“All right I can understand that, but you should have told me. I would have happily given you some money and a place to stay if you had needed it.”
“I do know that and I love you for it, but I needed to do this on my own.”
“You always were too stubborn for your own good.” Lily reached over and lifted up the brochure that sat between them. She flipped it open. “If we’re going to do this, let’s do it. Where to next?”
“Thanks Lily. I owe you one.”
“I warn you I’m not giving up, just biding my time. You’ll eventually listen to me. You always do.”
Mira gunned the engine and peeled out of the parking lot. “We’ll see,” she muttered under her breath. This wasn’t an argument that she meant to lose.
****************************************************************
They ended up compromising. Mira wasn’t willing to accept a gift from Lily but, after a lot of persuasion, she took a $10,000 loan from her friend. The loan would enable her to afford the deposit on a better place and to buy a little furniture. Once she started receiving paychecks, her salary would more than cover the rent and, although Lily wasn’t really concerned about it, Mira had promised to pay her back within two years.
With the extra money, Mira rented a lovely corner townhouse in one of the subdivisions near Research Triangle Park, the big R&D complex between Raleigh and Durham. The townhouse had three good sized bedrooms. Two on the top floor and one on the ground floor. One of the top rooms would do for an all-purpose room or spare bedroom. The other, with its en-suite bathroom, would be great for her bedroom. The downstairs room, she decided, with its large windows and recessed lighting, would work well for a studio. Thankfully, there was also a small bathroom tucked next to it so she wouldn’t have to constantly troop up and down the stairs.
As she opened the door with her new key and stepped into the house, Mira took a deep breath and smiled. This area was her favorite part of the place and it was the reason she had signed so quickly.
The living room and the eat-in kitchen were both in one, big open area, divided only by the long sweep of a beautiful marble counter. The space was further enhanced by vaulted ceilings, tall windows, and an upstairs balcony overlooking it all.
To the right, a gorgeous flagstone patio came off the living room. It could be accessed from the main area, through a set of sliding doors, or from the third bedroom, which was off to the right down a short hall.
Thinking through possible color schemes, Mira crossed the living room and headed for the patio doors. She hadn’t really explored the outside yet and wanted a quick look around. Perhaps nature could give her some inspiration and, hopefully, she would discover that there was room for a small garden. She had never had the time for one before but, she promised herself, she would make the time now. There had to be more than just work in her life. A loud thump sounded, interrupting Mira’s thoughts. She sighed and, turning around, retraced her steps to the front door.
Outside, two men were trying to maneuver a queen bed from the back of a pickup truck. The men made an odd pair. One of them was of medium height, slim, and kind of good looking if a bit starched in his wrinkled dress shirt and slacks. The other man was short and stocky with a thick beard, scruffy hair and work pants. They had one thing in common, however — Lily Parsons.
She and Lily had been running late by the time they got to the furniture store and had been told that the earliest anything could be delivered was tomorrow. Mira wouldn’t really have minded sleeping on the floor for a night, but Lily had insisted on a bed. The salesman had been so enamored by Lily’s blond, leggy beauty that he had been ready to carry the bed on his back. Thankfully, his back had been saved by the entrance of a construction worker with a pickup truck. Lily had batted her long lashes and sweetly asked for help. He had been putty in her hands.
Now the salesman and the construction worker were trying to bring in some of her furniture. The problem was they couldn’t keep their eyes off of Lily and on their work. The thump had been her bed frame, made of a beautiful, light ash, hitting the side of the truck. If she wanted whole furniture instead of a handful of splinters she had better intervene.
“Lily,” she called. “Perhaps you should come inside now. You wouldn’t want to burn your delicate skin.” The truth was that, thanks to her Italian ancestry, Lily rarely burned and, in fact, with the sun lighting up her hair and bringing a flush to her cheeks, she looked vibrant. The men, however, immediately rushed to agree.
