Dare Me Once

by Shelly Alexander

  Lily put a hand to her cheek. “I should ask Mrs. Ferguson what else she’s got planned that we don’t know about.” Lily turned a reluctant look on Trace and drew in a breath. “I’m going in. Wish me luck.”

  “Oh, uh-uh,” he said. “I’m coming with. Growing up, if we threw down with Mrs. F., we rarely won. So this I’ve got to see.”

  As Lily approached, Mrs. Ferguson wiped imaginary sweat from her neck with a gym towel. “I see you’re hard at work for our senior guests,” Lily said.

  “It’s given me a new lease on life.” She panted, still not a bead of sweat visible. “Thank you so much, dear. I owe it all to you.”

  Lily slid a look at Trace, and he lifted an I-told-you-so brow.

  No wonder Mrs. Ferguson won throw downs with the Remington brothers, who were big and built enough to scare most people away with their alpha swaggers. She played dirty with her cooing voice and comments that made her seem like a sweet little old lady—one who probably wore a skirt, orthopedic shoes, and her socks rolled down. Plus, she’d been savvy enough to credit Lily in the process.

  “Tomorrow is bingo, Tuesday is flower pressing, and Wednesday is kite flying on the back lawn.” Her expression brightened with excitement. “Next weekend will be our first Fifty-Plus Book Club for female guests only.” She leaned in, batted her lashes, and gave Trace a bashful glance. “To christen the group, we’re starting with Fifty Shades.”

  He wheezed out a cough.

  “Um, Mrs. Ferguson . . .” Lily shot an SOS look at Trace.

  He just shrugged as if to say You’re on your own.

  Lily had to stop an eye roll. She turned her hospitality charm right back on Mrs. Ferguson. “Since the Remington is trying to build a family-friendly reputation, I think Lawrence would prefer to keep the activities we offer more clean and wholesome, don’t you?”

  Mrs. Ferguson frowned with uncertainty when Lily mentioned Lawrence’s name. “I didn’t think of that. I suppose you’re right.”

  “You’re doing a fantastic job.” Lily invoked her knack for persuasion. Mrs. Ferguson had no idea who she was dealing with.

  And for a second Lily froze. Because that’s exactly what her father had done to get people to trust him. He’d charmed them first, making them trust him, and then he’d charmed them out of their money. He’d started as an honest businessman but had gotten carried away and had abused his power of persuasion.

  She nibbled at the corner of her lip, then forged on. “Put together a list of activities you plan to offer.” Hopefully, the list would be rated G. “Trace and I will make sure Lawrence approves.”

  “I’ll bring it tomorrow morning. Wonderful idea, dear.” She stood, giving them a full-length view of her clinging orange yoga pants.

  Trace shrank back a step. “I’ll be in the kitchen getting another cup of strong coffee.” He walked away with a shake of his head.

  Lily needed another cup too. With the image of Mrs. Ferguson in spandex burning her retinas, Lily could use a shot of bourbon to go with it. Spandex should come with a warning label: Can cause blindness if not used with caution. “Thank you, Mrs. Ferguson. I’ll look forward to adding it to our website. And let me know if I need to order any supplies or materials for flower pressing or any other activities.”

  Lily hurried through the lobby and made a quick stop in her office before tracking Trace down again so she could pitch a few more ideas to him.

  “Lily!” Ben shouted as he, Sophie, and Lawrence came through the front door. “We took the ferry home!” He threw his arms around her waist and hugged her like he hadn’t seen her in a week, even though it’d only been two days. “And we saw a movie and jumped on trampolines at this big place that had a whole bunch of them!”

  It made Lily’s heart sing, and she hugged him back.

  “Hey, Lily. How’d it go while I was gone?” Lawrence asked.

  “Everything went great.” She stroked Ben’s hair. He still hadn’t let go of her waist.

  “Where’s Mommy?” Sophie asked in a small, cherubic voice. It was the first time Lily could remember having heard it.

  “She’s in the kitchen.” Lily looked at Lawrence. “And there’s fresh coffee too.”

