Enchanting Lily

by Anjali Banerjee

  Drew turns to the man. “Dillon, this is Lily. Remember, I told you about her?”

  “Good to meet you.” The man nods, but he has left his attention elsewhere. The inky ghost moves off. I stay hidden beneath a rack of black dresses.

  “Dillon’s my husband,” Drew says.

  Lily nods, tension in her face. “You got married! Congratulations.”

  “Dillon’s a partner with Dillon and Reed, you know, the law firm in downtown Seattle? I met him while I was on a trip up here to visit my cousin, and it was love at first sight.”

  “I see.” I can tell Lily has never heard of Dillon & Reed. The word “reed” reminds me of a pond where some ducks were hiding in the reeds. “What brings you all this way?”

  “Don’t look so surprised!” Drew says. From here, I see the delicate underside of her nose, her slim legs, her high-heeled, shiny black rain boots. “I came looking for you. It took me a while. You’re pretty far from everything.”

  “But it’s easy to get here by ferry,” Lily says.

  “You moved all this way without telling anyone.”

  “Was I supposed to tell everyone?”

  “Well, no, but…I was hoping you would stay in touch.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’ve found you now. Dillon and I are looking for a house to buy on the eastside. We’re renting a condo right now, but it’s expensive. We want to settle down and have a yard, you know, for a family.”

  “Sounds lovely.” Lily’s tone says she wants them to leave, but Drew does not understand.

  She turns to Dillon again. “Lily was married to Josh Vilmont, the designer I used to work for.”

  “Oh. Vilmont! Wow.” Dillon’s brows rise.

  Lily swallows, and her body stiffens. “So what are you doing these days? Besides living in Seattle?”

  “I’ve got my own company,” Drew says. “I employ three designers. Drew Galt Designs. Maybe you’ve heard of us?”

  “I might have,” Lily says, lying. “Good for you.”

  “I also have a shop, two thousand square feet, and this is the real reason I came here.” Drew breaks away from Dillon, leaving him like a boat adrift in an unfamiliar sea, and glides over to a glittering evening dress. “My shop is in the Green Lake area. I could use a good store manager, someone to take care of the books and such. You were so good with Josh’s business.”

  “Our business.”

  “Of course—that’s what I meant. So, what do you say?”

  Lily is quiet. The man shoves his hands into his coat pockets, receptacles for his secrets—slips of paper and business cards with cryptic writing scrawled in ink and redolent of perfume and promises.

  “You want to hire me,” Lily says, “but I’ve got a shop of my own, as you can see.”

  “Of course, a lovely little place.”

  “My hands are full.” Lily’s so stiff now, she could be made of stone.

  Drew goes back to rescue Dillon, slips her hand into his. “Why don’t you at least consider my offer? You would be managing a bigger place with more foot traffic in a central location—”

  “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not sure I want to move again.”

  “Maybe you want to stay here for another reason? New boyfriend or fiancé?”

  “No, not at all.”

  “But you’re having a little fun, aren’t you? I know it was hard to lose Josh. We all loved him. But you must have a need to move on?”

  “I am moving on.”

  “Have you been seeing anyone? I hear the Internet can produce good matches these days.”

  “I’m not much into computers.”

  Dillon examines his short cuticles. From this angle, I can see the hairs in his nose.

  “Oh my goodness! What’s that thing?” Drew has spotted me, oh no. She lets go of Dillon’s hand, her face pale. “There’s an animal in your shop.”

  “It’s a cat,” Lily says.

  “You have a cat?” Drew comes over and peers down at me, frowning. Her perfume makes me sneeze. I can’t help it if a little saliva sprays onto her cheek. She steps back and wipes her face.

  “She’s a girl,” Lily says, a touch of a smile on her lips. “She’s a good shop cat.”

  I stay very still, trying not to sneeze again.

  Drew recovers her composure, although a little makeup has smeared on her cheek. “Shop cat, of course. I was just…surprised.”

  “You would allow a cat in your shop, wouldn’t you?” Lily says.

