by Mona Ingram
“Oh,” she said, her arms around the squirming puppy. “You’re beautiful.” She looked up at Maddie. “This is the one.”
“I think so, too.” She turned to the volunteer. “Can we do the necessary paperwork now? And I’ve been instructed to make an additional donation of a thousand dollars over and above the costs involved.”
The volunteer nodded gratefully. “We can always use donations. Thank you.”
“UNCLE CHASE SAYS THAT jealousy is a waste of energy, but I don’t care.” Annie looked straight ahead as they drove back. “I’m jealous of the little boy who gets that dog.” She turned suddenly, a look of alarm on her face. “You think he’ll take care of him, don’t you?”
It was all Maddie could do not to smile. “Oh yes. I met his father, and he’s a very nice man. He’ll make sure the dog is well taken care of.”
Annie settled back down. “That’s okay, then.” She was silent for a few blocks, then spoke again. “Will you have to take care of him for a while?”
“Just two days. I hope Lily doesn’t mind. After all, it’s her condo.”
“She won’t mind.” Maddie wished she could share the girl’s confidence. “When?”
“I have to pick it up on the 23rd. That’s Thursday, I think.”
“That’s the night of the ball.”
“The Oilmen’s Ball?” Lily had told her about Chase’s invitation.
“Yes. I’m going with the family this year. Grandma and Granddad are coming from Vancouver Island. I get to wear a long dress and everything.”
“Lucky girl.” She tried not to think about Brent and Cynthia, but an image of them dancing together persisted. She forced herself to smile. “Take some pictures for your happy place, okay?”
Annie nodded, but she seemed aware that it was a touchy subject. “I will.” She fidgeted with her gloves, and Maddie gave her an encouraging smile. “What is it?”
The child had never looked more serious. “Will we still be friends? You know, after Christmas?”
Maddie thought carefully before answering. After everything this child had endured, she didn’t want to be a disappointment in her life. “Of course we will. You’ll still be skating, won’t you?”
“Yes.” The answer was less than enthusiastic. “But you won’t be in Uncle Chase’s building anymore, will you.” It was more of a statement than a question.
“That’s true. But Zelda and I have been talking about finding a new location. You’ll always know where to find me.”
“I guess.”
“By the way, did you hear the good news?”
Annie raised her head hopefully.
“Your Uncle Chase is taking Lily to the Oilmen’s Ball.”
The news didn’t seem to surprise the youngster. “I think he really likes her. He’s always asking about her.”
“Well, don’t tell anyone, but I think she likes him, too.” It was amazing the way Lily had changed her opinion about Chase. Maddie was happy for her friend, but couldn’t help being a little envious.
She drove down the ramp into the parking area and pulled into her spot. Only a few more hours to go today and she could relax. Zelda had organized two gift wrapping demonstrations for tomorrow as the downtown area would be crowded with shoppers on Saturday. Maddie had set aside the day to buy the last of the gifts, but intended to take Sunday off; it couldn’t come soon enough.
“Here we are. Thank you for helping out with the puppy.” She gathered her things. “Are you going skating this afternoon?”
“Probably.” Annie seemed reluctant to part company. “Are you coming over?”
“I’m sorry, I can’t.” She gave an exaggerated sigh. “This is the last big weekend before Christmas, and Zelda and I are swamped.” She reached for the child’s hand and they walked together toward the elevators. “You’ll be skating next week, right?”
Annie forced a smile. “Uh huh.”
“Great. I’ll come over and watch.” She stepped into the lobby and watched the doors close, taking the child up to her uncle’s office. At least Annie would soon have the puppy to love. That thought would have to be enough to get her through the next week.
“DO YOU ALWAYS CLOSE your shop at this time of year?” Maddie handed Lily a cup of coffee when she appeared in the kitchen on Sunday morning. “It’s such a good idea.”
