4

Vaughn hadn’t seemed to care about anything but her stupid car. He’d broken up with her, and by rights he should leave her alone, right? She never called men that she broke up with, and she certainly didn’t show up at their houses afterword.

He came because he doesn’t want to be broken up, Saffron thought. There could be no other explanation. She felt a little satisfaction that he did still want to be with her, but at the same time she had to respect that he wasn’t waiting around for her to dump him.

“He’s totally in love with you,” Elsie said from the bedroom doorway. “I don’t understand why he even called it quits.”

“Because I’m broken,” Saffron said under her breath.

“What?” Halla and Elsie said together.

“Never mind. It doesn’t matter.” Saffron’s gaze dropped to the key in her hand. His car was a silver Prius, a very nice one. Though her Elantra was only two years old and the bright blue made her happy, she loved his car, and she was going to enjoy driving it.

“You’re not worried about him taking care of your car, are you?” Halla asked.

Saffron wasn’t, not at all. “He’s dependable, and I guess it will save me a headache. But now that he’s gone, let’s get back to our pity party. Better yet, I’ll pack a few of these pastries and get on the road. I want to be in Temecula tonight before dark. I’ve found people to cover my shifts for most of next week, and I’ve left a few messages I hope will cover the others.”

“Let’s do it!” Halla said. “First we should stop and tell Lily we’re going.”

“We?” Saffron arched a brow.

Halla nodded. “I’m coming too.”

“What about school?” Saffron asked. Halla had just started her senior year in college, and Saffron didn’t want to be a reason for her to not to graduate this year. At twenty-three, she was already taking longer than most of Lily’s girls to finish school. Or at least of the ones who’d opted for higher education. Lily was big on college, and had even convinced Saffron to take a few business classes.

“Most of my classes are projects,” Halla said. “I’m bored with them, and I can afford to miss a couple days. I’ll drive back for a test on Wednesday morning, though.” She smirked. “Maybe I can even get a ride with Vaughn if he brings your car around before then. But I’m not letting you go alone. I’ll run home and pack a bag and meet you at Lily’s.”

“I wish I could come too,” Elsie said, making a face, “but I can’t miss any of my classes.” Her eyes turned pleading. “You are coming back, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am. My life is here.” Saffron felt like a liar. Because there was a huge part of her that was still with Tyson and their baby.

The baby he had abandoned as surely as he’d abandoned her.

Lily was in action mode when Saffron arrived. “We’ve got a new girl,” she said when Saffron found her in one of the upstairs rooms. She was making up a bottom bunk bed, while baby Cherie played with toys in the middle of the small room. “Emergency placement, even though we’re already two girls over our allotted ten from the state. Her foster father hit one of the three kids placed with them, so they were all removed from the home. Good thing we finished the addition over the garage for the over eighteens, or we wouldn’t have a bed for her.”

“How long is she here for?” Saffron asked.

Lily straightened from the bed. “I told them if they put her with me, she’s here to stay permanently. I don’t want her juggled around.”

This didn’t surprise Saffron. Lily had only relinquished three underaged girls in the eight years they’d known her, and all of those had been to their biological parents. There had been another girl who’d repeatedly run away, but after four times, Lily won her over, and she’d finally stayed put.

“Hopefully, they’ll honor that,” Saffron said.

Lily gave her a smug grin. “Oh, they will. I made them sign a contract. They’ve been shuttling this sweet girl between homes since she was orphaned at six when her grandmother died.”

That seemed impossible to Saffron. “Why wasn’t she adopted?”

“Because until recently, her mother was thought to be alive.”

A swell of bitterness filled Saffron’s throat. Mothers were supposed to protect their children, not prevent them from being happy. Of course, Saffron hadn’t done much of a job protecting her son.

“Her name’s Tara, by the way,” Lily said with a smile. “We’ll have a welcome party tomorrow at dinner.” She paused and looked past Saffron. “Well, look who’s here. Good, now you can meet her. Hi, Tara. Did Mario finish already with the grand tour?”

Saffron turned to find a young teen clutching a worn backpack. She had straight black hair and a scowl on her face that did not look remotely sweet.

“I hope he took you out to see my sister’s horses,” Lily continued. “Because we all take turns helping feed them. Anyway, I got your bed all ready—it’s this bottom bunk here. And if you have anything you’d like to give me for safe-keeping, I can lock it up for you. The girls here are mostly honest, but I don’t like to leave temptation lying around. I think you’ll find everyone here respects each other. You can even leave out money on the table, and it’s still there in the morning.”

Saffron knew this was Lily’s way of telling Tara that stealing wouldn’t be tolerated. Stealing meant extra chores, and Lily always discovered which of the girls took something that didn’t belong to her.

Tara glared at Lily and silently went to sit on the freshly made bed, hunching over the backpack in her arms as if protecting it from Lily.

