by Lucy Gilmore
Lila was in no position to offer hospitality in a house that wasn’t her own, but something about Helen’s expression gave her pause. The poor woman looked so eager, so lonely, so desperate to be included. Lila smiled and nodded her agreement before she could second-guess herself. “Dawn’s plate spinning is worth sticking around for,” she said. “And we’re mostly done, anyway. I’m just cleaning up and getting ready for our afternoon training.”
It was all the invitation Helen needed. With the wide smile back on her face, she started unwinding her scarf and shrugging herself out of her coat. “Well, if you’re sure I won’t be in the way…”
The only person who seemed dismayed at the addition to their party was Emily, but the prospect of flying plates meant that even she was inclined to accept Helen with good grace. Especially once she started helping move the living room furniture out of the way to make room for the spectacle.
“I didn’t really rent a parrot,” Ford whispered as he drew Lila aside. No part of him touched her, and there was nothing particularly intimate about the way he leaned in, but she felt a shiver move through her all the same. “A costume, however, has been acquired. I’m going as s-l-u-t-t-y Blackbeard, in case you want to get one to match.”
Oh, for heaven’s sake. “You won’t say s-l-u-t-t-y, but you’ll dress up that way? And what’s the counterpart to that, anyway? Anne Bonny?”
“S-l-u-t-t-y Anne Bonny,” he corrected her.
She stopped her laugh just in time. “Sure. That’s what I’ll wear. I’ll be the toast of the neighborhood, all t-i-t-s and a-s-s. The mothers at the party will be delighted.”
“I don’t know about the mothers, but I’d sure as h-e-l-l like to see it. Or them, I guess I should say. I’m partial to both.”
She was sure he was. Her tits and ass, however, were going to remain covered for the duration of this training. Yes, she was making efforts to soften her appearance and her approach, to show Patrick and Anya that she was just as capable of handling young clients as her sisters, but she drew the line at actual nudity.
Even if the idea of nudity and Ford Ford was appealing in the extreme.
“Now would be a really good opportunity to tell Helen the truth about us,” she said, tamping down any and all images of this man without any clothes on. She’d seen enough of his chest to last her a lifetime, thank you very much.
“I thought you were only going to do that if she asked you a direct question,” Ford said with a self-conscious start.
“Yes, well. That was before she started coming by with invitations to parties.”
He heaved a sigh. It was a playful sigh, as usual, but Lila couldn’t help thinking there was some meaning behind it. When he spoke, however, it was with nothing but irreverence. “I still think it’d be nicer if you could find it in your heart not to dump me until Christmas, but feel free to disillusion her. I’m going to watch the plate spinning. You might be accustomed to having circus freaks for siblings, but I’m new to all this family intrigue. Does she throw knives, too? I’ve always wanted to try that.”
Lila knew there would be nothing but nonsense out of Ford now. “Not to my knowledge, but I’m sure she’d be willing to give it a try if you asked nicely. Maybe you could volunteer to be her first target.”
“There’s no need. My heart has already been pierced by a glorious Vasquez sister. Want to guess which one?”
She couldn’t resist. “Sophie’s a sweetheart, but I doubt Harrison will give her up to you easily. And in terms of sheer physical prowess, the man has you beat. You’ll be better off with Dawn and her knives.”
Ford turned his head toward Harrison, who was, in fact, looking rather large and intimidating today. He looked large and intimidating most of the time, except when his gaze landed on either Sophie or Bubbles. Then it was all teddy bear, all of the time.
“Oh dear. Is that your type?” There was no regret or envy in Ford’s voice—only that laugh. Always that laugh. “It’ll take me a few years to bulk up, and I can’t promise that my biceps will ever get that big, but if that’s what you find attractive… Emily, honey? Will you bring me the carton of eggs? I’m going to need to get started right away.”
Emily wasn’t looking at her father, so she didn’t catch what he said, but she was so used to his ways that she merely giggled when he moved his fingers down in the sign of a cracking egg. Lila was grateful for the sound of the girl’s bubbling laughter, since it covered up her own. She was equally grateful for Helen, who came forward to offer her help in washing dishes.
“I might be a party crasher, but I’m a party crasher with two perfectly good hands,” she said.
Lila was just desperate enough to get away from Ford that she agreed. “That’d be great, thanks. My sisters have things well under control in here. Plus, this will give us a chance to have a little chat. There are a few things you and I need to get straight.”
She cast an obvious look at Ford as she said this last bit. It was only fair that she give him advance warning of her intentions. Which was a mistake for a lot of reasons, but none of them as pressing as the fact that Ford Ford wasn’t a man who played fair.
