“Me, too,” he said grimly.
Lily told everyone the good news about Pastor Dean letting her run the church store and received their congratulations.
“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” Beth asked, leaning closer to her side.
“Yes, I do. I’m happy we settled it before Christmas. Do you think we have enough time to push for another toy drive? The store is already running low.”
“I’m sure we do,” Beth said above the groans at the table.
“I’m going home and hiding my wallet. Not only do we have Winter constantly after our money, now we have Lily after it for toys. Jeez,” Rider moaned.
“It could be worse,” Lily suggested.
“How?”
“If I don’t get enough toys, I was going to ask Killyama if she could help take donations,” Lily said, taking a drink of her hot chocolate.
“How much do you need?” Razer asked, reaching for his wallet.
Lily felt comfortable joking and sitting around the table. In a few weeks’ span of time, she had grown more relaxed among them; though she didn’t participate in their parties and made sure she avoided the sexual aspects of the club unless she inadvertently blundered into one of their sessions.
After lunch, Shade asked her to go furniture shopping with him. The others went back to the clubhouse as she and Shade went to the only furniture store in town. Luckily, they had a vast assortment of furniture to choose from.
After only a couple of hours, he had managed to find furniture for the entire house and appliances, too. She had liked most of his choices, but when he had been unsure, he would ask her opinion and invariably go with her decision. The sales clerk looked like he was in seventh heaven and Lily was sure he was with the commission he was most-assuredly making.
“Is that all I can help you with today?” Leonard asked, carrying the handheld computer that had rung up Shade’s purchases.
“That will be it,” Shade replied, putting his arm around her shoulder when she would have kept looking at the furniture.
“But you haven’t picked out your bedroom furniture,” Lily reminded him.
“I don’t need bedroom furniture; I have bedroom furniture.”
“The set in the basement?” Lily questioned, looking up at him.
Shade nodded before turning to follow the clerk to the cashier. Lily hung back, her feet not moving.
“But that furniture won’t match the furniture in your house,” Lily protested. “Just look at the bedroom furniture. You might find something you like better.”
“I like what I have,” Shade said, again trying to follow the sales clerk.
Lily refused to move, looking down at the floor. “It won’t match.”
Shade gave a frustrated sigh, motioning for the clerk to wait for him at the register.
“Eyes to me, Lily.” She reluctantly raised her eyes to his. “Are you crying?” he asked, obviously stunned.
“No, I don’t cry anymore. Haven’t you noticed?”
“I can’t say that I have,” Shade replied.
“Well, I don’t,” she snapped.
“Okay. We’ll debate that later. Why won’t my bedroom furniture match the rest of the furniture I bought? That happens to be an expensive set, which I custom-ordered,” Shade explained.
“I don’t care how expensive it is, it’s still different from the rest of your furniture.”
“How?”
“It isn’t new.”
“It isn’t new?” Shade repeated.
“It’s not freaking new!” Lily whisper-screamed so no one would hear her, though she noticed Leonard turn his back so she wouldn’t see him laughing at her.
Understanding dawned on his face, and he bent down to whisper in her ear. “I bought that bedroom set after you were hurt last summer, Lily. It’s still new.”
Lily’s eyes widened.
“It’s all new?”
“All of it, including the mattress and sheets. And, before you can ask, everything in my cabinet.”
She turned red but didn’t try to avoid his amused gaze.
“Then I guess it matches after all.”
*
Lily locked the door after the last customer had left, looking out the window. It had been a long day giving out the Christmas baskets and turkeys. She watched the snow flurries struggling to fly; the tiny ice flakes were more granules than anything else.
“Ready?” Beth asked, coming to her side and looking out the window with her.
Beth had told her Shade had asked them to pick her up because he had something important to take care of. Razer was waiting for them at the diner while Lily closed.
“Yes.” Lily turned to Beth. “I have a favor to ask. I know we’re supposed to go straight home, but I want to run by the store and pick out Shade’s Christmas present.”
“I’ll call Razer and tell him.” Beth reached into her pocket, pulling out her cell phone. While she made the call, Lily put on her coat and took her purse out from under the counter, going back to Beth at the doorway.
“He says that’s fine. He’ll wait outside the store in the SUV.”
“Thanks.”