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Standing up straight, he crossed his arms over his chest and said, “Told you it’d take longer than ten minutes to change your battery.”
“The woman isn’t sure it is the battery.” She glanced toward the doorway that led to the repair shop. “I hope they’re wrong. My grandparents gave it to me when I graduated from the U of M. I’d hate to think it’s irreparable.”
The University of Maryland was his alma mater, too. He’d started on a degree in communications. His dad had pointed out that it would limit his choices in the job market, though, and as usual, the old man had been right. The BA in business had been instrumental in helping him organize and grow his mother’s company.
“I’m sure they can fix it.”
“I’m sure you’re right.”
Standing close beside him, she rested her hip against his as she continued staring at the narrow doorway, arms and ankles crossed, just like his. Whitney had always been accommodating. No matter what he suggested, from restaurants to movies, from ballgames to staying home and watching old movies, she’d been agreeable. She was pretty. Hardworking and smart. He liked her. But...why couldn’t he feel something more for her, something deeper?
She took his hand and aimed his forefinger at a bracelet, glittering under the bright overhead lights.
“Isn’t that just gorgeous!”
She’d been hinting that their relationship had passed from “just dating” to serious. But not nearly serious enough for diamonds, he thought.
Jase grinned at her. “I suppose...if you’re into glitz and glam.”
She moved farther down the display case, pointing out earrings, pendants and anklets that matched the bracelet. When she maneuvered toward the rings, Jase pretended to scratch an itch beside his nose as an excuse to let go of her hand, because she’d zeroed in on a square-cut solitaire, nearly identical to the one in his sock drawer. The one he’d given Lillie shortly after her release from physical therapy. The one she’d returned after he called her on the carpet for taking the guys’ money.
Whitney continued examining the glass cases until she reached the presentation of men’s watches. “This one is nice, isn’t it?”
He nodded, though he’d barely seen it. Jase was too busy remembering the night he gave the ring to Lillie...the week after her release from the PT facility and two weeks before her twenty-sixth birthday. They’d just finished a close-harmony rendition of an Eagles tune when he asked the audience to share in some good news...and held up the tiny blue velvet box.
Lillie’s big eyes had grown round and wide as she stood, grinning and blinking under the spotlight. Then she’d grabbed the mic and faced the band. “I think he’s trying to tell us we’re doing ‘Blue Velvet’ next.”
Jase smiled at the memory.
Whitney rapped on the glass counter. “Jason? Would you ever wear a man’s bracelet, like this one?”
“Nah,” he managed, his mind still fogged by the fond memory...
Whistles and applause had filled Three-Eyed Joe’s pub. “Quit beatin’ around the bush,” the Muzikalees’ drummer said into his mic.
“Ned’s right,” Spence agreed, playing a run on his guitar. “Pop the question why don’t you, so we can get back to work!”
“What about a necklace?” Whitney wanted to know.
“Nah,” he repeated, “I’m not much into trinkets.” He tried to focus on the thick gold chain, but what he saw was Lillie, opening the little box, smiling past glittering tears as she handed him the ring and waited for him to put it on her finger.
“Yes,” she’d said matter-of-factly. Then, more emphatically, “Yes.” And standing on tiptoe, she’d nearly knocked him over with a powerful Lillie hug.
When he kissed her, a patron yelled, “Atta boy, Jase! Atta boy!” And he’d barely heard the applause because—
“Have you ever considered wearing an earring?”
Jase shook his head, hoping to rid himself of those memories.
“Well? Would you?”
“Me? A pierced ear? Like a pirate?” He forced a laugh. “Have you met me?”
Whitney laughed, too, then exhaled a feminine groan. “You are the most difficult man to buy a gift for!”
“You know I’m not big on gifts.” He pulled her into a light hug. “Besides, a little bird told me I’m getting running boards this year.”
She blushed prettily and would have kissed him if the clerk hadn’t said “Ms. Hendricks?”
Whitney went to the counter, and while she and the jeweler discussed the watch, Jase faced Route 40. Cars, trucks and motorcycles bulleted past. Then he noticed that his passenger window was down. Not partway, but all the way. Whitney must have accidentally hit the button while searching for her phone. “Payback,” he murmured, and stepped up beside her.
