by Collins, Lea
Andre immediately called the police and told them they had a positive ID on the man on the tape. The police responded that they wanted to interview Lily immediately.
An hour later, Lily, Andre, Molly and Andrew were in the penthouse apartment when the detectives arrived. Lily told them everything she knew about Jack and had found several pictures of him on her cell phone. The detectives thought since Jack’s father is a prominent banker in Chicago, it should be fairly easy to locate him even though nobody knew his present location.
The detectives were pleased with this development and commented that they had been able to get DNA from the saliva on the envelopes so Lily needed to give them a DNA sample for comparison to determine if it was from her sister. Lily immediately asked, “What envelopes?”
Andre looked shaken as he realized Lily knew nothing about the notes sent to her. He knew she would likely be angry that she wasn’t kept in the loop. “There were two notes send to you – the first came two days after the car hit you and the second two days after the phony telephone call telling you I was hurt,” Andrew explained.
“And what did these notes say?” she asked in a flat voice.
He repeated the contents of the notes and told her he had taken them to the police.
A detective took Lily’s DNA sample and the detectives left expressing optimism that the case would soon be solved.
After they left Lily looked at Andre and in the same flat voice said, “Let me see if I understand. You took letters addressed to me from my box, opened and read them and decided that I am too immature and childish to see or know about them. Did you know about them, Molly?”
“Yes. Andrew told me.”
“So even though they were addressed and written to me, I am apparently the only one who didn’t know about them.”
Andrew motioned to Molly toward the door and they quietly slipped out leaving Andre and Lily privacy to work this out.
“I thought if you knew about the notes you would be fearful and I was trying to protect you,” explained Andrew.
“You don’t seem to realize that I am an adult capable of dealing with betrayal, hurt, anger and taking chances, big ones. I have been doing what I want and making my own decisions for many years. The idea that you would look in my mailbox, take my mail, and make the decision that I couldn’t deal with what is really trivial is just insulting and appalling. Trust is very important to me and this shows that I cannot trust you to be upfront with me. You will recall that when I found I couldn’t trust Jack, I left immediately.”
Andre had tried to interrupt her several times to explain his actions but she wasn’t listening until she had explained her feelings. She paused now to allow him to express himself. “I didn’t show you the letters, Lily, because I didn’t want you hurt or frightened. I was trying to protect you. I love you and don’t want to see you hurt or upset and I see myself as your protector.”
“Trust is very important to me, Andre. Without trust, there is nothing. Right now I don’t trust you because you have lied to me and that is one time too many. You are a liar and I can’t continue living with someone I can’t trust.”
“Exactly what are you saying, Lily?”
“I need time to think. I am so filled with hurt that I just cannot think rationally. I need time away from you and try to work things out in my own mind.”
Andre stood and looked at her in disbelief. “You’re letting those two damned letters destroy what we have together?”
“You did that yourself. Trust is everything.”
Lily walked into the bedroom and started packing some clothes in a suitcase and her toiletries in her cosmetic bag. “I’ll stay tonight with Molly.”
Chapter 11
Leaving a stunned Andre, Lily took the elevator down to 23A and knocked on the door. Molly opened the door and took in Lily and her suitcase and gaped in surprise. “I need a place to stay tonight. May I stay here?”
“Of course you may, Lily. Put your stuff in the guest bedroom and let’s relax and talk a little.”
When Lily walked out of the bedroom, Molly immediately put her arms around her. “I love you like a sister, Lily. I can’t believe this has happened. You two love each other so much. Let’s talk a while, okay?”
Molly poured a glass of wine for each of them and they sat facing each other in the armchairs by the window. Lily looked so sad and miserable and tears began to roll silently down her cheeks. “I have a thing about trust, Molly. I find it hard to believe Andre didn’t realize that about me. As soon as I realized Jack was a liar, I left. That should have given Andre an insight into my personality.”
“When Andrew let it slip about the letters and that you didn’t know, I immediately realized Andre had made a big mistake by not telling you. And it’s such a little thing, just two stupid letters. But I agree with you. He shouldn’t have taken your mail, read it and then not even tell you about it. But is it worth breaking up your marriage? Or what are you thinking?”
“I told Andre that I am so hurt I can’t think rationally. I need time to work things out and I need time to think. All I could think of was to get to you. I hope you don’t mind.”
They reached across the arms of their chairs and held each other’s hands. “I feel so close to you, like we are sisters,” Lily said. “And I knew you wouldn’t constantly be talking about it and trying to influence me.”
Molly poured each of them a refill of wine and they settled back to relax. “Could I talk to you about something personal? Or would you prefer to just think and have quiet?”
Lily looked interested and very surprised as Molly was such a private person. “Of course I’d like to talk and listen. I’m flattered that you want to talk to me about something personal.”
There was a knock at the door and Andrew identified himself. Molly let him in and he just looked at her for a moment. She looked particularly sexy wearing a pair of tights, halter top and her curly hair making a halo around her head. “Looking at you makes a guy forget everything,” he said. “Well, not everything!” and everyone laughed.