“You should go inside soon, Ms. Lily, we wouldn’t want you to get a burn,” the short one said.
“Certainly not,” the salesman echoed. “Go in and rest. We’ll do fine without you.” He was now panting with effort, but he seemed determined.
“Why thank you gentlemen. You’re being so kind,” she said the in slow, sweet voice that was her best imitation of a Southern belle. “I’ll do that right now.” She sent both of them a wink that almost caused them to drop the bed again and, with a swish of her white sundress, sauntered inside.
With Lily out of the way, things moved more quickly and Mira soon had a bed, a lipstick red sofa, and one coffee table set up in her new home. She thanked the men profusely for their help and determinedly steered them out. With the door firmly shut she flopped down on the sofa and closed her eyes.
“Are they gone?” Lily asked. Her voice came from somewhere at the back of the kitchen.
“Yes they are. No thanks to you. I had to practically pry them out of here.”
Lily walked out of the kitchen with a bottle in one hand and two plastic cups in the other. “It’s not my fault. I can’t help it if men find me irresistible.” Her lips pouted in a sad little moue that did nothing to distract from her beauty. “I was born with this face.”
“Perhaps, but you don’t have to encourage them,” Mira replied without even bothering to open her eyes. The argument was long-standing and comfortable, but it did exactly what she wanted it to — took her mind from her own problems if only for a minute. It was good to have her friend here.
Lily sat down next to her and put the bottle and cups on the coffee table.
“Is that champagne?” Mira asked curiously. “If it is I might be persuaded to agree with you, at least for one night.”
“Be prepared to eat crow.” Lily pulled hard on the cork and it released with a pop. A fountain of frothy bubbles fizzed to the surface and almost spilled out. Quickly, she filled her cup and licked the excess liquid off her fingers.
“I concede,” Mira said as she held out a plastic cup. “You are the most maligned, misunderstood person in the world.”
“I’m glad you see things my way.” She filled Mira’s cup and lifted hers for a toast. “To Mira, the best friend a girl could ever have. May she find happiness in her new life.” She narrowed her eyes and glared menacingly at her friend. And from now on may she always feel compelled to tell me everything.” Her stomach rumbled loudly. “First, though, I believe we need food.” She sat back and looked at Mira. “Since I provided the drink you can order the pizza, a veggie lovers would be nice.”
“Fine.” Mira pulled out her cell phone and accessed the web, quickly finding the number she needed. “But no olives.”
Forty minutes later Lily put away the extra pizza and came out of the kitchen carrying another bottle of champagne. They had finished the first one. The woman must travel with a suitcase full of the stuff, Mira thought somewhat fuzzily, as she took the offered cup and sank into the sofa.
After a few minutes, she turned her head and looked at Lily. “There is no way,” she muttered, picking up their conversation where it had left off, “that I’m going to tell you everything, but I do tell you a lot. I mean you’re one of my best friends.” Her brow creased slightly. “You’re not still mad about the money thing are you?”
“Hey I won.” Lily flashed a grin before straitening up and pasting what she saw a serious expression on her face: mouth in a straight line and eyebrows pulled
together. “But you haven’t told me everything. I’ve known you for 14 years and I know when you’re hiding something. You could never lie worth a damn.” She put her cup down and sat forward. “Spill it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mira said. “You know all about the situation in California and I’ve told you about my money problems. I’m not sure what you want me to say.” Striving for nonchalance, she lifted her cup and drank. Unfortunately, she swallowed too quickly and started coughing.
Lily leaned over and whacked her between the shoulder blades before grabbing the cup and refilling it. “Here,” she said holding out the cup. “Have another drink. It might loosen your tongue.”
