Betrayed Hearts

by Susan Anne Mason

  And he needed to do it alone.

  In particular, he’d avoided Lily for the simple reason that she clouded his judgment. Whenever she was near, he couldn’t think straight, overwhelmed by the powerful feelings she evoked in him. Instead, he spent a lot of time out by the falls, and in church, praying and thinking.

  What did God want him to do? Nick knew what he wanted. To marry Lily and spend the rest of his life with her. But how did that fit with God’s plan for him?

  Lily had made her position on religion very clear. And even though she’d been coming to church, it didn’t mean she was ready to commit to a life of faith, let alone become a minister’s wife.

  The coffeemaker sputtered out its last gasp. Nick grabbed a mug and poured a cup, inhaling the rich fragrance with an appreciative sigh. He swallowed the first sip, then startled when the doorbell rang.

  Lily.

  His heart percolating like the coffee in his pot, he set the cup down and rushed to the door, realizing with a jolt how much he’d missed her.

  But the woman on his doorstep wasn’t Lily. Nick did his best to hide his disappointment. “Maxi. Come in.”

  Maxi pulled off her sunglasses to shoot him a disgusted look. “Aren’t we a sight for sore eyes?” She sailed past him into the living room.

  Perplexed, Nick followed her. “You want some coffee? It’s fresh.”

  “No, thanks.” She stood in the middle of the room, arms folded over her bright orange shirt. Her red hair stood up as if in preparation for battle.

  “Have a seat.” He gestured to the sofa.

  “I’d rather stand.”

  He huffed out a weary breath. “What can I do for you then?”

  She pinned him with a furious glare. “Do you know you’re breaking Lily’s heart? Making her think you care and then tossing her away like a rusty wrench.”

  “Who said I tossed her away? I just needed a little space.”

  “Space for what?”

  “To sort out a few things.”

  She stomped across the carpet, her pointed boots stopping just short of his toes. “Don’t tell me you’re trying to decide between Lily and Sarah Jane, because if you even have to think about it, you’re an idiot.”

  Amusement quickly morphed into irritation. He took her gently but firmly by the arm and led her to the couch. “Sit down, please.”

  She scowled and plopped down on the sofa.

  Nick joined her. “Now, tell me what’s bothering you without aiming daggers at me.”

  When she raised her hazel eyes to his, he was surprised to see a film of tears.

  “You know I don’t have a lot of people in my life to count on.” She paused. “Lily’s become one of my best friends. She tries to pretend she’s a hard city girl, but underneath she’s as fragile as a piece of paper.”

  Where was she going with this? “Go on.”

  “She’s been hurt a lot, and she’s got a big wall around her. But you got through that. And now it’s killing me to see her like this.”

  Alarm gripped his insides. “Like what?”

  She shrugged. “All torn up. Crying and everything.”

  The air whooshed out of his lungs as though someone had sucker punched him. Lily was crying over him?

  “I thought better of you, Nick Logan. But you’re just as bad as Jason.” She jerked to her feet and crossed to the fireplace, her back stiff.

  Sighing, Nick joined her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “He still hasn’t noticed how you feel?” He could count the number of times they’d had this same conversation over the years, yet he would do his best to comfort her once again.

  “No.” She turned and sniffed into Nick’s shoulder. “And I don’t think he ever will. I’m just his best friend. Nothing more.”

  He patted her back, his big brother instincts taking over. “Maybe it’s time you faced the truth…and let Jason go.”

  Two tears escaped to leak down her cheeks. “That’s what I decided last night. After I’d finished with Lily.”

  Nick frowned. “What do you mean finished with Lily?”

  “If you’d call her, you’d know.”

  Geesh, Maxi was as prickly as a pear. “Did something else upset her?”

  “Maybe I will have that coffee after all.”

  Nick prayed for a truckload of patience and followed Maxi into the kitchen where he poured her a cup and topped off his own.

  She took the mug and stared down into the dark brew. “Your aunt asked Lily to come over to talk.”

