by SJ McCoy
“I’ll go,” offered Lily. “It seems like everyone has somewhere to be and something they need to do. I’m happy to run errands for anyone who needs it.”
Jack grinned at her. “Thanks, Lily. That’d be awesome.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Lil,” said Laura.
Lily went to stand up, but Nate caught her hand. He didn’t want her to leave yet, and there was no need for her to.
Jack held up a hand. “Whoa. Let’s have breakfast first. There’ll be plenty of time after that.”
“Oh, okay.” Lily sat back down again. Once she had, she nudged Nate’s foot with her own. He smiled and slid his foot up her calf. She frowned at him and elbowed him in the ribs. He’d thought she was getting frisky, but she was trying to tell him something. She inclined her head to the doors to the restaurant.
Oh. Ben was coming outside. He wasn’t alone. The girl he was with was hot. No two ways about it. Nate looked quickly back at Lily, and she rolled her eyes at him. He gave her a shamefaced grin. She was the one who’d told him to look!
“See! I told you!” Holly said in the loudest stage whisper Nate had ever heard.
All heads were turned toward Ben and his companion. Nate had to wonder if he’d dare bring her over to the table; she’d be in for a very mixed reception if he did.
Ben didn’t even glance their way. The woman linked her arm through his, and they walked down the steps and across the square.
“He’s taking her to his apartment!” hissed Missy.
Emma got to her feet. “I’m going over there.”
Nate had to bite back a laugh as Jack pulled her back down. “You, wifey, are going nowhere.”
Emma put her hands on her hips. “I can waddle my way up those stairs. I’m not that helpless!”
“I’m not saying you are. What I’m saying is that you are not going to go knocking on Ben’s door right now.”
She scowled at him. “But … but that woman … that … floozy!”
Pete laughed. “I think that’s the first time this century I’ve heard anyone use that word, Mouse.”
Emma glared at him. “I might not know the right word for her, but I do know the right woman for Ben, and that’s not her!”
“Calm down, Em,” said Dan. He looked at Missy before he continued. “All of you can calm down. It’s nothing like that. She’s here to interview for a job; that’s all.”
Missy shook her head at him. “Danny, oh Danny. That woman is interested in so much more than a job, hon.”
Emma nodded her head vigorously. “See! Missy knows. And we have to stop her.” She started to get up again, but Jack put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a stern look.
“It’s not up to us, Em.”
“He’s right,” said Pete. “It’s none of our business.”
“But … Charlotte!” Emma looked around at them all wide-eyed. “We can’t …”
“We can’t do anything, Emma,” said Smoke in a gentle tone. “All we can do is wait and see.”
“But ...” Emma looked as though she was about to burst into tears.
Smoke patted her shoulder. “He’s your friend, and you want him to be happy, right?”
Her bottom lip quivered as she nodded.
“Well, then you need to give him a chance to figure out what, or who, it is that’s going to make him happy.”
Emma sighed and picked up her fork.
Pete looked around at everyone. “It’s none of our business, really, is it?”
Everyone stared at him. Nate knew it was none of their business, but he knew they all cared about Ben. The girls seemed to think that he’d only ever be happy with Charlotte, but she wasn’t here, and this blonde chick was. Lily was looking up at him. He had to wonder what she was thinking. Was she wondering if he’d forget her, and go after some blonde chick if she weren’t around?
He shook his head and smiled. She raised a questioning eyebrow. He might not be able to say the words here in front of the others, but he could still tell her. He pointed at his eye, then at his heart, then at her. She looked puzzled, so he did it again and this time mouthed the words to go with the actions. I love you.
When everyone had finished eating, they all made their way back out to the square.
Jack told Lily where she could find the keys, and Missy put out the offer of an open house for anyone who wasn’t busy up at the plaza.
Nate walked Lily to her truck. “You drive safely, okay?”
“I will.”
“I’ll look out for you when you bring the keys up.”
