She wiped her damp palms on her jeans and stiffened her spine. The least she could do was give it a try. If the situation became intolerable, she could always leave.
Grateful for the remaining prepaid minutes on her cell phone, she took Maxi’s number off the fridge and dialed.
****
Nick looked over the group of rambunctious teens assembled in the church hall and a satisfied smile stretched across his face. He’d started the group over a year ago with only a handful of kids, but attendance had steadily increased, and they now boasted a crowd of between twenty to thirty kids.
Nick loved providing a safe environment for adolescents to air their opinions and grievances. The fact that he got to mix some faith in with their fun was an added bonus.
Ignoring the din of excited voices, he pulled the material for tonight’s meeting from his briefcase and set it on the rickety table beside his laptop.
“Good evening, Nick.”
Nick looked up as Sarah Jane walked by, a tray of baked goods in her arms. His mood plummeted as he remembered their upcoming date. The idea held about as much appeal as stripping wallpaper.
She turned from placing the treats on a side table, caught him watching her, and smiled. Remorse roared to life as he smiled back, thankful she couldn’t read his mind.
The sound of footsteps descending the basement stairs gave Nick an excuse to look away. Maxi dashed into the hall, a bundle of vibrant energy. Nick chuckled at her outrageous hair, bejeweled top, and platform shoes. Nothing subtle about Maxi North. His gaze moved past her, expecting to see Chloe.
Instead, the tentative figure of Lily Draper entered the hall. She hesitated in the doorway, hands stuffed into her jeans pockets, and looked around like a doe scouting the forest for enemies. Her dark hair fell in a soft cloud around her shoulders. Dressed in slim, hip-hugging jeans that flared over pointed, high-heeled shoes, she drew the attention of every male in the room.
A spurt of excitement shot through Nick’s system, infusing him with new enthusiasm. The evening had just become a lot more interesting. Lily’s gaze traveled around the room until she locked eyes with him. She flashed him a smile that made his pulse jump four notches.
Oh man, he was in trouble if a mere smile could do that to him.
****
Nick’s familiar face became Lily’s beacon in the storm of nerves cascading over her. She tried not to stare as she dodged the circle of metal chairs to cross the room. Tonight, instead of his usual handyman attire, he wore dress pants and a brown sports jacket, giving him the air of a professional businessman—not her type at all.
So why did her heart hiccup when his blue eyes met hers?
“Hi, Lily. Glad you could come tonight.” Nick grinned so wide that tiny lines crinkled around his eyes.
“Maxi invited me.” She clasped her damp hands together to hide their trembling.
Get a grip, Lily. It’s only a church hall.
“Well, I look forward to hearing your opinion of the group.”
“You might not like it.”
He winked at her. “Trust me. You won’t be able to resist my charms.”
Before she could untangle her tongue long enough to think of a comeback, someone flew up beside them, creating a stir in the musty basement air.
“Hey, Nick.” The girl threw her arms around his neck.
“Hi, brat.” Nick’s eyes warmed with apparent affection as he returned her embrace.
Lily’s eyebrows shot up. The girl draped over Nick was none other than Chloe Martin.
He untangled himself but kept an arm around the girl’s shoulders. “Lily, this is my cousin, Chloe.”
Lily’s mind swam. Nick’s cousin? How could that be?
Chloe smiled. “We already met the other day at the salon.”
Lily swallowed. “Th-that’s right. Nice to see you again, Chloe.”
“Same here. I guess Maxi dragged you out.” Amusement shone in her whiskey-colored eyes as she tugged off her bomber jacket.
“Yeah. She thought I needed to meet more people.” Lily attempted to focus her whirling thoughts and concentrate on what Chloe was saying.
“Good idea. You’ll have to be part of our discussion group then.”
“I divide everyone up for discussion purposes,” Nick explained. “Speaking of which, we’d better get started.”
He excused himself to walk to the front of the room. “Good evening, everyone. Could you please take your seats, and we’ll begin with a short prayer.”
Dread saturated Lily as she sank onto a chair between Maxi and Chloe. Since moving out of her father’s home, she’d avoided all contact with religion.
