Always & Forever (10 page)

“Don’t worry about me.” Crandall laughed. “I won’t say anything. She’ll get tired of you and come running, begging me to be with her. I don’t need to even—”

Zach’s glass fell to the deck as he slammed Crandall against the side of the yacht. “One more word about Lilly, and I will not be responsible for my actions.”

“Go ahead. Do it. You know how fast I’ll have the cops on your doorstep?” Crandall grinned and raised his eyebrows. “Lilly already said she and I could go on a date sometime. I’d love to get you out of my way.”

Zach stepped back, releasing Crandall’s jacket. He couldn’t block the pain stabbing into his heart. Lilly agreed to go out with this creep?

Crandall stood with a self-satisfied smile on his face, knowing he struck a great blow. “Now that you’ve proven we aren’t going to be friends again, I’m free to pursue her.”

Zach gave Crandall a hard look. “I care nothing about the police. Who’d believe your word over mine in this town? If you want to keep your pretty face intact, stay away from my Lilly.”

“Your Lilly?” Crandall snorted. “She’s her own person, and soon will be mine.”

“We’ll see about that.” Zach turned his back on Crandall.

Somehow, he had to convince Lilly to date him exclusively. It no longer mattered that he hadn’t wanted a relationship. The thought of her with Crandall was unbearable. He’d lied to himself all along. He came up with the scheme of paying her to date him simply because he was afraid of facing rejection. The truth was, he wanted Lilly, and had from the moment he met her.

***

Lilly sat in silence as Zach drove her home. She’d spent the rest of the evening thinking about what Crandall said. How could she ever hope to compete with Zach’s memories of Victoria? The woman sounded like a saint, a
perfect
saint. Even if Zach ignored Lilly’s past, she’d never qualify for sainthood.

Zach pulled up to her house and ran around the car to open her door. He smiled at her as he helped her up. “I had a good time with you tonight, Lilly.”

“I had fun, too.” She took her hand out of his and walked up the sidewalk. “I really liked dancing.” She fished her key out of her purse and placed it in the lock. “Well, I’ll see you around.”

“Hang on.” He caressed her arm and leaned into her. “Don’t you have time for a drink?”

She shivered at his touch, so tempted to let him into the house. She couldn’t handle it though. The fantasy had ended. She shouldn’t lose herself further into the dream of being Zach’s girlfriend. “I’m really tired. I think it’s best to call it a night.” She opened the door and stepped inside. “Thanks again.”

The worst part was, she’d started to believe it might be a real date to him. Sitting as they held each other before the boat left, realizing he had been jealous of her spending time with Crandall, dancing in Zach’s arms—it all contributed to her foolishness. She’d started believing there might be a real connection with Zach outside her fantasies.

She shut the door and locked it, but didn’t move until she heard his car pull away. If Crandall told the truth, Zach wasn’t available emotionally. It would be best for them both if they didn’t spend any more time together.

Maybe, if she repeated that often enough, she’d believe it.

Zach closed his laptop and leaned back in his chair. There was no use trying to write today. All he could think about was Lilly. Last night, he fully expected an invitation inside for a nightcap or, at the very least, a kiss goodnight. Why had she run into the house and locked the door? Was it because she preferred Crandall?

Coming back to this little cottage hadn’t helped matters any. Victoria furnished and decorated this place to her taste, the office thrown in as an afterthought. The tiny space closed in on Zach.

Unadorned walls surrounded a dainty desk. Its legs tapered to thin points, and the matching chair was too small for him. Victoria never did spare a thought for his needs. He couldn’t concentrate here and had only written two full sentences since he moved from Seattle.

He paced through the house, walking across the black and red Oriental rug. Victoria had decorated the living room in dark reds, and Zach felt he might suffocate in the space. He walked to the kitchen and snatched his cell phone off the counter, punching three on speed dial.

“Hello?”

“I’m going insane here,” he said by way of greeting.

Sarah laughed. “I told you not to go back to that house.”

