Always & Forever (3 page)

She had always been a sucker for a deep, seductive voice. Unfortunately, experience with Charles taught her a sexy voice and the face of an angel could hide the heart of a sadist. She didn’t get the sadist vibe from Zach, but how well could she really know a person she only saw once a week? Charles fooled her for almost a year.

Lilly turned the cart in the small space and pushed the door closed. “Don’t worry about it, Mr. Woodbridge. It’s my job, after all. I’ll have dinner set out for the two of you in a moment.”

“You’ve known us three months now.” Margaret wagged a finger in Lilly’s direction. “I’ve told you there’s no need to be so formal. This is Zach, and you must start calling me Margaret.”

“Of course, Margaret.”

At night, during her most secret fantasies, Lilly
always
called him Zach.

She pushed the cart past the delicate, flower-patterned furniture in the sitting area. Though the purpose of the room had only been as a sitting area, a tiny dining table took center stage beneath the window facing the lake. Margaret loved looking at the water. She rarely took meals in the dining room where the view was nonexistent. The afternoon sun glared off the lake, but in another hour or two it would be breathtaking.

“How did your rewrites go, Mr. ...Zach? Your grandmother tells me you’re finished with them.” Lilly stole a quick glance behind her.

Zach assisted Margaret out of her favorite rocking chair. He was a very tall man and dwarfed his grandmother. Both Woodbridges had the same ramrod-straight spine and arrogant lift to their shoulders, the demeanor of successful people who knew their worth in the world. Lilly’s father affected the same posture when he wanted to impress potential investors.

Lilly resolutely banished thoughts of her father. She didn’t have time to brood right now. She grabbed the silver-covered dining trays off the cart. Careful not to put weight on her injured leg, she pivoted back toward the table and set the food down.

“Everything worked out,” Zach replied as he and Margaret made their way to the table. “Always a few little snafus in the editing process. I’ll have to go back and do book signings at a few stores in early January, but I plan on staying here for an extended period until then.”

He lowered his grandmother into a chair. Zach passed very close behind Lilly, fitting himself in the space between her and the food cart. His hand ran lightly across the small of her back, and Lilly tried to suppress the shudder of pleasure mixed with fear flowing through her.

Zach paid attention to Lilly whenever he came to town. She knew he really visited Margaret, but he spoke with Lilly too, never treating her like an employee but more like a friend.

It wasn’t the first time he found a way to touch her. She had mixed reactions about that. She enjoyed his flirting, even enjoyed the feelings that flooded through her when he touched her. The problem was Charles. When Zach touched her, it gave a basis to her deepest fantasy. Unfortunately, often she came right back down to earth with a memory of Charles and his dark side.

No doubt, Zach flirted with many women, and Lilly shouldn’t read anything into his antics. Regardless of how many times she told herself that, her hormones didn’t listen to her brain.

Zach pulled out his own chair and Lilly returned to her task, keeping her mind firmly on the food. She pulled the domes off the trays to reveal the five-star chef’s current masterpiece. The plates were a study in color. An orange sauce covered the salmon and although Lilly didn’t eat fish, it smelled delicious. The dainty salad was a work of art—dark beets lay in a bed of leafy Romaine lettuce mixed with little wedges of oranges. Rolls and a raspberry sorbet completed the meal.

Probably more food than Margaret could finish, but Lilly was glad she’d brought two servings of fish for Zach.

Lilly turned back to the tray, pulling a bottle of white wine out of the ice bucket. She carefully filled two crystal glasses, lifted them off the tray, and pivoted back to the table.

“Let me help you with those.” Zach stood right next to her.

Lilly gasped and stepped back, heart pounding. She hadn’t heard him get up. Pain lanced down her left leg as she tried to put her full weight on the faulty limb. Lilly felt it crumple beneath her, and she whimpered as her body fell backward.