It was excellent champagne, Mira thought, and one more glass wouldn’t hurt. Besides, Lily would eventually pry all the messy details out of her, so it might as well be now. She just needed a little more courage of the liquid kind because the explanation was bound to make Lily mad and that could be a scary thing. Despite having an artistic bent, her friend was very even-tempered. She seemed to channel all of her strong emotions into her clothing designs. When she did let loose, however, she was an unstoppable force. She had never met James, but she had seen what it had done to Mira when he had effectively abandoned her and she hated the man. This would not go over well. Apparently, though, she had been silent too long because Lily was already making her own speculations and she was scarily accurate.
“With your talent you could have gone anywhere in the world,” Lily mused. She tapped one manicured nail against her chin. “What reason could you have for choosing to move to Raleigh when you could have gone to New York, London, or even Paris?” Apparently struck by some horrible thought, her eyes widened and she bolted upright. “James Kelly has a company here, doesn’t he? Please tell me that you’re not still pining after that dreadful man.”
“I could never understand why you hated him so much,” Mira hedged. “You’ve never even met the man.”
“Maybe not him, but I know his type. You were obsessed with him when we went to St. Cat’s so I did a little research. It wasn’t just you that he abandoned. At 22 he seemed to be determined to sleep with every girl at Cornell so I’m sure he left dozens of broken hearts behind.”
“Where do you get your information?” Mira shook her head in wonder.
Ignoring the interruption, Lily continued her tirade. “From what I’ve read, he hasn’t changed much since then.” She paused briefly to take a breath and took a fortifying drink. “I had hoped, when I read in a magazine that he was engaged to some socialite, that he would disappear from your radar, but that didn’t work out and apparently he left that poor girl devastated.”
“You really shouldn’t believe everything you read in those rags.” Mira waved her finger. “Very little of it is actually true.”
“I’ve also heard,” Lily continued, completely ignoring her comment. “He has a fierce business reputation.” Her voice dropped and she leaned forward. “It’s been said,” she whispered. “That he can fell an opponent with just a look from his glacial eyes.”
“That’s just ridiculous!” Mira retorted. Yes, she had been slightly intimidated by James, but she had also been fighting an intense attraction. She also felt like she had been operating under an assumed identity. There was bound to be some fear caused by that, but it didn’t make the man a monster. Memories of the jeers that he had faced as a young teenager because of his strange accent and odd ways reared their head and she felt her temper begin to boil at the unjust accusation. It was time to set Lily straight. “I don’t know what people are talking about. All of those business men must be cowards because he didn’t seem very frightening to me.”
“Wait a second.” Her friend sat down her empty cup and slowly stood up. In a patented Lily Parsons move, she put her hands on her shapely hips and narrowed her eyes. “How can he seem to be anything? You haven’t seen him in almost 15 years.”
Mira sank deeper into the sofa. It was time to face the music. “That’s not exactly true,” she replied softly. “The job I took. It’s at EcoSpace.”
The explosion wasn’t long in coming.
“You idiot! Have you completely lost your mind?” She started pacing, her long legs carrying her quickly from door to couch and back again. For having consumed more than half a bottle of bubbly she was pretty stable. “I take it from your comments that you’ve already seen him.” She stopped in front of Mira and took a cleansing breath and her curiosity overcame her anger. “Well?” she asked. “What did he say?”
“We talked,” Mira hedged. “And he gave me the job so he must have liked my work.”
Lily waved her arm imperiously. “Of course he liked your work. You’re a brilliant artist and designer. I want to know what he said about you. Was he surprised to see you after so long?”
“Actually.” She paused. “He didn’t recognize me.”
“I suppose that makes some kind of sense. I mean, you have changed a lot since then.” She grinned. “What did he think when you told him? I’m sure he was surprised by your older, matured body. Who could have known that you would become such a hottie in 15 years?”
“For God’s sake Lily,” she sputtered. “We didn’t discuss things like that. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“Obviously my mind’s not the only one in the gutter. How do you know that I was thinking anything dirty, unless you were too, huh? Try and explain that, smarty pants.” She giggled girlishly and stumbled slightly before collapsing onto the sofa. “I think the champagne is starting to get to me. I feel a little drunk.”