Until now.
She clenched her hands together on her lap and fused her gaze to the floor.
“Lord, bless all of these wonderful young people gathered here this evening for fellowship in Your name. Enlighten our hearts and minds to serve You and each other to the best of our ability. Amen.”
Lily raised her head. Surely there had to be more. Tobias would have gone on for half an hour. Instead, Nick gave a brief recap of the last meeting and outlined the topics of discussion for the night.
With determination, Lily set aside her nerves and the myriad of questions rioting through her brain, and focused on the evening’s activities. To her relief, the meeting proved most enjoyable. The teenagers expressed their views in an enthusiastic manner. Lily paid particular attention to everything Chloe said and found her articulate and funny.
Her mind still struggled with the fact that Chloe was Nick’s cousin. Just how were the two connected? Through Chloe’s adopted family? It had to be. If not, she and Nick could be related. She shifted in her seat and put that unwelcome thought out of her mind. One thing for sure, she’d have to watch herself around Nick. She wasn’t ready to let anyone in on her secret just yet. Not until she’d had time to get to know Chloe and to figure out more about their family’s murders.
After a quick closing prayer, Nick helped Sarah Jane serve the refreshments. Laughter filled the large room as everyone mingled. Lily stood on the sidelines, content to watch the various interactions, until Nick came up beside her, coffee in hand. His arm brushed hers, sending a flutter of warmth through her body.
He gave her shoulder a playful nudge. “So, what’s the verdict?”
She glanced over at him. “I have to admit I’m impressed. I like the way the kids are free to express their opinion with no judgment calls.” Totally unlike her own upbringing.
“That’s the whole idea. To give adolescents a forum to express their ideas and to learn from each other in an accepting atmosphere.”
“I think you’ve accomplished your goal.”
He smiled, seeming pleased by her answer. “Does that mean you’ll come again?”
The hopeful expression on his face made the blood rush to her cheeks. She looked at him from under her lashes. “I think I could be persuaded.”
A grin spread over his rugged face. The vivid blueness of his gaze drew her in like a hypnotist’s watch. She couldn’t seem to look away until a movement on the outskirts of her vision became more insistent. She shifted her gaze, only to find a very unhappy-looking Sarah Jane standing beside Nick, clutching his sleeve in a possessive manner.
“Hello, Miss Draper.” The words sounded as tight as Sarah Jane’s lips. Her sour expression did nothing to improve her features.
“You two know each other?” Nick’s eyes widened. His puzzled, almost guilty expression made Lily want to laugh.
She nodded. “We met at the library.”
“Oh.” He pulled at the neck of his shirt and glanced at Sarah Jane. “Maxi invited Lily so she could meet more people.”
A prickle of irritation erased Lily’s amusement. He was trying to let Sarah Jane know he wasn’t the one who’d invited her. For someone who swore Sarah Jane was not his girlfriend, he sure acted like a guilty man.
The tension clogging the air between them became more than Lily cared to en
dure. She stepped away from Nick’s magnetic pull. “I should see if Maxi’s ready to leave. Maybe I’ll see you next time.”
She swung her hair over her shoulder, confident Nick Logan would be watching her walk away. That thought gave her a small measure of satisfaction.
Like a ship adrift on unfriendly seas, Lily sought shelter with Maxi and Chloe, who stood munching cookies by the refreshment table.
“You and Nick looked cozy over there.” Maxi wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive manner and grinned. “Seems you ruffled Sarah Jane’s feathers the wrong way though.”
Lily fastened the buttons on her jacket. “She’s got nothing to worry about.”
Chloe smothered a laugh. “I don’t know. Judging by the way my cousin was looking at you, I’d say she has a lot to worry about.”
Maxi’s laughter joined Chloe’s giggles, drawing a bit too much attention to them. Lily tossed her paper cup in the trash and frowned. “I wasn’t trying to create problems.”
“Someone with your looks never has to try,” Maxi said. “It just happens. Come on. I’m driving Chloe home.”
