Kitabı oku: «Be My Babies», sayfa 4

Chapter Four

“HI, LILY. NEED SOMETHING?” Evan Hill smiled up at her from his desk in the newsroom. He was a little guy with a wiry build and warm brown eyes. There were five desks in the big open space, and he was seated at one of them. Simon had his own office in the corner.

Lily nodded toward it. “I’m looking for the chief.”

“He just called and said he was on his way. Go wait inside. There’s a couch. Sit, put your feet up.”

“Good Lord. You, too?”

“If you don’t, I’ll tell the Senior Brigade.”

“We wouldn’t want that.”

In the six weeks she’d been in Fairview, the people in town had come to care about Lily, especially the older ones she’d helped with ads. She found them fascinating and loved listening to their stories. They must have sensed she was sincere because, in turn, they watched over her like hawks. Having never been nurtured before, she loved being cared for.

She wandered into Simon’s office and sat on the couch. From there—with her feet up—she studied his personal space. She’d been in here before, of course, but never alone. Several pictures of Jenna, at different ages, hung on one wall. There was another of his favorite old newspapers that had been matted and framed. What was that? She rose and crossed to a small case containing trophies. For basketball. From high school. And, oh, how cute, from this year. He played in a men’s league. Each day she discovered more depths to this man. And each day she found herself gravitating toward him more.

After she’d finished exploring, Lily caught sight of a typed sheet on his desk. Hmm. She’d just take a peek. His editorials were wonderful—usually on world events that small towns sometimes forgot about. He’d done one on the war in Iraq, and one on peace in the Middle East, and he’d even tackled the volatile topic of gay rights, which— because he was a proponent—had caused a stir down at the diner and over at O’Malleys’ pub. She wondered what the subject of this one was and picked it up. When he walked in, she’d just finished reading.

“Hi, Lily. What are you doing here?”

She held up the paper. “I’m sorry, I peeked. Well, no,” she sniffled, “I’m not sorry. Simon, this is so sad. And so poignantly written.”

He leaned against the doorjamb. She noticed again how broad his shoulders were as they stretched the cotton of his shirt. The opening at the collar revealed dark chest hair and a patch of tanned skin. “It’s a shame, isn’t it, what goes on in those refugee camps? I wish I could do more than write about it.”

“You do a lot by making people aware of the atrocious conditions. After the Iraq editorial, there was a big collection of socks and books in town. I heard from Loretta that your work spurred other action. You are helping.”

“I guess.”

She indicated the one she’d just read. “This woman, Anna. She was in a camp for sixteen years?”

He nodded his head. “Yep. Got married there, had two kids.” Quietly, he added, “God knows what she endured.”

Lily glanced away. He came around the desk and squatted in front of her. He tipped her chin and shook his head. “Are you crying, Lily?”

“Ignore it. I cry at everything these days.”

“So did Marian.” He took out his handkerchief and Lily reached for it. But instead of giving it to her, he wiped her face. She swallowed hard at the intimacy of the gesture. Up this close, she could see the green flecks in his eyes, how long lashed they were, several shades darker than his hair. She got a whiff of his cologne. Very male, very sexy.

When he finished, he stared at her for a long time. “You’re something else, Lily Wakefield.”

She was startled to realize how disappointed she was when he drew back. Self-consciously, she smoothed down her tan capris and long white blouse.

“Did—” he cleared his throat “—did you come back here for a reason, or just to nose around in my stuff?”

“I wanted to talk to you. I need advice and I thought you could give me some, since you’re close to Gil.”

He stiffened. He was so protective of her grandfather, Lily knew instantly she was doing the right thing. Though she was still wary of men, in general, she was beginning to see Simon as an ally.

“Can we sit on the couch? And close the door?”

When they were settled, Lily faced him solemnly. “Simon, last week, when Gil brought up my mother’s art, I knew he was waiting for me to tell him what happened to her. He’s been waiting.”

“He mentioned it while you were turning Jenna into America’s Top Model.”

“And planning a world tour of all our favorite places, don’t forget.”

“Spare my checkbook, please.” He sobered. “About Cameron?”

“If I tell Gil what happened to her, I worry that he’ll be devastated. And I wonder if he really has to know.”

His face shadowed. “As I told him, sometimes knowing the truth isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

“Simon?” Intuitively, she knew he wasn’t just talking about Gil. And suddenly, she wanted to know more about this man, about those secrets he said he’d been keeping. The longing was so strong, it surprised her.

