What Makes Us Stronger (A Well Paired Novel Book 3)

by Marianne Rice

  He didn’t respond and sipped again.

  “Don’t tell me she cheated on you too. I wouldn’t believe it for a second. That woman is so head over heels in love with you.”

  When he didn’t respond, Hope shot out of her chair and gasped. “No!”

  Ty shrugged and finished his beer.

  “No,” she said again. “You should have seen her this week. The woman’s miserable. What happened?”

  “I really don’t want to talk about this.”

  Hope ran her hands through her hair and paced his kitchen. “Okay. I get if you want to tell me to mind my own business.”

  “Mind your own business.”

  She lowered her lashes at him and pointed her finger into his chest. “This is my business because you’re both my friends and you’re both miserable. However, I get if you don’t want to talk to me about it. You do, however, need to talk to Lily. I’m assuming she knows you know about this other guy?”

  “Yup.”

  “I still don’t believe it.” Hope shook her head. “What did she say?”

  Ty shrugged again.

  “What does that mean? That you don’t know or you didn’t listen?”

  Done with the interrogation, he tossed his bottle in the recycle bin and would have reached for another if Hope hadn’t leaped in his way.

  “Ty Parker. Don’t you dare walk away without a fight. You keep your emotions locked up tighter than a clam. I’m guessing you’re putting her in the same category as your cheating fiancée.” Hope gripped on to his shoulders forcing him to look at her. “If Lily means anything to you, listen to what she has to say. If it’s true, if she really is cheating on you, hell, I’ll help you drive the woman out of this town. She’ll have fooled us all into believing she was a good person. But if there’s a misunderstanding, which I really want to believe is the case, you need to talk to her. Don’t let your pride get in the way of what could be something amazing. I almost lost Cameron because I refused to listen to the truth. Don’t do the same.”

  She cupped his face in her hands and kissed his cheek.

  “You’ve already let her in, given her your heart. Don’t let her run away with it without a fight.”

  A few minutes later when Hope’s taillights vanished in the distance, he turned off the lights inside and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. He’d call Lily tomorrow and give her an opportunity to say her piece.

  But he’d come prepared to battle, with a shield around his heart

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  THE DAYS DRAGGED, AND no amount of caffeine or Ellen reruns could get her out of her slump. Lily flipped the sign on the front door to the spa to Open and shivered, even beneath her long-sleeved black shirt and jeans.

  Fitting that the forecast for the next five days was back and forth between cold, miserable rain, and glimpses of sunshine. Mother Nature didn’t care that the calendar said July. Weather in Maine, especially central coastal region, changed on the dime. Summers were short. You enjoyed the warm, cloudless days when you could.

  And it seemed like those were over. Lily refused to believe things were over with Ty. She understood where he was coming from. Had she witnessed him getting in a car with a woman and being evasive about it, she’d question his intentions as well. And if he refused to explain... yeah.

  Lily’s stomach tightened in pain and guilt. Ty had suffered so much already. It took a great deal of emotional effort to tell her about Kristi, and here she was doing the same thing to him. Well, the same thing in his mind.

  Never. Never would she cheat on Ty. Deep down inside he had to know, to feel her unconditional love for him.

  Scrolling through her appointment book with no enthusiasm whatsoever, she was grateful for the under-booked Tuesday. Annie would be in any minute, and Mia was scheduled to work in an hour. Hopefully Margo Reed would actually arrive early for her color and cut and fill the room with her non-stop chatter.

  When Margo was in the house, no one else could get a word in. Lily needed the obnoxious grandmother to distract her from her thoughts.

  Looking further down the appointment book she sighed in relief to see Priscilla had left a message to reschedule her appointment. While the waitress from the Sunrise Diner was a sweet lady, Lily didn’t need her reading the aura around her today. Even without special psychic—or whatever they were called—powers, it was obvious to the world Lily was down. Depressed. Her heart and head rolling around in guilt and anguish.

  Right and wrong. It wasn’t supposed to be this difficult to distinguish between the two. This was her life. If she wanted to tell Ty about her past, about her new identity, it was her prerogative, not Agent Thorne’s.