  “Music to my ears.” Lawrence sniffed the air and followed his nose, Sophie skipping along after him.

  “Ms. Barns.” Ronald Parker’s voice came from the great room and crawled over her skin. “Lovely to see you.”

  She glanced over her shoulder and found him leaning against the doorframe, watching her and Ben. She didn’t turn to face him. Rude, she knew, but the man made a habit of skulking.

  He gave her a curious look. “You have an accent I can’t quite place. You’re not from around here, are you?”

  A dull throb started behind Lily’s eye.

  “I missed the duckies!” Ben hollered, still holding on to her waist.

  Something eerie skated over Lily, and she glanced over her shoulder again just in time to catch Ronald Parker pointing his phone in her direction. She ducked her head and blocked Ben’s face with her hand just as Parker’s flash went off.

  “Mr. Parker,” Lily hissed. Who was this guy? She had enough experience with the press to know he didn’t fit the mold, but something about him made her bristle. “It’s highly inappropriate to take pictures of a child without the parent’s consent.”

  Trace strolled into the lobby just as she spoke. He came to a halt.

  Instead of Ben running to his father as he normally would, he stayed attached to Lily like glue.

  “Pardon me.” Parker seemed contrite, but Lily had her doubts. “You seem so fond of each other, I thought it would make a great vacation shot.”

  “The resort is beautiful.” It wasn’t easy, but she forced a cordial tone. “You’re free to take as many photos of the grounds as you like.”

  “What’s going on?” Trace’s tone held an edge as he sized up the situation.

  “I stopped in to schedule a lift back to the mainland,” Parker said with a casual smile.

  “Ben,” Lily said, handing him her phone, “can you go take today’s pictures of the ducks and feed them?” They’d already been fed, but the protective instinct gnawing at her gut told her Ben should leave.

  He grabbed the phone, but before he could barrel toward the front door, Lily leaned down and whispered, “Go give your dad a hello hug.”

  Trace’s eyes clouded with both relief and sadness when Ben ran over and threw his arms around his middle. “Meet you in the game room later for pool?”

  Ben cheered, then flew outdoors.

  “What time do you need to leave?” Trace’s tone stayed stiff when he spoke to Parker.

  Parker pushed off the wall. “Now would work for me if you’re available.”

  Trace nodded.

  Good riddance. “We’ll send someone to your room in a few minutes to pick up your bags,” Lily said.

  When they were alone, Trace asked, “Is there a way to flag unwanted guests in the booking system?”

  “Consider it done.” Anxiety ebbed from Lily’s tightened stomach. “We can wait to meet this afternoon after you fly the guests to the Cape.” Getting rid of Parker was far more important than discussing more ideas for the resort with Trace.

  “Thank you for looking out for Ben.” Trace glanced toward the doors where Ben had just left. “I think he’s starting to like you better than me.”

  Lily shook her head gently. “Not possible. He obviously worships you.”

  His expression filled with need, and he took a breath so deep, so filled with desire that Lily thought he might cross those few steps between them and pull her into a kiss. “He obviously worships you too.”

  They stared at each other, the heavy silence communicating so much more than words ever could.

  “It’s the ducks.” She winked. “They’re my ace in the hole.” It was either break the moment with a joke or drag him into an empty room and redefine the word worship. By using her tongue.

  T
race blew out a sad chuckle and stared down at his boots.

  “Seriously, Ben was my first friend on the island. He’s easy to love.” Her voice went low. “It’s going to be okay. You’re not going to lose him.”

  Trace’s head snapped up, and he gave her a hollow look. Then his gaze swept her face, and the hollowness disappeared. He shifted and brought them close enough that his scent wound around her, and his breath coasted over her skin.

  She had to stop her traitorous body from swaying into him. “I’ll check on Ben while you’re gone.” She forced herself to take a step back. “See you later.”

  Not one muscle in Trace’s large frame moved except the one in his jaw. It twitched like he was exercising a good deal of willpower.

  Lily didn’t have much willpower left, so she turned and flew out the front doors just like Ben had.

