Liam’s Lily

by Dale Mayer

  Her words was brusque, but there didn’t appear to be any animosity in it. He tucked that information away for later. “Internet?”

  She smiled. “Yes, I have internet.”

  “In that case,” Liam said, “we’ll grab our laptops and notepads so we can get started.”

  Liam rose and walked up the small flight of stairs to the loft. For a small cabin it was extremely well made. Like so many of the older things, they were built to last forever, not just for the moment. A bed was on either side of the loft. The loft itself wasn’t terribly tall. He could walk through it in the center but had to duck to go to the sides. He pulled out his laptop, grabbed North’s laptop sitting on his bed, and, noting power bars for each, he carried them downstairs, handing North his gear. Then Liam searched for a plug, smiled when he saw one not far away and brought up his laptop.

  Lilianna said nervously, “Levi said he would help cover the costs of having you guys here.”

  North looked at her. “That was nice of him.” His voice was neutral.

  She winced. “It’s more than nice,” she admitted. “I feel really bad accepting more charity from them. It’s bad enough you guys are here, and we can’t pay your normal rates. Gunner said he’d strike up a deal, but I know that it’ll not be a whole lot of cash coming from my place.”

  “You did say you had food though, right?” Liam teased.

  She chuckled. “Speaking of which, there might be a piece of cake left.” She wandered into the small kitchen.

  Liam couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was tall and willowy with long hair in a single braid down her back. Her hair was almost black, her skin white, her eyes green, and it was such an odd thing to see together and to focus on. Having both of the twins here and looking so much the same, it was like twice the oddity. Yet Lilianna appealed to him. Her sister didn’t. There was a harder edge to Brianna, whereas Lilianna had a fresh innocence to her. That country-girl look, wearing her cowboy boots like she’d been born and bred into them.

  She opened a bread box on the counter and pulled out a container. He watched hopefully as she lifted the lid, and sure enough there was a slab of chocolate cake.

  “Did you bake that?”

  She nodded as she got them each a slice. “I did. Every once in a while, I get a sweet tooth, and I end up going crazy baking. It’s not the best thing for me though.”

  He frowned. What was the problem? She was not only lean and slim but he couldn’t see an ounce of fat on her.

  “Why not?” North asked.

  She glanced at him and smiled. “Blood sugar issues,” she said. “I had a pancreatic attack when I was younger. Every once in a while, my blood sugar gives me some trouble. And, of course, sugar in the form of cakes and bread is definitely not the healthiest choices I could make.”

  “Did your sister also have a similar attack?”

  “No. There are differences between us.”

  “It must have been fun growing up as part of a twin though.”

  “Sometimes, yes, but sometimes it felt like I was just a blander, paler, less vibrant copy of my sister.”

  Yet to Liam it was the opposite.

  She brought the cake over and handed them each a plate and fork, picked up their cups and refilled them. “I meant it when I said I’m a plain cook.” She glanced at the clock. “I plan to put on pasta for dinner around five, if that’s okay with you guys.”

  That hint of nervousness in her voice made Liam wonder what was really going on. He nodded. “That’s fine. We’re easy to please.” He could see the relief on her face and wondered about that. “How often do you see Gunner?”

  Her face softened. “Gunner is a sweetheart. I try to stop in and see him every time I’m in town. I try to go more often than when I need money,” she joked. “The last thing I want him to think is that I’m only there for that.”

  “Gunner is very generous,” Liam said. “I know he helps Anna and her rescue center out a lot too.”

  “I haven’t met her yet, but I have met Flynn many times,” she said.

  “Anna is a sweetheart too. She’ll do anything for any animal or reptile,” Liam said. “I’m surprised she hasn’t visited here.”

  At that Lilianna’s face brightened. “She is coming. Logan promised to bring them both in a couple weeks.”

  “Good,” he said. “You’ll love her. She’s all heart.”

  She gave him an odd look. “Good, the world needs more people like that.”

