Charming Lily

by Fern Michaels

  “But . . .”

  “Shhh,” Sadie said, putting her finger near Lily’s lips. “It has to be this way. Now, how did the cottage come out?”

  “Wait till you see it. For sure you won’t want to leave. Wait right here. I have something for you.” Lily ran to the kitchen for her purse. She rummaged in the depths of it for a crackly blue envelope. “It’s the deed to the cottage. It’s your home away from home forever and ever. It’s my way of saying thank you for all our years of friendship. Don’t think for one minute that I don’t know you could have gotten $150,000 for this piece of property and yet you sold it to me for $80,000 because it was all I could afford with the renovations. Say something, Sadie.”

  “Thank you. It doesn’t seem like enough. Two words.” She hugged Lily, whose eyes were as wet as her own.”

  “I wish you wouldn’t leave. I always thought we’d be together forever and ever. Matt loves you like a sister. He won’t care.”

  “I care, Lily. I can’t live in your shadow. We’ll always be friends. I’ll be your kids’ godmother, and, if I ever get married, you’ll be my kids’ godmother. For sure that will bind us together forever and ever. We certainly were lucky when we found one another. Come on, I’m dying to see what you did with the cottage.”

  Sadie burst into tears the minute she stepped over the threshold. “It’s just like you said, right down to the strawberry-pattern wallpaper in the kitchen. What a difference those gleaming white appliances make.”

  “Quick, look at the bathroom!” Lily gurgled.

  “A garden tub! Where did you get wallpaper with ferns and frogs on it? My two most favorite things.”

  “Mr. Sonner found it for me. Isn’t it gorgeous? This place was done in four days. All the pipes were here, so it was a simple matter to swap out the appliances. Ditto for the bathroom stuff. Sanding the floors and installing the new wiring were the biggest jobs. These floors came out as good as the ones in the main house. Like you said, old stuff has such character. I bet if these floorboards could talk, our ears would ring with the stories. The fireplace was cleaned out, and Mr. Sonner even laid a fire for you. It’s ready to move into, Sadie. All you need is your toothbrush and jammies. Your own little place, Sadie, given to you from my heart. This will always be your home. When I had it subdivided, I paid the taxes for the next thirty years. What do you think of that? Don’t get carried away; the taxes were minuscule.”

  “I think you’re nuts is what I think,” Sadie said, hugging her friend again. “I’ll think about this place every day when I’m in Wyoming.”

  “I hope so. I’m going to miss you, Sadie. I understand, though. I’d do exactly the same thing if the situation was reversed.”

  “I love these oversize chairs. You can sleep in them. Everybody in the world should have a red plaid chair. Or two red plaid chairs. God, this is just so wonderful. Thank you again, Lily.”

  “Enough already. We need to get back to the apartment so you can tell Matt what you found out. He’s going to flip out! Wow! Sadie the sleuth! Is there anything you can’t do? Listen, if he’s still asleep, we let him sleep till he wakes up on his own, okay?”

  “A thing or two,” Sadie said, linking her arm with Lily’s. “I agree that we shouldn’t wake him up. Good sound sleep is important to him right now. Do you think Matt will go to the police now that we found his car? If he can I.D. the picture, that’s all the proof they’ll need. Finding the car is a bonus and more proof. If they didn’t get rid of his clothes in the closet, that’s even more proof. I know we broke in, but that doesn’t matter. But even without the clothes, we still have the car and Matt’s positive I.D. if he recognizes the guys in the picture. The housekeeper is the one who told me to look in the garage.”

  “I don’t know, Sadie. Matt has this thing about the company and the stock. He doesn’t want to see it nose-dive. He worries about his investors. He said he dreams all the time about armies of investors storming Digitech’s headquarters when something goes awry. They haven’t unveiled the new software, and then there is that really big announcement. I wish I knew more about his business. I can’t even carry on an intelligent conversation where computers are concerned. Little kids know more than I do. Maybe I’ll take some classes so I at least learn the basics. I still can’t believe you found his car. The chances of Matt and Dennis finding those guys has to be one in a kazillion. Even if they do find them, how can they get them back here? I’m assuming far away like the housekeeper said, means another country. There are places that don’t extradite. I know he isn’t going to listen to me, Sadie, if I try to push him into going to the police. If it was me, I’d be singing like a bird.”

