Love by Design (Crystal Falls Book 1)

by Lee, Lynette

  When she pulled into a spot he leaned against her car and gave her the most pleading look he could manage, somewhere between a puppy-dog and a man with a broken heart.

  She stared ahead stiffly, not meeting his gaze.

  He tapped on the glass and she sighed. She rolled down the window a fraction, still not looking at him.

  “Lily, please. I just want to talk to you.”

  “What if I don’t want to talk to you?” she replied hotly, turning her fiery gaze on him finally. “Why does it always have to be about what you want? You want to get back together. You want to get married. What about what I want?”

  “Well, what do you want Lily?”

  She frowned at turned to look out the other window.

  “I don’t want to be hurt anymore!” She nearly cried as she said the words and slapped her hand down on the steering wheel, making him flinch.

  He put both of his forearms on the top of the car and leaned his head down. “Will you at least let me in? The whole neighborhood’s watching.”

  She ignored him.

  “I don’t want to be with someone if it means having to always worry if he’s with another woman. Is that too much to ask?” she said.

  “Of course it isn’t.”

  She unlocked the doors and then folded her arms across her chest. He went around to the passenger side and slid in beside her.

  “Lily, you have to know I didn’t want to be with Christina. The damn woman forced herself on me. She’d just knocked me onto the bed when you came in. I only want to be with you. I promise.” He slid his hand over her thigh and she pulled away.

  “How am I supposed to believe you after what happened before?”

  “What happened before was a misunderstanding. Just like this is.”

  “A bit of a coincidence, don’t you think?”

  Noah shrugged. “I guess you could see it that way, if you didn’t have any faith in me. But the situations are very different. Lily, come on. You know me better than this.”

  “Do I?”

  He let out a frustrated breath. “Look, I can’t go through this with you again. Either you have the courage to trust me or we can’t be together. I haven’t done anything wrong and I’m tired of being treated like I have. There aren’t going to be any more second chances, Lily. This is it. I want you more than I can say with words, but not if it means constantly worrying that you might decide I don’t deserve your trust and turn on me. I just can’t take it anymore.”

  She was silent a moment before wrapping her arms around herself. “I don’t know what to say, Noah. I want to believe you. But I just can’t right now. I need some time and some space.”

  He frowned but nodded. Opening his own door, he reached over a brushed his fingertips along her cheek. “Don’t forget that I love you, okay? I’ll always love you, no matter how you feel about me or what you decide.”

  Noah leaned over and kissed her cheek before sliding out of the car. He stood where he was a moment, trying to catch his breath and finally walked toward his truck. He felt her eyes on him as he went and turned once to meet her gaze before sliding into his seat. It was going to be a long night.

  Lily knew she needed to decide what to do about Noah. Just as pressing was figuring out how to handle her client and the job. She felt like she could never see the cabin again. The job was almost finished and it broke her heart to think of jeopardizing her entire business for something so stupid, but it felt like her only option was to call and quit.

  When she walked into her apartment though, the only thing she could do was crawl into bed and curl up under the covers. She’d cried enough in the last few hours that no new tears would come. But life just seemed too heavy all of a sudden and she couldn’t handle anything more than sleep.

  She awoke early the next morning, still in her clothes, the stale taste of sleep in her mouth. She felt like she had a hangover even though she’d only had a little wine at Rachel’s the day before. She pulled herself out of the bed and made her way to the bathroom, shocked at her own face still puffy from crying, her hair standing up in every direction.

  A long soak in the bath helped ease some of the tension in her body and when she finally emerged, clean and relaxed, she felt much better.

  She moved to the kitchen and made herself a cup of coffee and some toast as she thought about everything that had happened the day before. The thought of Noah made her heart twist, so she skirted him and began mentally working through the trouble that was the cabin as she sat down to eat.

  As crazy as it seemed, the only thing that made sense to her still was to quit the job entirely. She knew she couldn’t keep working for Upton. Even though the job was nearly done, it would be too hard to put it all behind her. She couldn’t trust herself not to deck the woman if she ever saw her again. Couldn’t trust herself not to want to burn the whole place to the ground.

  She still had the things from Francis’ shop in her car. She would have to take those back, maybe tell Lydia they were there. She certainly wasn’t going to take them up to the cabin herself. And then there was the headboard. But Isaac knew the delivery address and date. Surely Lydia could arrange to be there or have someone else there to make sure everything got completed smoothly.

  She’d gotten a fifty percent advance at the beginning of the job and figured she could at least keep that much, seeing as she’d done nearly all the work. She might even be able to convince Lydia to give her more. Although she knew her chances of being recommended would be shot to hell. Word would spread quickly amongst the rich circles - she would be lucky to ever get a design job again.

  The thought of that froze her. Was it really worth all this? Could she truly let Noah destroy her like this again? And what about his plea that she come back, marry her even? Was she going to be able to forget all of this and be with him again? Or had they gone beyond the point where she could ever forgive him?