  “When can we see your father?” North asked.

  It was a good thing Liam was watching her and caught the pain as it crossed her face.

  “How about never?” she said drily.

  The men looked at her and froze. “What are you talking about?” Liam asked.

  “He hasn’t been the same since my brother’s death,” she said sadly. “Even if you do see him, I’m not sure we can get him to talk.”

  Chapter 3

  Two hours later, Lilianna stood. She waved a shaky hand at the men. “That was exhausting,” she said, handing over the lists the guys had asked for. “I’ll begin dinner. You can talk to me while I cook.”

  “We have a list of names to check out, a list of dates here to work from.” Liam stood, stretching as he walked around the small space. “Where can we set up something like a whiteboard or maybe use a wall to pin things for a time line?”

  She glanced at him, her head tilted. “Upstairs in the loft? Nobody else will see it, if people come and go.”

  He considered that and nodded. “You know? That might work. I just need pins and some kind of paper or poster board.”

  She walked over to a drawer. When opened, he could see it held a hammer, screwdrivers and a bunch of odds and ends.

  She pulled out a pack of straight pins. “Will this work?”

  He nodded. “They will indeed.” He glanced over at North. “What do you think?”

  North stood. “While she cooks, I suggest we get a start on a time line.”

  The two men disappeared upstairs. She wasn’t sure what advantage a time line would give them. As far as she was concerned, it had nothing to do with their current issues. But Gunner had put his faith into Levi and his crew, so she would do the same. She diced an onion while the ground meat cooked beside her. She hated this feeling of intense weariness.

  She’d been thinking that she’d done a good job in dealing with all the family problems, but the more she talked about it, the more she realized she hadn’t really dealt with it at all. Her brother’s death. Her father’s declining health. Her sister marrying Carlos. Still so much anger and maybe even fear remained inside her.

  As she chopped, she thought about the consequences of her sister marrying her previous lover. And how uncomfortable it was to be around them even now. Her sister felt the same way. But then why not? They’d loved the same man. They were both prepared to marry the same man. In fact, her sister had gone ahead and done it. Lilianna would have too, if her dearly beloved fiancé hadn’t decided to sleep with her sister weeks before they were to marry. And, if that wasn’t a blow to her self-confidence, she didn’t know what was.

  To spend all that time supposedly in love with one sister and then to hop into bed with the other and decide that was who you wanted instead, how did that work? She shook her head, forcibly changing the direction of her thoughts.

  With the onions in the pan, she brought out the garlic and had it minced within seconds. Food prep was good therapy. Next she chopped celery, then diced some fresh tomatoes. She put on a big pot full of salted water and got the pasta cooking. As she stood, she could hear the men above, their voices muted.

  When her phone rang, she stared at it for a long moment, wondering if she was up to dealing with her sister. Twins were supposed to be close. They were supposed to be best friends. But somehow, somewhere along the line, her sister and she had lost that connection. Instead it had been more like a competition until Lilianna had completely given up on the competition aspect and willing
ly stepped into her sister’s shadow. Why had she done that? Inside, she knew it was for the sake of peace. Her sister had always been very confrontational. Ready to fight Lilianna, the softer, gentler sister, and blast her into oblivion if she didn’t follow Brianna’s orders.

  And she’d let her. It had been so much easier. Her father had once mentioned it to her, and, when she explained what was going on, her father sighed and said, “That was my marriage. I was you, and your dearly beloved mother was Brianna.”

  The two had hugged, knowing they were both the softer souls in this world. It didn’t mean Lilianna was weak though, and that was the mistake her sister always made. Brianna always took what she wanted, so, when it came to Lilianna’s husband-to-be, she’d done the same thing. She had snatched up Carlos, completely wrapped him in her web, and that was it. It didn’t matter that Lilianna had loved him. It didn’t matter that they were engaged to be married. No, it was entirely all about what Brianna wanted.