  “Me, too. Don’t worry about the computer thing. Only take classes if you want to, Lily. Do it for yourself, not someone else. Everyone isn’t computer literate. There are many people in this world who are totally turned off by computers, and yes, I know it’s the future. Another thing, remember where we’ve been for the past ten years. When would we have had time to learn about that stuff? I have to believe Matt knows what he’s doing. I think it’s commendable that he puts his investors ahead of himself. Foolish but commendable.”

  Lily sighed. “We had the winter months. We could have done it then. I think I have a mental block where Matt’s business is concerned. I need to get back to the apartment and bring him here. I think the roast will be okay. The bread machine shuts off when the bread is done, and keeps it warm. Are you going to move into the cottage today, Sadie?”

  “No. I think I’ll stay in the apartment tonight. I want you two to have the whole place to yourselves. Remember, you have no coverings on your windows.”

  Lily laughed. “I can’t wait for the yard to be done and for spring so I can plant flowers and work outdoors.”

  “Oh, Lily, you are going to have such a wonderful life.” Sadie beamed with enthusiasm.

  “I know, Sadie, I know. God really did bless me this time around.”

  Buzz bounded to the door, Gracie behind him, the moment Lily fitted the key into the lock. Her eyebrows rose at their quiet greeting until she looked into the living room to see Matt sprawled asleep on the sofa. She smiled, and whispered, “I could sit and look at him all day long, Sadie. My heart just feels like it’s going to overflow. Those first days were pretty dark, and this heart of mine was black and ugly. Why are we so prepared always to believe the worst? Dennis didn’t. He hung in there and wouldn’t budge. That doesn’t say much for me, does it? Do you think I’m insecure or something?”

  “You had every right to feel the way you did. I would have felt the same way. What’s that old saying, once burned, twice shy or something like that. That’s all in the past. This is now, and your future is looking bright and rosy. Enjoy every minute of it. You do your thing. I’m going to start gathering up my stuff and pack everything. Sunday is going to roll around real quick.”

  “Sadie ...”

  “Shhh, this is the way it has to be for now. I’m okay with this. It’s not my time to make heavy-duty decisions. Boy, am I glad I didn’t go to Australia. I’d be one cranky girl about now. Lulu said Larry and Annie are there already. Seems Ozzie wants to give the place a face-lift for the new season, and there’s plenty of work for everyone. I’m looking forward to seeing the gang. They’re like family. Who knows, maybe some of the others will show up, and it will be like old times. At least we’ll have some time to enjoy some winter sports. I haven’t skied for so long I don’t know if I’ll remember how to make my feet work. C’mon, Lily, wipe that awful look off your face. I’ll just be a phone call away.”

  “I know but . . .”

  “I have to think about me now, Lily. Smile. If you don’t, I’m never coming back. I’m going down to the storage area for my trunks. I’ll try not to make any noise. Do you want me to leave the door ajar?”

  Lily shook her head as she shrugged out of her jacket and threw her purse on a chair in the small hallway. “Do you want some help?”

  “Nope.”


  Matt rose up on his elbow the minute the door closed. “Lily, what’s wrong? Why are you crying? Come here. What happened?”

  “I’m not crying. I was thinking about it, though. Sadie’s leaving on Sunday. She’s going back to Ozzie’s camp. She thinks three’s a crowd. It wouldn’t be like that. She said she wants to get on with her life. I understand that part of it. She stayed on here to be with me instead of going to Australia. Sadie has always been my one-man support team. I just feel bad. You know, kind of lost. We’ve never really been apart before. We walked to school together for twelve years. We roomed together at college. We traveled together, then worked for Ozzie for ten years. She hasn’t even gone, and I miss her.”

  Matt stared helplessly at Lily, uncertain as to what he should say. He put his arm around her shoulder. “I think I know how you feel, honey. If Dennis up and left, I’d feel like I lost part of me. You’re thinking right now if she leaves, she’s taking part of you with her, and you’re losing part of her. If it was a perfect world, this wouldn’t be happening, but it isn’t a perfect world. Sadie’s right, she’s doing what’s best for her. You can’t be selfish with your emotions. I remember some very long discussions you and I had last year where we both agreed that when you loved someone totally their happiness came first. Love is being generous, wanting that person’s happiness more than your own. I bet you thought I wasn’t paying attention, huh?”