Even dressed in baggy sweats and an old grey hoodie, Lily managed to look beautiful. She took a sip of the coffee before answering. “I tried staying open when I first opened, but nobody has their mind on work, and it’s our slowest season, so I allow them a week off without pay if they want it, and I also give them a week with pay.” She flipped her hair back out of her face. “That’s in addition to their stats and their regular holidays.” She gave Maddie a sly smile. “Trust me, when the union people come around, none of my employees want to play.”
“I guess not.” Maddie leafed through the thick Sunday paper. “I suppose you want the business section?”
Lily nodded and held out her hand.
“Good, that leaves the important stuff for me.” Lily had often pointed out that there was little to be gained by reading either the entertainment or the society sections, but this morning Maddie didn’t care. She was relaxed for the first time in days and took the relevant sections over to the couch, where she tucked in her feet and began to read.
Maddie skimmed the entertainment section, and then moved on to the society pages. A series of photographs on the front page of the section caught her eye, and she almost gasped aloud. She looked up at Lily, who was deep into an article.
She looked back at one specific picture, hoping that her eyes had been playing tricks on her, but no such luck. There it was...a picture of Chase and a woman. He was reaching for her arm as she stepped out of a limousine under the porte cochere of the hotel. Even in the grainy photograph she could see that the woman was smiling adoringly at him. A long, sweeping fur coat covered her dress but those must be diamonds sparkling at her ears; they were obvious even in the newspaper.
She looked up at her friend again. Lily shook the newspaper and frowned in concentration. What if she didn’t tell her? No, that wouldn’t work. Lily was bound to find out and would be even angrier that Maddie hadn’t warned her.
In that moment, she hated Chase Drummond. Damn him and the casual way he’d treated her best friend. And damn his brother, too.
That’s not fair, said the voice in her head. Brent didn’t tell you he was unattached.
That may be true, but it didn’t excuse Chase’s blatant lies. He’d told Lily that he wasn’t with that woman any more. What was her name? She read the photo caption. Oh yes, Laurel Carmichael. He’d said that there was nothing between them, and yet the photo caption said otherwise: Laurel Carmichael and Brent Drummond attend the wedding of their close friends, Sarah Fremantle and Charles Montgomery. When asked if wedding bells were in the future for the attractive couple, Miss Carmichael answered, “Stay tuned.”
Maddie opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t bring herself to burst Lily’s bubble. At least not yet. It was bad enough that her own romantic dreams had been crushed, but Lily would be devastated by this news.
Unaware of Maddie’s distress, Lily flicked the business section with a fingernail and uttered a disgusted sound. “Would you listen to this? Some guy is expounding on what’s wrong with the oil exploration industry. As if he’s going to...” She stopped abruptly when she saw the look on her friend’s face. “What is it?” She slid down from the stool and walked across the room.
Maddie couldn’t speak. Reluctantly, she held out the newspaper, but she couldn’t meet her roommate’s eyes.
Lily took the newspaper from Maddie’s outstretched hand, scanned the story and then shook her head in disbelief. In that short space of time, the spark that had lit her eyes for the past several days flickered and went out. She glanced back down at the newspaper and blinked several times.
“He said he was going out of town.”
&nbs
p; It wasn’t the words that frightened Maddie. It was the cool, unemotional way they were delivered, as though the picture meant nothing. But Maddie knew better. Lily had taken a leap of faith when she’d agreed to go out with Chase Drummond, and he had let her down in the most hurtful way possible.
Lily looked down at the picture again, studying it as though to memorize it. Then she folded the paper, shoved it under the grate in the fireplace and lit it. Standing with her back to Maddie, she faced the fireplace while the newspaper flared and then burned to ashes.
Maddie knew better than to say anything. Lily walked into the kitchen, rinsed out her coffee cup and poured some fresh. Her brow furrowed as she tapped her fingernails restlessly against her cup.