  Just the thought of him made her want to crawl into bed again. She doubted they would be able to go back now. She had been so ready just the day before to marry him. The house, the proposal, the amazing nights they’d shared recently, it had all been a mirage. She couldn’t really trust him. And that was the hardest thing to admit of all.

  Finishing her coffee, she knew what she had to do. She took a deep breath and dialed Lydia’s number.

  “Just the woman I was hoping to talk to,” Lydia answered on the third ring.

  “Hey Lydia.”

  “What is up my girl? I’ve been trying to get a hold of you. We are so close to the finish line here. Christina called me yesterday and told me to get everything wrapped up quickly. Tell me you’re almost done.”

  “Actually,” Lily said, taking a deep breath and gripping the side of the table, “I’m calling because I’ve decided to quit.”

  It was the only time she’d ever heard Lydia go silent. Seconds passed without a sound from her and Lily could hear her heart beating in her ears.

  “Okay. Tell me what’s going on,” she finally responded.

  She debated lying to her, making up an illness or something. The whole thing suddenly sounded so silly.

  “I caught Noah in bed with her yesterday and I just can’t even think about going up there again.”

  “Oh, honey.”

  “It was awful, Lydia. I walked in the bedroom and she was sitting right on top of him.” The sting of fresh tears tensed her eyes and she brushed a hand over them.

  “And you think Noah was in bed with her willingly?”

  “Why not? It sure seemed like it to me.”

  Lydia was silent another minute, this time gathering her thoughts. “I just know how Christina is, that’s all. She’s done this kind of thing before, you know. Hit on a contractor at a beach house we did a couple of years ago. There was a huge scandal when the guy’s wife found out. He wasn’t the only one either.”

  Lily silently bit her lip.

  “If I had to guess, what’s more likely is that she threw herself on him, atta
cked him even. You would not believe the shit I’ve had to deal with for her. Not to mention it’s hard to imagine Noah going for her when he’s so enamored with you.”

  “Just because he’s showing a little interest again doesn’t mean he’s enamored with me. He probably just wanted to get in my pants.”

  “That could be. But it seems like a lot of trouble to go to just to get into somebody’s pants. Especially for a guy like him, who could have just about anybody. No offense, darling.”

  After hesitating a moment more, she said, “If I were you I would hold off on quitting. Christina’s put me completely in charge, so you won’t have to see her again. It’s only a few more days. I’m not just saying this for my own selfish reasons, Lily. It would make my life a whole lot easier if you didn’t quit. But, well, I like you. I don’t want to see you screw things up. Not to mention I think you and Noah are perfect for one another and I want to do whatever I can to get you two together.” She laughed lightly.

  She knew Lydia was right. But it was so hard to think about going up there again.

  “Okay,” she finally replied. “I’ll finish the job. But if I see her again, I can’t guarantee what I’m going to do. Not that I don’t love working with you, but I just want this thing over and done with.”

  “You and me both, honey. You and me both.”

  “Thanks for talking me down, Lydia. You’re a good woman.”

  “Why thank you, sweet. And thanks for making my life easier. Now go out there and get that gorgeous boy back. You deserve it.”

  She didn’t know if she could go that far, but Lily felt good about the decision to finish the cabin. Now she just had to get to work. The sooner she finished, the sooner she could put the whole terrible experience behind her.

  Chapter Fourteen

  It was the final day of the cabin remodel and Lily was as nervous as she’d been the very first day. She had a lot to do still - a few final pieces needed to be picked up from Francis and delivered to the cabin and the headboard was set for delivery in the afternoon so she would need to be there to direct the installation. Lily also wanted to stop by the store and put together a Welcome Home package. Even though she couldn’t stand the thought of Christina Upton and wouldn’t think twice about giving her a piece of her mind if she ever saw her dreaded client again, Lily had a business to run.

  Now, a couple of days after finding Noah and Upton together and her subsequent meltdown, she was thinking a lot more clearly and knew that quitting the job would have been a nightmare in the long run. She had Lydia to thank for saving her butt and she fully intended to put a little something together for her as well.

  Lydia had guaranteed Lily that Mrs. Upton wouldn’t be at the cabin again. She’d finally gathered her courage the day before to go up and deliver the things she already had in her car. She held her breath as she’d pulled into the drive and sighed with relief when she didn’t see Noah’s car. She unloaded everything quickly, not even bothering to place it all properly, but stacking everything in a spare bedroom instead and taking off as quickly as possible. She knew could finish placing it all the next day when the headboard arrived. The less time she had to spend there the better.

  Today, her last day before the project deadline, she was ready to finish everything and be done with the cabin forever.

  Her stomach did flips as she drove up the mountain. She wasn’t in a hurry this time. The clouds hung low over everything and the feel of snow was in the air. The forecast didn’t call for snow until the next day though, so she felt reasonably safe going up one last time.

  As she pulled into the driveway she was relieved to find no one else there. She could finish the setup in peace, wait for Isaac to deliver the headboard, and be done. Lydia hadn’t been able to make it for the final inspection but she’d already signed off on the finished project, telling Lily the day before that she was done with Upton so if she wasn’t happy with the place it was just “tough titties” to her.