  Drew pats her hairdo and twitches her stunning, delicate nose. “I’m not much of an animal person, but I know many people are. Extremely unusual eyes. Kind of demonic.”

  “They look more angelic to me,” Lily says.

  Dillon comes over and looks at me, the foreign smells on him growing stronger as he approaches.

  “One green eye and one blue eye,” he says, peering closely at my face. Now is my chance. I jump up and bat at his pocket, my claws latching on, bringing out what I know is in there.

  “Kitty, no!” Lily rushes over. “I’m so sorry. I can reimburse you for any damage to your suit.”

  “No problem. Don’t worry about it.” Dillon reaches for the slip of paper that I pulled from his pocket, the evidence lying on the floor, but in an instant, Drew picks up the paper and tucks it into her own pocket. Her expression hardens, but she does not look surprised. These indiscretions are not news to her, and yet…

  Lily does not understand Drew’s pain, the compromises she has always made, even before she met Dillon. She was in love with Lily’s mate—hopelessly, sadly in love with a man who would never love her back. Her beauty was not enough. It was not enough to keep her absent father around through her childhood, not enough to make her mother love her instead of resenting her birth. Few people have ever looked beyond her surface. She is even envious of me, an animal so easily loved, or so she thinks.

  “Well, we should be going,” Drew says quickly. “The cat is a…nice touch.” She and Dillon are heading for the door.

  “Thanks for stopping by,” Lily calls out, following them. They leave in a rush, and the door swings shut.

  Lily watches them take off down the sidewalk, her lips turned down. I wish I could tell her what I know, that she shouldn’t envy Drew’s life, that no matter how things look on the outside, they’re rarely the same on the inside.

  “Drew Galt Designs, huh?” Lily says in a thoughtful voice. I can tell by the look in her eyes that the encounter has shaken her, changed her—that something new is about to happen.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Lily

  After Drew and Dillon left, Lily felt light-headed, her mind racing. She’d thought she could escape the past by leaving San Francisco, but Drew had found her anyway, and unwanted reminders had blown in with her. Once, Lily had caught Drew leaning across the lunch table at the design studio, flirting with Josh. He’d been smiling as if the two of them shared some secret joke. Had he ever actually had an affair with Drew? Or at the very least, had he ever liked Drew the way she had obviously liked him?

  Lily had brought up the subject over dinner, and Josh had bristled. What else did he have to do, he’d said, to show her that he loved her? He already demonstrated his devotion every moment of every day. She had trusted him, believed him. She still did. But Drew’s beauty had planted unwelcome seeds of insecurity, and when she had taken a design job at another firm, Lily had been relieved. But Drew kept popping up at trade shows and dinner parties, and once Lily had caught Drew looking at Josh across the table with a studied kind of hunger. He’d been the one to leave the party early, to tell Lily that he felt uncomfortable.

  She had been sure of her marriage, and yet she’d resented having anyone even threaten her happiness one iota. How dare this woman come up here now, to stir up trouble all over again. Why couldn’t she leave Lily to focus on the happiest memories? Did she resent Lily that much? Did she really want Lily to work for her, or did she onl
y want to flaunt her new life?

  Either way, Lily felt newly galvanized. By what, exactly, she didn’t know. Anger or resentment—did it really matter? She felt a new sense of purpose.

  She picked up the cat and kissed her furry head. How could anyone call her a “thing” or merely an “animal”? An insult to this cat was an insult to Lily’s shop. In a short time, this little fluffy creature had become integral to Lily’s business. Many people had come in looking for the cat, drawn by her mystical qualities, or perhaps by her unusual eyes. Perhaps they sought comfort, commiseration, or hope in an unpredictable world.

  Lily had sought the same when she arrived on the island, and by buying the cottage on a whim, she had actually been making a calculated decision. She had always wanted to change her life, to leave the city. Had Josh’s death merely freed her to follow her dream? Had it been a plan they had shared, or had the dream belonged to her alone?

  Either way, she needed to consciously commit to her future. She had to accept the cat or leave her at the shelter, make the shop work or let it sink, move forward or stay forever stuck, as her mother had tried to warn her. Her poor mother, who still called every few days to make sure her daughter was still alive and well.

