8

 

“Are you guys ready for a break yet?” Maxi’s plaintive voice drew Lily’s attention away from the textbook in front of her.

“What’s the matter? You bored?”

“As a matter of fact, I am.” Maxi wandered over to look out the front window of the salon, her arms wrapped around her waist.

Lily shrugged and returned to the books. Her second tutoring session with Chloe was going well. Peg had been a good sport about letting them use the shop when they weren’t busy. “Why don’t you go and grab us some burgers then?” Lily glanced up at the metal wall clock that ticked out each second. “By then, Chloe should be finished with this chapter. You want anything, Chloe?”

The girl’s dark head was bent over her notebook, a well-chewed pencil clenched between her teeth. She looked up and blinked. “What?” She pulled the pencil out. “Oh, no. Thanks. Mom will have dinner waiting for me.”

“I’m not hungry,” Maxi said, “but I’ll get you something if you want.”

The melancholy tone finally registered with Lily. She got up and walked over to give Maxi’s shoulder a nudge. “What’s up with you? You’re never depressed.”

Maxi’s gaze remained fixed outside. “Love stinks. That’s what.”

Lily bit back a smile at Maxi’s dramatic expression. “Is this about Jason?”

Misery darkened Maxi’s features as she turned and nodded. “He has a new girlfriend.”

Chloe and Lily gasped at the same time. How had Lily not realized that Maxi’s feelings went far deeper than a mere crush?

“I’m so sorry.” She put her arm around Maxi’s shoulder. “Maybe it isn’t serious.”

Maxi blinked back tears. “I think it is. You should see his face when he talks about her.”

Chloe abandoned her books and followed Lily and Maxi to the cushioned bench in the waiting area. “Who is she? I’ll get the dirt on her.”

Maxi shook her head. “Thanks, but that’s not necessary.”

Her friend’s sorrow triggered a wave of compassion in Lily. “Have you ever thought of telling Jason how you feel?” she asked. “Maybe he feels the same way and hasn’t realized it yet.”

Maxi picked at her painted fingernails. “I tried once, but I couldn’t do it. I’m scared it might ruin our friendship.”

Lily threw a desperate glance at Chloe who only shrugged. Completely out of her element, Lily fell back on her own coping mechanisms. “You know what you need? A super-decadent chocolate sundae with whipped cream and cherries. That always gets me through my men problems.”

Maxi managed a laugh while dabbing a tissue to her cheeks. “Tempting. But we can’t leave the store.”

“Then I’ll bring the sundaes here. You watch the phones, and I’ll be back with the supplies.” Lily yanked her purse out of the desk drawer. “And you,” she pointed at Chloe, “keep working until I get back.”

Ten minutes later, Lily returned with a tub of rocky road ice cream, a can of whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and cherries. “OK troops, to the lunch room. We have thirty minutes before the next customer arrives.”

They proceeded to transform the staff room into a make-shift ice cream parlor, and by the time they finished, Lily was gratified to see a smile back on Maxi’s face—well worth blowing her grocery budget.

“Mom is going to kill me.” Chloe giggled around a huge spoonful of ice cream. “Talk about ruining your appetite.”

Lily glanced over at Maxi and burst out laughing at the chocolate sauce lining her mouth. “You look like a clown with a bad makeup job.”

The three of them laughed and sprayed more whipped cream. Looking around the ugly Formica table, Lily stilled at an unexpected realization. She was having a normal girl moment with her sister and new best friend, something she’d missed out on during her teen years. For the first time in a long, long time, the crushing weight of loneliness ebbed, and tears of gratitude threatened.

“So, are you coming to the next youth meeting?”

Chloe’s question startled Lily out of her thoughts. She blinked back the unexpected tide of emotion. “I’m not sure. Why?”

“Because we want you there.”

Lily hesitated, rubbing a pensive finger over the bandage on her thumb. Since the kiss in her kitchen, she’d avoided Nick, unsure how to behave around him.

“Come on,” Chloe coaxed. “What else have you got to do?”

“Another date with Marco?” Maxi teased.

Lily snorted. “Not likely. I haven’t heard from him since Nick knocked the wind out of him.” She bit back a groan the minute the words were out.

Chloe’s mouth dropped open. “Nick did what?”

Heat scorched Lily’s face as she pushed her chair back, the metal legs scraping the floor. “It was no big deal. He caught Marco getting a little too friendly, and well, he put a stop to it.” She dumped her dishes in the sink and turned on the hot water.

“You never told me that part,” Maxi accused. “This totally confirms my suspicion. Nick has a serious crush on you.”

Lily shrugged. “He said he knew what Marco was like and was just looking out for me.”

Chloe’s expression sobered. “Yeah, Marco tried that with me once. I thought Nick was going to kill him.”

“See, simple explanation. Now can we forget about Marco, please?” Lily moved to clear the table and prayed for a change in subject.

Chloe rose with her dishes, a slight frown creasing her forehead. “I think Maxi’s right. I’ve never seen Nick act so protective with anyone but me.” She turned on the tap and shot Lily a penetrating look. “How do you feel about my cousin?”

Images of their amazing kiss popped into her head. Lily swallowed hard, willing the color away from her cheeks. She grabbed a cloth to wipe the tabletop. “Nick’s very sweet. Unfortunately he’s not my type at all.” She half expected a lightning bolt to strike her at any moment. Instead, the familiar panic began to build in her chest.

I cannot be falling for Nick Logan.

Maxi stood and pushed her chair in. “You’re probably right, Lil. Somehow I don’t see you as a minister’s wife.”

