by Susan Wiggs
The doorbell rang, startling her into smearing her lipstick. She quickly repaired the damage. Then, her nerves wound taut, she hurried to get the door. They all trooped in, filling her tiny house with their presence, and she gaped openmouthed at Sean. A tux. He was wearing a tux. Her knees went weak. Did he have any idea of how he devastated her? And the children looked glorious, Charlie with braids pinned on her head like a halo, Ashley all in pink and Cameron in a dinner jacket that made him look grown up and stunningly handsome. They stood waiting, polished and bright as new pennies, smiling at her.
“Wow,” Sean said, his gaze coasting over her from head to toe, then back up again. “Look at you.”
“I’m looking at everyone else.”
“Let’s just go. What’re we waiting around for?” Charlie was bouncing up and down with excitement until Cameron put his hand on her shoulder.
“Take it easy, moron,” he said. “It’s just dinner.”
“Is not. Uncle Sean’s going to ask Lily—”
“Lily, up,” Ashley said, tugging at her dress. “Please.”
Lily didn’t take her eyes off Sean as she picked up the baby. Ask Lily what? she wondered, aiming a look at him, but he was acting casual, whistling between his teeth. Oh please, she thought. Please.
“Pretty,” said Ashley, plucking at the beads on Lily’s dress. She’d bought it new for tonight, though the black patent leather shoes and onyx-beaded bag had once belonged to Crystal. She opened the evening bag to put in her keys and noticed a slip of paper curled against the satiny lining. Unable to resist, she took out the note. It was a fortune from a fortune cookie that read, “The tide carries away and brings in. Lucky numbers 44, 25, 61, 78, 99, 17.” She wondered why Crystal had saved it. An image of her formed in Lily’s mind. I miss you so much, she thought. I always will.
Discreetly, she put the fortune back into the bag. Then she shared a look with Sean and wondered if she looked as apprehensive and helpless with love as she felt.
“Hang in there, Miss Robinson,” he said, lightly teasing. “This won’t hurt a bit.”
“Please can we go now?” Charlie asked in an agonized voice.
“I’ll drive,” Cameron said.
During the short drive to the restaurant, Charlie and Ashley chattered away. Lily kept trying to catch Sean’s eye yet he gave her nothing but a secretive, flirty smile. She contented herself with watching the scenery out the window. The colors of autumn were creeping into the landscape—turning leaves, fields of yellow-eyed daisies along the water and mountains as crisp and white as sails against the topaz sky.
At the restaurant, a valet dressed like a gondolier took care of the car. “We’re early,” Lily said, checking her watch.
“Yep,” Charlie agreed, grabbing her sweater. “We wanted to go have a look at the gardens. Uncle Sean planned it this way.” Nearly bursting with excitement, she led the way beneath a laurel arch to the formal gardens. A plaque claimed that this was a replica of the Villa d’Este gardens in Italy. Lily was enchanted by the perfectly clipped box hedges, the symmetrical pebbled pathways and romantic arbors. Late-blooming verbena scented the air, and on the river below, barges and pleasure boats slipped past, gilded by the colors of sunset.
“Ducks,” said Ashley, gesturing at the water’s edge. “Want ducks.”
Cameron took the baby from his uncle. “I’ll take her to see the ducks. Let’s go, Charlie.”
“Put your sweater on,” Sean said to her, and bent to help her button it. A glossy red, white and green folder slipped from his jacket pocket and hit the brick-paved walkway. Charlie stooped to pick it up.
“What’s that?” Lily asked.
“It was supposed to be a surprise,” Charlie said, bouncing again. “It’s—”
“Tickets to Italy,” Lily whispered, recognizing the Alitalia logo. She stared at Sean in wonder. “These are tickets to Italy,” she said again. She counted them, five in all, and saw that the departure date was in late October, less than a month away.
He gave away nothing, though he blushed. Blushed. That was a first, for sure.
“What’s going on?” Lily asked. She felt unsteady, her high heels wobbling on the pathway. Sean held out his hand and drew her over to a curved stone bench. Holding the baby and catching Charlie by the wrist, Cameron took the girls closer toward the river, though Charlie kept looking at them over her shoulder.
Lily was having trouble breathing.
“Have a seat.” Sean took the folder of tickets from her and set it aside.
“What’s this about Italy?” she said.
“How does Christmas in Amalfi sound to you?” he asked, smiling down at her. “There’s a tournament in Brescia. Red made all the arrangements, including the villa in Amalfi through to the New Year. The school agreed to let the kids do contract studies with you supervising. And Edna is behind your sabbatical a hundred percent. I checked.”
She could barely process the information. She wasn’t used to people making arrangements for her, including her in their plans. “We can’t just take off for Italy—”
“True. I need to ask you something first.”
This is it, thought Lily. Please let this be it.
She saw him sink down on one knee, and her heart took wing. She sensed the children watching them, and it seemed right, somehow, that they would bear witness to this. Lily felt a wave of gratitude for Crystal. It wasn’t just for the memories or even the years of friendship; her legacy to Lily was something far more precious and unexpected. Family didn’t have to be made of flesh and blood. This was the family she and Sean had created. They’d done everything backward, starting with the kids and then finding their way to each other. It wasn’t perfect, but they had done their best. I’ll take good care of them, Lily vowed to her friend. I’ll give every inch of my heart and never hold back. I swear I will.
“Lily, I love you,” Sean said. “I’m asking you to marry me.”
Her voice was gone. She knew if she forced herself to say something now, she’d lose it, ruining the moment by weeping with joy.
When she didn’t respond, he took her hand. She felt the cool smoothness of the ring he slipped on her finger, but she didn’t dare glance down at it. She didn’t want to look away from him for fear of breaking the spell.
“I’m the one saying the words,” he went on, “but it’s not just me that’s asking. It’s us. Me and the kids. We love you, Lily. We want to spend the rest of our lives with you.”
Her chest squeezed with emotion as she stood, pulling him up with her. “Yes seems like such a small, inadequate word,” she said.
“It’s all I need to hear from you.” He bent and kissed her, lingering just a little, then stepping back.
She saw him give the thumbs-up sign to the kids. She laughed aloud, feeling lighter than air as they headed toward the dining room. In the foyer, two doormen held open the doors. With endearing awkwardness, Sean put his hand on the small of her back and escorted her into the dim restaurant.
“Is it just the two of you?” the hostess asked.
“No.” Sean turned and motioned for the children to join them. “We need a table for five.”
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Det. Scott Anderson of the Bainbridge Police Department, to Jay and the gang at Meadowmeer Golf and Country Club and to Lori Cross of the eagle eyes. As always, I’d like to acknowledge the Port Orchard Brain Trust and Test Kitchen: Rose Marie, Anjali, Kate, Lois, P.J., Susan, Krysteen and Sheila for their talent, generosity and literary judgment. I’m deeply grateful to my agent, friend and champion Meg Ruley, and to Martha Keenan and Dianne Moggy of MIRA Books. And finally, it should go without saying but I’ll say it anyway—thanks to Jay, who knows that like a good round of golf, life is a process of exploration and change, and you have every chance to get it right.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-3338-0
TABLE FOR FIVE
Copyright © 2005 by Susan Wiggs.
All rights reserved. Except f
or use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, MIRA Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
MIRA and the Star Colophon are trademarks used under license and registered in Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries.
www.MIRABooks.com