“Yes, I did.” Lilly leaned toward the detective. “Look, I can see why you thought I killed him. It never crossed my mind to do that, but I am glad he’s out of my life. My trips to the hospital have gone down significantly. It seems I’m not as clumsy without him around.”
Spalding met Lilly’s eyes briefly before dropping his gaze. “I tried hard not to think about you as a person while I investigated Charles’ murder. Even your friends thought you killed him, and I had to follow the leads. You hiring a hit man made sense. And then, you got that letter.” He hung his head, shaking it slowly from side to side.
“I promise you, I have no idea if Charles is alive or dead. I never had anything to do with what happened that night.”
“I almost believe you.” Spalding tossed back the rest of his drink, gathered the pictures into the folder, and placed her bank records on top. “I’ll look further into this. If you’re telling the truth about the money connection, maybe I’ll be able to find something new about the last crime. Perhaps that will lead to a suspect in your father’s murder.”
Lilly nodded and blinked away her tears. “Thank you, detective.”
He stood to leave. “I am sorry about your father, and I do believe you weren’t involved in his death. I won’t look at you further for this.”
She made no reply to that shocking bit of news, as Zach popped out of his seat to walk Spalding to the door.
Lilly sagged back into the couch and listened to the rumble of their voices from the hallway. A headache throbbed behind her temples, and she still had so much to do today.
Lilly needed to contact the estate lawyer to set up severance pay packages for her father’s employees. The butler and personal assistant worked for Stewart the last twenty years. Knowing him, there wasn’t likely to be any provisions made for the men. Lilly refused to send them away with nothing.
The real estate agent would come by in a few hours to go over the house and list it for sale. Maybe he would be able to find someone who wanted to buy it, along with all the expensive junk her father accumulated over the years. Lilly didn’t want to keep anything. Nothing here held sentimental memories of better times.
Heavy footsteps cause her to look up. Zach loomed over her. His black hair stuck up more wildly than usual. She waved him over to her side. “Hey, sexy. Wanna cuddle?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Zach removed his suit jacket and slung it over the back of a chair. He lounged on the cushions and pulled her across him.
“This is bliss.” She pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “Thanks for always being in my corner, lover.”
“Nowhere else I’d rather be.” He ran his hands through her hair. The tip of his tongue caressed her lower lip and dipped into her mouth. He probed and prodded, tasting her gently, before he released her and stroked her hair once more. “How’re you holding up? Are you okay?”
“I really think I am okay. I know that seems weird since my father just died, but I was never close to Stewart. I was a tool in his eyes. My value was in what I could do for him, not any bonds of love.”
She picked through the landmine of hurt feelings and loss mixed with anger and disappointment. “I would never do that to my kid, you know? He really was a horrible father, but he was the only one I had. I do love him, but in a sort of distant way. The way you love a best friend from grade school that you never see any more.”
“I understand what you’re saying.” Stillness came over him and he made a little choking sound.
Lilly looked up sharply. “What’s wrong?”
His chest heaved beneath her. “Do you miss it here? Do you want to move back, now that Spalding seems to believe you might be innocent and is looking for other suspects?”
She pushed herself off him and looked straight into his eyes. “Please don’t worry about that. My home is with you until you tell me otherwise. I hate it here, hate it! I never want to see this place again after we get on the plane tomorrow.”
Tears misted his eyes that he didn’t bother to hide from her. “You want to be with me?”
His sadness provoked a deep urge in Lilly to ease his pain. He looked unsure of himself, lost and alone. Did he really think she would leave him for her nonexistent life here?
“I want to be with you Zach, forever.” She shuddered slightly, hating that the word choice made her think of Charles instead of how much she loved Zach. But it was true. She did want him forever. She grabbed Zach’s shoulders and kissed him with a fierce passion. “I love you. It’s impossible to explain how much.”
He rubbed her cheek and relief lit his eyes. “That’s all I need to know, honey. We’ll get through all of this.”