  Lily sniffed. “No, I knew you were paying attention. I’m going to miss her. It’s a girl thing, Matt. I know you understand, but you don’t really understand. I’ll be okay. Hey, Sadie found your car! Do you believe that? I was going to bound in here and stun you with the news. That’s the really important news, and here I am blubbering like some silly little girl. I’m sorry, Matt.”

  “How? Where? How’d she do that? You girls are amazing!”

  “Wait, there’s more,” Lily said, running to the dining room to where Sadie tossed her purse. “Look at this!”

  “Holy shit! That’s them! They’re the bastards that robbed me and left me to die! Son of a bitch! Where did you get this?”

  “Sadie got it. I think she missed her calling. She should have been a detective. Are you going to the police now, Matt? I think you should.”

  “I need to digest all of this. I want to talk to Dennis. I can’t believe this. Look at the bastards, they’re wearing suits and ties. They look like fucking upstanding citizens!”

  “We know for certain now who they are and we have names. The one on the right is Junior or Calumet Laroux Jr. The one in the middle is named Hawthorne and is called Thorny. The one on the left is obviously the youngest and goes by the name Tolly. His real name is Bristol. You have Sadie to thank for all this, Matt.”

  “I’m feeling kind of light-headed right now. Do you mind if I go outside for a while and get some fresh air? I can’t believe this! I thought I’d never be able to find them. You need to tell me how this all happened. Didn’t you say you wanted to show me something?”

  “I did and I do. How about a ride in the truck with the windows down? We can take the dogs. Otherwise, are you feeling all right?”

  “I’m fine. I was waiting for Dennis to get back to me earlier. I closed my eyes, and I guess I drifted off. We didn’t make much headway in tracking my money. It all went to the Caymans and from there it’s a blizzard of transactions. Even Dennis can’t get a handle on it.”

  “I just have to gather up a few things. I’ll meet you by the truck.” Lily tossed him the keys just as Sadie opened the door to shove her trunks into the hall. She watched, a smile on her face, as Matt twirled her friend this way and then that way, shouting his thanks over and over.

  “I owe you, Sadie Lincoln. Big-time.” Sadie flushed at his praise. “Considering all you’ve done on my behalf, I wonder if I might impose one more time. Do you think you could pick Dennis up at the airport? He’s coming in on a seven o’clock Continental flight from New York.”

  “Of course. I really didn’t have anything to do this evening anyway.”

  “Good. See you later.”

  Lily trotted into the living room, her makeup case and Matt’s shaving gear clutched in her hands. “I heard that,” she chortled as she looked pointedly at the two trunks standing in the hallway.

  “Don’t go down that road, Lily,” Sadie snapped.

  “I’m outta here,” Lily said, dumping the two plastic cases into a Kroger grocery bag. “Keep your fingers crossed that Matt likes the place. I don’t know what I’ll do if he doesn’t. He will, won’t he, Sadie?”

  “Of course he will. Go on now, make Matt’s day!”

  “I’m going, I’m going, but I feel all twitchy and jittery inside. If you need me, call, Sadie. Or better yet, after you pick Dennis up, stop by the house and we’ll all have a nice glass of wine. Will you promise?”

  “Nope. Go, Lily. I have things to do.”

  A gust of wind blew in the door when Lily opened it She ran down the steps shouting, “I’m coming, Matt!”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lily cuddled deep into the crook of Matt’s arm and sighed contentedly.

  “I don’t believe I’ve ever been happier in my life, Lily. When are we getting married? I want us to have kids right away. You okay with that, honey?”

  “Oh, yes, to the kids, but no to a wedding. I’m not going through that again. Let’s just wake up someday and say today is the day and go for it right then and there. I can’t do it again, Matt, I just can’t. If you want, we could go to Las Vegas and get married in one of the wedding chapels or go to city hall and get married by a justice of the peace. That’s about all I can handle in the way of a wedding. The question now is, are you okay with that?”

  “I’m for whatever you want. I like the idea of eloping. Just us. We can always throw a big party after we get back right here in our new house, which, by the way, is something I never expected in my wildest dreams. I don’t know what to say.”

  “It’s not finished. It will look a lot different when the curtains are hung. Pictures on the walls make another big difference, and scatter rugs here and there always add something to a room. Not many rugs, though, because I want everyone to appreciate these old floors. Plants in the corners, a few ficus trees, knickknacks, that sort of thing. That’s what makes a house a home. It’s called stuff. I just love stuff. A couple of more weeks, and it will look really beautiful. Owning an old house is an ongoing project. Something always goes, a leak, a wire, an appliance, the roof, a leaky window, faulty furnace, that kind of thing. I know this sounds crazy, but I am actually looking forward to all those disasters.”