  At the same time, Lilianna worked hard to stop feeling sorry for herself. She wasn’t a victim, and she would never be a victim. And it was well past the point of doing anything about her sister and Carlos. They’d been married eighteen months. She didn’t know if her sister was any happier. She didn’t know if Carlos was any happier. But she hated that he was on the property, even if not full-time. Even with her travels, she saw him too much when she was on the property.

  She wished they would leave—move elsewhere. She would have cheerfully run this place herself. Her father had never intended for his daughters to run the sanctuary; he’d only intended for his son to operate it, and Keith was so enthused about taking over Dad’s place.

  Her father had intended for managers to take care of it while his son and daughters all went off and had lives. It was her father’s pet project, something he had started late in life, after his wife, their mother, had gotten up and walked away from them. And she’d walked, like literally walked, away from twin daughters who were only eleven. He’d been devastated, but not as much as the girls had been. Keith had clung to their father, and they’d been inseparable until his death.

  Her mother was around, back and forth every once in a while. She’d come to the wedding, had laughed at the circumstances surrounding a single male who had gone from sister to sister and told Lilianna it was her fault. How she should have never let him go if she really wanted him. That she had to learn to fight for what she wanted.

  Harsh words, hurtful words and certainly not what Lilianna needed to hear back then. Her mother and her sister, so much alike, had bent heads together and twittered their way through the days of Mom’s visit, once again making Lilianna feel lost and alone.

  With her father’s mental decline, she felt more alone than ever. It was hardly fair that the person she loved most in the world was suffering so much. He wasn’t even that old, and she really wanted him to be alive and well for a long time.

  But, after Keith’s death, they’d all suffered. Her sister had been affected, but she had snapped out of it easily. Or maybe she hadn’t. Maybe this frantic activity that she’d thrown herself into was a way to distract herself from missing her brother.

  It had been a trying time for all of them. And things hadn’t improved in the ensuing years. But all the issues now were like an underground rumor rising into a swell of public nastiness against the sanctuary. Her sister refused to believe any of it was even happening.

  As far as Carlos was concerned, Lilianna was delicate and making a big deal out of nothing. Brianna had taken his side, loving that take on Lilianna’s behavior. And Lilianna had found it beyond difficult to deal with either of them. She wanted Carlos to disappear and to take her sister with him.

  But that was just small-minded thinking. It wasn’t who she really was. Because, honestly, what she wanted was her father back home again. She just didn’t know how to help him.

  The men came downstairs as she drained the pasta. She glanced at them. “Run out of pins already?” she teased.

  Liam flashed her a bright grin. Something was so authentic about that smile that it really hit home.

  She shook her head at him. “You better turn the charm down. Women might get the wrong idea.”

  “Women plural?” he asked, looking around. “Don’t tell me you have a triplet hidden away somewhere?”

  She laughed. “I don’t think I could handle that,” she admitted. “Being a twin is tough enough.”

  “But being a twin is supposed to be special,” Liam said. “And we work closely with one guy who’s a twin.”

  She thought about the names Logan had spoken of and nodded. “Merk and Terkel, right?”

  He nodded.

  “Yes,” North said.

  “Both good men,” Liam added. “Both very strong men and very close.”

  “Really close?” she said wistfully. “I always thought twins were supposed to be like that, but it was never my experience.”

  The men sat on the couch. The cabin had a small table that would seat four, but, until she was ready to put the food out, there was no point in sitting there.

  “They seem like it. But then, what were they like growing up? Who knows?” Liam admitted. “Terkel is … different.”

  “Logan told me. He has some kind of strong intuition, a seer kind of guy.”

  “Something like that.” Liam nodded and smiled. “Some people would say he was psychic.”

  She stopped and stared at him, wondering if he was joking or if he really believed in it.

  But he stared back at her with a bland, knowing look.