She leaned into his touch, loving the way he made her feel. Her life could be so good, if only she could keep him safe from Charles.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Shit!” Zach jerked his arm away from the door of the oven. A blister already formed where he had bumped against the hot surface. He raced to the sink and ran cold water over his arm. What was he thinking? He didn’t know how to cook.
He took a deep breath and glanced at the cookbook sitting on the counter. Baked chicken and steamed asparagus were real dishes and didn’t have much to do with the microwave.
Come on. You’re reasonably smart. You can figure out how to cook her a nice dinner.
Determined to do this for her, Zach soon had the chicken in the oven and a pot of water on the stove. While he waited for the water to boil, he carefully cut and peeled the asparagus according to the instructions.
Things had been relatively calm since they returned from New York two weeks ago, and Zach wanted to move forward with his life. He wanted Lilly to be a part of that.
The asparagus didn’t need to cook long, so Zach dumped ice in the wine bucket and grabbed a bottle of Chablis from the refrigerator. It sat next to an enormous arrangement of roses, Angel Face and Everblooming flanking a center cluster of Peace, all Lilly’s favorites.
He took the wine stand out to the deck and returned for the roses, carrying the oversized vase carefully in both hands. Fifteen minutes until Lilly would be home from work. He needed to hustle.
He set the roses on the deck table, shifting them around slightly for better effect. Having set the table earlier in the day, he was nearly ready.
Zach turned on the twinkle lights that still surrounded the patio from their last failed romantic interlude out here. A collection of slow love songs downloaded off the internet waited on his iPod, hooked up through the stereo system. He set it to repeat and hit play, keeping the volume low enough that conversation would be easy. Maybe she would be enticed to dance with him after dinner. There was nothing better than the feel of her in his arms.
He spread a trail of red rose petals from the front door to the patio before he raced back to the kitchen. Preparing the salad before Lilly got home was essential. Plain Romaine lettuce and mutilated tomatoes and peppers would have to work. He didn’t really know what else to do with it, and the salad was the most important part of the meal.
He pulled the Marquise-cut ring from his pocket, admiring the clarity of the one-carat diamond and the simplicity of the platinum band. Zach placed the ring onto her plate and covered it with strategically placed lettuce.
Last week, Sarah went with him to pick out the engagement ring. She swore classy elegance was a better choice than extra diamonds or a gaudy stone. Zach deferred to her judgment, having no clue what would please Lilly. Victoria picked out her own rings, assuring Zach she could do a better job, and then sent him the twenty-thousand dollar bill that accompanied them.
Lilly’s ring wasn’t quite as expensive, but he agreed with Sarah. Classy was better. Knowing Lilly, she would look beautiful with a two-hundred dollar cubic zirconia and be just as happy. Assuming she said yes.
Lilly’s car pulled up in the driveway and Zach dropped the asparagus in the boiling water, pushing thirty seconds on the microwave to melt the dish of butter together with lemon juice.
Zach stayed in the kitchen and said nothing as her cane stumped along the trail he’d lain down for her. As he heard her pass into the bedroom, he drained the asparagus and placed it on their plates, dumping the butter mixture on top. The timer went off for the chicken, and he pulled it out of the oven.
After transferring the meat to their plates, Zach turned everything off and threw the dirty pans into the sink. He looked at the food and cringed. The chicken was extremely brown and altogether too crispy. Perhaps it was the thought that counted.
With a plate in each hand, he made his way to the patio and placed them on the table. Lilly stood by the edge of the balcony, the breeze off the water gently tossing her cascade of red curls.
He crossed the deck and hugged her from behind, resting his chin on top of her head. “How was your day, baby?”
She spun in his embrace and lifted her face for a kiss. “Seems it just became a lot better. What are you up to?”
Zach stepped to her side and gestured to the table with a sweeping motion of his arm.