  “Me, too. We have the dogs and the house, so all we need now are the kids.” Matt grinned from ear to ear at his pronouncement.

  “I wonder what it will be like to have a baby in the house,” Lily murmured.

  “Damn wonderful would be my opinion. What do you think it will be like living here, Lily? You know, putting down roots, belonging to a community. What if the townspeople don’t accept us? There are a lot of what-ifs when you take a big step like this.”

  “I see it all in my mind’s eye, Matt. That doesn’t mean it will work that way, but it’s a place to start. In order to belong, you have to join up as they say. You have contributions to make. I’m sure I can donate time to any number of worthy projects, at least until our babies come along. Oh, Matt, there is such history to this town. So many stories to tell. Sadie and I took a tour of the Natchez City Cemetery last year. Don Estes, a retired banker and amateur historian, gave us the tour, and he was so knowledgeable he boggled my mind. He seems to know everything. There was one grave where this little girl died who was afraid of the dark. The mother wanted steps built in behind the stone so she could walk down there and sit with her little girl. Can you imagine that? And then there was Louise the Unfortunate. If you don’t want to hear this, I can tell you another time.”

  “No, I want to hear it. I want to know everything if we’re going to live here. Then when
our friends come to visit, I can tell them what you’re telling me. Go ahead, Lily, tell me the story.”

  “Sometime after the Civil War, a young prostitute at Natchez Under-the-Hill died of a disease described as a ‘disorganization of the lungs,’ probably tuberculosis. As she had no family, no known last name, and no funds, Reverend Stratton took up a collection from the saloon keepers and merchants from Under-the-Hill to pay for her funeral and a small headstone on Jewish Hill. He directed his eulogy of Louise toward her ‘sisters’ in the oldest profession, with the goal of swaying them from their chosen paths. He’s the one who had her tombstone inscribed ‘Louise the Unfortunate.’ Isn’t that sad, Matt? Can you imagine being buried without a name on your marker? It’s like Mary Margaret, who was buried as the Wish Keeper.

  “Sadie went ballistic once when we went to the cemetery in Florida to visit our parents’ graves. There was this big, elaborate stone with a man’s name on it and next to it a little stone, no bigger than a tablet with the words His Wife. She was buried without a name. After that, every year when we went back, Sadie and I visited that grave and put some flowers on it. When it’s time to die the only thing you can take with you is your good name. Both Louise the Unfortunate and the wife of that man didn’t have even that. It makes me mad, Matt.”

  Lily leaned up on her elbow. “I don’t want to get mad all over again. One day, I’ll take you to the cemetery and show you the graves. Right now, though, I have to talk to you about something really important. But first I think we should talk about what you’re going to do. I really wish you would go to the police. If not the local police, the FBI. You were kidnapped, Matt. You were left to die out there. If we hadn’t found you, you’d be dead by now.” She shivered at the horrible thought.

  “I didn’t die, Lily. I’m here, and I’m okay. This isn’t as easy as you make it sound. I have to think about the company, the investors, and a host of other things. We’re days away from making our big contributions to the high-tech world. I don’t want to spoil that. I can file charges anytime. Yeah, the trail is going to grow cold, but somehow I’ll find those bastards. If I report this now, it will be plastered all over the papers within hours. We also have to deal with what Marcus has done. Things like that affect your investors. It’s like they can’t trust the company. That’s about all the negative publicity we can handle right now. Even though we had nothing to do with it, we’re going to get a lot of adverse publicity. One of our own was a traitor. I’d like to strangle the guy. I suspect he’s going to be easy to find because Marcus is too damn arrogant for his own good. You know what, there’s nothing we can do. So he snookered a couple of competitors for a big score. Do you think they’re going to go after him? I think not. They were trying to steal our company secrets. I don’t know if they approached Marcus or he approached them. In the end it doesn’t make any difference. He sold out It will circulate in the industry, and by next week it will be old news. It happens every day of the week. So I lost someone I thought I could count on. We have backup. Dennis has a protégé he’s about ready to give some authority to. The kid kind of reminds me of Dennis and myself when we first started out.”