Strong hands gripped her wrists and pulled her upright, steadying her, but it was too late. Wine sloshed out of the unbalanced glasses and doused the front of her dress. Some even splashed Zach’s suit jacket. He gripped her about the waist with one large hand to steady her further.

“I’m so sorry.” He released her and stepped back, running a hand through his mass of thick, black hair. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Your jacket,” she gasped, seeing her perfect job going up in flames. Margaret would likely fire her now. The conversation about Margaret’s fears the injury would hinder her abilities flashed through Lilly’s mind. Now, the first time Margaret had a dinner guest with Lilly in attendance, Lilly caused embarrassment.

No wonder Margaret sent her to run errands any time other family members came to visit. Her employer had probably been sure all along something like this would happen.

Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, but she blinked them away. If she cried, it would only make the situation worse.

“Forget the suit.” Zach waved his hand dismissively. “I’m more worried about your dress. I’ll find you a towel.”

Lilly looked at herself as Zach walked into the other room. Warmth flooded her cheeks and tears gathered once more. Her delicate pink bra and the pale skin of her belly were clearly visible through her white dress, turned translucent from the wine.

Lilly looked at her employer. “I am so sorry for the inconvenience, Mrs. Woodbridge. I’ll pour more wine for you and your grandson before I leave. Again, I can’t apologize enough.”

Margaret’s eyes widened. “Don’t be silly, child. It’s just a little spilled wine.”

“But—”

“But nothing. You can’t go out like that, though. Pour us
all
wine and sit down.”

Lilly grabbed clean glasses from the bottom shelf of the cart and did as Margaret requested before sitting in the chair between Margaret’s and Zach’s. She contemplated the snow-white tablecloth as Margaret ate her food with evident enjoyment. Although Lilly wasn’t much of a drinker, she sipped the wine to keep herself busy.

Zach returned, no longer wearing his jacket. He handed her a towel and Lilly stood to wrap it around her torso, relieved to cover her exposed body.

He caught her eyes as he sat down, and shook his head. “I really was attempting to help, not scare you half to death.”

“It’s okay.” And it was, now that she knew she wasn’t going to lose her job over it.

The dry cleaning bill would cause a strain. However, Lilly had learned many new skills this past year. Perhaps she could clean it on her own.

Zach paused with his knife and fork above his plate. “Are you hungry?” Concern clouded his emerald eyes. “Grandma, why didn’t you tell her to bring up a tray for herself?”

Margaret raised an eyebrow at him. “I didn’t plan on having her watch us eat, but somebody ruined her dress. I thought she should wait here while it dries.”

Zach’s cheeks flushed and he nodded. “Yeah, she should.” He grabbed his serving of raspberry sorbet and placed it in front of Lilly, handing her his spoon. “Do you want fish, too? I’ll be happy to share.”

Lilly grinned and shook her head, touched by Zach’s concern. “Thanks, but I’m allergic to fish.”

“Hmmm...good to know. I’d hate to have any disasters happen if we were at a dinner party together.”

She took a small bite of sorbet to cover her confusion. When did he expect they would ever be at a dinner party together? It was a nice thought though. If she still belonged in Zach’s world, they could have dated. That certainly played into the other fantasies she entertained about him, and Lilly struggled to keep a stupid grin off her face.

She continued eating Zach’s dessert while she studied him. His black hair had been smoothed slick against his head when she first entered the room, but now stuck up in places. He was forever running his hands through it, which Lilly found quite endearing. To her eyes, he was a lot more handsome with that imperfection. She’d had perfect before, and knew perfection couldn’t fulfill its own promise.

Zach had a severe-looking face, with prominent cheekbones that tapered down to a thin mouth. His wonderful, deep green eyes saved him from being unattractive, framed by the longest lashes Lilly had ever seen on a man. They fascinated her. For Lilly, his eyes were
literally
the stuff dreams were made of.

His solid build drew Lilly’s attention. She had never seen him without his jacket, and she spent a few happy moments enjoying images of what those muscular biceps must look like without a shirt.

