Lily carted the laundry to the basement and sorted lights and darks. She started the first load and, as she ascended the stairs, heard Chelsea’s voice, then a male response. Rick?
She rounded the corner, smiling, unwanted anticipation warming her. “I swear you two have a psychic connec…” Her breath caught.
Tyler Dixon looked up from the open door. “Hi, Lily.”
Crossing the space between herself and her daughter in three steps, she pulled Chelsea to her side and glared at Tyler. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see my…to see you.”
“Mommy, you’re hurting me.” Chelsea wriggled.
Lily relaxed her grip on the child’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, honey. You go back inside.”
Chelsea glanced up at Tyler. “His hair’s like mine.”
Ignoring Tyler’s smile, Lily turned Chelsea around. “Go up to your room with Pepper. I need to talk to Mr. Dixon.”
Chelsea picked up the cat and climbed the stairs. Before Lily could move outside, Tyler stepped into the foyer. “She’s beautiful, Lily. I sure couldn’t deny her.”
Rage burned in her. “Too late for that. You denied her a long time ago. You’ve seen her. Now I want you to leave.”
“Can we talk for a few minutes? I don’t want to hurt her—or you.”
“Late, again. And don’t worry, you won’t hurt her. I won’t let that happen. You need to talk with my attorney.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down. “Lily, I’m not a scared eighteen-year-old-kid any more. I’m not proud of what I did.”
“And that’s supposed to make it okay?” She clasped her hands to stop their shaking.
He shook his head. “No, it doesn’t. I came here to apologize and to see my daughter.”
Lily glanced up the stairs and then ushered Tyler into the kitchen. “I don’t want her to hear you.”
He followed and waited until she invited him to sit. “Thank you.”
“Make no mistake about this. You are not welcome here. You’ve shown no interest in your…in my daughter for the past five years. If you’d wanted to find her, you’d have done so. We were right under your nose in Lakewood for over three of those years. You’re only here now because I’ve moved to terminate your rights legally.”
“About that. What if I don’t want to relinquish my rights?”
Lily’s stomach twisted. “You don’t get to decide that all of a sudden.” She stood and paced from the table to the sink. “Call my attorney and we can meet—in her office. I want you to leave and if you come here again, I’ll call the police.”
“Lily.”
“We’ve managed fine without you for five years. And we’ll continue to do so.”
“I don’t want to turn your life inside out. I just wanted to see my daughter. She’s a sweet kid. You’ve done a great job.”
“Obviously I messed up with the rule about not opening the door to strangers. We’ll revisit that one later.”
He stood and locked eyes with her. “I’ll call your lawyer. I want to discuss my role in her life. Chelsea. Nice name.”
“You don’t have a role in her life, Tyler. And if I have anything to say about it, you never will.”
“We’ll talk again. Goodbye, Lily.” He let himself out.
She leaned against the sink. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath.
Chelsea pounded down the stairs and raced into the kitchen. “Mommy, where’s your friend?”
Lily fought for composure. “He had to leave, honey.”
“He’s a nice man. What’s his name?”
“His name is Tyler. And you and I have to talk. What have I said about not opening the door to strangers?”
“I called to you, but you didn’t answer. And he said he was a friend of yours.”
“It doesn’t matter. Don’t ever do that again. Promise?”
“I’m sorry.” Tears brimmed her eyes.
Lily knelt and hugged the child against her. “It’s okay, sweetie. I don’t want you to be scared, but you have to learn to be careful. Now, I need to make a phone call. You stay in the living room, and don’t open the door. I’ll be upstairs.”
Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, Lily looked at her daughter. She was the image of Tyler. Shit. Once in her bedroom, she punched in Suzanne Waters’ number and left a message. She then called Helen.
“Helen?”
“Lily? Is something wrong?”
“He was here, Helen. Tyler just showed up at the door.”
“Lily, slow down. Take a breath.”
Lily sucked in a ragged breath. “I was in the basement. Chelsea answered the door. And I’ve told her over and over not to open it for strangers.”
“Did he tell her who he is?”
“No. He at least had that much sense. Helen, I’m scared. I think he’s going to fight me on the termination of his rights.”
“You need to trust your attorney on this. Have you called her?”
“I left a message. God, Helen, he knows where I live. What if he comes back? What if he just takes her?”
“He won’t do that, Lily. He’s curious, that’s all. If he wanted his child, he’d have shown up a long time ago, when you lived with me. I’ll bet his mother is behind this.”
“I hope you’re right. I told him to call Suzanne’s office and make an appointment to meet there.”
“If he comes back, tell him you’ll get an order to keep him away. Though that could be difficult, since he’s not been threatening.”
“I knew I should’ve left well enough alone.”
“I’m sorry, honey. Sometimes I don’t know when to mind my own business. I encouraged you to move forward with this.”
Lily leaned back against the headboard of her bed and closed her eyes. “It’s not your fault. I know it’s the best thing to do, but….”
“No court in this country is going to give him custody of a child he ignored for five years, a child he wanted to abort. Remember that.”
“Thanks. You’re probably right. I’ll let you know when I hear from Suzanne. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m glad you called. I was thinking of calling you.”
