Page 1 of Ready for You

PROLOGUE

THEN

It had to be tonight.

I stuffed my meager possessions into my old backpack with one hand and pushed my scratched glasses up my nose with the other. There was a hole in the side of the bag and one of the straps no longer stayed tightened, but it was all I had. Moving quickly to the dresser in my bedroom, I shifted the heavy piece of furniture as quietly as I could and lifted the rotten floor board underneath. My fingers brushed glossy cardboard and I pulled out the shoebox I’d hidden what felt like ages ago.

Quickly counting the money inside, I stuffed it into the backpack next to my clothes. It wasn’t much, but it would have to be enough. My hand trembled as I reached back into the box and pulled out the bus ticket that Kate had given me earlier. Staring at the piece of paper that held my freedom, I thought back to everything she’d told me.

“You get on the bus and you don’t look back,” she said, pressing the ticket into my sweaty palm. “The cameras will be off and there’s no record of which route you’re taking. Just get to the terminal in Dallas, Sarah will find you and give you the next ticket. I won’t know where you’re going from there and she won’t know the stop after that one. It’s the way it has to be.”

Tears pricked my eyes as I hugged my friend tightly, “How will I ever be able to thank you? You’re saving my life, Kate.”

“Not yet, Lily. I’ve given you the means to get out of here but it’s up to you to save yourself. You run and you keep running. Don’t stop, don’t look back, don’t talk to anyone except your next contact. Just. Keep. Moving.” She gripped my shoulders and shook me slightly, her voice just on the edge of manic. She shed her own tears and we embraced for the last time.

I’d met Kate at the local women’s shelter, one especially bad night. Every night with my father was a misery but on this particular day I’d overheard his side of the phone conversation that would change my life.

“Don’t worry, she’ll be ready. Lily turns eighteen in a week and by then there ain’t a damn thing anyone will do for her unless I report her missin’.” He laughed loudly at something the other person said and the blood in my veins went ice cold. “She ain’t got no friends to report her neither. Trust me, no one will notice she’s even gone.”

Bile rose in my throat and my skin grew damp with sweat. I didn’t know exactly what my father did for a living but it was definitely not legal. There was no leaving to go to the office every morning and he had more cell phones than he should be able to afford. The one time I asked about his work, it got me a backhand to the cheek and I made sure to never make that mistake again. The men that he laughingly called his co-workers came in and out of our dilapidated trailer, looking at me eagerly, smiling, only to show off holes where teeth used to be. The fact that he wouldn’t let them touch me led me to believe that maybe he cared for me deep down. Oh, how wrong I’d been.

A creaking noise drifted from the hallway and I froze, holding my breath for fear that my racing heart would give away my attempt at escape. The toilet flushed in the only bathroom we had before his footsteps retreated back into his bedroom. He was still drunk, of that I was sure. I’d spent almost eighteen years with the man and he was drunk every single night of my life. Pretty soon, he’d be passed out on the bed and wouldn’t stir again for hours. Hopefully by then I’d be long gone and he’d never be able to find me again.

Flinging my bag onto my shoulder, I winced when it bumped the bruises under my clothing. They were still fresh, only given to me the night before, but they were a brutal reminder of why I needed to go. Tiptoeing to the window, I raised it as quietly as possible, my clammy hands gripping the ledge. I paused, taking in a lungful of the cold winter air. I was going to freeze on the walk to the station but I couldn’t make myself think about the discomfort.Just. Keep. Moving.Kate’s voice echoed in my head, propelling me forward. I hefted myself up and landed quietly on the dirt below. This was it. Freedom. All I had to do was take the first step and it was mine.

My right foot moved, then my left and before I knew it, I was running. A smile stretched my face and my warm breath heaved in and out, fogging the cold air around me. I would never be a captive again, not my father’s and not the unknown man’s on the phone.

Never again, Lily, never again.

1

LILY – NOW

Ipulled my glasses off my face and rubbed my eye with the back of my hand, trying to remove the dust that was currently assaulting me. “Stupid drywall, stupid glue. Who super-glues pictures to the wall?” I screamed, flinging the sanding block at the wall in question.

“Maybe I should’ve collected the damage deposit from you before you started throwing things at my walls,” a deep voice came from the direction of the doors, at least I thought it was the doors. I squinted, but the only thing I could see without my glasses was a large blurry outline. Slipping them back on, my eyes widened when I saw Grayson James smiling at me and tapping a folder against his thigh.

His thick, muscular thigh that strained against the fabric of his dress pants. I’d never seen him in anything less than the most professional attire. Slacks, button-downs and on one glorious occasion, a three-piece suit that starred in most of my late-night fantasies.

My cheeks heated as my eyes dropped to take in my own messy outfit, not professional in the least. Overalls covered in dust and splotches of paint, a spaghetti strap tank top and old tennis shoes had been my daily uniform while I was renovating my bakery. Well, almost my bakery, I supposed that folder that was clutched in his big hand held the paperwork I needed to make that happen.

I rose to my feet, brushing the dust from my clothes, “Maybe you should go after your last tenant for using glue to hang their menu board,” I sassed, surprising both of us. It wasn’t often that I spoke back to men, I’d learned at an early age from the worst of their kind that they didn’t like to be questioned by women.

But Grayson had been nothing but kind to me from the beginning. I got the feeling the lease terms were more than generous and that was probably thanks to my friendship with his sister, Winnie. “I’m sorry, that was rude. I shouldn’t be complaining, this place is amazing.”

The last tenant had used the space as a café. Other than the glue on the walls, it was in really good shape. The exposed brick kept with the aesthetic of the whole building and the hardwood floors would shine like new once I gave them a good mopping. There were butcher block countertops that paired perfectly with the deep green cabinets and glass displays. I could already picture them filled with my baked goods. Chocolate pretzel surprise cookies, strawberry lemonade petite fours with unicorn sprinkles and cupcakes. Lots and lots of cupcakes.

The kitchen was even better. A baker’s dream, really, with a whole wall of top-of-the-line ovens and a large stainless steel prep table in the middle of the room where I could already see myself rolling out dough and dreaming up new recipes. The fools had left a big floor mixer behind and those cost a freaking mint. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, my prep time was going to be cut in half with the beautiful equipment I now had at my disposal.

“Don’t apologize, you’re right. I’ll add it to the list considering they skipped out on the remainder of their lease and left me in the lurch.” He stepped farther into the room, taking in the work I’d done over the last few days.

Based on what I could see of his physique beneath the polished clothes, I doubted that he spent much time in bakeries. His well-muscled arms strained the fabric of his white shirt, as did his chest that tested the strength of those buttons when he placed his hands on his hips and spun in a slow circle.

Speaking of hips, his pants sat perfectly at his waist and I began to wonder if he had one of those sexy Vs that pointed straight to his…my eyes flew back to his face. He didn’t seem to notice that I’d been staring at his penis area. Sexually harassing my landlord would be a bad start to my new business.

“It looks good in here, Ms. Reynolds, you’ve been working hard.”

“Thank you, Mr. James. Please, call me Lily.”

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