“I had no choice.”

“You do now. The Boyds left last week. Their rental is empty.”

Zach mulled that over. He remembered that cottage. It’d suit him just fine. Besides, he had to get out of here.

“I think I’ll do that,” he said. “Mother can rent this place out if she gets anyone else up here this summer.”

“Sounds like a plan. Get your stuff gathered. I’ll get the key from Mom and meet you there.”

Zach was ready in no time and drove the short distance along the lake to the cottage. Sarah pulled up seconds behind him.

She hopped out of her red Mustang, hugged Zach and grabbed his computer and briefcase. “This will be much better for you. Wait until you see what they did to the office.” Sarah went to the front door.

Zach grabbed his suitcases and followed her in. A sense of relief descended on him as soon as he passed the threshold. The front room was painted off-white. Mirrors and tasteful art reprints adorned the walls. Zach peaked into the small kitchen, pleased to see a microwave, the only kind of cooking he could do.

Sarah crossed to the back of the house and opened the door to the master bedroom.

Zach set his suitcases on the bed and a broad smile crossed his face. This was what a bedroom should look like. King-sized bed, mirrored closet doors, light-colored furniture. The space felt so large.

Sarah beckoned him to follow her into the office. She set his computer and briefcase down on an enormous desk and smiled. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

Zach ran his hand across the glossy surface of the mahogany desk and sat in the oversized executive chair. The desk faced the window and looked onto the back patio and to the water beyond. As he watched, a speedboat raced by. It startled ducks resting along the water’s surface into flight. He watched as they settled back closer to the house. “This is terrific.”

“It’s good you’re out of that place,” Sarah said.

Zach nodded and spun in his chair to face her. “I owe you one, sis.”

“Do you really?” Sarah raised an eyebrow and grinned.

Zach felt a tingle of anxiety shoot through him. “Alright, little sister. What do you want?”

She shrugged in an off-hand manner and sat in a La-Z-Boy situated next to oak bookshelves. “I just wanted to know more about Lilly. I know you wanted a decoy, but I saw you with her. You like her, don’t you?”

Zach’s mouth became dry. Sarah had a way of forcing him to confront things he’d rather ignore. “What makes you say that?”

“It’s obvious. When I saw you guys sitting together, her in your arms. Oh, and the way you defended her to Julia? Come on, Zachie, admit it. You’re falling for her.”

Zach sighed. He knew Sarah was right, but what if Lilly wanted Crandall? “It might not matter how I feel. Relationships only work if both people want the same thing.”

Sarah rolled her eyes and waved her hand through the air. “Of course she wants the same thing. I saw her, too.”

“Should I ask her to dinner at Mother’s tonight?” Zach’s heart beat quickly. It surprised him how excited he became at the prospect of spending another day with Lilly.

Sarah nodded. “Exactly what I was thinking. In fact, I already asked Mom about it. She wasn’t happy, but I talked her into it. Lilly’s welcome to come. I really think you should invite her. Besides, I’ll need some relief.”

“Relief? From what?”

“Oh, you know how I feel about Tommy getting engaged...again. I’m so tired of introducing Savannah to a new woman every time we see him. I talked to him this morning. Apparently, Savannah is to call the new fiancée ‘Aunt Bridget.’” Sarah wrinkled her nose. “When I told her, Savannah got all excited and asked if Aunt Lilly was coming too. At least I have more hope that Lilly will stick around.”

He hadn’t built up his courage enough to call Lilly yet today. Inviting her to a family dinner would be a good reason. He would have already called her, if she hadn’t given him such a lukewarm farewell last night. “I’m afraid she’ll say no.”

“So what? Are you going to let fear get in your way?” Sarah leaned back in her chair. “You did mess things up a bit, and now you’ll have to work twice as hard to win her over. I’m sure she likes you, but I wish you and Grandma hadn’t gone about things the way you did.”

Zach swiveled from side to side. “Me too. I don’t think clearly, not when it comes to women. I’m bound to make mistakes.”

