Lily Fields (Garden of Love 1)

by Melanie Wilber

  She hadn’t been bitter over their relationship ending, but she had missed him. During dinner she learned he had already spent four years in Kenya working alongside a missionary family. She felt happy for him. He was doing something he obviously enjoyed.

  The four of them sat at the table and talked until after dessert had been served and consumed. Her mother had them all go to the front room then, but her mom and dad disappeared around eight-thirty, and Lily felt strange sitting there on the couch beside him. They had shared many kisses in this spot beside the fireplace, but they weren’t kids anymore, and they weren’t dating. She knew how to be friends with him from a distance, but not like this.

  They fell into silence soon after being left alone together. She was staring at the fireplace and felt his eyes on her, but she was afraid to look at him. Feeling out of her element in her new dress and fancy hairstyle, she reached up to remove the clip from her copper hair and let it fall into its natural place.

  She did it to feel more like herself, but it affected Marty in a way she didn’t expect. He reached out and stroked her loose red hair between his fingers. She looked into those rich brown eyes and felt her heart begin to race.

  “You’re still beautiful.” He smiled and kissed her forehead. “You want to get out of here?”

  She swallowed hard, unsure of how she felt about the way he was looking at her. She knew that look.

  “Sure,” she replied, unable to respond otherwise. Sitting here together felt too awkward.

  After finding her mom and dad in the kitchen, they thanked her mom for dinner and said good-night, then grabbed their coats and left. He followed her to her apartment where she changed into some warmer clothes. Marty had suggested going for a walk down by the waterfront, but she wasn’t about to go in heels with her legs exposed to the chilly winter air.

  He drove them there, and as they walked along the river, she did feel more at ease with him and heard all about his life since she had last heard from him. She could hear his love for mission work even more now than after their first experience in Europe eight years ago.

  Marty bought her some coffee at a little café along the waterfront, and they talked until closing time. They drove back to her apartment, and Lily wanted to invite him in and talk some more, but at the same time she felt the need to bring the evening to a close. Marty had brought feelings to the surface she didn’t realize she still had for him after all this time, and she didn’t know if she was ready for that or what she could do about it. He was, after all, only here for a visit.

  “I had a nice time,” she said. “I--” she sighed, not wanting to sound like this had been an average night for her, but not wanting to read too much into his attentiveness and say something foolish. She smiled at him and remembered who she was talking to. She could be honest.

  “I’m not quite sure what to say.”

  He smiled and pulled her into an embrace. It was the first time he had held her since their initial meeting before dinner. “I know. Me neither. I’ll call you, okay?”

  “Okay,” she replied, stepping back and inserting her key into the lock. Once she had opened the door, Marty spoke again.

  “Good night, Lily.”

  She smiled at him but felt tears stinging her eyes, wondering if she would ever see him again. “Good night, Marty,” she whispered.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Lily couldn’t sleep that night. Seeing Marty again after all these years seemed surreal. Had she really spent the evening with him? She had always known spending some time with him again would be nice, but to still have such strong feelings for him? She hadn’t expected that.

  Did he feel the same way? Had his heart beat faster at the sight of her? Had he enjoyed their time together enough to call her and get together with her again while he was here? Or had tonight only been about seeing an old friend with no intention on his part of rekindling any of the feelings they once held for each other?

  She decided she would have to wait and see. He said he would call. Maybe tomorrow? Next week? All she could do was wait, she supposed. And if he did call, what then? He said he was in The States for nine months. Could they possibly fall in love again in such a short time? She hadn’t felt called to missions seven years ago, but what about now? Did God have a reason for bringing them back together? Was she meant to be by his side now?

  Okay, Lily. Slow down. Trying to shake off her overwhelming thoughts and feelings, she turned onto her side and tucked her comforter under her chin, trying to think about something else. She knew she needed to take this one day at a time. Doing otherwise would only let her imagination run away with her and set her up for a broken heart.

  But Marty remained on her mind throughout the following day, and she felt anxious to see if he might possibly call her that evening. She had Bible study tonight, and other than the concert tomorrow, her week was free. She knew she would agree to see him if that’s what he wanted, but she tried not to get her hopes up.

  Her phone rang while she was tidying up her apartment for the Bible study she hosted on Tuesday evenings. About eight women came on a regular basis. Corrinne Adams actually led the study, but they held it at Lily’s because of her spacious living room that could hold them all comfortably.

  She didn’t recognize the number, but it was a local call. Since she didn’t know Marty’s number, she knew it could very well be him. Feeling her heart begin to pound faster, she answered and gave a cheerful greeting.

  “Lily?”

  “Yes,” she said, not quite sure who the voice belonged to. It was a man, but she didn’t think it was Marty.

  “Hi. This is Devin.”

  She almost dropped the phone. With her thoughts consumed with Marty for the last twenty-four hours, she had let Devin’s casual comment that he might call slip her mind.

  “H-Hi,” she replied. “How are you?”

  “I’m good,” he said. “I didn’t see you at lunch today.”

  “No. I had some errands to run.”

  “I’ve been thinking about you.”

  She laughed nervously. “Have you?”