She pecked his lips. “Don’t worry. You’ll have enough to be doing. Give me a shout if I can do anything to help, though. I’ve got my phone with me.”
“Thanks, Lil. You’re the best. If nothing else, I should be done with all the real work and just needing to mingle by late afternoon. Meet me under the clock at five?”
She smiled. “I will. I like the sound of that.”
He grinned. “Me too. I’ll see you up there.”
Nate watched her drive away before going back to his own truck. As he walked across the parking lot, he watched Ben come out of his apartment with the blonde woman. He had no idea what Ben was playing at, but he couldn’t believe that it was what everyone seemed to think.
Chapter Sixteen
Lily was surprised how many cars were already parked in the lot at the plaza. She had to drive around for a while before she could find an empty spot. She hoped that it wasn’t a flaw in the planning. If there were no spots this early before the real shoppers even started to arrive, what would happen on a busy Saturday?
Once she’d parked, she made her way through the plaza toward Laura’s store. They’d done a great job with the place—it was beautiful. It was arranged as four little streets that all lead down to the main plaza. A clock stood in the center, and there were a couple of café’s where shoppers could relax and admire the view—and what a view it was. The plaza was set a little way up the hill. The lake stretched out before it, shimmering blue against the green mountains that rolled away into the distance. Today was the perfect day, with a deep blue sky above, dotted with cotton candy clouds.
Laura’s store was amazing. Lily looked around in awe at all the displays glittering with Laura’s designs. Rings and earrings and necklaces and …
“Hey.”
She looked up to see Smoke smiling at her. “Did you get the keys?”
“Yep.” She held them up in the air.
“Thanks. I’ll be right back.” Laura came out and took the keys from her hand and disappeared through the front door.
Smoke shrugged. “Sorry, she’s just been desperate to get in the lock up.”
Lily smiled. “No problem. I’ll get out of the way—unless there’s anything I can do to help?”
“I wouldn’t dare say. I’m just hanging around waiting for orders myself.”
She couldn’t imagine Smoke taking orders from anyone, but then she also knew he’d do absolutely anything for Laura. “She’s got you quite domesticated, hasn’t she?”
Smoke smiled through pursed lips as he nodded. “She does, and I love it, but don’t you dare tell her I admitted that.”
Lily laughed. “Oh, I won’t.”
Smoke looked at her for a long moment. She had to wonder what he was going to say. “I wish I could tell you how she did it, but I don’t think I need to. You seem to be working the same magic on Nate.”
Lily stared at him. She didn’t know Smoke that well, and she wouldn’t have expected him to speak so frankly. “I don’t know …”
Smoke nodded. “I do. I’ve known him since college, and I’ve never seen him like this before.”
“Thanks.” She wasn’t sure that was the appropriate thing to say, but she was stuck for anything else.
“I think I’d like to say thank you. Nate’s a good friend, and if you can help him find the kind of happiness that I’ve found with Laura, then I’ll be forever grateful to you.”
Wow!
“Do you think he’s capable of it?” She hadn’t meant to ask that out loud. She wanted to cover her mouth with her hand as soon as the question was out.
Smoke didn’t seem to think she was out of line. “I do. He’s changed these last few weeks.”
“But do you think he can stay changed while he’s working in Seattle?” She hated that she was seeking reassurance from Smoke instead of from Nate himself.
Smoke nodded. “Yeah. I can tell you from experience that once a woman finds her way into your head and your heart, you don’t notice any other women. Everything changes. It’s not like you have to make a conscious effort; it just happens.”
Laura came back in muttering to herself. She stopped and looked from Smoke to Lily and back again. “What’s wrong?”
Smoke smiled. “Nothing. I’m just telling Lily how she’s got nothing to worry about with Nate. He’s fallen hard. Just like I did for you.”
Laura smiled. “If you need any help dealing with a womanizing Neanderthal, Lily, you come to me. I’ve had lots of practice.”
Lily laughed. “Thanks. I’ll get out of your hair, unless I can be of any help?”
