She laughed. Funny how she had never noticed that he was really adorable before. She wondered if the people of Hades knew their sheriff was adorable. “Yes, you are.”
Max squeezed her a little, holding her against him. “So?”
“So, all right. Uncle,” she cried the way little kids used to when they gave up. “I love you, too.” They heard a dramatic sigh coming from behind the door. Lily grinned as she looked up at Max. “I think we’re a major disappointment to him.”
“Right now, I don’t really care.” Arthur was the last thing on his mind. “Do you really love me?”
This time, there was no holding back, no safety net. This time, she took the leap, knowing she would catch the trapeze bar with both her hands.
“With all my heart.” She bit her lower lip, saying what had been lingering on her mind these past two weeks. “I love you enough to try to make a go of that restaurant Ike was talking about building.”
He hadn’t thought she could surprise him, but she just had. “You’re serious.”
She nodded in reply and he hugged her. Hard. “Hell, if it doesn’t do well, I can always resort to selling snow cones for half the year.”
Pulling back his head, Max looked at her, wondering if she’d forgotten to factor in a very important detail. Her place of business was here. “What about Lily’s?”
“I can open up Lily’s 2 in Hades. Leave Arthur in charge here. Come by a few times a year to see how things are going. Besides—” Lily grinned, patting her pocket “—there’s always the cell phone.”
Max searched her face and knew that she wasn’t just talking. She meant this. “You’d do that for me?”
“No,” she answered quietly, her eyes on his. “I’d do that for me.”
They thought they heard another sigh, a softer, deeper one this time, but they weren’t sure. Besides, they were becoming far too busy to investigate at the moment.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-7033-0
LILY AND THE LAWMAN
Copyright © 2002 by Marie Rydzynski-Ferrarella
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