  “Yes, I have. After seeing you at the mall on Saturday I got to thinking, ‘Lily Sullivan. Now why haven’t I gotten to know her better?’”

  She didn’t know how to respond to that and said nothing.

  “I don’t know if you’re comfortable going on a date with someone you work with, but if you don’t mind, I thought I might take you to dinner and give us a chance to get to know each other away from school.”

  “Dinner?” she replied, glancing out the window that overlooked a nearby park and wondering if this was a dream. She saw it had started to rain again.

  “Tomorrow night?”

  “No, I can’t tomorrow.”

  “Thursday? I’d wait until this weekend but I’m leaving for Germany on Friday.”

  “Germany?”

  “With my family. My mom grew up there and that’s where all her family is. We go there for two weeks every Christmas. If you’re busy on Thursday, we can wait until I get back after the first of the year.”

  Lily pondered his invitation. On the one hand she had been waiting for a call like this for two years and couldn’t imagine herself letting this slip through her fingers. What if he forgot by the time he returned from Germany and she never had another opportunity?

  If she hadn’t seen Marty last night, she wouldn’t have any reason to hesitate. But what if Marty called her? Did she want to start something with Devin if there was even a remote chance of something happening between herself and her first love?

  “Sure, I’d like that,” she heard herself say, knowing she would be kicking herself forever if she didn’t accept, especially if Marty never called.

  “Great,” he said. “I’ll look forward to it.”

  Lily hung up the phone and felt dazed. Talk about something coming when she least expected it. She had been dreaming of a phone call from Devin like that, and now that it had actually happened, she wasn’t ce
rtain how she felt. Ecstatic? Numb? Scared to death?

  Lily thought the Bible study was particularly poignant that evening. They were studying the topic of peace. She definitely needed an extra dose of peace this week.

  “Jesus said not to worry about anything,” Corrinne said. “How do you think we can put worry aside?”

  Lily thought about that in relation to her current situation. She found herself most worried about things she had no control over and things that may or may not happen. “By taking one day at a time,” she replied.

  Corrinne agreed, restating Matthew 6:34. “Do not worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

  Another gal named Tracy shared her answer. “By trusting that God is in control no matter what, and believing we are never out of His care.”

  Lily needed that reminder as well. She had no idea what tomorrow held, or Thursday night. She had no idea if Marty had returned to her life for any reason other than a friendly reunion, or if she could possibly have a relationship with Devin.

  But God knew, and she had been taught that His plans were always perfect. Around one a.m. she decided to believe that and finally fell asleep.

  The following afternoon she arrived home from work, took a shower, and dressed for the concert that evening. She was supposed to be at Josie’s apartment by five o’clock because the four of them were going out to dinner first. Selecting some black pants and a white turtleneck sweater from her closet, she decided to wear her hair the way she wore it most often, letting her straight coppery strands fall naturally around her face with her bangs swept loosely to the side. A bit of powder, blush, and some pale green eye shadow seemed sufficient for this casual evening with friends and a guy she would likely never see again.

  On her way out the door she shook her head thinking about what a crazy week she’d had: One blind date, an evening with her first love, lunch with Devin on Saturday and a real date with him tomorrow night. Definitely not an ordinary week for her.

  Josie’s son opened the door when she arrived at her friend’s apartment five minutes later.

  “Hi, Tommy,” she said, giving him a little squeeze. He wriggled away and ran off to resume his video game in the living room.

  Josie came from the hallway and greeted her. She looked fabulous as always. Her dark hair fell naturally around her sweet face. Lily had often wished she had dark hair like Josie’s instead of red. She also envied Josie’s flawless skin. Her own was “graced” with freckles and rosy cheeks, as her mother would say. And she still broke out like an adolescent from time to time.

  “Mark called and said he’s on his way,” Josie said, reaching for her coat and purse by the door. “I told him we would meet them outside.”

  Tommy turned off his game and came to the door when Josie told him it was time to leave. They dropped him off downstairs with the woman who usually watched him on the nights Josie worked. He was going to sleep there tonight since they wouldn’t be getting home until late. Josie gave him a loving hug and several kisses before they left the apartment and went to meet Mark.

  Lily admired Josie. Her life had not been easy. Tommy’s father had left her before Tommy was even born. But Josie had made the best of her life as a single parent. She had an excellent job, a nice place to live, and she was an absolute sweetheart. Lily knew that if she ever needed anything, Josie would be there for her. That’s why she had agreed to their modified arrangement for the concert. She knew Josie would do the same for her.

  Lily had high hopes that her friend had finally met the man who could be the husband to her she deserved, and she hoped they had a nice time together at the concert tonight, even if it meant having to sit beside a stranger.

  When they stepped out of Josie’s building, Lily saw Mark and his brother waiting for them. Lily couldn’t tell much about what his brother looked like in the semi-darkness, but she noticed he was taller than Mark by an inch or two, and Mark wasn’t short by any means.

  Mark greeted Josie with a quick kiss on the cheek, then Josie turned her attention to his brother. “Hello, Peter,” she said. “Nice to see you again. This is my friend Lily Sullivan.”