  I’m more than well. I’m great, Lily thought. She would get to know the island people and the island for real—or leave them behind. There was no middle place.

  She looked at Josh’s jacket on the mannequin, the jacket that he would never wear again. Dammit, somebody needed to wear that thing. If it fit Dr. Cole, so be it. She called the animal clinic, her heartbeat kicking up. She shifted from foot to foot. Why was she so nervous? Was it because she now knew he was single? That every woman on the island had coveted him? That he’d slept around but had remained unattainable? Was it because he was still hopelessly in love with his ex-wife?

  It was only a jacket on a mannequin, for goodness’ sake.

  “Island Animal Clinic,” Vanya said at the other end of the line. “How can I help you?” Her voice came through bright and friendly, putting Lily at ease.

  “Vanya, it’s Lily.”

  “Oh, hey! I’m wearing the vintage blue sweater. Everyone says it brings out my eyes.”

  “It is a beautiful Chanel, perfect for you. Be sure to wash it by hand and don’t put it in the dryer.”

  “I won’t. I’ve been talking up your shop to everyone, too. You need a business card.”

  “I’m going to order them today. Um, I’d like to talk to Dr. Cole if he’s around.” She tried to sound casual, but her voice came out a little thin and strained.

  “He’s in with a client at the moment. Hold on.” Vanya’s voice became muffled as she covered the receiver. She said something to a client. A dog barked in the background, and Lily almost hung up, feeling ridiculous. No, remember, move forward. Grit your teeth. This is your life.

  “So you want to leave a message for him?” Vanya said, coming back on the line.

  Lily glanced out the window. The display in The Newest Thing was in the midst of another transformation, two mannequins—one male and one female—positioned in the window. Flo was about to adorn them in some new style, but for the moment, they were both unclothed.

  “Yes,” she said. “Tell him I need to measure him for the jacket, if he wants it. Otherwise I’ll sell it to someone else. He can either call me back or come into the shop.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be over when he can tear himself away from work.”

  “Thanks, Vanya.”

  When Lily hung up, she realized she had stepped across a threshold from which there might be no return.

  The cat sat beneath a hat tree, staring up at nothing, giving Lily a sudden idea for a shop logo. A cat with her fur blowing in the wind, wearing a vintage hat.

  She checked the Internet for images, sketched a variation on one, and on a crazy impulse, she bundled up and rushed out in the blustery day to Fairport Graphics, where she ordered a logo image, business cards, and postcards.

  Then she removed the Found Cat flyers from corkboards and telephone poles, bulletin boards and windows. The cat was going to stay. Who cared if the she ripped a couple of dresses or went psycho in the night? Sometimes life could throw you, as Dr. Cole had said, and sometimes that was a good thing.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Kitty

  I wonder what has just happened to Lily? She returns to the shop light on her feet, her cheeks flushed. For the first time since I came inside, I feel a hankering to leave, to be free, to see what she saw, to feel what she felt. But then I remember the long nights in the wind and cold, my belly aching with hunger. Do I want that life again?

  Anyway, I can’t leave yet. Sadness lingers in her heart, and the spirit of Lily’s former mate is growing stronger. He compresses and expands, disappears and reappears, as if unsure of the shape he’s meant to take, or what he is meant to become.

  When Paige stops in for her dress, he slowly fades into the wall, as if he has run out of energy, but I have a feeling he will be back.

  In the altered getup, Paige looks like a mermaid I once saw emerging at low tide to bask in the moonlight. She was also clad in tight, shiny green, with similar pale skin.

  Paige turns in front of the mirror, checking her reflection from all angles, lifting her arms, dropping them, spinning in a slow circle.

  “Amazing, Lily. How did you do it?”

  “I made a few small adjustments.” Lily smiles, and I sense the warmth coursing through her.

  “I’m a whole new person.”

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  “I love it.”