“Oh?”
“To tell you what a nice party you threw for Chelsea. Rick certainly has a way with kids, doesn’t he?”
“Probably because he’s close to their maturity level.”
Helen chuckled. “I think he has a way with you, too. He’s a good man.”
“He…um…yeah. Okay.”
“Are you all right? You’re stuttering all over the place.”
“I’m fine.”
“Uh-huh. There’s more between the two of you than you’re letting on.”
“I can’t think about that right now.”
“Well, you’d better think about it soon, before you’re looking back and wondering where your life went. Now, John’s waiting to go to lunch. Lily, listen to me. Don’t let fear hold you back from happiness. End of lecture. I’ll call you tomorrow evening.”
“Helen, thank you. I’m so happy you have John in your life now. He’s a nice man.”
“Just remember what I said. I love you, sweetheart.”
“Love you, too. Goodbye.” She set the phone back in the cradle. Rick. His kiss had set off an explosion of feelings in her. Some of them different than she had felt with Beau. There was excitement, but there was something else. Safety, maybe. Like coming home. Confusion billowed like an atomic cloud in her brain.
*
Lily woke with the blankets in a heap and one pillow on the floor. She’d tossed around all night, sleep eluding her until shortly before the alarm clock buzzed. Bleary-eyed, she dragged her body to the kitchen and turned on the coffeemaker, then returned upstairs to shower.
Chelsea wakened easily and smiled when Lily ruffled her curls. “Come on, sweetie. Rise and shine.”
“Can I have jelly toast for breakfast?”
“Sure. How about
a scrambled egg with that?”
“Yes, please.”
She bent and kissed her daughter’s forehead. “What are you going to wear today?”
“Can I wear my new clothes Auntie Helen gave me for my birthday?”
“You may. I washed them yesterday. Come downstairs and eat first.”
*
Lily walked Chelsea to her classroom and then stopped by the principal’s office to make sure Chelsea would not be allowed to leave the school with anyone, unless they had Lily’s explicit permission.
At the office, she jammed a key into the back door. The lock wouldn’t budge. “Shit, why isn’t this working?”
Rick stepped up behind her and took the keys from her hand. “Because it’s the wrong key.” He located the correct one, slipped it into the lock and turned. The door swung open.
“Thank you.” She stumbled over the doorframe, regained her balance and entered the office.
Rick walked past her and into his office. He came out to fill his coffee cup and stopped at the counter. “Lily, do we need to talk?”
She yawned. “Excuse me. Talk? No. Why?”
“I just thought maybe you’re upset with me about the other night.”
“Oh, that.”
He laughed. “That? I’m glad it was memorable.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t sleep last night.” She paused. “But, you’re right. We do need to talk. Rich, I think I should resign.”
“What? No, we can work this out. I was out of line.”
Lily shook her head. “It’s not that. It’s me, my life. I’m a mess. I honestly don’t know why you haven’t fired me by now.” She bit her lip but couldn’t stave off the tears. Her shoulders shook.
He set down his coffee mug and walked over to her. “Hey, what’s wrong? What happened?”
She shook her head, reaching for a tissue from the box on her desk. “Drama. Always some drama.”
“What happened now?”
“Chelsea’s father showed up yesterday.”
“Oh.” He took her hand and pulled her to her feet, then hugged her.
She hiccupped and leaned into him. “I c-can’t believe he just showed up at my door.”
His arms tightened around her. “What can I do to help? Want me to come over and sleep on your sofa?”
The thought of him sleeping anywhere in her house sent a rush of heat through her. “Maybe I should get a dog. A big dog.”
“Ouch! You’d rather have a dog?”
She smiled weakly. “I can train a dog.”
“What? I can sit, roll over, fetch, and calm a crying baby. What other tricks do you need?”
Laughing, she stepped away from him and grabbed another tissue. “Thank you.”
He touched her cheek. “That’s better. And I thought it was me keeping you awake all night.”
“I’m just so tired.”
“I don’t doubt that.”
“No. I mean, tired. When does life get easier? When do I get to deal with the little things for a change?”
“Maybe you’re getting all the big things out of the way first.”
“But it never ends. I don’t know how much more I can take.” She sank onto the chair.
“It’s got to be hard, doing all of this alone. I wish you’d let me help.”
“You do help. Any other boss would have fired me by now.”
“Well, I’m not any other boss. But, unfortunately, I do have to leave in a few minutes to show some properties. Are you going to be okay?”
She nodded. “I’ll be fine.”
“Look, if you need to, lock the doors, turn off the phone and take a nap on the sofa.”
She glared at him. “Are you being funny?”
“No. Not at all. I’m serious. You look like hell.”
“Jeez, don’t mince words. Say what you mean.”
“You look tired, and I’m trying to be supportive. I’ve got to run. I’ll be back around two.” He picked up the coffee and headed toward the back door. “And, Lily?”
“Yes?”
“We are going to talk about the other night—soon.”