  It was her right to live her life how she wanted. Screw the agent and his advice. What did the cold-hearted man know about love? About honesty?

  Lily lowered her head to the desk and whimpered. In only a handful of years, she went from a spoiled socialite to an abused wife and turned herself into someone genuine and kind who didn’t judge others. She knew all too well what you saw on the outside wasn’t necessarily representative of what was going on inside.

  Agent Throne acted cold and callous, but she didn’t really get those vibes from him. Still. He was the only one she could truly talk to, and he wasn’t the touchy-feely kind of guy.

  There was Grace, but Lily didn’t want to involve her any more than she already had. Keeping a secret of this magnitude had to be difficult. Especially in a small town like Crystal Cove.

  The bell chimed above the front door, and Lily lifted her head and turned on her hospitable smile.

  “Hi, Annie.”

  “Good morning, Lily.” Annie set her giant pocketbook behind the counter and hung her raincoat and umbrella on the coatrack. “Can’t believe I brought a coat with me this morning. Channel Six News said it’s going to be a nasty one.”

  Lily looked out the front windows at the dark clouds rolling in. The wind had picked up, blowing the leaves on magnolia trees across the road.

  “I’m not expecting many walk-ins today.” At least she hoped not. Her last appointment would be done at three. Lily planned on letting Mia close up and going to Ty’s for their heart-to-heart.

  “I’m booked pretty solid today. The early summer pedicures are wearing off and everyone wants new toes.”

  “I’m glad business has been so steady for you, Annie.”

  Annie had been a godsend. She’d been working in a popular salon in Rockland, but had wanted to work closer to home and slow down a little as she got older. Not that fifty-two was old. Annie was the perfect blend of social when you wanted to chat and quiet when you wanted to be alone.

  The woman understood boundaries, and her clients loved her. She was mothering without smothering, and Lily appreciated the privacy she gave her.

  “I love it here, Lily. You’ve done a fantastic job with the spa. Oh, while you have the appointment book open, I need to cash in on my gift certificate my children gave me. I’d like to book a massage.”

  Lily’s massage bookings had been slow. Another reminder to update the Sea Salt Spa’s website and put an ad in the local paper. She’d had her masseuse license for five months and hadn’t done nearly as much with it as she had hoped.

  When she took courses to get her license, she hadn’t been as busy and wanted to expand the spa. Now she wondered if she bit off more than she could chew. She wanted to do it all, except for the nails. While she loved a good manicure and pedicure, she didn’t particularly care for scraping, scrubbing, clipping, and painting.

  The art of doing hair and learning the pressure points in the back and legs, she could do. Balance, though. Lily needed to balance it all. Which meant she needed to hire more help.

  Maybe she should give up on the hair and work fulltime upstairs in the massage rooms. It would give her more privacy. She wouldn’t have to talk as much. Risk being found. Discovered.

  “Are you okay, honey? You seem distant.”

  “Hm?” Lily returned
her gaze to Annie’s. “Sorry. A lot on my mind. Bracing myself for Mrs. Reed in a bit.”

  Annie chuckled. “Even from the other room I can hear every detail of her grandchildren’s lives. If I get that self-absorbed when I finally have grandchildren, smack me a time or two, okay?”

  “I highly doubt you’ll be as obnoxious as her.”

  “It’s one thing to brag about your grandchildren and show pictures to everyone you see on the street; it’s another to put down other children because they’re not as ‘good at life’ as yours.”

  Margo had a way of passive-aggressively insulting other parents and children. Never wanting a roe, Lily usually ignored. With today’s mood, however, she hoped she could do the same.

  An hour later Mia buzzed twelve-year-old Caleb Lundry’s head two stations down while Lily zoned out pretending to listen about Margo’s perfect grandchildren.

  “Hunter is already walking. Only nine months and four days old. He’s bright, that’s why. Helen Doty’s granddaughter is fourteen months and still can’t walk. Poor thing. She’ll probably need special services in school when she is older as well.”