  Nick set his mug on the counter with a thud. “What did she want?”

  “Lily wouldn’t tell me. But I know it upset her, and she was already worried about you.” She shot him a dark look. “It took me hours to calm her down.”

  Guilt tore at his gut to think about Lily being so distraught. And the fact that he’d contributed to it made it even worse.

  “She thinks you’re mad at her. That you’ve come to your senses and don’t want anything more to do with her.”

  Exasperation wore through his patience. “Why would she think that?” Then, with a start, he remembered a brief telephone conversation from two nights ago. Lily had called to talk, and he’d been quick to end the call. Now that he thought about it, his tone might have been a bit harsh. He exhaled a loud gust of air and sank onto one of the kitchen chairs.

  Maxi followed suit. “I think she’s hiding things from her past. She won’t talk about her family, but I know her father treated her bad. Maybe even beat her.”

  Nick’s arm jerked, rattling the salt and pepper shakers on the table. “He beat her?”

  “Didn’t she tell you about her father? I’m pretty sure he hit her when she did something wrong. I think it made her feel unworthy of anything good in her life.”

  Nick bent over the table, his eyes closed and his head in his hands. He knew all about feeling unworthy. About the effects of a father beating you. Why hadn’t Lily told him the whole truth about her childhood? She must have known he’d sympathize with her.

  Sudden clarity flooded his system as everything came into sharp focus. Lily needed him. That’s why God had brought them together. It was up to Nick to help her feel worthy. To show her how much God loved her. “I need to see her and straighten out this mess.”

  Maxi smiled for the first time since she got there. “I was hoping you’d say that.” She drained her cup and got to her feet, pausing to study him. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

  He glowered at her. “That, my friend, is between Lily and me.”

  She grinned. “You just gave me my answer. But I think Lily’s the one who needs to hear it.”

  ****

  Lily followed Doc Anderson down the main corridor of his medical clinic and into his spacious office.

  “Thanks for coming on such short notice.” Doc motioned for her to have a seat.

  “I hope this means you have some news for me.” Lily scanned the framed diplomas on the wall behind his large oak desk before perching on the edge of a guest chair. How she wished Nick were here with her.

  “I do.” Doc moved to the large credenza that sat along one wall. “Tried to get a hold of Nick, but couldn’t reach him.” He looked over his shoulder at Lily, a question in his eyes.

  She shrugged. “He must be busy with work.”

  Doc stared at her for a moment. “Must be.” He pulled out a drawer and removed a manila folder. “I went into Kingsville to the hospital yesterday,” he said as he sank into the oversized leather chair.

  Her pulse sprinted like a rabbit across a field. Maybe now she’d get some answers. “Any luck?”

  He set the folder on the desk in front of her. “I think you’ll find these quite interesting.”

  She opened the file and picked up the papers inside. The words danced on the page in front of her.

  Lily Adelaide Strickland, age 5. Admitted on November 13th. Gunshot wound to the chest.

  A bunch of medical jargon followed.

  Novem
ber 28th—Patient breathing on own. Still unconscious and unresponsive.

  December 5th—Patient regained consciousness.

  Lily skipped over more minutia about feeding tubes and bowel activity to the pages at the end. On the last sheet, the entry read: December 19th. Patient recovered enough for release.

  December 22nd—Patient discharged. Released into adoptive parents’ custody.

  Dazed, she raised her eyes. “So the hospital never declared me dead.”

  “Apparently not. These were not the records I received. Looks like the hospital chaplain sent me a false report along with a fake death certificate.” Doc’s expression was grim.

  “What possible motive could he have had to do such a thing?”

  “I wish I knew.”

  “Were you able to learn the chaplain’s name?” Her heart thudded against her ribs. She needed to know the name of the man who had changed her fate with the slash of a pen.

  “As a matter of fact, I did.”

  “And?” Lily bit her bottom lip.