“The thing is,” she said, shooting a quick glance at Maddie to make sure she was listening, “I don’t know whether to be mad at him or at myself. I saw this coming the other night at the fundraiser, but I chose to believe him when he said they weren’t together.” She raised her eyes toward the ceiling. “How ridiculous is that? When I saw them together I should have walked...” Her phone rang. She looked at it and grimaced. “My mother. Just what I needed.” She picked up the phone. “Hello, Mom.” She listened for a moment.
“When was this?” Her voice had become brisk and businesslike. She grabbed a notepad from the counter and started to make notes. “And you’re with him now?” She held the phone away and checked the time. “Okay. It’s ten thirty here now. I’ll be there before dinner tonight. What do the doctors say?” She listened, nodding her head. “That’s good, Mom. What you need to do now is keep it together until I get there.” She started to make a “hurry up” motion with her hand. “Okay, but while I’m talking to you I can’t be booking a flight or packing a bag. Yes, I’ll phone you from the airport and let you know when I’m getting in.”
She disconnected and stood for a moment, staring out the window. “My dad’s had a heart attack.” She walked toward the bedroom.
Maddie jumped up and followed. “How is he?”
“He’s still alive but the doctors say they won’t know anything for sure until tomorrow.”
Maddie felt helpless. “What can I do? Anything?”
“You could go online and see what flights there are. I think Air Canada and WestJet would be the best bets.”
Maddie had just finished her search when Lily came out with a small suitcase.
“There are several flights between now and three o’clock. Do you want me to book one, or will you check at the airport?”
Lily gave it only a moment’s thought. “I’ll wait until I get there. I might have a better chance of getting on.”
“That’s what I think, too. I’ve already called a cab. It should be downstairs.” Maddie walked her friend to the door. “What about work? Anything I should know?”
Lily shook her head. “No. Greta will probably come in and finish up the big t-shirt order, but other than that, the place is closed.” She gave Maddie a quick hug. “Okay, I’m outta here.”
Maddie called after her as she ran down the hall and stabbed at the elevator button. “What do I do if Chase calls?”
Lily hesitated for a split second, then continued walking. “Tell him to go to Hell.” The elevator doors opened, and she was gone.
Chapter Sixteen
LILY OPENED HER EYES and for a moment she didn’t know where she was. She looked at the ceiling and saw the stars. Faded now, they had glowed when she was a child. Many of her dreams had been launched looking at those stars.
Her mother’s voice came floating down the hall and memories of what happened yesterday washed over her. From the airport, she’d rushed directly to the hospital, and on seeing her, her mother had burst into tears. A strong woman, she’d been holding herself together until Lily arrived, but the sight of her only child weakened her defenses.
“It’s okay, Mom.” Lily held her mother in an embrace. “Cry if you like. You’ve been under a lot of stress.”
The back of her father’s hand was bruised where they’d tried to set up an intravenous feed. A heart monitor stood beside his bed and she’d watched it for what seemed like a long time, looking for any change.
The most striking thing about the man lying still in the bed was that his hair hadn’t been combed. Her father was meticulous about his appearance and for some odd reason she’d found herself focusing on the fact that he wouldn’t be pleased if he caught sight of himself in a mirror.
She swung her feet out of bed, pulled on some clothes and padded down the hallway toward the kitchen. Her mother was just hanging up the phone. She stood for a moment, hand on the receiver, and stared out the window into the back yard. Her mother was a beautiful woman but Lily had known for some time that she was also the brains behind her parents’ successful business. Her father was respected and most of his male colleagues preferred to do business with him, but he often deferred to her mother when it came to important decisions.
“Good morning, Mom.” She interrupted her mother’s reverie. “Any word?”
Her mother turned. It was difficult to tell if she’d had any sleep. “They say he’s resting comfortably. He woke up once earlier this morning then went back to sleep.”
“Is that good?”
“Apparently, yes.” Her mother forced a smile. “It looks like we won’t be taking that trip.”