“I left the truck window open and it looks like rain. Be right back,” he told her. And without waiting for a reply, Jase palmed his keys and made his way to the parking lot...
...and crashed into Lillie, crushing a long-stemmed flower between them.
“Jase?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
He felt like an idiot when he replied, “Lillie...”
“Dad and I were just picking up a few things for Mom.”
Liam, standing beside her, said, “Good to see you, son. What brings you all the way to Ellicott City?”
He transferred the keys from his right hand to his left and resisted the urge to glance into the jewelry store. “Just...just running errands. Sunday’s Mother’s Day...”
Lillie smiled as Liam chuckled. “Yeah,” he said, showing off his bouquet, “we heard.”
Jase stepped back, asking Lillie how badly he’d crushed her purchase.
She gave the orchid a quick once-over. “It’s fine.”
“Are you sure? Because I’m happy to go right back in there and buy a replace—”
Lillie silenced him with a tiny smile. “Really. Orchids are tougher than they look, kinda like the daisies Dad bought...” She winked at her father. “Because he thinks they’re Mom’s favorites.”
While Liam chuckled, Jase remembered that once, they’d been Lillie’s favorites. “They’re tough,” she’d say, “like me.” The proof could be found on anything that would hold ink: envelopes, napkins, cash register receipts... Given enough time, the thing would be covered with doodles of daisies, jagged-edged leaves and curlicue vines swirling between the blossoms. But that had been before the accident.
Get it together, dude. “When did you get home?”
“I just picked her up at the Greyhound station. My girl, here, wanted to stop on the way home. Get a little something for her mom.”
“Ellicott City is hardly on the way home to Fells Point...”
“I know,” Lillie said, “but this place is owned by the parents of a girl I graduated with. Anyway, you know I like shopping at mom-and-pop stores when I can. Besides, no telling when I’ll get a chance to go shopping, and I wanted to bring something nice to Mom. Dad says she’s been cooking and baking for days to welcome me home, so...”
She’d never been one to ramble, not even when nervous, but Jase supposed a lot of things about her had changed in the year she’d been gone.
“Well, I think the flower is real nice. I’ll bet your mom will think so, too.”
She’d focused on something over his left shoulder, and Jase turned just as Whitney closed the distance between them.
“Well, it’s all fixed,” she announced, holding up a tiny black bag. Linking her arm through his, she pressed close to his side. “Turns out it was just the battery after all. You were right. I got myself all worried over nothing.”
She fixed her gaze on Liam. “Mr. Rourke, right?”
Lillie’s dad extended a hand. “Good to see you again, Whitney. And please, call me Liam.” He drew Lillie into a sideways hug. “I don’t think you’ve met my daughter. Lillie, this is Whitney.”
Jase felt Whitney stiffen, and from the corner of his eye saw the slight lift of her chin.
“Lillie? The Lillie?”
Had Whitney intended to make it sound as though she knew all the gory details of Lillie’s recent past? Because nothing could be further from the truth. Each time Whitney had pressed for information about former relationships, Jase steered the conversation in a different direction. Not to protect her so much as to spare himself the memories. Except once, early in their relationship, when she’d found a framed photo in his desk drawer. “You loved her a lot didn’t you?” Whitney had asked, staring at it. When he didn’t respond, she’d added, “So? What’s her name?” Somehow, he managed to grind out “Lillie.” Things got real quiet between them for the rest of that evening. But thankfully, the subject never came up again.
A fly buzzed by his head, rousing him from the memory.
“Yes,” he said, “this is Lillie. We go way back.” The image of the first time he saw her flashed in his mind. As manager of Three-Eyed Joe’s and leader of the Muzikalees, he’d hired her on a probationary basis, thinking a girl singer would encourage a less rowdy crowd. From the instant she’d walked into the pub, Lillie had a positive impact on the place. The guys in the band quit cussing. People on the dance floor didn’t bring their drinks with them. The bartenders and waitresses picked up on her sweet, upbeat demeanor, and served customers, even the surly ones, with smiles.
“Well, it’s been lovely seeing you again, Liam, and meeting you, Lillie,” Whitney said, “but Jason and I have a few more errands to run before we change for dinner at Sabatino’s.”
