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“Thank you, dear.” She held up a basket. “I brought you some muffins.”
A lot of people in town had been trying to feed her over the past month. “Oh, dear. I’m going to be a blimp by the time the babies come.”
The woman glanced at her stomach. “Are they doing well?”
“Yes. Kicking up a storm.”
“It must be a nice feeling.” Miss Jameson had been Simon’s high school English teacher, as well as Jenna’s now, and as far as he knew, she had never married or had a child. There was an aura of mystery to her, too, since she came from the big city and had settled here, all chic and sophisticated, like Lily. Miss Jameson glanced at Mr. Martini, who was heading for the door. “No need to go on my account, Marco.”
“Job’s done here, Loretta.” He tipped his summer hat. “Goodbye, ladies. Simon. Don’t work our girl too hard.”
As if he’d had any choice. “I won’t.”
Leaving the women to coo over babies and kittens, Simon went back to his office just off the newsroom and sat down at his desk. The mock-up of the classifieds was finished. He shook his head, wondering how life had changed so significantly in less than a month.
Lily had been working at the paper since that day Simon couldn’t reach Gil and she’d pitched in to help out. When Gil had found her at the office, he’d come up with the idea himself.
“This is perfect for you, Lily. You can sit down and take phone calls.”
“I can do more,” she’d said excitedly. She glanced at Simon, who knew his displeasure at the idea showed on his face. “I have some suggestions for the layout of the ads.”
“Already?” he asked.
“If it’s okay with you.”
She was always so hesitant, so self-effacing, that it had been hard to hang on to his doubts. Besides, Simon was sensible, if nothing else. “Sure. Truthfully, I’ve thought they needed an overhaul, but Tom Barker’s way too busy just getting the ad accounts.”
“Great.” The smile on Gil’s face had also made it hard for Simon to cling to his reservations.
Since that day, Simon’s negative feelings about Lily had dwindled even more. He stared at his latest editorial on global warming, thinking about how Lily was winning everybody over, including him. She’d been enthusiastic about these weekly columns, too, offering insights and effusive praise.
She came back to the office a half hour later.
“Where’s the kitten?”
“Jenna took both of them home. Miss Jameson was going to drive her, and get some food and kitty litter for them on the way. I hope that’s all right.”
“Yeah, as you said, she’s a big girl.”
“I can stop by and get Blackie on my way home.”
“Blackie? Very original.”
“Hers is Whiteface.”
“Clever.”
She regarded him with a knowing smile.
“What?”
“You’re a good father, Simon.”
“Am I?”
Perching on the edge of a chair, Lily crossed her legs. The gesture distracted him. She hadn’t worn stockings, so her legs were bare, and through her open-toed sandals he could see her pink toenails. “You know you are. Jenna’s a wonderful girl. You’ve raised her well.”
He leaned back and felt the familiar tightness in his chest. “When she got hurt, I thought I’d die.”
“Jenna was hurt? Gil didn’t tell me.”
“Her, um, mother died in a car accident when Jenna was five. Jenna was in the backseat.”
“Oh, no.” Was that moisture in her eyes? “How badly hurt was she?”
“A broken arm and leg. She had to have a pin put in her femur. And then there were years of therapy, to get her to walk without a limp.”
“You’d never know. She’s so graceful now.”
“Thank God.”
Giving him a watery smile, Lily shook her head. “You’ve had a difficult life.”
“You, too, I’m guessing.”
She averted her gaze over his shoulder.
“You don’t have to tell me. I know I’ve been unpleasant to you.”
Looking back at him, she asked, “Why, Simon? I can tell it’s not in your nature to be unkind.”
“The truth?”
“Of course. Always.”
“At first I worried about your motives. That you came here to…” He struggled for the right word. “Milk Gil, I guess.”
“I’d never do such a thing.”
“I see that now. If he buys you any kind of gift, even chocolates, you balk.”
Her hands curled on her lap. “I guess you were right to worry. I just showed up out of the blue. I could have been anybody, wanting anything.” When he didn’t say more, she asked, “You said at first? What about now?”
“I’m not worried about that anymore.”
“What are you worried about?”
“When you go away, Jenna and Gil will be hurt. Every day, they invest more in you.”
No response.
“I caught what you said out there about not taking the kitten. Because you didn’t know if you’d be staying here.”
“My life’s a mess, Simon. I don’t want to hurt anybody while I’m trying to straighten it out.”
“Are you? Straightening it out?”
“Yes, I think so. I’ve contacted a lawyer. He’s sending my husband legal separation papers.”