The cloth fell from Lily’s hands with a wet plop. “Wh-what did you say?”

Maxi’s eyes widened. “Hasn’t he told you? Nick’s studying to be a minister. Wants to take over for Reverend Baker when he retires.”

The blood drained from Lily’s head and pooled in her feet. She grabbed the back of one of the chairs to steady herself. “A minister?”

“Yeah. You OK?”

Maxi and Chloe both stared as if she’d suddenly sprouted horns.

“Do you have a problem with that?” Chloe demanded.

Lily hesitated. These girls were her new family. She owed them some sort of explanation for her reaction. She sank onto one of the chairs. “My father is a minister, and he’s, well, let’s just say we don’t get along.” Understatement of the year. “I swore off anything to do with religion when I left home.”

Maxi’s eyes narrowed. “What did he do to you?”

Lily shook her head. “It’s not what you’re thinking.” How did she describe the type of neglect and emotional abuse she’d endured? “He didn’t like me—and constantly let me know it.”

Chloe gasped. “What kind of father doesn’t like his own child?”

The two girls sat beside her, and Chloe put her hand over Lily’s.

“One who’s forced to adopt a child he doesn’t want. Things were fine while my mother was alive, but once she died...” Lily trailed off, the steady drip of the tap breaking the silence.

“I didn’t know you were adopted, too.” Sympathy swamped Chloe’s expressive eyes. “Something else we have in common.”

Lily bit her lip and held herself rigid on the seat, afraid of blurting out the truth.

“Did your father hit you?”

Lily picked up a napkin and crumpled it into a ball. “Sometimes. He quoted the Bible whenever he did. Seems he had a verse to justify everything.”

Maxi laid a hand on Lily’s arm. “That’s horrible. But you know Nick is nothing like that, right?”

Lily stiffened her spine, along with her resolve. “It doesn’t matter, because Nick and I will never be anything more than friends.” She rose abruptly. “I’d better get back to work now.”

As she stalked back to her desk, Lily clamped her mouth into a firm line. This was just the information she needed to keep any feelings she might have for Nick from blossoming.

A minister would be the absolute last person she would ever get involved with.

 

****

 

Nick slammed the door to his truck with more force than necessary as he got out in front of the church. Frustration still hummed in his veins two days after fixing Lily’s fridge. He’d finally shared a kiss with her—a kiss more amazing than he’d ever imagined—and she’d pushed him away. From her initial reaction, Nick was sure she’d felt the same spark. She’d kissed him until something had changed, and for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what.

Now Reverend Ted had summoned him to a meeting at the church, and judging by his tone over the phone, it was not going to be a pleasant conversation. No cups of tea this time.

Nick paced the rector’s office, waiting for Ted to arrive, and eyed the tired décor. The first thing he’d do when he took this position would be to modernize the office. The furniture and curtains had to be twenty years old or more—as outdated and stuffy as the air in the room.

“Nicholas. Please have a seat.” Ted entered the room and closed the door with a sharp click. The scowl on his weathered face only confirmed Nick’s fears.

He waited for Ted to take his seat behind the scarred wooden desk before pulling up one of the guest chairs.

“I’m somewhat at a loss for words, young man,” Ted began. His bushy eyebrows drew together in a straight line over his glasses.

“What about, sir?”

Ted shuffled a pile of papers to the corner of the desk. “Word has it you’ve been spending time alone with your new tenant—a young woman of questionable morals.”

Shock speared through Nick. Who would spread such vile rumors about him and Lily? “I believe you’ve been misinformed,” he replied in a cool tone.

The eyebrows now rose in a question. “So you deny you left during a date with Sarah Jane to rush over to this young woman’s apartment?”

Nick gripped the arms of the chair, straining to remain calm at this assault on his character. “There was a problem with the refrigerator that needed to be handled right away.”

“It must have been serious. Apparently, you were alone with the woman for almost two hours.”

The last strip of Nick’s patience evaporated. He vaulted to his feet. “What did Sarah Jane do? Follow me and watch the building until I left?”

Ted’s gaze shifted, and Nick knew he was right. Sarah Jane must’ve followed him to Lily’s, watching and imagining all sorts of sleazy things going on. He thought about the kiss then, and anger burned in his gut. It was not something he planned, and he would not feel guilty about it. He paced the room like a prisoner in a cell.

“Calm down, son. We’re just trying to get to the truth here.”

Nick sent him a piercing glare. “Whose version of the truth?”

Ted inclined his head. “Why don’t you sit down and tell me your side of the story.” His voice was gentler this time, less accusatory.

Nick waited a beat before complying. Then he told Ted the bare facts of what had transpired, leaving out the kiss. “For some reason, Sarah Jane has taken an instant dislike to Lily. I know Lily can be a bit abrasive at times, but I think it’s a defense mechanism, stemming from her traumatic childhood.”

Ted remained silent for a moment. “Seems you know quite a lot about this woman.”

Nick bristled. “I’ve had a few conversations with her. There’s nothing sordid going on.” The hard spokes of the chair bit into his back as Ted studied him.

“I believe you, Nicholas. Just be careful. You don’t need to give the gossipers any fuel for talk. As a minister, your reputation is worth everything.”

The fight drained out of Nick as quickly as it had risen. “I know, sir. I know.” With a weary sigh, he rose, and started toward the door. He paused with his hand on the knob. “About Sarah Jane and me…I’m afraid things aren’t working out between us. She’s a very nice girl, but—”

Ted raised a hand to stop him. “Don’t burn any bridges just yet, Nicholas. You may be sorry.”