  He steepled his fingers and looked past her. “I remember how upset Sonia was when they told us little Addie had been cremated.” He gave a deep sigh. “If only we’d known you were still alive. You could’ve been raised with your sister.”

  Lily’s hand stilled on the papers in her hand. She couldn’t allow herself to think about that now. About how different her life could have been. “His name?” she prompted.

  He focused his gaze back on her. “Ah, yes. The chaplain’s name was Tobias Cunningham.”

  21

  The night before Chloe’s final exam, Lily finished her evening shift at the salon while Chloe worked on a mock test in the back room. As the last customer swung out the front door, Lily glanced at the clock on the wall. Half an hour more and she could go home.

  Home to her empty apartment where she would nuke a frozen dinner and try not to think about Nick.

  Peg sauntered up to the reception desk to mark an appointment in the book. She tossed down the pencil and stretched backward, hand at the small of her back.

  “Well, I’m done for the day. You OK to lock up?”

  “Sure.” Lily smiled at her. “I appreciate you letting Chloe study here.”

  Peg patted Lily’s shoulder. “Chloe’s a good customer, and you’re a good employee.”

  “Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself.” Lily winked.

  Peg gave a rare laugh and then sobered. “Haven’t seen that young man of yours around lately. Everything OK?”

  “I’m not sure, Peg.” Thinking of Nick made her heart hurt.

  The larger woman shook her head. “Thank goodness I’m not young anymore. I go home to my cat, Tiger. He’s good company and a whole lot simpler than a man.”

  Lily laughed out loud. “You have a point. Maybe I should get a furry friend instead.”

  Peg chuckled as she pushed out the door. “Don’t stay too late now.”

  “I won’t. Good night.”

  Lily watched Peg stroll down the sidewalk and let out a deep sigh. Even Peg had noticed a change in Nick’s behavior. Lily wished she didn’t care so much. The truth was she cared a lot more than she should.

  Lily’s mind wandered back to her visit with Doc Anderson and the shock of discovering her own father had been the chaplain at Kingsville Memorial Hospital. Why had he lied and told everyone she was dead? Was that before or after they decided to adopt her? She wished she could discuss it with Nick, but she couldn’t afford to let him know her adopted last name. Much too complicated. Much too dangerous. Her deception had begun to grow like a bunch of bad weeds to choke her.

  She looked up when Chloe appeared beside her, paper in hand.

  “There, it’s done.” She slapped it down on Lily’s desk. “Once I graduate, I’ll never have to do math again. At least not without a calculator.”

  Lily smiled at Chloe’s dramatic flair. “What about college?”

  Chloe pulled a chair beside Lily. “I won’t need math for what I’m taking.”

  Lily blinked. In all the conversations they’d had, she’d never once asked Chloe what she wanted to do after high school. “What are you planning to study?”

  Chloe gave a tentative shrug. “I want to be a chef.”

  “That’s great. Have you applied to any schools?”

  “Two. One in New York and one in Boston.” A wave of sadness swept over Chloe’s features. “But I don’t know if I’m going to go.” She lifted sorrowful eyes to Lily. “When I applied last fall, I had no idea how sick my mom was. Now I don’t know if I can leave her.”

  “Oh, Chloe.” Lily put her arm around Chloe’s shoulder. “Did the doctor say how long she has?”

  Chloe blinked back tears. “Six months to a year, if we’re lucky.”

  The selfish part of Lily wanted to tell Chloe she should stay in Rainbow Falls, but that wouldn’t be fair. “What does your mom say?”

  “She wants me to go. Says it’s silly to put my life on hold indefinitely.”

  “She has a point. What if the doctors are wrong and she lives two or three more years? You could have your degree by then.” Lily squeezed her arm. “Besides, she has Nick to watch over her.”

  “That’s the only reason I’m even considering going. Nick promised to take real good care of her.”

  Lily set her jaw, inwardly vowing to do everything in her power to help Chloe realize her dreams so she wouldn’t have to hustle drinks in a smelly tavern or sling hamburgers in some fast food joint.