Her parents often went to Taiwan on business, but this was the first time they’d planned a pleasure trip. The slow-down between Christmas and New Year presented the perfect opportunity to get away, and she knew her father had been looking forward to it.
“You’ll go some other time.”
Her mother waved a hand dismissively. “It’s not important. I don’t even know why I mentioned it.” She studied her daughter for the first time since she’d arrived. “You need to eat something. You’re too thin and you have dark circles under your eyes.”
Lily grinned. Things were going to be okay if her mother was commenting on her appearance. She gave her a quick hug. “I’ll grab something at the hospital.” She glanced at the clock on the stove. “Come on, let’s get going. The doctor said he’d talk to us again around ten.”
“HI, BOSS. HOW WAS YOUR weekend?” Zelda arrived laden down with bags from the deli. She’d stocked up on baskets when the craft store went out of business. Once again, Maddie was thankful for her assistant’s foresight, as it looked as though they could sell every gift basket they could make before the week was out.
“It was crazy. Did you happen to see the newspaper on Sunday?”
Zelda nodded. “I know. What’s up with that, anyway? I thought you said Chase had invited Lily to the ball.” She hung up her coat and started to work right away. “I’ve gotta say, that surprised me. He seems like such a nice guy.” She glanced up quickly. “I’ll bet his brother is a nice guy, too.”
Maddie nodded. What her assistant said was true. That’s why Brent and Chase’s behaviour didn’t make sense.
“That’s not all. Early Sunday morning, Lily’s father had a heart attack. She flew to Vancouver right away. I’m going to call her in a couple of hours to get the latest.”
“The latest what?”
Maddie recognized Chase’s voice and stopped in the act of putting away supplies. She turned slowly and faced him. He was as unbelievably handsome as ever, but she had an almost uncontrollable urge to grab him by his starched white shirtfront and shake some sense into him.
“The latest news on Lily’s father,” she said coolly. “He had a heart attack yesterday.”
“Oh no.” He took a few steps closer. “Is he going to be all right?”
Maddie shrugged. Why was she even talking to him? He had no right to Lily’s personal information. Anger surged inside her and she gripped the counter so tightly her knuckles turned white. “I’m not sure if she’d want me to discuss this with you.”
His eyes darkened, and a muscle in his jaw twitched. “I beg your pardon?”
Maddie’s patience snapped. �
�Come on, Chase. She saw the picture in the paper on Sunday. How could you do that to her?”
He turned his head as though he hadn’t heard her properly. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the picture of you and your fiancée in Sunday’s paper.” Her anger suddenly drained away, and she lowered her voice. “You broke her heart, Chase. What I don’t understand is why you had to do it in such a public way.”
Understanding dawned on his face as she spoke. He turned abruptly and strode to the elevator without a word.
“That was interesting.” Zelda continued to assemble gift baskets. She’d learned to do several at once. “He looked more angry than anything.”
“Did he? I didn’t notice.” Maddie sat down on a stool. “I don’t usually lose my temper like that.” She looked around the small shop, lost with nothing to do. “I think I’ll go and get us some coffee.”
She returned a few minutes later, pushed through the revolving door and stopped beside David’s desk. “Uh-oh,” she said aloud. Chase was back at her shop.
David gave her a curious look. “I think he’s waiting for you.”
Maddie braced herself. “Then I guess I’d better see what he wants.”
She spotted the newspaper on the counter. The society section had been folded so the photographs were front and center. He jabbed the photo with his forefinger. “Lily saw this?” He brushed his own question away with a wave of his hand. “Of course she saw it, why am I even asking?” He leaned on the counter, the intensity in his gaze unsettling. “Laurel is not my fiancée, no matter what it says here.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I’ve just been on the phone with her. She talked them into writing that photo caption.”
“Yeah, right.” Maddie gave him a skeptical look.
He picked up the paper and slapped it down again on the counter. “Her father owns the paper, dammit. She’s a spoiled brat who’s always managed to get what she wants.”