  After Lily checked on Ben at her place and retrieved her phone, she went to her office to lay the groundwork for the idea she planned to pitch to her boss—because it didn’t hurt to keep reminding herself that Trace was her employer. It might help keep her thoughts off him and the way he’d looked at her for caring so much about his son.

  And featherless ducklings could fly.

  She sank into her office chair and covered her face. After a few minutes, she blew out a breath that sent the papers on her desk fluttering and turned to her computer screen.

  Hammering at the keyboard, she posted COMING SOON—NEW ACTIVITIES CALENDAR FOR OUR FIFTY-PLUS CROWD! to the website and social media. She checked the new bookings, then placed two calls. One to Buzzbee Electronics & Gaming and another to Billiards & More, both located in Portland. It took some negotiating, but by late afternoon, Lily had everything in place to make a good case for the next changes she wanted to make.

  Now all she had to do was convince her boss.

  Lily propped her feet on her desk and rubbed her eyes. Then she dialed her mom.

  She answered on the second ring. “Scarlett!” Her mother immediately groaned about her credit card getting declined and the bank calling about their overdue mortgage.

  Lily stopped breathing every time her mom used the name Scarlett.

  She’d never cared much for her name. How many Gone with the Wind jokes could one suffer in a lifetime without committing a violent crime?

  She snorted out loud.

  Her mom didn’t seem to notice and kept rambling.

  Lily had left that name and the life it represented behind just three weeks ago, yet it already seemed like another lifetime. With each passing day, the weight of her decision to disassociate from her past closed in on her a little more.

  “Scarlett? Are you there?”

  Lily snapped out of her trance. “Yes.” She sighed. “I’m distracted. Sorry.”

  “How’s the retreat?” her mom asked.

  The dull throb behind her eyes, which had started when Ronald Parker tried to take a picture of her and Ben, turned into searing pain. Lily rubbed her temple. “Mom, does the name Ronald Parker ring a bell? Maybe a reporter or someone sniffing around for information on Dad?”

  “Can we talk about something more pleasant?” Her mother sniffed.

  For the first time, Lily mustered the courage to confront her mom instead of enabling her denial. “No, we can’t. We’ve ignored our situation long enough, and now we’re going to deal with it. Answer my question. It’s important.”

  Her mother’s sigh whistled through the phone. “No, the name doesn’t sound familiar. Why?”

  Lily slowly removed her feet from the desk one at a time. “There’s a guy . . .” Her conscience wouldn’t let her keep up the charade much longer, so she avoided some of the details. “He’s visiting the resort where I’m staying. Something’s not right about him.”

  “I told you to let me hire a bodyguard for you,” her mother insisted. “Now I’m worried. Maybe you should come home. Or I should come to Vermont.”

  “We can’t afford bodyguards, Mom.” Lily put a palm to her forehead. “You can’t pay your bills. It’s time for you to face it and figure out a plan for your future.” Lily still hadn’t told her mother about the money she’d left behind. She wouldn’t until her mother finally pulled herself together and faced reality. Otherwise, the modest savings she’d hidden away in her old room would be used for booze or a shopping spree to keep up appearances.

  A sob echoed through the phone.

  “I’m not trying to upset you, but we can’t continue to ignore the turn our life has taken.”

  “Oh, honey,” her mom sobbed. “The mortgage isn’t just overdue. The Feds are seizing our home.”

  “I’m sorry, Mom.” Lily kept a soothing tone. “But it’s just a house. Considering everything Dad did to pay for it, I can’t imagine staying there anyway.”

  “He did those things for me. He knew how much I’d wanted to get out of that tiny Podunk town on the bayou where I’d spent my entire childhood milking cows and slopping pigs when all the other girls were at cheerleading practice.” She blew her nose. “I know that’s no excuse, but he did it because his business was going under. One of his partners embezzled a lot of money before your father finally caught on. By then it was too late, and he was desperate to keep me from having to go back to the world I’d spent my life trying to escape.”

  Lily sat up straight. “Dad . . . Dad’s business was going under?”

  “Yes! Do you think he would’ve done the awful things he did for no reason?”

  That’s exactly what Lily thought.

  “Mom, when did this happen?”

