Page 11 of Sheltering Lily

“What happened?” He seemed genuinely interested, so I went on with the story.

“I was all dressed, with my hair done up, when there was screaming from the backyard. Robbie and Joe had been standing too close together and practicing their golf swings. Joe clobbered Robbie right here.” I pointed to a spot over my left eye. “It was obvious he needed stitches, but my dad was at a faculty dinner that night and wouldn’t come home. Mom took Robbie to the ER, and I missed prom to stay home with the other kids.”

“No one else could come to babysit?”

I shook my head. “Most people were unwilling to watch so many children. My date went without me and hooked up with a girl he eventually married. Happy ending for them.”

“I’m sorry about that,” he said, and I thought he truly was.

“It’s in the past.” I shrugged. “You remind me of my dad a little.”

His eyes grew wide. I supposed, after what I’d just said about my parents, it wasn’t a flattering comparison, but it was true.

“How so?” he asked.

“He’d love the starkness of your house.” I gestured around. “White and pure, that’s what he’d say. He hates clutter and messes. I always had to scramble to pick everything up that the other kids left lying around before he got home. That was my job. One time he arrived early, and I hadn’t had a chance to clean the living room after a Nerf gun war between my brothers. Dad was irate about Nerf bullets being everywhere.” I stabbed a piece of lettuce. “And my art supplies were a constant battle between us, too. He didn’t want me to have them in the first place. I had to buy them myself, out of my allowance, and if I made the mistake of leaving them out…” I trailed off, frustrated that I could still feel such anger about something in the past.

“I don’t despise clutter and messes,” Colin said in a level tone.

I turned an incredulous expression on him. Was this the man I’d been living with for the past weeks? “You had me fooled.”

“I hope that’s not the reason you haven’t let Sofia use the paint and markers I bought.” He seemed genuinely concerned. “I know you used the finger paints at least once.”

I laughed. “Found the evidence of that day, did you? I have to admit it was way messier than I anticipated. I’ve painted with kids before, but not with one as young as Sofia—or as exuberant.”

“She had fun with it?” He looked amused, not angry.

“She did, but then she started running through the house, trailing her hands along the walls. I thought I got it all scrubbed off.” I’d spent an hour with a scrub brush and bucket of soapy water, erasing the day’s damage from Colin’s perfect, pristine house.

“Not all of it. I saw a few spots. Here, I’ll show you.” He took my hand and gave me a little tug that got me off the stool.

I went with him, trying to read his mood. He didn’t seem critical. If anything, he seemed entertained by the idea…and it felt so good to have my hand in his.

“I noticed one right inside the front door,” he said, leading me along and pointing out a tiny mark here and there.

“If you noticed the marks, why didn’t you clean them?” I asked. “Or tell me about them? I’d have made sure they were wiped away.”

“I like them,” he said simply. “They’re little signs that Sofia was here—that she loves color and creativity. I can imagine looking at these marks in ten years and remembering how cute she was when she was a toddler. They’re nice memories.”

I couldn’t help smiling. That was such a sweet way of looking at it. Once I knew how he viewed them, I no longer felt nervous when he pointed out another paint stain. Instead, I was able to laugh with him as we marveled over the odd spots Sofia had managed to mark.

The mood between us felt warm, playful—and even a little intimate, since he still hadn’t let go of my hand. “You’re really great with her, you know,” he said softly.

I flushed. “Thank you.”

He stepped a little closer. “You’re really great…in a lot of ways.” He was close enough that I could almost feel the warmth of his breath on my skin. I shivered slightly, and ducked my head a bit, causing my hair to fall into my face. Before I could do anything about it, he reached out to tuck it behind my ear. I looked up at him and our eyes caught. The moment felt charged and electric, and I held my breath as I waited to see what he might say or do.

“There’s something else for you to see,” he said, and then he started to climb the stairs, tugging me along with him.

“Are…are we still looking for marks Sofia made? There won’t be any upstairs. I caught her before she went up.” The other spots he’d noticed were genuine, but there couldn’t be any on the second floor. So was there a different reason why he wanted to lead me upstairs?

“Are you sure?” He grinned at me.

I let him lead me, my heart racing in excitement and anticipation. We paused outside Sofia’s room. In the glow of the night-light, we could see her sleeping. Colin held his finger to his lips and pulled me past the spare bedroom to the master bedroom at the end of the hall. I hadn’t set foot over the threshold to that room until now.

“Is there a mark in here?” I whispered, looking around at the pristine white walls. I was pretty sure the answer was no, but I needed to make sure we were on the same page. And while I was there, I couldn’t resist taking in the room. The coverlet was gray, and a steel-colored upholstered chair sat in front of the window. There was no dresser, but I could see a long closet on one wall. I imagined his clothes were lined up inside on matching hangers. All very neat, very pristine. Very colorless. In my blue shirt with the yellow flowers, I was definitely the most colorful thing in the room. Did that bother him? Or…did he maybe like it?

“No, there aren’t any marks,” he answered, drawing my attention back to him. He was watching me with questioning blue eyes. The color and intensity made them his best feature. They’d drawn me in on other occasions, but not as powerfully as they did then. I nearly moaned when he cupped my cheek. Where was this leading? It seemed clear that he was going to kiss me. And I had to admit that I was eager for his kiss, eager for whatever came next. I knew it wasn’t a good idea, but I couldn’t stop myself from wanting it all the same. My eyes drifted closed, waiting.

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