Lily followed the girls out the door, grateful to escape Sarah Jane’s dark glares. As an added bonus, she’d get to spend some extra time with Chloe and see where she lived. Several minutes later, they pulled up in front of a small bungalow. From what Lily could tell in the dark, it looked like a cozy, well-maintained home.
Chloe let out a groan when Maxi shifted into park. “Now I have to study for a math mid-term next week. If I don’t pull my mark up, I may not get into college.”
Maxi gave her a sympathetic pat on the arm. “Sorry, kiddo. Can’t help you there. Math was not my best subject.”
“I got good grades in math.” The words were out before Lily thought it over. Her brain raced ahead, envisioning another way to get closer to Chloe. “If you want, I can help you.”
Chloe turned in her seat to look back at Lily. Suspicion lurked in the depths of her brown eyes. “We can’t afford a tutor.”
“I don’t want any money,” Lily assured her. “Why don’t you bring your books by the salon? I’ll take a look and see if I know the material.”
Chloe hesitated, glanced at Maxi, and then shrugged. “OK. I’ll come by tomorrow. Thanks for the ride, Maxi.”
“See you, kiddo.”
Lily released a pent up breath and moved up to take the vacated front seat, fiddling with the seat belt to avoid Maxi’s curious eyes.
“That was unexpected,” Maxi remarked as she pulled away from the curb. “Why would you want to tutor Chloe?”
Lily scrambled for a plausible answer, settling for a version of the truth. “She reminds me a lot of myself at that age. If she’s anything like I was, she could use some help, not to mention a friend.”
Maxi pursed her lips. “You’re pretty perceptive. Chloe hasn’t always hung out with the best crowd. That’s part of the reason Nick asked me to bring her to the youth group. To meet a different set of kids.” She signaled a right-hand turn. “At first I thought the whole youth thing was a corny idea, but I did it for Nick. I owed him, you know, for renting me the apartment. Now Chloe and I are good friends.”
“Is it helping her?”
“I think so. At least she’s not getting into trouble at school anymore.”
Lily smiled. “Chloe’s lucky to have you in her corner.”
Maxi shot her a sidelong glance. “Looks like now she’ll have you, too.”
7
Nick cut into the succulent steak on his plate, and his mouth watered in anticipation.
“I don’t like her.” Across from him, Sarah Jane sat, hands folded in her lap, her grilled chicken untouched before her.
“Like who?” Nick shifted his weight on the plush seat and grimaced inwardly. His choice of dining establishment had turned out to be a huge error in judgment on his part. Giorgio’s romantic music and dim lighting gave entirely the wrong impression.
“Your new tenant. She’s very…nervy.” Sarah Jane wrinkled her nose. Horizontal frown lines creased her forehead. “Do you know she asked me if we were living together?”
Nick grabbed a napkin to cover his mouth before food spewed out. “Why would she ask you that?”
The blush on Sarah Jane’s face told him a lot.
“I may have indicated we were...a couple. But she jumped to her own wild conclusions.”
“A couple?”
Her color deepened. “Well, it may have been more like we were…engaged.”
Nick reached for his glass of water, sloshing back a quick sip. Sarah Jane told Lily they were engaged after he’d sworn they’d only dated once or twice? “Why did you tell her that?”
She kept her gaze glued to her plate. “I don’t know. It just slipped out. I’m sorry.”
Nick didn’t know whether to be upset with her fib or with Lily’s outrageous question. At least Sarah Jane had the good grace to look remorseful. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll straighten it out when I see Lily. I’m sure you handled her question with your usual tact.”
She fiddled with her peas. “I tried.”
He couldn’t picture Sarah Jane making a scene or doing anything the least bit outrageous. Sensible and predictable would be the best adjectives to describe her behavior. Tonight, however, she’d stepped out of character and made some small concessions to her appearance—presumably to impress him. She’d worn a more feminine dress and high heels. With her hair loose around her face and a smattering of lip gloss, she looked almost attractive. Unfortunately, Nick didn’t feel any type of spark. He hadn’t even kissed her yet and had no desire to do so.