“She’s going to whisk you away and tell you that she doesn’t love me,” he said with a sad shake of his head. “Apparently, she prefers men with more meat on their bones. I’m only just hearing about it now.”
“Ford!” Lila cried.
“It’s okay. Lucky for you, I prefer a woman who throws me an occasional curveball. Hey, Harrison—you have a minute? I have a few questions about your exercise regimen. Do all the men on your wildfire team look like you when they get started, or are some of them spindly nobodies like me? It’s for science.”
As he loped off in Harrison’s direction with every appearance of chatting about protein powder, bench presses, and firefighter lifestyles, Lila could only watch him go. Matters weren’t helped any when Helen wound her arm through Lila’s and led her toward the kitchen with a confidential air. “I don’t know how you do it, Princess Lila,” she said. “Walking and talking and working like a normal person. If Ford said half of those things to me, I’d be melted in a puddle at his feet.”
Yes, well. Perhaps that would be for the best. Then Ford might slip and have to be taken to the emergency room. Not even he could make one of those flapping blue hospital gowns look good.
She kept these reflections to herself, especially since the image of his bare backside was causing a sudden fluttering low in her belly. “You can just call me Lila,” she said instead.
“I know, but the princess part seems to make Emily happy.” Helen’s smile faltered. “It’s the least I can do. The poor little thing doesn’t like me very much. She never has.”
Lila could tell. She also had a strong suspicion as to why. The sentiment had its roots in those two words: poor and little. Oh, she was no child expert, obviously, but she’d spent enough time in the pediatric cancer ward when Sophie was young to realize that pity was the last thing any child with a serious health condition wanted to be given. Sympathy was theirs for the taking whenever they wanted it; being treated just like any other normal kid, however, was something to be cherished.
She was still trying to work out how to tactfully convey this to a woman she barely knew when Helen interrupted with a bright “So, how long have you two known each other, you and Ford?”
Lila could have kissed her for making this so easy. Busying herself with the tap, she said, “I met him for the first time in my life last Saturday.”
Helen’s brows dashed up as she handed Lila a plate. “Last Saturday? Oh my. I had no idea.”
“Why would you?” Lila asked congenially. She thought but didn’t add, When Ford has done his best to give the exact opposite impression? “The company I run with my sisters is contracted through the Auditory Guild to provide Emily with a service puppy and training through the end of the year. Given how closely we work with our families, we like to focus on building easy rapport.”
“In that
short a time, though?” Helen asked. The disbelief in her tone was evident even over the sound of the running water. “You must work quickly.”
On the contrary, Lila was incredibly slow. Slow to think and slow to act, careful never to step anywhere the ground might be unstable. And it was unstable here, that was for sure. She turned off the tap and gave Helen her full attention.
“It was a tough job for us to get in the first place, and there are some fairly high stakes involved if we want to keep it,” she said carefully. “And we do want to keep it, very much. So you can understand why the relationship between me and Ford is strictly a professional one.”
“Ohhh,” Helen breathed. She followed it up with a grin and a wink. “Right. Strictly professional. Now I understand.”
Lila fought an inward groan. Unless she was mistaken, Helen understood very little.
“My sisters will tell you the same thing,” she protested with a glance at the pair of them in the living room. They might find this whole situation hilarious, but like her, they wouldn’t lie if asked a direct question. “Until last week, I’d never even heard of Ford Ford, let alone—”
Directly behind them, the phone rang. Lila would never presume to answer the telephone in someone else’s house, but Helen had no such qualms. Drying her hands on a dish towel, she reached for the handset and held it to her ear. “You’ve reached the Ford residence. This is Helen speaking. How may I help you?”
She placed her hand over the mouthpiece and said in a low voice, “It’s okay. I work part-time as a receptionist in a dental office. I’m used to this.” She paused as a low male voice sounded on the other end of the phone. Lila couldn’t make out all the details of what was being said, but it was only a few seconds before Helen’s brows went up and an amused smile flickered across her face. “Yes, just a moment, please.”
She held the handset out to Lila. “It’s for you.”
“For me?” Lila echoed.
“Last Saturday, huh?” Helen laughed and tapped the side of her nose. “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”
Lila held the handset between two fingers, dangling it as if it contained a curse. Which, for all she knew, it did. The only two people in the world who would feasibly call her at a client’s house were spinning plates in the next room. In fact, they were also the only two people in the world who knew she was here right now. So, who—?
“Hello?” she asked, holding the phone tentatively to her ear.
“Oh, hey, Lil. I thought I might find you there.”
“Patrick?”
“I hope you don’t mind me calling like this,” he said. Without waiting to hear that she did, in fact, mind, he went on. “I know you always turn your cell phone off during client visits.”
