Page 19 of Fortune's Control
“To ask Lilah if she’d like to join us.”
I shot him a frosty glare. “There’s nothing between us. She needed a favor, and I offered to help. That’s all.”
“Liar.”
At least Jack believed me enough to sit and go back to the race.
7-Lilah
“Is it still paradise?” Emma asked.
My legs dangled over the cedar armchair as I admired the deep red polish on my toenails. “I’m sitting in a gorgeous deck chair under an oak tree, and I see bees fluttering around a lemon tree. It’s peaceful here, Emma.”
“You deserve a ton of peaceful, considering everything.”
“It feels like an awful dream.” The nightmares stopped my first night in Fortune’s Creek and never returned. I didn’t know whether it was the town itself, the escape Shane offered, or both. “Detective Davis insisted they had the right guy, but it never mattered. I kept looking over my shoulder or hearing his voice all over again. I don’t do that here. She didn’t deserve what happened to her. I wish I had saved her.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, desperate to block out the image.
“No one does, Lilah. You were right to leave town, and not just for your safety.”
“Don’t go back to my apartment. He might have stuffed more pictures under the door, or maybe he’s watching.”
“Have the police contacted you since you arrived?”
I never gave them my new phone number, but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t in the mood to hear the detective’s repeated assurances, and my doubts still amounted to nothing. “There’s nothing to report until the trial starts.”
“When is that?”
“I don’t know.”
“I wish I were there with you.” Emma gave a worried sigh. “I worry about you, Lilah. I know the cops caught him, but until he’s locked up…just be safe, okay?”
After telling my mother the entire story, I brought up Fortune’s Creek again. A lost job provided one excuse to come here, and running for my life provided another. She pushed me to stay home for my job search, reminding me that unemployment made a person vulnerable and easily preyed on. Sarah Jane also claimed I forced her to relive painful childhood memories, so I hung up before she could ask how I was doing or express concern. I haven’t spoken to her since.
My heart ached. “Me too. Maybe you could visit. You work for your parents, right? Tell them you want time off.” My mood swelled at the idea. My lovely vacation would be better with a friend.
“I’m planning my parents’ anniversary party. Maybe after?”
“Tell me if you can.” My upbeat mood sank.
“Hey, what’s up with your sexy landlord? Any other stories you can share?” Despite my repeated requests, Emma and Shane refused to divulge any details of their conversation.
I grimaced. She squealed when I first told her and demanded updates during every phone call. She called it romantic when all I had done was inflict my problems on a kind stranger. He offered so much without knowing I was a walking disaster running for her life.
“We took a stray kitty to the vet yesterday. Her name is Pirate.”
“What else?”
“That’s it. Oh, he put air in his sister’s bicycle tires so I could use it. I asked if he’d like to go swimming, but he refused. That was embarrassing.”
“Oh. Is that all?”
“Sorry to disappoint.” She wanted a romantic story, or at least a vacation romance, which I couldn’t deliver. My imagination saw Shane’s interest a few times, but his behavior remained friendly, which meant my attraction to him didn’t matter.
“You couldn’t if you tried. Call me tomorrow?” Emma asked.
“Miss you.”