“Oh, and this young woman is Saffron,” Lily continued as if the girl hadn’t been rude. “She used to live here. In fact, she was the very first girl to live with me. Now she comes back to chat or to help out when I need it.” Lily smiled at Saffron and added, “So, why are you here? Have you decided for sure about California?”

“Yes. I’m leaving now,” Saffron said. “Halla’s coming with me, so we won’t be here tomorrow for Sunday dinner, or at Tara’s welcome party.” Saffron shot a glance at Tara, but the teen lifted her shoulders in a gesture that said she didn’t care.

Lily picked up Cherie. “I think you’re doing the right thing, but let me go down and make you a lunch, okay? I have a small cooler you can take, and extra water.”

Saffron gave her an embarrassed smile. “I didn’t even think about that.”

Lily waved the comment aside. “Oh, you would have stopped and bought something on the road, but this will be better for you. Mario picked fresh strawberries this morning. Are you taking some of your jewelry parts?”

“Of course.” How well Lily knew her. “I have a few orders I need to fill. I’ll work on them as I can.”

“Good. Maybe you can visit a few boutiques while you’re in California, see if they’ll carry some pieces for you.”

“Maybe.” Saffron didn’t know if there would be time. “Here, let me hold Cherie.” Saffron took the baby from Lily’s arms. “I’m going to miss this cutie.”

“That makes it sound like you might be awhile.” Lily took a few steps toward the door, pausing to await her response.

Saffron shrugged. “As long as it takes. I have to know.”

“I understand, and that’s good. Just go into it with your eyes open. It’s been eight years. There might be someone else to think about.”

Meaning Tyson might have gone on with his life. That possibility was one of the reasons she’d never wanted to look him up. He hadn’t come after her, and seeing him happy when she felt broken was a risk she’d never wanted to take—until now. “I know that. But I have to see him.” Saffron blinked away threatening tears.

“Okay, give me a few minutes, and I’ll have your lunch ready.” Lily’s gaze switched to Tara. “Come down to eat when you’re ready. The kitchen is always open as long as you clean up after yourself.” Lily looked at Saffron pointedly and then at the sullen girl on the bunk bed and back again, a clear indication that she wanted Saffron to say something to the child.

Saffron smiled as her urge to cry disappeared. Helping others, Lily always said, was the best way to solve your own problems. Saffron turned to Tara as Lily disappeared from the room. “So,” she said. “You’re going to love this place.”

The girl gave a soft, unbelieving snort.

“No, really,” Saffron said. “You don’t know it yet, but this is the last foster home you’ll ever go to. Lily’s for real. I promise you that. In fact, I wasn’t placed here by the state. Lily found me at a low time in my life and took me in. I loved it so much, I stayed until I was twenty.”

Was that hope in the girl’s eyes?

“But there’s one thing you really need to know about living here,” Saffron said in the most serious tone she could muster. She set Cherie next to Tara on the bed. “Make sure she doesn’t fall off, okay?”

After a hesitation, Tara nodded, placing an arm around Cherie, who promptly began playing with the keychains attached to Tara’s backpack.

Saffron climbed up to the top bunk. “Once a month,” she said, “they hold Lily’s House bunkbed competitions, and you need to practice up.”

Could she even still do it? Saffron moved to the middle of the bed and held onto the safety bar with her hands. “Don’t worry about the beds. They are totally solid.” She leaned over head first, still holding onto the bars, and flipped over, her feet landing solidly on the ground. Not bad for being out of practice. “You should have seen one of the girls who used to be here. Ruth. She could stop midway and move her feet in a little dance in the air before landing. Other girls flip back up too. It’s quite a serious competition.”

Tara’s sneer was suspiciously close to a smile. “It’s stupid.”

“No, it’s fun. Practice up. Because the winner has a week of no chores, and the competition is stiff.” Leaning over, Saffron grabbed the baby. “And I meant what I said about Lily. It doesn’t matter what you do, she’s going to love you, so you might as well get used to it. Mario, too. Once you’re here, you’re family. Everyone else in your life might have betrayed you, but not Lily and not Mario. Not us.”

Tara rolled her eyes. “And I guess she always brings you over to say that.”

“Don’t be silly. I had no idea you’d be here. I just stopped by on my way to California.” Saffron’s voice hardened. “Look, you’re not the only one who’s had a horrible life before you came here, but you’re one of the lucky ones because all that is over now.”

“If you like it here so much, why are you leaving?” Tara retorted.

Saffron probably shouldn’t answer, not in her current mindset, but now that she’d started talking about her past, she couldn’t seem to help herself. Besides, the sooner this child dumped that giant chip off her shoulder, the faster she could heal and contribute to the Lily’s House family.

“Because I have to face the woman who’s responsible for killing my baby.” The words felt like sawdust in Saffron’s mouth, but the expression in the girl’s eyes showed they might have shaken her momentarily out of her self-pity. “But I’ll see you when I get back.”

Though I might not be back to stay, Saffron added silently. Anything was possible at this point, and she had to hold on to the idea that the feelings she still held for Tyson might mean something real.