Lily got up and came over and hugged him. “Actually I came to talk to Lily for a moment. I want you to know that I am always available for you. I love you like a daughter and am not taking sides in this situation. Andre wants you to know that he will give you time to think and asks that you accept my escort when you go anywhere. We want to keep you safe. I’m still staying in your apartment because I want to be close to you so I’ll see you tomorrow when you come up to sew.”
Lily kissed him on the cheek and promised to do as he asked. “I need to go by Jacqueline’s tomorrow. Thanks for not taking sides and for just being there. I love you, too.”
After he left, they sat quietly for a while and sipped their wine. Finally Molly began, “It’s Andrew I want to talk to you about. A few nights ago he told me the story of his life from college on. He worked his way through school and went to work at a construction firm, ended up pushed into marrying the owner’s daughter. It turned out to be a very unhappy marriage. She thought sex was disgusting and after the second boy was born, she made him move into another part of the house. So for twenty-plus years he has lived in this cold atmosphere. He is such a loving and caring man that I can imagine how unhappy he has been. Apparently he decided to make a major change and is getting a divorce and moving to Miami permanently.”
Molly paused and Lily waited for Molly to finish. “Here’s the problem. He says he is in love with me, I refused to date him until he is divorced but he is getting that next week. I like him a lot, but how do I know if I am in love with him or if I feel sympathy for his loveless marriage?”
“Let me think about this for a few minutes, Molly. Do you doubt that he is in love with you?”
“Yes. It bothers me that he hasn’t met any other eligible women or dated anyone yet. He says he doesn’t want to. He just wants me, that it was love at first sight.”
“How did you know you were in love with your first husband?”
“Well, we knew each other for years. We dated casually through high school and, of course, I was dancing most of the time. He was in the troupe and we went out as a group and then gradually just the two of us. It was a gradual thing. We were so young. He was almost like a brother but I loved him and wanted to make love with him so we married. We had fun together. He was like my best friend.”
“It was similar with Andre. We enjoyed being together, were good friends, then best friends, and then wanted each other physically. It’s true you can be instantly attracted to someone physically but you also have to have to enjoy spending time together and have mutual trust. So this seems to be a plan with Andrew, don’t you think? I’m not saying this is perfect but it’s a start on a relationship.”
Molly thought about what Lily had said and agreed. “It’s a plan that makes sense. First I need to date him several times and see if I enjoy being with him, then we need to become good friends, then maybe something physical. There is a problem here, though, because he has told me he wants to make love. And to tell you the truth, I do, too. But I’ll try to hold him off until we become friends. He’s so damned attractive and sweet and I want to love him and make him happy.”
Lily burst into laughter. “Oh, Molly, I think you’re already in love with him but won’t admit it. It has happened too quickly for you. He’s a wonderful man and you’d be lucky to have someone like him but it’s your decision. You don’t have long to decide because that divorce decree will be in his hands next week.”
Lily kissed Molly on the cheek and hugged her. “I’m going to bed. Thanks for being such a wonderful friend.”
During the night, Molly heard Lily crying almost constantly. For a while she would be quiet, and then start crying again. Something has to be done about this situation with Lily and Andre, she thought. Maybe Andrew and I can work out a plan to get them back together.
Finally, early in the morning, Molly slipped quietly out the door and went up to 24A and rang the doorbell. Andrew answered the door wearing pajama bottoms and with his hair sticking out in all directions. Molly couldn’t prevent a burst of laughter. “Is this my lucky morning?” he asked. “We need to talk about how to resolve a problem,” she informed him. “It must be important for you to wake me up this early. I need some coffee to solve problems.” She readily agreed and they made a pot of coffee and, cups in hand, sat in the armchairs next to the window.
“Okay, what is this big problem that we need to solve early in the morning wearing our pajamas?”
Molly sighed. “Lily cried all night and I mean all night. She is miserable without Andre and I fear too stubborn to be the one to reach out to him. I think Andre is probably miserable, too, but he also is too stubborn to reach out to her. How am I doing so far?”
“Pretty accurate. I talked to Andre last night and he says he loves her more than life itself and he’ll kill himself if she leaves him. I think that’s an exaggeration, at least I hope so, but we’ve got to do something to get them back together. The question is…what?”
Several minutes passed as they thought about the problem. “Oh, look, we get to watch the sun rise. He loved watching her face light up with pleasure. He thought how much he would enjoy giving her pleasure during lovemaking and watching her climax. Dangerous line of thought, he realized as he felt himself begin to have an arousal.
“We have to get them together suddenly when they’re not expecting it. And nobody else is around. I think love will do the rest.”
“I have an idea. What if I call Andre and tell him Lily is very sick and he should come immediately. I could leave it at that or tell him we might need to call 911. What do you think?”
“It’s so simple, it just might work. I think Andre will come running. And I don’t have a better idea,” Andrew agreed. “So call him and let’s see if this works.”