“Grandma should have known better.”

“She tried to stop me from offering Lilly money. It wasn’t part of her plan.” He shrugged. “I thought it seemed like the fair thing to do. I was afraid Lilly would say no if there wasn’t anything in it for her.”

Sarah pursed her lips. “I understand why you’re nervous. You haven’t had the best luck with women.”

“Just call me dating-impaired.” He grinned.

Sarah’s brow furrowed and she shook her head. “I’ve been worried about you. I thought you’d given up on finding love. Seeing you so happy with Lilly last night, for the first time in far too long, it was wonderful. She seems good for you.”

“I’m afraid she doesn’t feel anything for me, sis.” Zach ran his fingers through his hair. The motion made him think of the heat he’d seen in Lilly’s eyes when she told him his messy hair was sexy. “She practically slammed her door in my face last night.”

“She seemed interested to me.” Sarah stood and paced the area between them. “I think your judgment is off, and it’s all Victoria’s fault.”

Zach burned with shame. “Why didn’t I see what Victoria really was?”

Sarah expression softened and she rushed to his chair, putting her arms around his neck. “Zachie, she was the one at fault, not you. If she had lived through the boating accident, you’d still be trapped with her.”

“I can’t believe she slept with Crandall, of all people. My best friend!” Zach pulled out of Sarah’s embrace. “And that creep made a pass at Lilly last night.”

“Did he really?” Her expressionless face told Zach she wasn’t surprised. “What did she do?”

“Honestly, she flirted with him.”

Sarah shook her head. “She probably didn’t want to cause a scene and embarrass you.”

“She was with him again later when I sent you for medicine. He told me it was only a matter of time before Lilly dumped me and went for him.”

“You can’t possibly believe that. You know how Crandall is. I’m sure Lilly was being polite, and he was being the disgusting jerk that he is.”

Zach really hoped Sarah was right. However, Lilly still couldn’t get away from him fast enough last night. Maybe it had something to do with the conversation she had with Crandall. “He said they talked about Victoria. Should I worry about that?”

Sarah tipped her head to the side. “Depends what he told her. I can see Lilly wanting to know more about Victoria. A woman likes to know about her competition, after all.”

“Victoria is
not
competition.”

“How should Lilly know? Ghosts can be the hardest competition there is. If you want any type of relationship with her, you need to tell her the truth about your marriage.” She flipped her cell phone out to check the time. “I have to get going. I promised Savannah we’d go swimming this afternoon.”

Zach followed Sarah through the house to the front door. She paused there to give him another hug. “Promise me you’ll call her. You owe yourself a chance for happiness. I saw the way she looked at you. She likes you, not Crandall.”

“I’ll make the call. If she turns me down, I’m blaming you for getting my hopes up.”

“I can handle that.” She smiled and skipped down the stairs.

Zach watched as Sarah’s car disappeared behind the trees before he entered his new home. He flopped onto the couch and stared at his phone.

What if Lilly didn’t want to see him again? What if she already made plans with Crandall? Zach ground his teeth together and closed his eyes. He’d never know if he didn’t try. If she refused to go out with him, he’d just beg harder. He’d make her understand that he wanted to date her for real.

He dialed her number.

Her soft voice, such sexy music to his ears, answered after the third ring. “Hello?”

Tingles of pleasure raced down his spine. Zach struggled to say something coherent as his body tightened. Just her gentle breath coming across the line made him hard. His imagination happily supplied an image of her lounging against her couch in a black teddy, fiery curls resting on top of lace that barely concealed her breasts.

“Lilly? It’s Zach. I’ve been thinking about you all day.” He’d convince her somehow. And tonight, he’d make sure he got a goodnight kiss.

Lilly sat in her living room and absently drummed her fingers against the frayed fabric of the couch. She stared at the mystery book in her other hand, sighed, and set it on the coffee table. Even though she’d steadily turned pages, Lilly hadn’t comprehended any of the words.