“I thought I smelled something delicious when I walked in.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him again. “You really cooked me dinner?”
“I tried.” He laughed. “Let’s just hope it’s edible or I’m ordering a pizza.”
She walked slowly to her chair, and Zach pulled it out for her before taking his own seat.
“Who helped you with this? It looks terrific.” She stared at the food.
Zach’s heart skipped a beat as he watched her tongue move along her mouth. She wasn’t even trying to turn him on and she did. She was so incredibly beautiful. “Obviously, no one helped me.” He tapped his fork against the hard poultry.
She reached out to touch his hand. “I’m sure it tastes wonderful.”
Not to pat himself on the back too much, but she sure did look happy. Everything was working out great. He speared an asparagus and had it halfway to his mouth.
“Wait, Zach.” She held her hand out to stop him. “You forgot the salad dressing.”
Damn. He’d counted on the fact that she wouldn’t want to upset him by mentioning that. What excuse could he use? “I didn’t forget. I can’t make it fresh like you. We don’t need it, do we? Isn’t this good enough?”
She smiled but stood from the table. “This would be fine, but there’s a bottle of French in the fridge. I’ll grab that.”
“Don’t worry about it, Lil. Let’s just eat.”
“But I really want it. I’ll only be a minute.” She hurried to the sliding door, looking over her shoulder at him. “I still can’t believe you did this. It’s so sweet.”
He watched as she disappeared into the house. Maybe he should take the ring out of the salad and find another way. It was such a good plan, but he should have thought about ring placement a little longer.
Before he could make up his mind, she returned with the French. She applied it enthusiastically to her entire salad and handed the bottle to him. He stared at the pieces of lettuce swimming in a deluge of orange on her plate. That would be the best-dressed engagement ring in history. He hadn’t realized how serious Lilly was about her salad dressing.
She took a small bite of the salad and then one of asparagus, smiling at him with appreciation. The dried-out chicken was more problematic. She sawed at it for what seemed an eternity, and Zach wanted to crawl under the table. Perhaps he set the temperature too high on the oven.
She chewed the leathery meat for a long time. “This is delicious.”
Zach looked miserably down at his own plate. So much for romance. “We can eat our vegetables. I’ll call for the pizza when we’re done with the salad.”
“Don’t you dare.” She hacked off another bite. “I’m eating every last scrap on this plate, mister.”
Zach shrugged, carving out a portion of his bird. “If you’re brave enough to eat this, I’ll eat it too. Our jaws are going to be pretty sore.”
She laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Tell me about your day. Did you get a lot done?”
They chatted about his novel while they ate. She still hadn’t noticed anything amiss with her salad, and Zach started to worry she’d swallow the damn thing. If only she hadn’t put so much dressing on it.
There were only two forkfuls of lettuce left on her plate, and she still chatted happily away at him. Zach could see the ring sticking out, at last, from under the orange mass.
He jumped up from his chair and got on one knee beside her. “Lilly, I had a purpose in mind when I made you this dinner.”
She smiled down at him and ran her hand across the top of his head. He shivered at her touch. What had he done to deserve her?
“Look at your plate.”
Her eyebrows drew together in puzzlement, but she did as he requested. He could tell the exact moment she spotted the ring.
She gasped and bit her lower lip. “Is that for me?” she asked, sounding breathless. Her eyes met his, gleaming brightly in the afternoon sunlight. The corners of her mouth twitched and she broke into laughter. “No wonder you were so against salad dressing.”
He noted the twinkle of joy in her expressive eyes, and laughed right along with her. “And I thought I was so clever in hiding it.”
She plucked the ring out of its bath, dipped it in her wine, and wiped it on a napkin, getting off most of the stickiness.
Zach took it from her with shaking hands and placed it on her finger. “You mean more to me than anything, Katherine Lilly Price. I love you so much. You would make me the happiest man in the world if you would agree to be my wife.”