  Lily smiled at him and said hello. Peter returned the greeting. He didn’t appear nervous or shy, and surprisingly she didn’t feel that way either. She supposed that was because of Marty and Devin. She already had enough men on her mind and wasn’t anxious to add another. She didn’t even think of this as a date, just a night at a concert with some friends.

  The four of them had dinner together at a restaurant near the concert hall. She could tell by watching Josie and Mark that their relationship was definitely something special. The way they looked together made Lily think of Marty and herself. Back when they were dating in college, everyone had always said they made a cute couple. Josie and Mark did too. They looked good together.

  Once they were inside, Lily was able to see that Peter looked a lot like Mark. They both had the same striking green eyes. She had green eyes also, but they were lighter and almost appeared gray unless you looked closely. The brothers also had the same smile, very warm and friendly.

  But Peter was taller, about six-four, she estimated, and he had light red hair, rather than brown like Mark’s. He wore it fairly short. It was more of a strawberry blonde than her own, but whenever she met someone who shared her hair-color, she always considered them a kindred spirit.

  Lily learned that Peter lived in northern California. Both Peter and Mark had grown up in a small town near Sacramento. Mark was a third-year pediatric resident at the same hospital where Josie worked as a nurse. Peter had been in the Air Force up until last year. Since getting out he had been working as a firefighter-paramedic near Sacramento.

  By the time they arrived at the concert hall, Lily felt at ease with Peter and didn’t mind separating from Mark and Josie to go find their seats in the balcony. Mark had gotten tickets for the main floor, and Lily understood why Josie hadn’t wanted to turn them down.

  While they waited for the concert to begin, Peter asked her more about her job. She had spoken in general terms when he asked at dinner, but this time she shared more details about Max. The little boy had taken up such a special place in her heart during the last three months, she couldn’t help herself.

  “One of the guys at my station has an autistic son,” Peter said. “J.J. comes in to see his dad at work sometimes. He sounds a lot like Max.”

  “How old is he?”

  “Mmm, eight or nine, I think.”

  “Is he mainstreamed in school?”

  “Yeah, I think so. He’s a bright kid. I think he may have an aide like you.”

  “I bet he loves having a dad who’s a firefighter,” she said. “Max loved it when the firemen came to visit our class.”

  Peter nodded. “Oh, yes. J.J. loves the trucks. He knows everything about them too. That kid has a great memory.”

  “Max too,” she said, smiling at Peter. She always enjoyed talking to people about Max but especially when the other person had direct contact with other children like him. “Does J.J. like to give hugs?”

  Peter thought for a moment. “I don’t think I’ve seen him giving hugs, but he loves to give high-fives, over and over and over.”

  “And he’s excited every time, right?”

  Peter smiled. “Yes. Full of energy and excitement. That’s J.J.”

  Lily found herself liking Peter’s smile. In fact she found herself liking everything about him. Too bad he lives in California, she thought but then quickly checked herself. She had a date with Devin tomorrow. What was she doing being attracted to this guy? She decided to turn the conversation to more neutral topics where she wouldn’t get wrapped up in a subject so close to her heart.

  When the opening group came out onto the stage, Lily enjoyed hearing them singing live as much as she knew she would. The concert was featuring several Christian groups that were either popular now or once had been. Lily had asked Peter earlier who he was looking forward to hearing m
ost, but he said he didn’t have a preference. She knew she would enjoy them all, but the four gals singing now had made a lot of albums she had enjoyed listening to since her teenage years.

  “They sound as great as ever!” Lily shouted over the crowd to Peter during the applause.

  “Yeah, they’re good,” he said.

  “And not too bad to look at either,” she teased him.

  He smiled and leaned close to her ear. “They’re not bad, but I prefer redheads.”

  Lily felt the color rising in her cheeks. She glanced at him, and Peter smiled. She smiled in return and shifted her eyes back to the stage as another female artist was announced and came to join the group for a familiar Christmas carol. Lily was thrilled to hear the five of them singing together since she never had before, but for the remainder of the concert her attention was split between the music coming from the stage and the guy sitting beside her.

  When the concert ended, they followed everyone to the stairs and back down to the lobby. Peter grabbed her hand to keep them from getting separated in the crowd, but he didn’t let go once they got to the place near the doors where they were supposed to meet Mark and Josie. Neither did she.

  “Is this the first time you’ve ever been on a blind date, Lily?” he asked.

  She shook her head and laughed. She had lost count of all the blind dates she’d been on. “No. Is this a first for you?”

  “Yes,” he said, returning her smile. “And to be honest, I wasn’t thrilled about it until I saw you.”

  If he didn’t live in another state, and she didn’t have Marty and Devin to keep her guessing right now, she would have told him she had a nice time also and casually let him know she would be interested in going out with him again sometime.

  But since she knew he was leaving tomorrow and didn’t expect to ever see him again, she simply said, “As blind dates go, this has definitely been one of my best.”

  Mark and Josie met up with them, and the four of them walked back to the car a few blocks away. Peter didn’t release her hand until she went to get in the back seat with Josie, who had insisted Peter sit up front with Mark because of his long legs.