“Never mind about me. Finish what you were going to say.”

“All right. I thought I could tell you what happened, and you could help me decide if I should tell Gil. You’re closer to him than anyone, and you’d know what was the right thing to do.”

“Thanks for trusting me.” He leaned back against the couch and crossed one foot over the other knee. “Go ahead.”

“You know the basics. My mother never went to the home for unwed mothers. Instead, she took a bus to New York, and stayed at the YWCA. She found a job right away as a waitress.”

“That must have been hard. Sixteen. Pregnant, waitressing.”

Lily’s hand went to her just-beginning-to-bulge abdomen. “I can’t imagine. Anyway, welfare paid for my delivery and our hospital stay, and then she got a second job in a day care so I could stay there while she earned money. It was tough, but she loved me and I knew it.”

“She must have been a very strong woman.” He smiled. “You take after her in that respect….”

His compliment warmed her, and for a minute distracted her.

“What happened?”

“We did okay for a while. But the hard life wore on her. By the time I was in grade school, she wanted more.” Lily shook her head. “She found a way to get it.”

His eyes narrowed. “Not a good way.”

“No. First she waitressed at this club. This strip club. And then she stripped. She called it dancing, but I knew what she was doing. I was mortified, but still she was a good mother.”

“You told Gil she died in a bus accident.”

“Another lie.”

“Oh, Lily.”

“She went home with one of the patrons from the club. And never came back. They found her body on the street, near a garbage dump.”

Tears flowed now. She tried to dash them away, but she was transported back to all the horror of her mother’s death and the terror of being left alone.

Simon slid closer and took her hand. She latched on to it for support, but she couldn’t look at him, so he pulled her close and held her.

“I’m sorry. I thought I’d dealt with this.” She buried her face in his chest, as if it were the most natural thing to do. “You’re the first person I’ve ever told this to.”

“Derek doesn’t know?” There was an odd note in his voice. It got that way every time he talked about her husband.

“Are you kidding? No. And he wouldn’t want me to tell him. That’s one reason why he won’t find me here. He doesn’t know about my connection to you all.” Oh. “I mean to Gil.”

“It must have been hard for you, Lily, living like that.”

“It was, but, Simon, my poor mother…She was a good person. I think life just gave her too many knocks.”

“What happened to you when she died?”

“I was sixteen, by then, and she’d left some money. She stashed it away, truly, in a mattress. With working two jobs, it was enough for me to live on.”

“Didn’t social services have something to say about that?”

“It’s easy to get lost in New York City.”

“I can’t believe you were left alone.” He was still holding her, and his hand smoothed down her hair. It felt comforting—and something else, too. Closing her eyes, she sank farther into him. “You were Jenna’s age.”

“I love Jenna’s innocence. Because I never was like her. I craved it, though, and respectability.”

“I can see why.” He kissed the top of her head. Settled his hand at her neck.

All she wanted was to stay in Simon’s arms. She’d never felt protected by Derek. Instead, she was always taking care of him. This was such a welcome change, maybe even a needed one during her pregnancy, which had made her feel utterly vulnerable.

But it couldn’t last and it wasn’t reality. After a few more precious moments in his arms, she drew away, sat up and wiped her eyes. “Damn. I’m a regular fountain around you.”

“This is something to cry about.”

“That’s why I’m torn about what to do with Gil.”

“It’s a hard call.”

“Simon, this would hurt him so much. And what purpose would it serve, to tell him? He already feels so much guilt.”

“You really care about him, don’t you?”

“Of course I do!”

“I think maybe your instincts are right. As you said, what good would it serve for him to find out about Cameron?”

She released a heavy breath. “Okay, then. I feel better, knowing you agree.”

Reaching out, he took her hand again. His was big and masculine and easily encompassed hers. “Let me say something. You’re a wonderful person. You’ve survived so much. And you still worry about others.”

“I ran away from Derek, Simon.”

“Which was the right thing to do. You have character and strength. Remember that.”

Tears welled in her eyes again.

“Uh-oh. We’d better stop this.”

She looked down at her hand in his. So did he. He was right—they had to stop. Because the last thing Lily needed in her life right now was a relationship with this man. With any man. Although, in her heart, she didn’t want to curtail her feelings for Simon.

This time, however, she’d listen to her head.

