Running From Fate (13 page)

“Lily,” she finally
admitted
.
“I can’t get a bigger place because I’m almost out of money.
Right now, something small is all I can afford.”

“Wait a second.
If you were in that much trouble why didn’t you tell me?
I’m your best friend.
You know I would have helped you.
What happened to all your money?
I thought you were doing well
.”

“
I was while I was working, but I have to admit that I was probably living right at my means
.
  I had some money in savings, but being unemployed for months really ate through that.
Plus, I had lawyers to pay.  My previous employers did try to sue me for breach of contract despite the fact that they had already been accused of wrongdoing.
”

“
All right I can understand that
, but you should have told me.
I would have happily given you some money and a place to stay if you had needed it.”

“I do know that and I love you for it, but I needed to do this on my own.”

“You always were too stubborn for your own good.”
Lily reached over and lifted up the brochure that sat between them.
She flipped it open.
“If we’re going to do this, let’s do it.
Where to next?”

“Thanks Lily.
I owe you one.”

“I warn you
I’m not giving up
,
just biding my time.
You’ll eventually listen to me.
You always do.”

Mira gunned the engine and peeled out of the parking lot.
“We’ll see,
”
she muttered under her breath. 
This wasn’t an argument that she
mean
t to lose
.

          ****************************************************************

They ended up compromising.
Mira wasn’t willing to accept a gift from Lily but, after a lot of persuasion, she took a $
10,
000 loan from her friend.
The loan would enable her to afford the deposit on a better place and to buy
a little
furniture.
Once she started receiving paychecks, her
salary would more tha
n cover the rent and, although
Lily wasn’t really concerned about it, Mira had promised to pay her back within
two years
.

With the extra money, Mira rented a lovely corner townhouse in one of the subdivisions near Research Triangle Park, the big R&D complex between Raleigh and Durham.
The townhouse had three good sized bedrooms
.  T
wo on the top floor and one on the ground floor.
One of the
top
rooms would
do for an all-
purpose room or spare bedroom
.
The other
, with its en-suite bathroom, would
be great for
her bedroom.
The downstairs room
, she decided,
with its large windows and recessed lighting, would work well for a studio.
Thankfully, there was also a small bathroom tucked next to it so she wouldn’t have to constantly troop up and down the stairs.

As she opened the door with her new key and stepped into the house, Mira took a deep breath and smiled.
This area was her favorite part of the place and it was the re
ason she had signed so quickly.

The living room and the eat-in kitchen were both in one, big open area, divided only by the long sweep of a beautiful
marble
counter.
The space was furth
er enhanced by vaulted ceilings, t
all windows
,
and an upstairs balcony overlooking it
all.

To the right, a
gorgeous
flagstone patio came off the living room.
It could be accessed
from the main area,
through a set of sliding doors
,
or from the third bedroom, which was off to the right down a short hall.

Thinking
through
possible color schemes, Mira crossed the living room
and
headed for the pat
io doors.
She hadn’t really explored
the outside yet
and wanted a quick look around
.
Perhaps nature could give her some inspiration and, h
opefully,
she would discover that
there
was room for
a small garden.
She had ne
ver had the time for one before
but
, she promised herself,
she would make the time now.
There had to be more than just work in her life.
A loud thump
sounded
, interrupting Mira’s thought
s
.
She sighed and, turning around, retraced her steps to the front door.

Outside, two men were trying to maneuver a
queen bed
from the back of a pickup truck.
The men made an odd pair.
One of them was of medium height, slim, and kind of good looking if a bit starched in his wrinkled dress shirt and slacks.
The other man was short and stocky with a thick beard, scruffy hair and work pants.
They had one thing in common, however
—
Lily Parsons.

She and Lily had
been running late by the time they got to the furniture store and had been told that the earliest anything could be delivered was tomorrow.
Mira wouldn’t really have minded sleeping on the floor for a night, but Lily
had insisted on a bed.
The salesman had been so enamored by Lily’s
blond
, leggy beauty that he had been ready to carry the bed on his back.
Thankfully, his back had been saved by the entrance of a construction worker with a pickup truck.
Lily had batted her long lashes and sweetly asked for help.
He had been putty in her hands.

Now the salesman and the construction worker were trying to bring in some of
her furniture.
The problem was
they couldn’t keep their eyes off of Lily and on the
ir
work.
The thump had been her bed frame, made of a beautiful,
light ash
, hitting the side of the truck.
If she wanted whole furniture
instead of a handful of splinters she had better intervene.

“Lily,”
she
called.
“Perhaps you should come inside now.
You would
n’t
want to burn your d
elicate skin
.”
The truth was that, thanks to her Italian ancestry, Lily rarely burned and, in fact, with the sun lighting up her hair and bringing a flush to her cheeks, she looked vibrant.
The men, however, immediately
rushed to agree
.

“You should go inside soon, Ms. Lily, we wouldn’t want you to get a burn,” the short one said.

“Certainly not,” the salesman echoed.
“Go in and rest.
We’ll do fine without you.”
He was now panting with effort, but he seemed determined.

“Why thank you gentlemen.
You’re being so kind,” she said
the
in
slow, sweet voice that was her best imitation of a Southern belle.
“I’ll do that right now.”
She sent both of them a wink that almost caused them to drop the bed again and
, with a swish of her white sundress,
sauntered inside.

With Lily out of the way, t
hings moved more quickly and Mira
soon had a bed, a lipstick red sofa, and one coffee table set up i
n her new home.
She thanked the
men profusely for their help and
determinedly
steered them out.
With the door firmly shut she flopped down on the sofa and closed her eyes.

“Are they gone?” Lily asked.
Her voice came
from
somewhere
at
the back of the kitchen.

“Yes they are.
No thanks to you.
I had to
practically
pry them out of here.”

Lily walked out
of the kitchen with a bottle
in one hand and two plastic cups in the other.
“It’s not my fault.
I can’t help
it if men find me irresistible.”  Her lips pouted in a sad little moue that did nothing to distract from her beauty.
“
I was born with this face.”

“Perhaps, but y
ou don’t have to encourage them,
”
Mira replied without even bothering to open her eyes.  The argument was long-standing and comfortable, but it
did exactly what she wanted it to
—
took her mind from her own problems if only for a minute. 
It was good to have her friend here.

Lily sat down next to her and
put the bottle and cups on the coffee table.

“Is that champagne
?
” Mira asked curiously.
“If it is I might
be persuaded to agree with you, a
t least for one night.”

“Be prepared to eat crow.”
Lily
pulled
hard on the cork and it released with a pop
.
A fountain of
froth
y bubbles fizzed to the surface and almost spilled out.
Q
uickly
, she
filled her cup
and licked the excess liquid off her fingers
.

“I concede,” Mira said as she held out a plastic cup.
“You are the most maligned, misunderstood person in the world.”

“I’m glad you see things my way.”
She filled
Mira’s cup
and lifted hers for a toast.
“To Mira, the best friend a girl could ever have.
May she find happiness in her new l
ife
.”  She
narrowed
her eyes and glared menacingly at her friend.  A
nd
from now on
may she always feel
compelled
to tell me
everything
.”
  Her stomach rumbled loudly.  “First, though, I believe we need food.”  She sat back and looked at Mira.  “Since I provided the drink you can order the pizza, a veggie lovers would be nice.”