Page 41 of 40 and (Tired of) Faking It
“He says not to worry, that it’ll blow over.” She went back to that moment when she’d been standing in that dim hallway, listening to Mason’s accusations. Feeling the wash of humiliation as people looked away—or worse, looked at her. And then JD…
“He’s the first man to stand up to Mason like that, you know?” Just the thought made her chest ache.
Her grandfather gave a low hum, slipping back into silence. A few minutes later, he finished off his coffee and stood. “Do you know what I think your problem is, punkin’?” he asked, turning to help her down from the stone.
She glanced up at him, wondering what was coming. The small smile playing around his mouth didn’t give much away. “What’s my problem?”
“Your problem is, you’ve never had a man who was as strong as you are.” He turned that smile on her, his eyes downright twinkling. “But I have a feeling that is about to change.”
Chapter Nineteen
JD didn’t get back to the mansion from his trip to New York until after one a.m., but he walked through the doors of Wildwoods Brew early Sunday morning. Knowing the church crowd would probably be coming through, he’d ordered ahead, wanting to make sure Maria had everything he needed. And that had probably been a good idea given the crowd.
The line was backed up to the door, full of a mix of young and old, shorts or sweats and fancy dress, everyone wanting a bit of Maria’s magic. But when Maria saw JD walk in, she waved him up to the counter with a loud, “Hey, JD!”
Sidestepping the crowd, he made his way up to her, praying he wasn’t getting a bunch of dirty looks thrown at his back in the meantime. “Maria, how are you doing this morning? Busy, it looks like.”
She laughed, waving a hand toward the line. “As always on a Sunday. Everyone needs their Wildwoods fix before they head on to wherever.”
“And I can totally understand why.” Leaning across the counter, he gave the woman a peck on the cheek. “Have you got things ready for me or should I wait?”
“Wait? No! I just need to whip up the drinks real quick. Didn’t want to do them too early and let them get cold waiting. Give me a sec.”
“Thanks, Maria.”
“Anytime.” She moved to walk off, turned back, and winked. “And may I say, Lily is one lucky girl.”
JD felt his chest get warm. The open arms with which Lily’s friends had welcomed him was genuinely appreciated. He traveled often, and despite the fact that they were best friends and kept close tabs on one another, he and Carter and Linc weren’t often touchy-feely. He didn’t live with women he dated; in fact, he often went to them, not the other way around. When he’d walked into his brownstone late last night, it was to an emptiness that was rarely if ever warmed. But here? Surprisingly, in a place where he’d never expected to be happy, he felt the warmth he hadn’t found at home.
He felt wanted. Especially with Lily.
Of course, then he turned around.
When he told himself he might be getting daggers to the back from everyone in line, he was only half wrong. Most of the people in line weren’t paying him any attention. But the ones who were, and the ones staring at him from various corners of the coffee shop, were definitely shooting daggers. Since he didn’t know any of them, he had to wonder if it was cutting in line or something else that had stirred their animosity.
Thinking back to his phone call with Lily Friday morning, he had a feeling it was the “something else” that was the problem.
“Here you go, hon,” Maria said behind him. He turned back to her, happy to leave people with sticks up their asses to their own discontent. But he wasn’t smiling. The looks had reminded him of how upset Lily was, how much it had hurt her to get so much backlash from people she tried to take care of.
Maria took one look at his face and frowned herself. When he reached for the tray holding his and Lily’s drinks, she kept her fingers on the opposite side, refusing to let go. He met her eyes quickly.
And read understanding there. “Don’t let them get to you,” she said quietly.
“Not me,” he said. “Lily.”
A quick glance around had her tightening her lips. “The same people frowning and complaining because you hinted at a positive sex life with Lily are the same people who are never happy about any rumors. Trust me. They sure as heck never gave that Mason a frown. It’s okay for a woman to have a bad sex life, apparently.” She arched a brow. “To say I don’t subscribe to that philosophy is an understatement.”
He couldn’t help but laugh at the returning twinkle in Maria’s eye. “Neither do I.”
A laugh escaped her. “Somehow I think I knew that about you.” She gave the drink tray and his food a little nudge, letting go. “You two have a good time. She deserves it.”
“That she does, Maria. And thank you again.”
He was sure to give the conservative crowd in the coffee shop a direct stare, meeting each and every eye, before he walked out the door. Seeing how many of the gazes dropped to the floor at the challenge put a spring in his step as he headed back toward his car.
Lily had added her address along with her home phone number in his phone after their night together. He used it now, zipping over to the little Craftsman on a road just off Main Street. Pretty maples and cracked sidewalks lined either side, leading the eye down its length, and he could see at the very end of the road, a view of the bridge that crossed over the Salalai River. When he parked and exited his car, he could hear the rolling of the water and couldn’t imagine how soothing it must be to live that close. A sanctuary. The peace of the little street, the river, the whole atmosphere made it plain that Lily hadn’t chosen this spot to plant roots just for its proximity to her work. He took in the charming yellow house, the white painted rocking chairs on the porch running the length of the front, and understood exactly how much of her personality, her investment in this town was reflected right here, in her home.
He mounted the white stone steps, drinks in hand, but the front door opened before he could knock. There Lily stood, hair wild from sleeping, silky robe tucked around her slender body, staring at him in wide-eyed amazement. “You can’t possibly have gotten enough sleep last night. What time did you get in, midnight?”