He’d all but forgotten their dinner plans. But the way she’d put it made it sound as if they were living together. And they most definitely were not. Lillie’s eyes widened, exactly as they had when she pressed the engagement ring into his palm that night. Despite their history, he didn’t like seeing her hurt.
“Sabatino’s, eh?” Liam said. “That’s one of our favorite restaurants in Little Italy.”
Lillie, Jase noted, said nothing. Their favorite restaurant had always been Chiaparelli’s, because they made great gnocchi.
“Well, good seeing you two,” he said, shaking Liam’s hand. To Lillie, he said, “See you around, kiddo.”
If that look on her face was any indicator, Lillie was thinking, Not if I have anything to say about it!
“Does Dad have your contact information?”
Jase decided that mind reading wasn’t among his hidden talents.
“Sure do,” Liam said as Whitney pressed closer to Jase’s side. “Why?”
When Lillie’s big dark eyes locked on his, Jase had to remind himself to breathe. There had been a time when a look like that would have inspired him to—
“Good. I’ll be in touch,” she told him. “Is there a best time to call?”
“No, no, anytime’s fine.”
And with that, he let Whitney turn him around. Let her lead him across the parking lot, let her take his keys. The quiet beep indicated the doors were unlocked, effectively snapping him out of his reverie. If she offered to drive, well, he’d just have to draw the line at that.
She sat quietly for a few minutes, then said, “She’s even prettier in person.”
As he merged with traffic on Route 40, he silently agreed.
“How old is she?”
The question took him by surprise. “I dunno, twenty-seven, twenty-eight?”
“I should ask her what skincare products she uses. She doesn’t look a day over twenty.”
Should’ve seen her the night she left, Jase thought. By then, months of abusing her body with drugs and booze had taken a toll, painting dark circles beneath her eyes, turning her normally pink-cheeked, freckled face pale, dulling her once bright eyes. She’d lost some hair, too, and had taken to wearing knit hats and scarves, even in the summertime. And the tremors... She’d needed two hands to return the ring.
“Why do you suppose she wants to call you?”
To talk about a repayment plan? “We didn’t exactly part on a good note. I expect she wants to correct that. You know, for closure?”
He braked for a traffic light. Two more blocks, and they’d turn onto her street so she could dress up for the restaurant. Maybe his luck would continue, and she’d change her mind about eating out...
“When she calls, will she want to meet in person? To discuss...closure or whatever?”
“Guess we’ll have to wait until she calls to find out. If she calls.”
“If?”
Oh, she’d call, all right. And unless he was mistaken, it would be to discuss the money she owed him. In his mind, the balance was zero. He’d written it off ages ago. But...
“Anything’s possible,” he told Whitney, quickly adding, “Can we change the subject, please?”
When he pulled into her driveway, she sat, still and silent, staring through the windshield. It seemed like a full ten minutes before she said, “Would you mind very much if we skipped Sabatino’s tonight?”
“Why?” As if you don’t know.
She unbuckled her seat belt. “It’s just... This has been a long week. I just need a good night’s sleep.”
He could have pointed out that it was only Thursday. That neither of them had worked today. But since she’d said it all without looking in his direction...
Jase felt like a heel. She was so uncomfortable she couldn’t even make eye contact. He needed to take care from here on out. He didn’t want to hurt her.
“I didn’t mean for that to come out all mean and grouchy.”
The look she gave him said “Oh, really.” But she said, “Can you come in for a few minutes?”
He wanted to say no. That he was tired, too. What if that brief encounter with Lillie had made her add two and two...and come up with three’s a crowd?
“Sure,” he said, turning off the truck, taking his time while removing the keys from the ignition. “I’d like that.”
“Leave the front door open,” she said as he stepped into the foyer. “It’s a gorgeous day, and the breeze will feel good.”
The gray sky and the scent of impending rain didn’t agree.
Whitney poured two glasses of iced tea and sat at the kitchen table. The instant he was situated, she said, “I guess that was really hard. Seeing her after all this time, I mean.”
“Not really.”
“You can be honest with me, Jason. No need to tiptoe around my feelings. I know that what you two had is over.”