He looked up from his food and caught her staring. A wide smile flashed across his face. It transformed him from merely attractive to devastatingly handsome.

Lilly dropped her gaze and fiddled with another bite of sorbet. What was wrong with her? She should not be looking at Zach like that, but she couldn’t seem to get him out of her head. She needed to focus.

She looked at the clock on the wall, relieved to see it said four-thirty. Another hour and she could go home. Margaret would have the entire weekend to forget the incident with the wine before Lilly returned to work. Even though her boss claimed it wasn’t a problem, Lilly was thankful she would have some time away.

Margaret asked her to call down and have coffee brought up once they finished eating. Ever the gentleman, Zach helped his grandmother back to her favorite chair.

Once Zach ensconced Margaret in the rocker, he approached Lilly and offered his arm when she hung up the phone.

She linked her arm through his, needing the extra support. With each step, a spasm of pain lanced through her leg. Lilly wished she dared use her cane at work, but Margaret was sure to veto the idea.

Her leg had stiffened, and sitting on the hard dining chair had only heightened her discomfort. Even with Zach’s support, her limp hampered her movements more than usual. He lowered her onto the loveseat without commenting on her weakness, earning himself even higher marks in her wildly inappropriate assessment of his desirability.

Zach took the spot next to her, and his thigh rested against hers as he sat back against the cushions. He seemed blithely unaware he touched her, but Lilly’s body was all too aware of his proximity.

The rose perfume Margaret loved to squirt around the room wafted up as Zach shifted on the couch, and Lilly managed not to turn her nose up. She wished she dared lean in close to discover his scent. Maybe it could banish the
essence of old lady
.

A member of the kitchen staff arrived with the coffee and Margaret poured. Lilly snuck another discrete glance at the clock, relieved to see it moving along. Although she enjoyed spending time with Zach, this afternoon had been exceedingly uncomfortable. Only a half hour to go.

“Now, Lilly,” Margaret said as soon as the three of them were alone in the room, “Zach has a favor to ask you, and I sincerely hope you’ll consider helping him out.”

Lilly took a sip of her sweetened coffee and tried not to look apprehensive. What could Zach possibly need from her?

“As you probably know,” Margaret continued, oblivious to Lilly’s anxiety, “Zach has come here to concentrate on writing a mystery novel.”

Lilly smiled despite her nerves, excitement overcoming her. There were few things she’d rather do than lose herself in a novel. “Yes, we already talked about that.” She flicked her gaze to Zach. “Did you need some help researching? I’d be more than happy to help if you’ll let me read your book as you go along.”

Zach looked amused, though he didn’t display his devastating smile that had shaken her so much. “The book is not what I need your help with.”

“Oh.” Lilly stifled her disappointment. She’d hoped Zach would trust her with his work. She loved books more than anything else. During her darkest times she could always escape into a book, travel to a different world and forget her troubles for a while.

Zach leaned forward to set his cup on the coffee table and grinned at her. “I could probably be persuaded to allow you to see it.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” It might also provide more opportunity to spend time with him.

Margaret smiled at both of them. “I knew you two would hit it off. That’s what makes you so perfect for what we need, Lilly.”

Lilly’s anxiety flooded back. “And that would be?”

“Here’s the thing.” Zach shifted in his seat and picked at a piece of lint on his pants. “It’s been over three years since I was widowed, and Mother’s worried about me being on my own. She set up a dinner party on their boat for tomorrow night.” He shook his head, irritation in his green eyes. “I’m going to be trapped for hours with a group of women my mother has hand selected. Apparently, they all think one of them will be my new wife, that this is some sort of game to win my affection. If I show up alone, they will be on me in an instant. I can’t imagine what Mother was thinking.”

“Everyone wants to marry a Woodbridge, you see.” Margaret reached forward to pat Lilly’s hand. “That’s where you come in. You can be his date.”