Page 82 of Breach of Honor

The magnificent dining room felt relaxed though elegant, and from what Will had told me, the food was excellent, along with the desserts. He hadn’t let up on teasing me about my guilty pleasures yet insistent that he should be my only indulgence.

I couldn’t argue with that.

Seated in a prime location beside Will, my breath caught when Lily walked in on Henry’s arm. They collected gazes by the dozen as they glided across the floor, him in a charcoal sport coat with a black button-down shirt open at the collar and her in an ivory, mock neck dress with a delicate crochet overlay. Her hair was up in a soft bun with wispy pieces framing her face, and her makeup was on point.

God, she looked gorgeous.

She had left work two hours earlier than usual. I knew she’d planned to go all out for Henry, hoping her efforts would make him fall for her so he wouldn’t leave.

By the way he admired her, she might have succeeded.

“Evening, Miranda. Will,” Henry cheerfully greeted.

“Hi, you two.” I ogled Lily. She’d never looked so poised and confident.

Lily smiled as Henry pulled her chair out. “Have you guys been waiting long?”

“Not long at all. We’ve been enjoying the view.”

Everyone turned toward the window.

The waiter promptly took our drink orders, which helped break the ice. Still, I could sense Lily’s trepidation as if it were my own. When he returned with our cocktails and first course, Lily didn’t waste any time drinking down half of her martini. Of course, I was the only one paying attention while Will and Henry talked about baseball.

Each time my eyes connected with Lily’s, she looked away. Her blatant avoidance made my heart ache.

“Lily tells me you’ve been friends since your freshman year of college,” Henry said, drawing my attention to him. “That’s amazing. I’ve never been good at maintaining friendships.”

Will snorted and gave Henry a wry smile. “That’s because you never stay in one place.”

“True. I meet lots of people, but few become true friends.” Henry shrugged, taking a sip of his scotch. “It’s fine. It’s what I’m used to. Relationships are a lot of work anyway.”

Oh, shit. Lily’s lip trembled. I didn’t take Henry for an idiot, but his callous attitude made me consider maybe he was, along with insensitive. Fortunately, the waiter returned with our second course, and the table quieted again.

We’d finished our salads and second round of drinks. A third was on order when Lily excused herself from the table.

“I’m going to go as well,” I whispered in Will’s ear. He stood to pull out my chair as Henry had for Lily. Something told me she was upset. Or perhaps she just needed a breather. Not that I could blame her. Henry couldn’t keep his eyes off her. His arm stayed over the back of her chair. Several times he’d leaned in to whisper in her ear and kiss the crook of her neck.

No question she loved it, but I believed it was becoming too much for her. Reality had to have been setting in.

Sure enough, she was seated on an armless chair in the lounge, fanning her eyes to keep from crying. “Oh Lil, honey.” I rushed over to her.

“No! Don’t say anything. No, I told you so. Just leave me be.”

I held my tongue, letting her collect herself. Seconds later, she darted into a stall, washed her hands, and we were back at the table.

“Will tells me he’s dying to take you to Paris,” Henry stated. “You should give my mum a ring when you go.”

Dammit, I was hoping Paris didn’t come up tonight. Will was still sore about me postpone our trip. During the afternoon meeting today at LA Premier, Tate and Lily had voiced their concerns about me being gone for two weeks. They had every right to be concerned. There were two weddings and several other smaller events I’d miss. I couldn’t leave my friends high and dry, so I asked Will to postpone the trip. He had said he understood, but he also hadn’t tried to hide his disappointment. I felt awful about letting him down. We were just so busy… we were always busy these days.

“Henry, I’ve only met her once,” Will replied. “I don’t know her.”

“So? She’d love to see you. It’s like she knows you. I mean, I talk about you all the time.” Henry stared at his cousin earnestly. “And she’s lonely. She doesn’t get a lot of visitors. Just think about it.”

“I’d love to meet her,” I interjected, smiling. “Does she live alone?”

“She does. All her family lives in the states.” Henry inhaled, pausing a moment. A thoughtful expression crossed his face. “I know she’d love to meet you… and you.” He turned toward Lily, took her hand, and kissed it.

Was he blind? With each sweet nothing he whispered and tender kiss he gave her, Henry was destroying Lily. Her glossy eyes were the only evidence I needed.

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