STILL REELING from his afternoon conversation with Lily, Simon met his sister at the Fairview Diner for dinner. The cool air inside felt good after his walk over in the warm May weather.

“Hey, Simon,” Artie Conklin, the owner, said, when he came in.

“Hi, Artie. How’s that son of yours doing? He just got promoted, didn’t he?”

“Yep, to head of the ambulance crew. Still goes on calls, though.”

“Good for him.”

“How’s Lily?”

“She’s good.” More than good. Wonderful. And beautiful. Very, very beautiful.

“Glad to hear.” Artie nodded across the room. “Your sister’s in the back booth.”

“Thanks.” He found Sara sipping a glass of wine and kissed her cheek before he said, “Hi, sis.”

“Hi, Simon. That happen often?”

“What?”

“People asking you about Lily Wakefield. Right after you ask about their families?”

“Everybody asks me about her and Gil. They know her through the paper.”

“I heard she was working there.”

He motioned to their waitress for another glass of wine. “How are you, Sara?”

“Busy as hell.” She nodded over to Mac Madison, who was at another table. “Him, too. He’s with a client even now.”

“Sorry you missed dinner last week. Jenna felt bad.”

“Yeah. Me, too.”

“You didn’t really have to work, did you?”

“Of course I did.”

Leaning over, he took her hand. “Let’s get this out of the way so we can enjoy our meal. You didn’t want to see Lily, did you?”

She shook her head. The siblings resembled each other, except her short hair was darker and her eyes greener than his. Now, there was a wariness in them. “No, I didn’t.”

“She’s a good person, Sara. She really does have Gil’s best interest at heart.”

“I…found out some things about her.”

“On the background check I asked you to do, right?”

No answer.

“You investigated her more than that? Oh, Sara, all I wanted to know was if she was who she said she was, and from where she said she lived.”

“Simon, we knew nothing about her. I wanted more on her. I found articles and pictures on the Net, society kinds of things. She’s a real trophy wife.”

He didn’t respond.

Sara watched him. “Did you hear me? She’s married, Simon.”

“I know she’s married.”

“The Wakefields are influential people. I’m familiar with their law firm. Very high-powered. Rumored to be ruthless.”

“So?”

“Derek Wakefield is the father of her kids. If he wants them, he’s got a good chance of getting them.”

“She’s afraid of that.” He sat back and sipped his wine. “Look, there were good reasons she left.”

“What?”

“I can’t tell you. They’re private.”

“But she told you.”

He nodded.

“You’re getting attached to her.”

Thinking about holding her today, feeling her curves against him, loving the scent of her, he lied to his sister. “No, I like her. But I’m okay with it. Mostly, I was worried about Gil.”

“I’m worried about you. And Jenna.”

“Jenna is getting attached. She’s excited about the babies.”

Sara fired questions at him as if he were on the stand. “What happens to all of you when Lily leaves town?”

“Who says she’s leaving?”

“Oh, Simon, she’s got millions to go back to. Why would she stay here?”

For me. And Jenna and Gil. “She says she’s not going back.”

“She scraped her way through college. Even when she spent the required year abroad as an art major, she had to work. People who’ve been that poor never want to go back to a life without money.”

“She says she’s staying.”

“Then, that brings up another problem. She’ll have rights to the paper.”

His initial fear, which he’d buried because he’d begun to like Lily, surfaced with Sara’s warning. “I know.”

“The paper that you’ve been planning to buy. Dreaming, all your life, to own.”

He repeated, “I know. But Sara, I can’t do anything about one of Gil’s relatives turning up.”

“You could make her less welcome. If everybody stopped being so nice to her, maybe she’d go back to where she came from and forget about the Sentinel.”

“I tried distancing her and it didn’t work.” And now, he didn’t want her to leave.

“I’m just worried about my baby brother and my only niece.” Sara sighed heavily. “I wish Dad was still alive. You always listened to him. He’d talk some sense into you.”

He pictured his father’s laughing brown eyes and kind smile. Patrick McCarthy would have seen Lily’s true nature right away. God, he missed the man. “Maybe if you got to know Lily…”

“No. Somebody in this town has to stay objective about her.”

Good luck. “All right. Can we change the subject now? We haven’t talked in a while.”

“Since Lily came to town.”

“Hush. Tell me about your love life.”

She snorted. “My love life is about as active as yours.” When he didn’t respond, she added, “Simon, you’ve got to start dating again. So you had a few fiascos early on. Try again. You know Ellen Priestly has been interested in you for a long time.”

