little Eve was scared to death of commitment.

Uncle Bob shifted some papers on his desk, a small, satisfied smile lurking on his lips. “Finally. I was starting to worry you’d never figure out that smart men marry up.”

Matt knew he’d been played. He supposed he’d known all along. “What makes you think she’ll marry down?”

“I told you already. If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that Eve will do what she thinks is right.” Uncle Bob’s smile widened. “And what she thinks is right is usually the opposite of whatever I say.”

Chapter Fourteen

Marion pushed open the front door of City Hall and stepped out into blazing sunlight behind Eve. “Bob’s not above the law,” she said. “He can’t just go around imploding heritage sites because it suits his purposes.”

Eve tried to calm herself. “I don’t want to be a part of your strategy for putting Bob in his place.” Not if it meant hurting Matt.

“Yet, you came off looking great,” Marion said. “You’ll get your name—and your credentials—in the press. That’ll be a big help to you when the Province buys the old Hall from the Municipality. We’re going to restore it.” Eve could hear the satisfaction in the other woman’s voice. “You’ll be invited to submit a tender—I’ll see that you are. And Bob’s still going to get his new Hall. It just won’t be on the site he wants. What’s not to like?”

Eve went hot, then cold. This explained Matt’s silence in the car on their way home from her parents’ place. Somehow he had known about this, even though she hadn’t, which meant he’d heard it from Bob. Not only had he gotten dragged to the police station over what they’d classified as a domestic dispute because of her, but Matt probably thought she was a liar now, too. And there was no guarantee she’d even be given the work.

“You might as well get used to this.” Marion’s tone was kind, although her words were heartless. “This is business, and Bob took his chances. Besides, I wouldn’t be too sure this isn’t exactly what he wanted.”

Marion was undoubtedly right. It wouldn’t surprise Eve at all if Bob had planned things this way. His underhandedness knew no bounds.

Marion got into a waiting taxi, giving Eve a friendly wave as she rode off.

Eve had no idea what to do next, only that she wasn’t yet ready to face Matt. Suddenly, he was there, anyway, behind her on the steps, his expression intent. Determined.

And focused on her.

She knew that look all too well. Right away, it put her on the defensive.

“I had to tell the truth in there,” she said, cutting him off before he could get a word in. “I’m sorry if I made things more difficult for your uncle, but Bob doesn’t seem to know