Molly stood by the phone with her eyes closed trying to get in the frame of mind to act frantic with worry. She called Andre. He answered quickly as if he had not been sleeping. “Oh Andre! I don’t know what to do. Lily is so sick and I’m so scared for her. I don’t know whether to call 911 or not. Could you possibly come help me? She is soo sick….” “Be right there,” he said.
Molly looked at Andrew and crossed her fingers.
Lily was in bed wet with tears and sobbing and hiccupping. Andre burst into the room, saying, “Lily love, what is wrong?” He sat down on the bed and took her in his arms. “You’re all wet….” He went into the bathroom and returned with a damp cloth and washed her face and took off the wet nightie she was wearing. “What is wrong? What hurts?” “I can’t live without you, my heart hurts” she sobbed. She sat up and put her arms around his neck. “I just don’t want to live without you. You are part of me, I love you so much.”
“I don’t want to live without you, either. I love you more than anything in the world. Come back home, please.”
“Yes.”
He wrapped her in the sheet although it, too, was wet with her tears. “How did everything around here get so wet?”
He carried his bundle up to his apartment and threw the sheet on the floor. He put her in the bed and quickly removed his own clothes and climbed into bed beside her. “Please, Lily, don’t ever leave me again. I promise I will always tell you everything and be perfectly truthful with you always. This just about did me in. I couldn’t sleep and dreaded the morning without you here.”
“I promise never to leave you again. I have been so miserable. I must look terrible with my eyes all swollen from crying so much.”
“You look wonderful. I want to make love with you…” He began kissing her with increasing passion which she returned and they became lost in their own world.
**************
In apartment 24A Molly and Andrew drank coffee and watched as the day became brighter with the rising sun. Finally Andrew said, “You know you got me up before dawn this morning to help you solve a problem and I did what you wanted.” Molly glanced at Andrew in puzzlement. “Yes, you did. And….”
He continued, “I think in return for that favor you should do something for me.”
“What?”
“I want you to sit in my lap and let me kiss you. Just once.”
“Lily helped me work out a plan for our relationship. I’m not sure that fits into the plan.”
“You have got to be kidding me….a plan for our relationship? Would you please explain this plan?”
“Well, first we have to become friends and enjoy being together, get to be better friends and have fun, and I’m not really sure when a little physical relationship begins but when we want to be with just each other and then we make love and are ready to be in love.”
Andrew tried not to laugh but immediately saw an opening in her plan. “Do you remember the other night we had dinner together and I told you my story? You had already told me your story so that’s when we became friends and got to know each other better. We had fun watching the sun come up this morning. The next step in your plan is what you called a little physical. That’s where we are now and what I asked you to do.”
Molly thought for a moment, and then agreed he seemed to be right. She tentatively sat in his lap and he immediately put his arms around her and she put her head on his shoulder. He gently smoothed her hair away from her face and looked deeply into her eyes. He continued to caress her and she began to relax. He began to kiss her touching his tongue to hers and she responded as the kiss became increasingly passionate. She ran her hand through his thick hair, and on down until she was running her hand over his bare chest. He put his hand under her pajama top and found her breasts with nipples hard and, since she didn’t protest, he rubbed one breast and then the other. Her nipples received his attention as he rubbed first one then the other between his fingers. They were both becoming aroused and he realized they needed to cool down. He kissed her lightly and reluctantly removed his hand from her breast. She was still for a long time and then he noticed she had fallen asleep. He
began to feel drowsy and then he, too, fell asleep.
Andre and Lily had showered and dressed and approached 24A expecting to find Andrew up and ready for the day. Andre inserted his key and they stepped into the apartment and stopped abruptly in surprise. Andrew and Molly were cuddled in the armchair sound asleep. Lily giggled and Andrew’s eyes opened. “Don’t people around here ever knock?” he grumbled. “It’s true you never know what you’ll find. I’d better start knocking in the future,” Andre said with a laugh.
“I’ll make coffee,” offered Lily and she started a fresh pot.
By this time Molly had opened her eyes and Andrew kissed her gently. “Good morning. I enjoyed sleeping with you.” Molly’s eyes widened as she took in what he’s said, “We didn’t exactly sleep together,” she argued with a horrified expression. He grinned at her and explained, “I slept, you slept in my lap. Therefore, we slept together.”
“I can’t deal with this so early in the morning. I need coffee.”
Lily gave her a cup of coffee and said, “Drink up. It’s not so early. The seamstress will be here in about thirty minutes.”
Molly looked horrified and groaned as she tried to get up and move around. “I’m so stiff.” Andrew agreed that he, too, was stiff and suggested the next time they slept together maybe they should choose a more comfortable place to sleep.
“I’m going home and soak in a hot tub with bubbles and the works. Sleeping with you is very uncomfortable when you wake up, Andrew.”
Everybody laughed as Molly left and Andrew headed for his own bedroom.
Lily and Andre sat on the couch and sipped their coffee. “I’m afraid for you to go out today. They aren’t smart but they could get lucky. Is there anywhere you need to go?”