Nevertheless, she was honest, loyal, and upright—qualities that had caught his interest in the first place. The extreme opposite of Cheryl, a non-believer, who’d dropped him at the first hint of inconvenience to her selfish pleasures. Nick could see now how far he’d swung in the opposite direction.
Too far apparently. Because, on this third date with the reverend’s niece, Nick would give anything for an excuse to cut the evening short. He pulled his attention back to Sarah Jane as she rambled on about a fussy library patron. He did his best to show concern for her difficulty in satisfying Mrs. Sheppard’s obsession with Martha Stewart, but when his cell phone vibrated at his hip, a tidal wave of relief washed over him.
“Excuse me. I’d better take this.” He snapped open his phone like a man on death row given a reprieve.
“Nick?”
At the sound of Lily’s voice, Nick’s pulse sprinted.
“I’m sorry to bother you,” she said, “but there’s a problem with the fridge.”
“The fridge?” His spirits brightened. “You can’t fool around with that. I’ll be right over.” He ignored Lily’s sputtering protest and disconnected.
“Sorry about that,” he told Sarah Jane. “There’s an emergency I need to take care of.”
He signaled the waiter for the bill, hoping he looked suitably disappointed.
****
Lily hated to bother Nick on a weekend, but the motor on the fridge had given out with a loud bang. It seemed only fair to let him know right away.
Now, with the appliance pulled out at an odd angle so he could get at the back, he’d effectively trapped Lily in the kitchen. She blamed her nerves and mild claustrophobia on the small space, not on the proximity of her handsome landlord.
To keep busy, she continued drying her dishes from dinner. At least the fridge blocked Nick from her line of vision, eliminating the strong temptation to stare. He’d arrived looking especially attractive in a navy suit and tie, giving credence to Maxi’s gossip that he’d been out on a date with Sarah Jane.
A twinge of some uncomfortable emotion churned in Lily’s stomach. Had to be the lumpy meatloaf she’d had for dinner.
“You didn’t have to interrupt your date, you know. It could’ve waited ’til the morning.” She reached up to put a plate in the cupboard.
The noise behind the fridge stopped. Nick’s frowning fa
ce appeared around the side. “How did you know I was on a date?” He pushed the sleeves of his shirt farther up his arms.
Lily quirked one eyebrow. “Did you forget I work with Maxi?”
“Maxi.” The word came out as a groan.
“Yup.” Lily picked up a saucepan to dry. “I guess Sarah Jane wasn’t too thrilled when you left to come over here.” She hoped her tone sounded casual, not like she was fishing for information.
“The date was pretty much over anyway.” Nick gave her a long look, one that made her pulse trip, before he ducked behind the appliance.
Lily stared at the fridge, heat working its way to her cheeks as she imagined Nick kissing Sarah Jane good night. The thought made her twist in her sneakers. She rubbed the already dry dish a little harder, then opened the oven to store the clean pot inside. Her nose wrinkled at the charred odor that puffed out—a remnant of the pork chops she’d burned the other night. Lily straightened, hung the towel over the stove handle, and leaned back against the counter.
“This is probably none of my business, but why are you dating a woman you don’t seem that interested in?”
The silence of the tools told her she’d struck a nerve. She bit her lip, wishing she could take back the impulsive question, but before Nick could answer, an electric buzz sizzled through the overhead light. The bulb flickered once, and the next second the kitchen plunged into total darkness.
“Hey—” A loud bang erupted from behind the fridge.
Instant panic seized Lily by the throat. “It’s OK,” she said, more to reassure herself than Nick. “The bulb must have burned out. I think I saw some spare ones under the sink.”
Fighting to overcome her childish fear, she reached out a hand toward the lower cupboard while her eyes fought to adjust to the inky blackness. When her fingers brushed the cool metal handle, she pulled the door open.
“Hang on,” Nick said. “I have a flashlight in my toolbox.”
He came out and shoved the fridge back a bit. She could just make out his figure coming toward her. Being alone in the dark with Nick unnerved her even more than the lights going out. A thin pencil of illumination beamed into the room. Nick aimed it inside the cupboard for her.
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