  Chloe seemed to make a deliberate effort to lighten the mood. “Hey, you’ll come to my graduation, won’t you? After all, I wouldn’t be graduating if it weren’t for you.”

  Lily sucked in a breath, picturing Chloe in her cap and gown. “Of course, if you want me to. When is it?”

  “A week from this Saturday at my school.”

  “I’d be proud to come.”

  “Great. It’ll be you, mom, Nick, and Maxi. My four favorite people.” Chloe beamed at her.

  A worrisome thought formed. What if Nick still wasn’t speaking to her by then? It could prove very awkward. Lily bit her lip. She’d have to make the best of it for Chloe’s sake.

  The bell jangled a few minutes later while Lily corrected Chloe’s mock test. Lily’s gaze flew to the door, hoping it might be Nick. Instead, Maxi sailed into the shop and threw her purse down with a flourish.

  Lily did her best to summon a smile for her friend. “Hey, where have you been all day?”

  “Getting on with my life.” Maxi did a pirouette around the front of the shop. Light bounced off her sparkly earrings as she twirled.

  Chloe joined them at the reception desk, a soda in hand. “What’s all the excitement about?”

  “I’ve decided to quit mooning over Jason Hanley and go after my dreams.” Maxi threw out her arms in a dramatic gesture, as if she were a performer on stage.

  Lily shared a questioning look with Chloe. “What did you do?”

  “Applied online to a dozen of the top salons in New York City.” Maxi’s smile could have rivaled the neon lights on Broadway. But Lily’s mood plummeted at the possibility of losing both her friends to the big city.

  Chloe whooped and rushed over to embrace Maxi. “Maybe we’ll both be in New York together. You at the salon and me at the finest dining establishments in the country.”

  The two girls laughed and carried on with their outrageous imaginings. Lily tried to get into the spirit with them, but inside her soul cried out. Not only was she losing Nick, but her two best friends would be leaving as well. Why would God give her a taste of happiness, only to rip it away with the cruelty of a dictator?

  “What’s wrong, Lil?” Maxi watched her with a slight frown.

  Lily shrugged and attempted a laugh. “What am I going to do without you guys?”

  Maxi shoved her hands on her hips. “You’ll come with us. Especially if Mr. Logan doesn’t get his act together. You can be my personal assistant, and I’ll pay you a fortune.” />
  Chloe joined the fantasy. “The three of us will share a penthouse apartment overlooking Central Park and be sought after by all the rich bachelors in town.”

  There was something infectious about their joy, about the vastness of their dreams. Just being around them made Lily want to believe everything would work out for the best.

  Even if her heart had to break in the process.

  With a sigh, Lily focused on marking Chloe’s paper. After she tallied the results and congratulated Chloe on her excellent score, Maxi offered to drive Chloe home.

  On the way out, Maxi threw Lily a sly glance. “Had an interesting chat with Nick today. You might want to give him a call.” She winked and let the door swing shut behind her.

  Lily’s pulse raced. Had Nick said something to Maxi about her?

  She crossed the room to turn off the lights, and a fierce determination rose up inside her, overriding her paralyzing fear. She would not wait one more minute to find out what was going on with Mr. Logan. She grabbed her keys and her purse and locked the door behind her.

  For better or worse, she would confront Nick and find out the truth.

  22

  Nick packed up his toolbox and tossed it with a bit more force than necessary into the back of his pickup. He’d wanted to talk to Lily before this, but Mrs. Winters had called with an unexpected repair job, and Nick couldn’t refuse the elderly woman’s request.

  He jumped into the cab and started the engine. The clock on the dashboard read nine o’clock. He’d go home, take a quick shower, and head to Lily’s. There were a few things they needed to settle between them, and he wasn’t going to put it off any longer.

  On the way through his front door, he grabbed the mail from the box. The return address on the first envelope slowed him. His exam results. The screen door slammed behind him as he walked into the kitchen, his mouth as dry as the dust he’d just cleaned up.