It was true, and for a perfectly good reason—because it was highly unprofessional to take personal calls while in someone else’s home. Then again, it was just as unprofessional for her sister to be throwing tea plates all over a client’s living room. And for her to be harboring highly suspect feelings for a man she barely knew. Every ethical and personal boundary she’d ever put up was crumbling to pieces around her.
“I’d rather you didn’t, but there’s not much I can do about it now, can I? What do you want?”
“To apologize. You didn’t let me finish at the restaurant.”
That almost caused her to drop the phone. Drawing a deep breath, Lila gripped the handset more tightly and did her best to look calm. Helen’s attention was focused on the dishes, but she kept sneaking sideways glances at her.
“Okay, Dr. Yarmouth,” she said in hopes that the other woman would hear the word doctor and realize this was no social call. “You may proceed.”
Patrick chuckled. “Gee, thanks. Only you could turn an apology into a funeral.”
Well, obviously. Turning perfectly ordinary situations into gloom and doom was exactly what he’d accused her of before. If Patrick’s idea of an apology was to call her up at a client’s house and remind her, however, she had no intention of lingering long enough to hear it. “Could we move this along, please? Puppies don’t train themselves.”
“Did I hear you say ‘Dr. Yarmouth’?” Ford’s voice sounded from directly behind her, causing her to jump.
If she’d been paying attention, she’d have noticed that Helen had given up on dish duty to make way for Ford’s approach. In the ordinary way of things, she would have been paying attention, since focusing on details was the way she liked to work. But her ex-boyfriend calling her at a client’s house while she wore a yellow sundress in the middle of winter was hardly ordinary.
“Yes,” she said, suddenly seeing a way out. “Helen must have been mistaken. It’s for you.”
Although she heard a murmur of protest coming from Patrick’s end of the phone, she held the handset out until Ford took it. Patrick would just have to come up with a believable lie—or, failing that, pretend he dialed the wrong number. That would teach him to call her during working hours.
She smiled blandly at Helen, hoping that would end the intrigue, but she’d underestimated the amount of romanticism in the other woman’s soul. As Ford took the phone, Helen bumped Lila with her hip, a knowing gleam in her eyes.
“One of these days, you’re going to have to tell me the real story of how you two met.”
“I already did,” Lila protested.
She might as well have not spoken for all the attention Helen paid her. “I warn you—I’m awfully persistent when I like someone. I won’t rest until you’re sitting in my kitchen with a glass of rosé in hand. I’ll kidnap you if I have to. Don’t think I won’t.”
Lila looked inadvertently to Ford. She was sure he’d share her amusement at Helen’s willingness to hold people hostage in the name of friendliness, but he was holding the phone to his ear with a strange look on his face. She had no idea what Patrick was telling him, but it couldn’t be good. That look was strangely bleak, in no way suited for the handsome, laughing man he was most of the time.
“Oh God.” Lila’s mind went directly to all the potentially devastating news a child’s otolaryngologist might be forced to impart over the phone. She waited only until Ford hung up before pouncing. “What did he say? Not anything bad? Not…Emily?”
Ford shook his head, still somewhat dazed, though the smile had returned to his expression. It was his usual grin, equal parts charming and disarming, but for the first time, it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Those orbs still held their usual blue brilliance, but they were distant. One might almost say cold.
But that wasn’t right. Lila was the cold one. Ford was everything attractive and happy and warm.
“Emily’s okay,” he said. “Emily’s fine.”
“Then…?” It wasn’t Lila’s business, she knew, but she couldn’t help herself. What on earth had Patrick been telling this man to bring such a shadow to his face?
“He was just checking in.” Ford smiled again, and this time, it seemed more genuine. “He’s good people, Patrick Yarmouth. But there’s no need for me to tell you that, is there?”
The question was a rhetorical one. With a cheerfulness that Lila couldn’t decide was faked or not, Ford wrested both Helen and her away from the kitchen, vowing that no one was allowed to wash dishes in his house without his assistance.
“I’ve worked really hard to teach Emily that it’s standard for a sink to be overflowing with dirty dishes,” he explained, laughing. “I’d hate for you two to reverse my six years of painstaking training.”
“Oh, Ford.” Helen giggled and took the arm he offered her. “I don’t know how you put up with him, Lila. Does he ever mean any of the things he says?”
She should have said something to put him in his place, to reinforce the boundaries that must, of necessity, exist between them. But Ford was watching her with an oddly keen expression. It was almost as though her answer carried weight—like she might actually possess the power to hurt him.
The feeling was unsettling, which was why
Lila summoned up the brightest smile she had. “Not to my knowledge, no,” she said and even managed a laugh. “But even an incorrigible flirt is right twice a day.”
Puppy Christmas
On sale September 2019!
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