  She shrugged. “The thing is, I can’t say I disbelieve that stuff. Enough odd cases are out there that I shake my head and wonder just what we know and what we don’t know in life.”

  Liam nodded approvingly.

  “Terkel saved our ass many times,” North admitted. “If he tells us to go home and to stay home, we do.”

  She stared at him, astonished. “He does that?”

  “Mostly because his brother works with us, and he always has this insider line to Merk, being his twin. So, if he tells Merk to not take a flight or to not go somewhere or that a job is bad news or how something unusual is heading our way, we listen.”

  She sighed. “Wouldn’t that be nice to know ahead of time?”

  “Not necessarily,” Liam said. “My grandmother had the sight. She would say some pretty unnerving things to us. Not necessarily things we wanted to know.”

  She served up the pasta and the sauce. “Do you have an example?”

  He chuckled. “Well, she told me on prom night that I wouldn’t get the girl. That was pretty depressing.”

  She stared at him for a long moment, and then her laughter pealed out across the small room. “Wow. No, I can’t say that would appeal.”

  “She also told my father to stay home when he was heading into work one morning. Said it was too dangerous. He tried to tell her that he’d be fine, and she told him to get his ass back in that house and to stay there, or she’d have something to say to him. He groaned, turned to his wife and said, ‘What do you want me to do?’ She took the phone from my father’s hand and asked Nana for an explanation. When my mother was done listening, she turned her head to my father and said, ‘You’re staying home.’ We found out later the factory where he worked had a gas leak. Seven men died.”

  Lilianna shook her head. “Oh, my goodness, that’s horrible.” It was hard to believe what she had heard on a rational level, yet it obviously had happened in Liam’s family. His nana had saved his father’s life. She sighed and slowly carried the plates to the table, stunned at how close he’d come to losing his father. “I bet nobody ever disbelieved your grandmother again,” she said.

  “No, and there’s been a couple times when I had major decisions in my life that I called her up and asked her for advice,” he said quietly. “In my family you don’t joke around with something like that.”

  She nodded, bringing over the Parmesan cheese, and sat at the table. She m
otioned at the plates and said, “Enjoy.”

  She sprinkled cheese over her pasta, her mind consumed with what it would be like to have a grandmother who could see such things. “I thought the prom thing was bad enough but to know she could see something like that?” She just shook her head.

  “You get used to it, in a way,” Liam said. “But you never, ever take it for granted.”

  “Does Terkel have that kind of ability?” Lilianna’s gaze went from one man to the next.

  They nodded.

  “Wow.” She picked up a forkful of pasta and tasted it. It wasn’t bad. Maybe not her best but, given the circumstances, they were lucky to get a meal. She chuckled. “Like I said, I’m a plain cook. But I’m not a terrible one.”

  North’s mouth was full. He looked at her with a sense of joy on his face. When he finally managed to empty his mouth, he said, “This is excellent. If you can cook like this, you’ve got no reason to feel bad.”

  From Liam came nothing but a murmur and a nod as he dug in.

  And then she realized … “I should have thought about you missing lunch,” she exclaimed. “Chocolate cake doesn’t go far if you guys didn’t get a full meal.”

  Liam held up a hand. “We were fine. Alfred fed us well this morning before we left and sent us with a full basket for the trip.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” she said wistfully. “You’re all one big happy family.”

  And seeing the odd look in their eyes, she dropped her gaze and focused on her meal. She wanted to be part of a big happy family. But somehow it didn’t seem to work. “After dinner I’ll visit my father,” she announced. She hadn’t seen him in a couple days anyway. It was hard to believe she was as homesick as she was, but she missed him in a big way.

  “Good. May we come?” Liam asked.

  She frowned, twirling her fork into the spaghetti noodles and shrugged. “I guess so.”

  “What’s his condition like?”

  “Lost in his own grief,” she said shortly. “I’m not sure if there’s a medical reason for it, but he’s kind of in a stupor. He doesn’t care about anything around him.”