*
If anyone asked Lily what she’d done that morning, she’d have drawn a blank. She moved mechanically around the office, sorting mail, filing, updating listings. At lunchtime, her stomach begged for a salad. But the rest of her body gravitated toward the sofa. She locked the door, turned off the lights, and went into Rick’s office. A brightly colored afghan adorned the back of the sofa—something she’d not noticed before. Lily lay down and pulled the knit blanket over her.
The phone jangled her from sleep. She jumped up, one hand massaging the stiffness from her neck. “Hello. Gardner Realty.”
“Lily, it’s Suzanne Waters.”
“Thank you for calling back. Did Tyler get in touch with you yet?”
“I have a message to call him, but I wanted to talk with you first. Tell me exactly what happened.”
Lily recounted Tyler’s unexpected visit, fighting to control a tremor in her voice.
“Okay. The good news is he seems to have some sense about what’s in Chelsea’s best interest. Otherwise he would have told her he’s her father. The bad news is it doesn’t sound like he’s going to give up without a fight.”
“What can we do?”
“I’ll arrange a meeting here in my office. We’ll find out exactly what he’s thinking, then we’ll go from there. Maybe he’ll be reasonable.”
“If he was reasonable, he wouldn’t have just shown up like that. I wonder how he found out where I live. My phone number’s unlisted.”
“It’s a small town. He wouldn’t have to go very far to find someone who knows you. Try not to worry. If he wants a fight, that’s what we’ll give him. I’m hoping we can resolve this out of court, by focusing on what’s best for Chelsea.”
“You’ll let me know when the meeting is scheduled?”
“How about Wednesday at three p.m.?”
“Can we make it earlier in the day? I pick Chelsea up from school at that time. I’d rather not bring her with me.”
“I don’t have another hour open until late next week.”
“Let’s go with Wednesday. I’ll work something out. Suzanne, thank you.”
“Just doing my job. Your job is to stay calm and trust me. Can you do that?”
“I’ll try. See you Wednesday.”
Lily hung up the phone and rolled her head, loosening the knots in her neck.
“Need some help?”
Lily startled. “How do you do that? I never heard you come in.”
Rick grinned and tossed his jacket onto the sofa. “Light on my feet. You should see me dance.” His eyes surveyed the sofa. “Took the blanket for a test drive?”
“Is that new?”
“My mom made it. I figured it would get better use here.” He stepped behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Let me see if I can loosen those knots.”
She hoped her gasp wasn’t audible as his fingers pressed into the tops of her shoulders and his thumbs rolled the muscles at the base of her neck. She closed her eyes and a moan escaped. Heat spread from his hands, coursing through her chest and down her arms.
“You’re neck is knit as tight as that afghan. Come over here and sit down.” He led her to the sofa.
He massaged her shoulders and neck. Her head dropped back, and she took in a deep breath. The scent of him, combined with the warmth of his touch, caused a flutter in her abdomen. He was definitely not helping. Mixed messages whirled around in her brain.
Rolling her head, she turned forward, breaking free of his touch. “Thanks, that helped a lot.”
“Lily, we have to talk.”
“Not now.” She straightened and moved further away from him.
“Okay. How about over dinner? Will your neighbor keep an eye on Chelsea for a few hours? Or maybe Amy’s mom could….”
“No! Rick, this isn’t the time.”
He steadied his gaze on
her. “Lily, I don’t know what’s happening, but lately you and Chelsea are all I can think about.” Confusion blanketed his face.
The urge to touch his face caused her to ball her hand into a fist. She shook her head. “There’s so much going on in my life right now.”
“Lily…” He leaned forward, his lips grazing hers. “I understand. I don’t want to pressure you. Just don’t shut me out.”
She gulped. “Tyler’s the only guy I’ve ever been involved with. And we both know how that worked out.”
“So you don’t know how to tell if I can be trusted?”
Her eyes locked with his. “This is foreign territory for me. I need time.”
“Okay. But I’m going to keep asking.”
She ran her palms over her khaki-clad thighs, leaving moist streaks. “Maybe you could come for dinner on Friday. We can talk after Chelsea’s gone to bed.”
He smiled, light dancing in his eyes. “I’d like that. I’ll bring wine and dessert.”
“Good.” She stood and folded the blanket. “So, um, I should get back to work. Wouldn’t want the boss to think I’m lying down on the job.” The implication of her words caused her face to flame. “I mean, that I’m goofing off.”
“Don’t worry. He and I are close. I’ll set him straight.” His eyes steadied on hers and, as much as she wished to, she couldn’t look away. He reached out and slipped a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
The lightness of his touch sent a pleasant ripple through her. Friday night. We’ll talk. And then?
Chapter Nineteen
Lily paced in the waiting room at the legal aid office. The door opened and Tyler walked in. He looked at her and nodded, then walked to the receptionist’s desk and announced himself.
Sitting in a far corner, Lily picked up a magazine. The rest of the waiting area was empty, but Tyler walked over and sat beside her. “Lily.”
“Tyler,” she responded without looking up.
“Where’s Chelsea?”
She dropped the magazine onto the table beside her. “You couldn’t honestly have thought I’d bring her with me. She knows nothing about this, or about you. I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Oh, come on, Lily. Is that really fair?”
“The only person I’m concerned about being fair to is Chelsea. So, yes, it’s fair.”
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