“Good,” Mira said. “But I think that you should have another drink.” She filled two more cups and glanced forlornly at the empty bottle before sitting it down. “Slainte.” She lifted her cup and knocked it against Lily’s upheld one. A little liquid sloshed over the rim, but she ignored it and drained her champagne. Lily followed suit. “How do you feel?” Mira asked.
“What?” The reply was a little slurred.
“Good because I’ve something to say and you won’t like it.” It was apparent that her best friend was definitely drunk. Hopefully, that would make the news easier to take. She, of course, was only slightly tipsy and perfectly able to make a rational argument so she should have the upper hand. That is, if she could remember what she had wanted to talk about. Maybe if she closed her eyes for a minute.
“Hey, hey.” Lily tried punching her in the arm and missed. She sprawled across Mira. She laughed and pushed herself upright. “You can’t go to sleep till I do and, first, I need to know what you were going to say.”
“All right, I’ll tell you.” Mira forced her eyelids to open. “Just as soon as you stop shaking me.”
“Sorry,” Lily said. She pulled her hand back and crossed her arms in front of her. “I’m ready now. What is it?”
“Right, James. The thing is I didn’t tell him.”
“Didn’t tell him what?”
“That I was Mira Sweeney not just Mira Anders. It seemed easier.”
“Why was it easier?” Lily yawned and put her legs on the coffee table. She looked ready to pass out.
“Because he’s avoided me for years. He might not have hired me if he knew who I was.” She stretched and put her own legs up. It was probably time to think about going to bed, but the sofa was comfortable. She might just stay here.
“Maybe he avoided you because he really wanted to see you.”
“That’s,” yawn, “what Pat said, but that kind of thinking doesn’t make sense.”
The table shifted slightly as Lily moved her legs off and sat up straight. She pulled her fingers through her tousled hair. “Please tell me that old meddler didn’t put you up to this. It sounds like something he’d do.”
Mira mirrored her friend and sat up, pulling her legs of the table. She shook her head in an effort to clear it. It did the opposite and she leaned forward and took deep breaths, trying to combat a wave of dizziness. “Pat loves me,” she gasped. “And he’
s one of the most straightforward men I’ve ever met. I can’t see him manipulating me like that.”
“Not intentionally, no, but he also loves his son and that man wants grandkids desperately. He would like nothing better than to see the two of you married. This is a really bad idea. Wait I know. You haven’t started work yet. Tell him you changed your mind.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not? I know you could get a job somewhere else.” Lily turned her head and looked at her friend. Mira’s eyes were dark and tormented, but her expression was dreamy. “Oh shit. Tell me you don’t still feel that stupid infatuation that you did as a teen.”
“Worse.” She sighed. “He walks in a room and I can barely breathe. It’s all I can do to keep my hands off of him.”
“Damn it. If you were anyone else, I would say it’s just lust and tell you to get over it or spend a few days in the sack. Knowing your extreme stubbornness, though, it’s not something you’ll get over.” She rubbed her eyes in exhaustion or vexation. It was difficult to tell which. Eye shadow smeared her porcelain cheeks but she didn’t seem to notice, intent as she was about having her say. “I’d tell you to be careful,” she continued, “but I know you won’t. Just try not to get hurt ok? I’ve got a show in Paris to prepare for so I won’t be able to rush to your side.”
“I’m not as stupid as I was then,” Mira grouched, slightly stung by Lily’s attitude. Best friends, she reflected hazily, were supposed to support you.
“For your sake I hope so.” Lily stood up and stretched, almost falling backward. “I’m the guest so I’ll take the bed. You have the sofa.” She crossed the living room and slowly weaved her way up the stairs.
Mira lay down and closed her eyes. She would be careful, but she wasn’t going to give up, she vowed as her earlier caution fled. The young man that she had fallen in love with was still in there and she would find him.
Running from Fate Page 6