“Ah.” Simon knew only that she’d left her husband for what Gil considered good reasons. And now, the fact that she was asking the guy for a separation made Simon glad. It must be because it meant she was moving on with her life and wasn’t planning to go back to her old one. For Gil and Jenna, of course. “Will he sign them?”
“I hope so.” He could see the sadness in her eyes. This was hard for her.
“If I knew the situation,” he found himself saying, “I might be less wary.”
“I’m ashamed to talk about it.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m ashamed of some things about my past, too.”
Lily laughed, a bright sound that filled the office. He liked it. A lot. “Are you kidding? Gil, Jenna, the whole town think you walk on water.”
“I’ve gone under a time or two.” He shrugged. “But I don’t like to talk about those things, so I really shouldn’t ask you about your private life.”
She bit her lip. Her vulnerability struck a chord in him. She was determined and strong, too, a combination that was far too appealing to him as a man.
“I’ll tell you about it, Simon. But I’d appreciate it if you didn’t share this with Jenna. It’s not pretty.”
“All right, I won’t.” He watched her. “And I won’t judge, Lily. I promise.”
“Thanks.”
And then she told him her story.
THE MINUTE LILY WALKED into Simon’s house she felt a sense of well-being. Her modern three-story back in Westchester County, with its soaring pillars, high ceilings and acres of windows, was a showplace, but it had never, ever felt like a home, as this one did.
The floors and trim around the doorways were done in warm wood in the foyer and in the rooms on either side. Off to the right, a fireplace stood guard in a living room filled with comfortably upholstered earth-toned furniture. Splashes of whimsy were everywhere, in colorful pillows and throws and frames. So different from her expensive, hard-edged modern furniture, these sofas and chairs beckoned you to curl up on them. On the other side of the entrance was a dining room, again with light oak furniture and padded chairs. The aroma of beef coming from the kitchen completed the homey picture.
“Lily!” A rumble on the stairs followed the shouted greeting. “You’re here.”
Gil had let them in unannounced.
“Hi, sweetie.” They hugged, and Lily held on to the girl an extra second. Her hair was damp, as if she’d just washed it with rose-scented shampoo.
“Hey, what am I, Princess? Chopped liver?” Gil accepted a second hug warmly.
“Oh, Grandpa Gil. You know I love you.”
“Mmm. Me, too.” As Jenna took their raincoats and hung them up, he asked, “What’s that I smell?”
“Your favorite. Pot roast. Dad says you can have some, but not a lot. ‘Cuz of your heart.”
“Did you make dinner?”
“Mostly.” This from Simon, who walked down the hallway, wearing an apron that read, Kiss The Cook.
When Lily’s first thought was that that sounded like a great idea, she chided herself. But he looked so good wearing a red shirt beneath the apron and jeans that fit his butt like a glove. She admonished herself for the wayward thoughts and the perusal.
“Welcome to our home, Lily.”
He was looking at her differently, too. Ever since she had told him last week about Derek, he’d been nicer. Kinder. Sweet, really. She’d begun to like Simon McCarthy, and she thought she was making headway in getting him to like her, too. Though something niggled at her.
He was concerned about Gil and Jenna, if she left town abruptly, but there was something else that was bothering him, too. Usually, she got the feeling at the paper, when she wanted to try something new. He’d shut down and become cold or distant. Not now, though. He was smiling with genuine warmth.
“You have a lovely house.”
“Daddy did a lot of the work on it.”
“Really?”
“Uh-huh. My pride and joy.”
“Marco Martini and I helped,” Gil put in. “Then, we all worked on my kitchen. The old codger’s wanted to buy my house from under me for as long as I can remember, so he was trying to rack up some points.”
“And you’re not selling, of course.” Simon started down the hall. “Come back and sit.”
They followed him to the back.
The family room flowed into the kitchen and was demarcated by a rug that bumped up against the ceramic tile. A bank of windows faced the wooded backyard. Off the kitchen was an enclosed porch, its screens open, despite the rain outside. “This is gorgeous.”
“Thanks. We like it.” He took the wine they’d brought with them. “Want a glass?” he asked Gil.
“If Lily doesn’t mind.”
“I made you tea, Lily,” Jenna said. “The kind you brew with a ball.”
“Go ahead, have the wine. I’ll help.”
Gil said, “I’m going to beat Jenna at cards.”
Lily followed Simon into the kitchen while Gil and Jenna went into the family room.
“Can I have some wine, Dad?” Jenna called out from there.
“I’ll pour you a sip or two.”
Curious about the indulgence, Lily cocked her head as Simon got her a mug and took wineglasses out of the cupboard.
“It takes the mystery out of drinking,” he explained quietly. “Hopefully, as a result, she won’t feel the need to experiment outside of the house.”