  “Easy there, Mrs. Reed.” Mia pointed the razor at her. “I walked at ten months and couldn’t read until I was in fourth grade. I went to Title One for help and hated it. Now I can’t put a book down.”

  “I’m glad you got the help you needed. I’m surprised your mother didn’t do more to support you when you were younger. Ironic that she owns a bookstore, isn’t it?”

  Mia gasped, and Lily tugged a little more roughly than necessary on Mrs. Reed’s hair.

  “Don’t you—”

  “Mia!” Lily shook her head and cast her a warning stare.

  “Ty walked late in life and graduated with honors,” Mia countered.

  “I’m surprised he didn’t go to college and do something better with his life.” Margo picked up her vibrating phone. “Hi, Colleen. How’s my precious granddaughter today?”

  Lily held up a hand to stop Mia and went back to coloring the cruel woman’s hair.

  It was a good thing her phone had rang; otherwise, Lily would have come to Ty’s defense, making a spectacle of herself. Better to let the woman be, knowing no one paid much heed to her words.

  The winds had picked up outside, but the rain held off. When the clouds opened, visibility would be scarce. Two hours later after Cruella De Ville had left and Mia buzzed and trimmed a line of boys and men’s hair, Lily busied herself sweeping and cleaning her station.

  “I don’t like the brooding. At first, I thought the lovey-dovey crap was sick, but you and Ty moping around is depressing. Normally I wouldn’t admit this, but I miss your perky little self. What’s going on with you two?”

  “We’re fine, Mia. Really.” At least she hoped they would be once she talked with him.

  “Uh, huh.” Mia lifted a skeptical eyebrow. “You’re off the hook for now. I don’t have any more appointments today, mind if I take off? I’m gonna stop by The Happy Clam, see if Hope needs me earlier. I can bring you lunch.”

  “It’s going to pour any minute. I’m sure I can find something for you upstairs in my fridge if you’re hungry.”

  “Not likely. I’ve seen your fridge. No wonder you’re so skinny. You need to eat better.”

  She had been eating better. Sipping wine while Ty grilled their dinner. Or talking and laughing over long, leisurely dinners somewhere outside of town. The past five nights she’d dined on oatmeal and cookies. Not tonight, though. Tonight whether he wanted to or not, Ty was going to listen to everything Lily had to tell him.

  And then they’d make up and live happily ever after. She let out a heavy sigh and waved to Mia. “Be careful.”

  “Seriously. It’s rain. It’s not like it’s a blizzard. See ya in the morning. Or if you’re not... busy with Ty, come over to the restaurant for dinner. Or a drink. On the house.”

  “So kind of you to offer Hope’s alcohol,” Lily teased.

  “I know. I’m nice like that.” Mia paused, one hand on the door. “Seriously, though.”

  “I’m good. Thanks.”

  Lily did two more highlights then had Diane Windward’s massage before she could call it a day. Annie left before Diane showed up and Lily went through her inventory, making a list of products to order and those to discount for the summer.

  “What a storm we’re having,” Diane said as she shook the rain from her raincoat and closed the door behind her. The gust of wind blew the receipts on the desk, and Lily slammed her hand down to keep them from flying away.

  “You’re soaked.” Lily took the umbrella from her and propped it against the wall. A crack of lightning lit up the sky, followed by a rumble of thunder that shook the building. “Are you sure you don’t want to reschedule? A massage should be relaxing.”

  “This doesn’t bother me a bit. I’ve always loved thunderstorms. Hope and her father were the scared ones, huddling together while I’d run around closing up the house. Thankfully, Delaney takes after me.”

  “I wonder where Cameron stands on them.” Lily could picture the cozy family of three cuddled together on the living room couch watching the lightning and counting the seconds for the thunder that followed. It wasn’t something she’d ever thought about, tucked away in her family’s penthouse or summer home.

  “According to Hope, he and Delaney are practically twins. So if I had my guess, I’d say he’s a trooper.”

  “Well, good for Hope for scoring him.” Another streak cut through the dark afternoon sky. “It’s not a problem to reschedule.”