  Which was fine with Lily. The work was already approved. The final payment had been wired to her account. As long as nothing disastrous happened in the next couple of hours, she was in the clear.

  The cabin was quiet and calm as she pushed the door open, an expensive floor lamp in one hand. She set the lamp in the living room and slowly walked through the house, getting an idea of how much work she still needed to do. At least she would be able to work in silence. The construction crews that had always been on site before were a distraction and now that they were done Lily could get a much better feel for the house and how well her design worked.

  Unloading the car, she noticed the wind change, howling now through the trees, and the temperature drop just enough it made her wish she’d brought her gloves. She looked up at the dark clouds but it seemed like they were holding for the time being. She hurried to grab the last of the things and take them inside. The sooner she was done, the sooner she could get back down the mountain.

  With everything finally in place except for her custom headboard, Lily took one last look through the house. Every room carried a theme - simplicity, and a mixture of rustic and modern, playing on both the cabin’s history and surroundings and the client’s tastes. Whites, grays and blues were dominant with the occasional painting or sculpture bringing a splash of color and touch of the unique to each space. Overall she was satisfied with her work. The headboard would make it perfect. She just wished she didn’t have a bitter taste in her mouth about the experience.

  Noah came crashing through her mind again as she busied herself waiting for Isaac. She still hadn’t given him much thought since the big talk in the parking lot two days before. It was a sore subject and she found herself smarting from it every time her mind started to remember what they’d been through together in just the last few weeks.

  One thing was clear to her now. Rachel was right - she’d been wrong about him. She knew him better than to believe he’d sleep with Christina. She knew in her gut that he was telling the truth. All she had to do was remember the look in his eyes as he’d told her he built the house for her, as he’d sat on the bed and proposed to her, to know he was sincere when he said he loved her.

  Why was she still so hesitant then? She couldn’t figure it out except that she was having a hard time letting go of the pain. On some level she knew that the pain would be worse if she didn’t just let go and trust Noah. And she wanted to. She wanted more than anything to drop all the struggle, to say yes to him, to move into that gorgeous house he’d designed with the two of them in mind.

  She knew she needed to make a decision, and soon. She just didn’t feel ready yet.

  The last thing she needed to do was put together the welcome basket. She ran to the car and got the things - a bottle of good red wine, cheese and crackers, chocolates and a basket - and headed inside to put it all together. When she’d layered it all in just right, she wrapped a big red bow around the whole thing and set it on the counter. It looked welcoming, friendly. Not exactly how she was feeling toward her client, but impressions were important and she wanted to leave the woman with a good one in case she had friends with houses that needed design work in the future.

  She’d just adjusted the marble statues in the living room for the last time when she heard a truck pull up in the drive. Her heart pounded as she took a peak out the back window, breathing a sigh of relief when it wasn’t Noah. Little flurries of snow whipped around in the wind. She frowned and checked her phone to see what time it was. She’d been so intent on finishing the work that she hadn’t even looked outside and the sight of snow worried her. Hopefully they could get the headboard placed quickly. The last thing she wanted was to be stranded in the cabin during a snowstorm.

  “Isaac!” she shouted, coming out the back door as she wrapped her coat tight around her. He grinned and ran up the steps to give her hand a quick shake.

  “This is Mike,” he said, waving his hand at a burly guy standing by the truck. “He’s going to help me mount the headboard.”


  Lily nodded and motioned them inside so she could show them where the massive slab of marble sitting in the back of his truck needed to go.

  “It’ll be back here,” she told them as they followed her down the hallway. “I’ve got the bed in place now so you can see how it should be, but we can just push it out of the way so you can do what you need to do.”

  “Sounds good. It’s going to be a little complicated, making sure it’s mounted securely enough that there’s no threat to it falling,” he gave a short laugh, “but it shouldn’t take too long once we get going. It would be nice to get back to Denver before the sun sets.”

  “I’m as anxious to hit the road as you are, Isaac.” Lily led them into the room and stood back as they quickly measured, marked out spaces on the wall and slid the bed out of the way.

  She started to follow them back outside but stilled as she saw Noah’s truck pull up behind Isaac’s.

  Her pulse thundered in her head. No, no, no. She couldn’t, she wasn’t ready to see him. She put her hand to her cheek, knowing that she was blushing, and debated running out the back door. She knew it was hopeless though - not only would he have seen her car as soon as he pulled into the drive, she was blocked in by Isaac and the headboard.

  As she stood there watching his long body climb out of the truck she held her breath and made her decision. He was right, he deserved better than doubt and suspicion. Noah was a good man, and if he would have her, she wanted to commit to him completely.

  He bounded up the stairs after Isaac and Mike, smiling at both of them, displaying his gorgeous dimples. Lily fought the pulse of electricity that shot through her body. Keep it together, she warned herself. Just then he turned to her and their eyes met.

  So much for keeping it together.

  It felt as if everything around them evaporated. In his gaze she saw it all - love, passion, excitement, a future. Her eyes danced with tears but she held them in check as he came over to her.