the morning she came in to find people inside the store before opening time. They'd presumably been let in by Josh, who was there early to supervise a delivery. The visitors turned out to be the architect she’d previously met with Eric, Stewart, complete with sketchpad and a roll of blueprints, and a smart woman with an expensive blonde bob who looked like she might be anything from thirty to forty, blue eyes pale and cold, dressed in a suit which cost more than anything Emmy owned — except probably the Armani dress Eric bought her.
"Excuse me," Emmy said, clearing her throat. "I didn't expect anyone this morning — did you have an appointment?"
"Don't worry, we won't be long," the woman said briskly, and Emmy started when she recognized her voice. "I'm Mr. Oswell's assistant, Karen Petersen — we spoke the other day — and I'm here on his behalf. Sorry we took you by surprise, we just needed to start looking at structural issues ahead of the work starting."
"And you need to do this now, why?" Emmy asked.
"You should have received a notice detailing the work we'll be embarking on in coming months — the first steps are due to begin before Christmas."
"Next month?" Emmy said, feeling faint. "But how is this possible? I signed some documents guaranteeing me at least until July and..."
Karen looked pained.
"I'm afraid, Miss Flanagan, that the delayed eviction might be reassessed. There has been a major change in Mr. Oswell’s plans. In any case, any delay only relates to your store. Most of the other tenants will be leaving sooner, a couple in the next few weeks, the rest likely in the New Year. So we will begin the remodeling work from the top down."
"You mean the rest of the building is going to become a construction site while we operate below?"
Karen inclined her head.
“Unfortunately, yes. Of course, we will do our best to minimize the disruption," she added.
"This can't be right. I was promised by Eric that..."
"I assure you that Mr. Oswell is aware of the issue but he’s approved the plans. He is under some time pressure at the moment."
"This is a place where people come for peace and quiet, to read, or attend theater and poetry workshops — the kind of noise a construction site generates..."
"As I have already said, we will do our utmost to keep the noise and disruption down, Miss Flanagan. But you must understand that Mr. Oswell is working to a very tight schedule, and any arrangements you have cannot be allowed to jeopardize the whole project."
There was brisk efficiency and the faintest expression of regret in the way Karen delivered the news, and it took every ounce of Emmy's willpower not to curse at her, even though she knew what she really wanted to do was punch Eric in the face. What a fool she had been to get involved with him — now the prospects for her business were looking grimmer than ever.
She also wondered how much money they'd had to throw at the tenants to get them to move out quickly, and whether the whole plan had been bubbling under while Eric romanced her — perhaps he was plotting to undermine her from the outset. Or perhaps he'd been misunderstood.
"You know what? I think I'll call him all the same," Emmy said tersely, digging in her purse in search of her phone.
"You won't be able to reach him now. He's on a flight back from Shanghai, not landing until this evening."
"Fine, I'll do it then," Emmy snapped, but it wasn't at all fine.
She felt her world crumbling around her as she took in the implications of what Karen has warned her about — the noise, the dust, the constant tramping of people up and down stairs and above their heads, and wondered whether her store would survive long enough to relocate.
It was only when she'd closed the door of her office and sunk into her chair, legs shaking with adrenaline, that she allowed herself to go over the implications of what she’d just been told. Try as she might, she couldn’t quite imagine that Eric was vindictive to the extent of canceling all their agreements, but then he’d been so angry with her that day, there was no telling how much he wanted revenge. No matter how lost that cause was, Emmy couldn't bear the thought that he believed her a fraudster and a cheat, and she hoped against hope that she might make