“I’ll think about it.” But instead of considering the elementary school teacher who gave off signals every time he saw her, Simon’s mind settled on Lily and how she felt in his arms, how his body had responded to her. However, he kept his face blank. That was the last thing Sara needed to hear now.

THE NEXT DAY, Lily sat at a table in the drugstore visiting with Loretta Jameson. The only pharmacy in town had a soda fountain on one side, and she and the schoolteacher were having late-afternoon tea together.

“How long were you on the stage, Loretta?”

“Ten years. I gave it up because the lifestyle was too intense. I came here—I already had a teaching degree— when I decided to find a nice small town to settle in.”

Lily shook her head at the story. “I love Broadway. What roles did you play?”

As she listened, she thought again of her idea for a column in the Sentinel. Which was one reason why she was so glad to see Simon stride into the drugstore and approach the prescription counter. He smiled at the pharmacist, Mr. Atherton, and made small talk. Lily took surreptitious glances at him. He was wearing shorts today, as she was, in deference to the warm weather. His legs were muscular, and the matching navy T-shirt outlined a chest that she already knew was sinewy. And solid. And strong.

Loretta followed her gaze. “He’s an attractive man, isn’t he?”

“I guess he is.”

The woman watched her. Lily could see why she had been a stage star. Her face was still lovely and relatively unlined, and her auburn hair was perfectly coiffed. “I knew a man like Simon once. He wanted me to do what I ended up doing when it was too late.”

“What was that?”

“Leave the stage and live a normal life.”

“Loretta, if this is about me and Simon, you misunderstand the relationship.”

Simon caught sight of them and a huge, delighted smile spread across his face.

Loretta arched a brow. “Do I?” She glanced at her watch. “Look at the time. I have a meeting at church. I’d better go. Take care, dear.” She rose, squeezed Lily’s arm and walked across the store. After speaking briefly to Simon, she left.

He headed right over to Lily and her pulse sped up as if she were a silly teenager, spotting her boyfriend.

“Hi.” He nodded to the door. “Having tea with Miss Jameson?”

“Yes, but I’m glad to see you.”

“And I’m glad to see you.”

“Can you sit?”

“Uh-huh, I’m waiting for some medication. Jenna has a cold, and now it’s turned into a sinus infection.”

“I know. I hope she feels better soon.”

He dropped down across from her. This close to him, she could see that he was sweaty. His hair was damp, too, making it curl even more. “Working out?”

“Running. Getting in shape for the summer basketball league.”

“I saw the trophies when I was waiting in your office.”

“Snooping in my office, you mean. You’d make a good reporter.”

“You think so? Because I have an idea for the paper.”

His face tightened, just a bit, which she noticed because she noticed everything about him these days. “Shoot.”

“A new column called Senior Saga.”

“And that would be about…?”

“The older people in town. Simon, they have so many stories. Mr. Martini was in World War II and his son served in Vietnam.”

“Everybody knows that.”

“But there’s a whole story about the two of them being honored together in Washington.”

“Hmm. That is news.”

“Mrs. Billings has tales about the Depression. Her husband got laid off and she ended up going to work in a factory.”

He smiled as Lily recounted other stories.

“And I think I know why the O’Malley brothers are so grumpy. There was this woman they both…”

He held up his hand. “All right, I get the picture. But I’m not sure we have the manpower to add another column to the paper.”

Toying with what was left of her cookie, she shrugged a shoulder. “You’ve got the womanpower.”

Again, he stiffened.

“Simon, what’s wrong? Don’t you want me to do this?”

“Nothing’s wrong. It’s a great idea.” He played with the napkin on the table. “Does this mean you’re staying in town?”

“Yes, I’m staying.”

He studied her. His expression was somber.

“You don’t seem very happy about that. I thought we were friends.”

“We are,” he said. “I’m happy you’re staying.”

“Then, what’s the problem?”

“I’m happier than I have a right to be about that, Lily. And before I say anything more, I’m getting up and leaving.”

Oh. Oh!

Towering over her, he no longer looked like the safe, protective man who’d held her the other day. He looked masculine and sexy, and instead of his virility threatening her, it thrilled her. “I hope you get my meaning.”

“I do, yes.” He walked a few steps away when she called out, “Simon?”

He pivoted around.

“I’m happy I’m staying, too. Maybe happier than I should be, but I am.”