Lilly nodded, grasping his hand tightly. “Of course I will.”
His happiness burst from him, and Zach knew he was smiling like an idiot, but he couldn’t stop himself. He stood, pulling Lilly to her feet. He loved knowing that she was truly his now. She would wear his ring to prove it to the rest of the world.
Her mouth opened as their lips touched and her tongue slipped into his mouth. When they broke apart, she rested her head against his chest. “You’ve made me the happiest woman in the world.”
Zach felt as though he could fly, his heart happier than he could ever remember it being before. “Dance with me?”
She shook her head and stepped back from him. “I’ve got a better idea.”
“Better?”
Her hand strayed to the button of her work slacks. She toyed with it for a minute. “You bragged about the hot tub, but we’ve never been in it. I’ve heard two people on a secluded deck without swimsuits can have a lovely time in one.”
Zach gulped, his eyes fixated on her hands.
She slowly unfastened the button and moved the zipper down, inch by inch.
“I’ve heard that too,” he managed. He unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall to the ground.
“Mmmm...I love my future husband’s muscles.” She wiggled her hips and her pants slipped off to fall in a heap at her feet. Grasping the edges of her blouse, she drew it over her head so she stood only in her light teal underclothing. She turned halfway to the side and tossed a glance at him over her shoulder. “What do you think of your future wife’s body?”
He closed the distance between them, scooped her off her feet, and spun in a circle. “You look good enough to eat.”
She laughed again, and it was the sweetest sound in the world. “Then don’t hold back, big boy.”
Chapter Thirty
Lilly stepped out of Woodbridge Manor and rushed to her car. Savannah started school in two weeks, so Sarah’s family would head back to Seattle soon. They’d all spent as much time together as possible before then, and Zach and Lilly planned to meet his entire family to go out on the boat for the evening.
It was so nice to have a real friend in Sarah. Lilly hadn’t had a girlfriend for a long time.
Footsteps rang out on the pavement behind her. “Where are you hurrying off to? We need t
o talk.”
Lilly whipped her head around. Curtis Crandall strode toward her at a ground-eating pace. One more row of vehicles stood between her and her car. If only she could make it before he caught up to her. She dropped her cane and broke into as much of a run as she could manage.
Her keys were still inside her purse. She didn’t even have the stun gun with her. She’d transferred to a smaller purse that morning and hadn’t had room for it.
When the stalker didn’t make more threats, she grew complacent. Even McMann felt reassured when nothing more happened, taking the undercover cop who had been watching Lilly off the case yesterday.
Why did she let herself stop worrying? Even if Charles had gone into hiding, Crandall was just as dangerous. Lilly fumbled inside the purse, and her finger snagged on the key ring. She pulled it out and hit the panic button as she reached her car.
Crandall tackled her from behind and threw her against the back of the silver Escort. The bumper and trunk dug into her under his weight. Her purse flung out of her hand and slid down the trunk, coming to rest at her feet.
“Turn that alarm off or you’ll need more excuses for your bruises,” he said into her ear.
Lilly’s hands shook so badly that she couldn’t push the button to disable the alarm.
Crandall spun her around and snatched the key fob out of her unresisting fingers. The alarm stopped. “Now for my question.” Crandall reached up and caressed her neck. “Why is it that I’m no longer welcome at my good little buddy’s house, huh?”
Lilly squeezed her eyes shut, trying to breathe deeply to slow her heart rate. She had no way to defend herself. She looked around the parking lot, hoping to see a friendly face, but Crandall had picked his attack well. The parking lot was empty.
“Aren’t you going to answer?” Crandall slapped her face lightly. “I’m waiting. What did you tell him?”
Lilly met his eyes and put as much challenge as she could into her gaze. Her hands were icy, and her heart felt like it was about to gallop out of her chest, but perhaps Crandall would be dissuaded by a strong front. Eventually, someone would come out here and see him. Someone would help her.
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