  “You were just starting high school. You were so smart, and he wanted to send you to college the way he’d always promised.”

  Lily’s eyes widened as a glimmer of understanding sprang to life. For the first time, she could see why her father must’ve buried himself in his work and paid attention to little else. To take care of his family, he’d sacrificed his own happiness, his integrity. His freedom.

  It was still no excuse for his crimes, but his situation had obviously been desperate. And he was human.

  “How come you and Dad never told me?”

  “Your father was ashamed.” She sniffed. “And so was I.”

  Lily sighed. “I had a right to know.”

  “Maybe so, but your father is a proud man. He wanted to provide for me and for his baby girl.” She sniffled. “Your father didn’t go to college. He grew up just as poor as I did and worked hard to build his business and a reputation in his industry. He wanted you to have the opportunities he and I never had. Working all the time was the only way he knew to prove himself. His actions may have been misguided, but his heart was in the right place.”

  “What are you going to do now?” Lily asked.

  “I . . .” her mom stammered. “I’ve joined a twelve-step program.”

  Lily’s eyes welled. “Oh, Mom.”

  “It was time.” Her mother drew in a heavy breath. “There’s something else you should know. When my mom left me the old farmhouse, your father and I put it in your name. The Feds can’t touch it.”

  Lily stood. “I own Grandma’s old house?”

  “It was your father’s idea. I actually wanted to sell it, but he knew how much you loved Grandma Barns.” She chuckled and sniffed. “You never wanted to leave there when we’d visit, and you wanted us to call you by your middle name because Lily was her name too.”

  Lily rubbed a palm across her forehead. Was it hot? Because a fine sheen of perspiration had broken out over her entire body.

  “If it’s okay with you, I’ll move back there.” Her mother let out a bitter laugh. “Ironic that the one place I spent my life avoiding is the only place left for me to go.”

  “Of course it’s okay with me if you live there. As far as I’m concerned, it’s more your house than it is mine.” Lily’s heart thumped against her chest. “Mom, you’ll need money to turn on the utilities and buy basic necessities.”

  “Once I move, I plan to look for a job.” Her
voice cracked. “I’m not qualified for much, but I’m going to try.”

  Lily smiled, a tear streaking down her cheek. “I’m proud of you. Until you find a job, I’ve got something tucked away for you.” She told her mother where to find the stash of money that had been Lily’s savings from her previous job.

  “You know, your father would like to talk to you sometime.” Her mother’s voice was stoic. “He doesn’t call because he’s afraid you won’t answer.”

  Lily hesitated, then finally said, “Tell him he can call me . . . but not yet. I need more time.” A tremor of guilt slid through her. “And when I get hom—” She could not call New Orleans her home anymore. She felt more at home in Angel Fire Falls than she ever had in her life. They just might not want her to stay when she finally fessed up. “When I can, I’ll go visit him.”

  “He’ll love knowing you want to see him and talk to him.”

  “I love you, Mom.” Lily squared her shoulders. “And tell Dad I love him too.”

  “Scarlett,” her mother sniffed. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you the truth sooner. You did have a right to know.”

  Lily drew in a sigh so weighty she felt it to her bones. “Better late than never.”

  They ended the call, and for the first time since the whole mess with her father began, Lily’s heart opened to forgiveness. Her father had seemed cold and distant to a young woman who’d only wanted his approval. He’d worked hard for his family, allowing his pride to drive him to do dishonest things when work wasn’t enough. And his shame had kept him from repairing the damage he’d done to the people he cared about most.

  History didn’t have to repeat itself. If Lily could forgive her father, in turn maybe she could find forgiveness.

  Telling the Remingtons the truth was a given. Timing was the tricky part.

  If she did it now and they asked her to leave, it would hurt the resort. She’d made promises to other businesses on the island in exchange for the materials and supplies the Remington needed. Promises she couldn’t keep if she left. The best way to fulfill her obligation to Trace and his family was to finish what she’d started, see them through a successful summer season, make good on the bartering arrangements she’d made with other businesses, and then tell Trace and Lawrence the truth so they could decide her fate.