“I’m fine, thanks. I’d love to catch up with you later, though.”
“Of course. I’ll look for you tonight when the stores have closed.”
Laura smiled. “Great. I don’t think I’ll get chance to breathe before then.”
Lily made her way out, and Smoke caught up with her at the door. “You’ll be fine. Just give him a chance, yeah?”
She nodded. “I am doing.”
Smoke nodded and gave her a knowing look. “I know, but you’re also ready to run scared at any minute. Don’t do it. Whatever comes up, give him a chance.”
“Why do you say that?” Lily was worried that there might be something about to come up that Smoke knew about and she didn’t.
He seemed to understand that. “Because I was like you. I was looking for any excuse to run, to say it wouldn’t work, and to get out before I got hurt. You can’t do that; you have to go all in.”
Lily smiled. “Ride like you’ve never fallen?”
Smoke chuckled. “Yeah, I guess that’d be it.”
“Thanks, Smoke. I’ll see you later.”
Lily decided she’d stick her head into Holly’s store and then head back down into town for a while. It was still early, and everyone up here was busy getting things ready for opening. She had nothing to do, and she’d only be in the way.
“Lily!” cried Holly when she stopped into the boutique. “You, girlfriend, are a life saver. Thank you so much for getting us into the lock up.”
A tall, very handsome man came toward Lily and wrapped her in a dramatic embrace. “So, this is Lily, savior of the day!”
Lily smiled up at him a little uncertainly.
“Oh, my goodness, darling. Don’t look at me like that! I’m Roberto. Holly’s visual merchandising manager, and the sorry soul whose ass you just saved.”
Lily laughed, taking an immediate liking to the guy. “In that case, nice to meet you, and you are most welcome.”
Roberto smiled. “I’d love to stop and chat, but I have to go work my magic.” He turned to Holly. “Make sure you help me find Queen Lily later, I need to buy her a drink.” With that, he turned on his heel and went into the back.
Holly grinned. “You’ll get used to him. He’s awesome.”
“Oh, I love him already,” said Lily.
“I heard that,” called Roberto from the back. “Don’t worry, darling, you’re not alone. Everyone loves me!”
Lily laughed as Holly shook her head. “I only put up with him because he’s so talented.”
“I heard that, too, Holly Hocks. You know you love me more than anyone. You just had to settle for the gorgeous, talented, wealthy Pete because I was already taken.”
“Whatever you say, Berto.” Holly rolled her eyes. “Are you going to be around tonight, Lil? I can’t really stop to chat now.”
“Yep, I’ll see you later.”
“Bye, darling!” Lily laughed as she let herself out. Roberto was quite a character. She checked her watch. She decided she’d stop in to see Missy. She had extended an open invitation, after all.
~ ~ ~
Nate had been rushed off his feet all morning. There wasn’t much left to take care of operationally, but it seemed as though every single retailer had a problem they needed help with. He’d sorted most of them out and decided to stop into the office to see what was going on in there. Jack looked up and smiled when he opened the door. “Hey, Nate. It all seems to be going smoothly so far.”
“Yep. So far, so good. Though I’ve had a couple of people complain that there’s not enough parking.”
Jack frowned and checked the CCTV system. “There are three empty lots out there.”
“Yeah, but that’s no good if people aren’t aware of them. They reach the first lot, turn into it, find that it’s full and start bitching. I need to get more signage up. I can come up with something temporary for today, but it’s one more item for the list.”
Jack nodded. “That’s partly what today’s about, isn’t it? Finding what we missed.”
“Yep and there are so many little details that you never figure out until you go live.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Nate gave him a puzzled look. “That’s not like you. You’re usually Mr. Up Beat, bring me the problems, and I’ll solve them. What’s up?”
Jack gave him a rueful smile. “Sorry. I wasn’t even talking about the plaza. I was thinking about the baby. I’ve read all the books, been to all the classes with Em, harassed everyone I know with kids …” He shrugged. “And I’m still petrified. We both know that you can prepare all you like, but book knowledge doesn’t help much on go-live day.”
