Page 47 of From the Moment We Met

Enrique sighed, shooting her a rueful smile. “I’d do anything for you, Lilly, but I stuck my foot right in it the other night.”

Lilly raised her eyebrows. “Well, if the shoe fits…” She noted his look of dismay and stifled a giggle. “I’m joking, Enrique. I think you’re a great guy. You’re becoming a dear friend to me.”

“Friends, terrific,” he muttered, his face suddenly darkening.

“What’s wrong?”

“What’s he doing here?” He motioned over her shoulder, towards the parking lot.

Lilly turned and spotted Sabina walking into the shelter with Jacob. Oh Jesus! She got so flustered she dropped the fence section, eliciting a string of profanities when it landed on her toe. “Can we take a quick break?”

Enrique nodded, his jaw twitching. “I could use some water. You want some?”

Lilly shook her head, distracted by Jacob’s presence. He disappears after kissing me, doesn’t make contact for three days and then reappears at the shelter?

Lilly walked over to the blueprints spread across two sawhorses and examined their progress, trying to calm her heartbeat. “It will be Christmas by the time this gets done,” she mumbled under her breath.

“Let’s be optimistic, maybe by Halloween.” Sabina was right behind her, but Lilly kept her focus on the blueprints, wanting to throttle her friend for consorting with the enemy. “Before you get mad, hear him out. Jacob really wants to help.”

“Of course he does, a chance for media exposure so he can look like the quintessential good guy.”

“Not at all, actually,” Jacob’s smooth voice replied.

Lilly blushed, glad she could blame the warm day and physical labor for the flush of color. Swallowing hard, she peered up at him. “Then why are you here?”

“I told you I’d be here. Do you want me to leave?” His voice wavered at the end of the statement, his eyes searching her face.

Lilly hung her head and sighed. It would be foolish to let Jacob leave—he was physically strong and a huge celebrity. It would benefit the shelter if he stayed. She needed to push her feelings aside. “No, I’m happy you came to help.”

“What can I do?”

“The media just arrived. It would be monumental for the shelter if you spoke up in support of it. You could raise awareness about the fundraising ball on Friday and hopefully attract some big donors.” She watched Jacob shift uncomfortably. “But you don’t have to. It was only an idea.”

He cleared his throat, his eyes still focused on her face. “Whatever you want, Lilly, but I’ll need a wing-woman to discuss the particulars, and it is your project.”

“Okay, I’ll take the lead, and you jump in when you want. Fair enough?” Lilly was startled as he pushed a lock of hair out of her face. “Thank—thank you.” She knew she was sweaty, dirty and without a stitch of makeup, but she adjusted her bandana and turned toward the journalists.

The reporters flew into a tizzy when they spotted Jacob, he was perfect catnip. After their excited coos settled, the reporters shifted their focus to the interview.

Lilly felt Jacob’s gaze on her as she described the shelter, the plans, and the upcoming fundraising ball. It was ironic, the reporters stared at Jacob, but his eyes never left her face. After her interview, the reporters thanked her and giddily turned to Jacob, asking about his involvement.

Jacob answered their questions with his famous charm, giving Lilly and the volunteers kudos for their hard work and dedication. The reporter asked if he would be at the ball and he said if someone extended an invitation, he would happily attend.

“There you have it, folks. The biggest draw in town next Friday is this fundraising ball, now that they have worldwide acting sensation Jacob Edmonton in attendance.” The reporter ended the segment and began gushing over Jacob, pouring compliments over him like water through a fountain.

Lilly excused herself, not that any of the reporters noticed, and returned to the runs. She couldn’t imagine living with that level of adoration. In fact, she’d never felt adoration from anyone, much less the world at large.

She busied herself tightening up fence sections when a hand grasped her elbow. The wrench slipped and hit her finger, letting slip a curse as she shook her throbbing hand.

“You deserted me.” Jacob’s tone was joking, but there was an undercurrent of seriousness. He held her hand, massaging the area where she was injured.

“You handled yourself fine.” She extricated her hand, mumbling a word of thanks before returning to the task at hand.

“I went by your house, twice actually,” Jacob blurted.

Lilly stopped and turned to him. “You did?”

Jacob nodded. “You weren’t home. I was going to leave a note but…and I didn’t have your number to call you.”

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