Cupid's Way by Joanne Phillips

remember what she’d told him last night, what drunken confessions she’d spouted, and most importantly whether there was anything that would make her grandparents and the rest of the residents more vulnerable. Her cheeks burned when she thought about how she’d described the situation – cut-throat developer, stomping on the little guys. And he must have known right away, as soon as she mentioned the street by name, that she was talking about his own company.
    Or had he known before then? Mavis and Frank Stone would be listed as objectors to the planning proposal, and he knew she was on her way to Bristol for a meeting. In fact, someone as well-connected as the CEO of an national construction company would have the power to do all the digging he liked – he might have known who she was before they were even introduced. Or – she clutched at her stomach as a wave of nausea hit – he might have gone to the conference with the sole purpose of meeting her. Look how he’d sought her out, first at reception and then in the bar after her talk. Look how nice he’d been, how charming, all but forcing her to book a room. Inviting her to dinner. Pumping her for information. Probably he was hoping to find something he could use against Mavis and Frank, some weakness that might cause the Cupid’s Way residents to crumble once the planning process got underway.
    But if that was the case, why had he walked out after breakfast? Why not give her a lift to Bristol and have more opportunity to find out what plans they had for their opposition? Even as she allowed her imagination to go wild, Evie knew it was ridiculous. He hadn’t known. Not until the exact moment she’d opened her big mouth and mentioned Cupid’s Way.
    ‘I hope you’re taking all this in,’ Mavis said, leaning over and putting her mouth to Evie’s ear. ‘It makes no sense to me at all.’
    Evie sat up straighter and tried to focus. She’d have to put him out of her mind, that was all. It was unfortunate, it was embarrassing, but she was here to help her grandparents and nothing should get in the way of that. The woman with the lipstick began to talk, and Evie tuned in to her ingratiating voice.
    ‘I’m on it, Gran,’ she said, reaching into her bag for her notebook.
    She’d deal with Michael later. If he ever wanted to get out of this room, he’d have to get past her first. And she had a pretty good idea of what she wanted to say.
    *
    ‘So the plans are here, if you’d all like to come up and have a look at them. Nobody can deny that the new medical centre will be a much needed asset to the area. And the re-homing sites outlined here, and here, together with the purchase package we’ve outlined are, I’m sure you’ll agree, more than generous and eminently suitable for all involved.’
    ‘No, I would not agree,’ Frank growled. Evie was holding his arm, practically restraining him. To her left Mavis sat with a puzzled expression on her face, still pleating her trousers with worried fingers. She turned to Evie and shook her head.
    ‘Evie? What does it mean?’
    ‘Re-homing package indeed,’ Frank said. ‘Like we’re unwanted pets or something.’
    ‘Unwanted, certainly.’ Evie was still reeling from the information she’d absorbed. On top of the shock of seeing Michael up front and centre, she wasn’t sure she could process anything else. But her gran’s eyes were wide and bewildered, and Evie knew it was her job to try and explain it as best she could. And to try and soften the blow.
    ‘Gran, they want to build a new medical centre to serve the surrounding areas and take the pressure off the old doctor’s surgery and the main hospital. They’ve built so many new houses, you see, that there are more people trying to access services and there’s nowhere for them to go.’
    ‘They should knock those houses down, then. That would solve the problem.’
    ‘Gramps? You’re not helping.’
    Frank huffed and got to his feet. ‘I’m going