  “Nah. This is nothing. Besides, if you lose power it will only make it more calming. I’ve been looking forward to this massage since Hope and Cameron gave me the gift certificate for Mother’s Day.”

  She’d sold nearly forty gift certificates with that promo, giving customers a free haircut with the purchase of one. Slowly, her clientele was growing.

  “Well, right this way then.” Lily led Hope’s mom up the stairs and into the first massage room. “Would you prefer lavender, citrus, or sandalwood essence?”

  “Lavender sounds heavenly.”

  Lily lit the wick and reached for the portable iPod. “Normally I ask if you want the sound of waves, rain, or birds. It’ll be hard to drown out this downpour, though.”

  “I guess rain it is.”

  “Perfect.” Lily gave her instructions on where to put her clothes and how to lie down on the table. “I’ll knock before coming back in.”

  She slipped out giving Diane privacy to change. Lily went into the second massage room and peeked out the window. Visibility was next to nothing and the rain came down in sheets. The lightning seemed to be moving away, still visible in the distance.

  After one more rumble of thunder, Lily went to work on Diane. The rain in the background, lavender filling the air, and the dimly lit room was enough to put Lily asleep, if she didn’t have so much on her mind.

  This was what she loved about giving massages. The inner peace it brought not only to her clients, but to Lily as well. It wasn’t quite the same as being on the table herself, but Lily left each massage feeling more relaxed than when she started.

  “That was heavenly,” Diane said as she sat up, holding the sheet around her. “I nodded off a few times.”

  “I’m glad you could relax. I’ll wait for you downstairs.”

  Lily gave her privacy again and went to the main floor to wait for her. With everything cleaned up and ready for the next day, there wasn’t much to do. Her phone lit up on the receptionist table signaling a text. Maybe Ty had been trying to contact her for the past hour, anxious to see her.

  Nervous butterflies danced in her belly.

  “Not even this rain can take away how wonderful I feel,” Diane said from behind her.

  Lily turned and smiled. “You deserved it.”

  “And so do you. I’m sure if you ask, Ty would give you a nice foot massage. You’re on your feet an awful lot.”

  Lily swal
lowed, the lump in her throat making it difficult to go down, and looked away. Again, her phone lit up.

  “I’ll let you take your call. I turned my cell phone off so I wouldn’t be bothered. I don’t think I’m going to turn it on until I get home. I’m feeling too good.” Diane slipped into her raincoat. “And this is for you.” She slipped some cash in Lily’s hand.

  “You don’t have to tip me, Diane.”

  “Of course I do. That was fabulous.”

  “Thank you.” Lily tucked the money in her pocket. “Drive safely.” She handed Diane the umbrella and opened the door for her.

  Not wanting to seem desperate, she told herself she’d wait until she was up in her apartment to check her messages. Lily pocketed her phone and took deep breaths as she mounted the stairs.

  Stepping out of her flats, Lily pulled out of her bun with one hand and turned her phone on with the other.

  Eleven unread texts. Lily licked her lips in anticipation and frowned when she saw none of them were from Ty. Nine from Hope and two from Jenna. They really wanted to hear the gossip.

  Settling into the couch, Lily opened the first one from Hope and gasped.

  Mia’s in the ER. Hit by a car.

  She continued reading through them. No details except the name of the hospital. Jenna’s text said the same thing. Lily jumped up and dashed to her shoes, grabbed her keys from the table, and fled down the stairs and outside into the pouring rain to her car.

  The sky had grown darker and the rain heavier, making it difficult to see ten feet in front of her. Lily unlocked her car and climbed behind the wheel, shivering from the cool air or from worry, she couldn’t tell. Both, most likely.

  The small hospital Hope named was twenty minutes away. By the time Lily pulled into the lot she was semi-dry. Not that it mattered. She hadn’t even thought of bringing a raincoat, too concerned about Mia.

  Of course, on a night like this there wouldn’t be any close spaces either. She drove around until she found one in the fifth row. Once parked, she gathered her purse and dashed toward the emergency room entrance.