Nate gave him a sympathetic smile and gripped his shoulder. “You’re going to be fine. You’re going to be an awesome dad. And Emma’s going to be a great mom.”
Jack straightened up. “I know. I was just having a moment there. We’re getting really close now, and I think opening day here has gotten to me. It’s like I’m seeing it as a prediction of what’s to come.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it’s like a parallel, isn’t it? The plaza has been in the embryonic stages for months, we’ve done everything we could to prepare for it, but now the day’s here, and there’s not much we can do anymore except roll with it.”
Nate laughed. “I wouldn’t let Em hear you say that opening the plaza is like having the baby.”
Jack chuckled. “Yeah, forget you heard me say that, huh?” Jack’s smile faded. “How about you anyway? I haven’t had chance to talk to you. I was pissed at Pete for whisking you away like that. We’d said we were going to give you some time to figure out what you wanted to do.”
Nate shrugged. “It wasn’t as though he did it just to drag me away. We needed to tie up the deal, and he needed me to inspect the site one last time before we did. I think it’s going to work out okay. It kind of took the decision out of my hands. I had to go, so I went. Lily and I were fine. And we will be.”
Jack didn’t look convinced. “You’ve made it through the first week, with you in Seattle and her here. And, let me guess, it was tough, right?”
Nate nodded.
“Well, let me tell you, it doesn’t get any easier. It gets harder and harder as time goes by.”
Nate sighed. “I thought you might be the one to build me up and tell me that it’s possible and it’s all going to be okay?”
“Sorry, but I’m only telling you because I care. You’ve got to be realistic about it. I just don’t want to see it all blow up in your face.”
“So, what are you saying? What’s the solution?”
Jack shrugged. “I’m not claiming to have the answers. I’m just saying you should ask yourself all the hard questions before you make a commitment.”
“To Lily?”
“To the job.”
&nbs
p; Chapter Seventeen
At ten minutes before five, Nate made his way to the main square. The day had been a great success. The shoppers were happy, the retailers were happy, and the reporters were happy. There’d even been a local news crew up here this afternoon, and they’d made a glowing report on how the new development at Four Mile Creek was a shining example of how small town California was finding its feet in the twenty-first century. Of course that had Jack and Pete, and especially Gabe, glowing with pride. It had been a crazy busy day for Nate, and it wasn’t over yet. He still needed to make sure the party tonight was as much of a success as the day had been. Right now, though, all he wanted to do was catch up with Lily. He’d only seen her for a few moments here and there throughout the afternoon, and that wasn’t enough. He was going to meet her under the clock at five and take her for a drink in one of the cafés.
He checked his watch as he waited and looked around for her. The crowds weren’t thinning at all, and the stores were still busy. He smiled. He could count the day as a success.
“You’re looking mighty pleased with yourself.” Lily appeared by his side.
“I am. It’s been a great day.” He leaned down to land a kiss on her lips. “And it just got even better.”
“Aww.” She kissed him back. “You know how to say all the right things.”
He shrugged. “I guess I do.”
Lily looked up at the big clock and then out at the lake. “And this is perfect, too. When you said to meet you under the clock, it sounded so romantic. And it feels it.”
He slid his arm around her shoulders. “I didn’t know you were a romantic.”
She looked a little embarrassed. “Neither did I, but I think every girl is a sucker for a little romance.”
Nate nodded, storing that information away in his mind. “Good to know. So, how about I take you for a quiet, romantic drink? We can sit outside the café and watch the world go by. How does that sound?”
“It sounds wonderful, but I don’t know how quiet it’ll be.”
“Neither do I, but it’s worth a shot.” He walked over to the outside seating area where he’d asked Kallen, who was running the café, to save him the table with the best view of the lake. Kallen came out with a smile when he saw them. “Hey, Nate.” He removed the reserved sign from the table and pulled out Lily’s chair for her.