  Lily floats through the next couple of moon cycles, chattering to me about alterations, the sales she is making, the new window display. The sweet man, Rupert, returns to help her set up new display lights. Turns out, he’s good with electronics and wires. He slips me freeze-dried chicken treats when Lily isn’t looking. She fits him with a new purple suit, and he smiles and hugs her and they both spill water from their eyes.

  “Michael thinks I’m insane to wear this color,” Rupert says, modeling the suit. “But he’s not allowed to have an opinion. He’s not going with me to the funeral. He’s off on another six-day shift, and I’m leaving for Virginia tomorrow.”

  “That’s a long time apart. Do you miss him?” Lily asks.

  “Like the devil. But the passengers love him. He’s one of the few singing flight attendants who isn’t tone deaf.”

  Lily nods, her mind elsewhere. She looks out the window as if searching for someone. Ah, yes, now I know who it is. He arrives rather suddenly the next morning. When he steps inside, her heartbeat taps all over the universe. But on the outside, she remains calm. The doctor is in regular clothes, bringing the cold air and the smell of the salty sea. This time, I know he’s not here for me. He’s here for the jacket on the mannequin, or so he says. When he tries it on, Lily fusses with the sleeves and the collar, while he stands there, looking at her in the mirror.

  “I’ll make some alterations and it will fit you perfectly,” she says, fussing some more, not looking into his eyes.

  He nods, changes into his regular clothes, shoves his hands into his pockets, hesitates. “I need to get Bish a little…something. I have no idea what she likes these days.”

  “You can’t go wrong with jewelry. Here, come and take a look.” She pulls a velvet display case from beneath the checkout counter.

  The ghost of her former mate wafts down and wraps around her as Dr. Cole leans over the jewelry. Lily points to a silver necklace with white beads.

  “This is sterling.” She hands the necklace to Dr. Cole. “It’s a choker. Sits above the collarbone. Perfect for Bish.”

  I sit on the edge of the counter, my tail swishing, and look from Lily to the doctor and back.

  “Whatever you say,” he says. “Looks good to me.”

  “I might have a box.” As she bends forward, her necklace slips out from beneath her sweater, the gold ring and vial of ashes dangling in
full view.

  Dr. Cole takes a step back.

  Lily tucks the necklace beneath the pullover, her cheeks a bright shade of pink.

  “No need for a box,” Dr. Cole says, standing away from her now.

  “It’s no problem.” Lily quickly arranges the silver necklace in a gift box, puts the box in a small paper bag. “Bish is going to love this.”

  “I’m sure she will.” He takes the bag, then turns and heads for the exit. I can’t let him leave, not with Lily’s heartbeat going crazy. As he opens the door, I jump down, stagger across the floor, and let out a strangled, unearthly cry before collapsing dramatically on the carpet.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Lily

  What could have happened to the cat? Lily’s worst nightmare had just come true. The moment she’d opened her heart to the little creature, the poor old “senior” cat had keeled over and died. Horrible scenarios rushed through Lily’s head—the cat had suffered a stroke, a heart attack, or a rupture of a major artery. Or maybe her tiny body had finally given out. Maybe old cats died this way—they kept going for years and then winked off like a lightbulb.

  That’s what you get for loving someone again, and a fragile senior cat, no less. Lily went a bit numb with fear as she kneeled on the carpet next to the cat, who lay stretched out on her side, her breathing shallow. “What’s wrong with her?” Lily said, knowing she sounded desperate. “Could this be another hairball, a bigger one stuck in her throat?”

  “I don’t think so. Did you see what happened?” Dr. Cole kneeled on the other side of Lily. She heard a cracking sound, maybe from his joints. “She was okay a minute ago.”

  “I have no idea. She just collapsed. You saw! You just petted her.”

  “But then I turned away.” He put his ear down to the cat’s chest, then he pulled back her upper lip to check her gums. “She’s not cyanotic. See? Her gums are pink. She’s breathing. Her heartbeat sounds all right.”

  “But she’s obviously in distress! What’s going on? Do something! You’re the vet.” Lily teetered on the edge of panic, but an inner part of her stood back, observing from a dispassionate distance.