She knew thirty-two wasn’t old, but good God, she felt old. Tired of all these years dangling from a cliff’s edge. She couldn’t add new risks to her world. She had to fight her own impulsiveness for the sake of her son. If she drew police attention back into her life . . . If she lost her job . . .
Lily raised her hand in a small wave as the detective took a backward step toward the sedan he’d parked outside the gate. He hadn’t pulled in to one of the visitor spots. Cop instincts, maybe, wanting to leave himself a quick exit in case of an emergency. She admired the watchfulness. She could understand it.
Staring hard until he slipped back into his car, Lily managed another friendly wave of appreciation as he shut the door behind him. He was done. He was leaving. She was safe.
Detective Mendelson had barely made the turn out of the entrance when Sharon Hassan’s foot hit the street. She stepped off the curb to hurry across the road toward Lily.
“Is anything wrong?” she called with far too much excitement in her voice.
“No, nothing.”
“Is Everett okay?”
Lily’s irritation faded a little at the concern for her son.
“Everything is fine! The cops were just checking on that car you saw hanging around last night.”
“Me?” Panting from her near jog to get a little gossip, Sharon pressed a hand to her chest. “No, I didn’t call. Was there a robbery? A break-in?”
Lily frowned at that surprise. “Nothing like that. Just a suspicious car, maybe.”
“Wasn’t that Detective Mendelson? There must be something going on if they sent an actual detective.”
Lily watched as his car disappeared up the road, wondering if she’d been too quick to focus on her own worries. She’d assumed Sharon had been in her shop for a late appointment and had seen the delivery dropped off for Lily after dark. And that definitely would have looked suspicious. But if it wasn’t that?
A little icy fear trickled along her nerves. Were her old ghosts back to haunt her? Had Mendelson only been testing the waters?
She dragged a sleeve over her forehead to wipe off the nervous sweat. “He didn’t offer any specifics. Just asked if I’d seen anything out of the ordinary. A car, people, he wasn’t really clear.”
“Well, I’ll keep my eye out, and I’ll remind Nour to keep the alarm set when I’m not around. She always forgets, and she wears those dang sound mufflers when she’s using power tools. Someone could walk right in and steal the whole place right from under us, and she’d look up an hour later to an empty shop.”
Lily suspected Sharon was actually right about that. Nour was nothing like her wife. She kept her head down and her eyes focused on upholstery and woodworking, and she cared nothing for gossip. Then again, Sharon’s penchant for loose talk fit in perfectly with her front room job of going over fabrics with interior designers and their clients. She always had local stories to pass along, even if Lily had no idea who most of the people were.
Lily had been a part of the community when she’d first moved here, but trying to keep up with cleaning a house, cooking meals, and entertaining a toddler had consumed her free time. The only people she’d known had been other moms with young children.
And her husband’s clients, of course, but they made a point of not knowing her now.
“I hope this wasn’t about that big break-in at the pharmacy last week,” Sharon said with something suspiciously like glee. “Pill fiends! Maybe they’re looking to unload some goodies.” She glanced past Lily with narrowed eyes. “Anybody suspicious rent a locker recently? They could be hiding their stash while they wait for the heat to die down.”
“I hate to disappoint, but I haven’t rented out a new space in the past week. Things will probably be slow until summer moving season.”
“Well, keep your eyes peeled.”
“I will.”
Sharon started to turn, and Lily was sighing with relief when she abruptly swung back. “I almost forgot! Guess who my latest customer is? You’ll never believe it!” Without waiting for a response, she plunged into a breathless answer. “Kimmy Ross, Dr. Ross’s new wife! Oh my God, that has to be a big change after Francesca. No one was more shocked than I was that he got married so quickly after her death, but I suppose he is still a young man at fifty-one. And a thirty-year-old wife makes him even younger, I guess. Good Lord, she is not a fan of Francesca’s design aesthetic, let me tell you.”
Lily pressed her lips together, unwilling to reveal that she’d already suspected part of that story. Dr. Ross had moved some of his first wife’s old furniture into a storage unit just the month before. I can’t keep staring at it forever, he’d explained with a sad smile. Lily had suspected he’d happily keep the furniture if not for his new bride, and Sharon had just confirmed that.
“She’s tearing everything out,” Sharon added. “New kitchen, new bathroom, new paint, and some very expensive drapes and bedding. Gorgeous stuff. Teal and gray with brushed-nickel accents. Amazing they can afford that with his daughter in rehab, but that’s how it goes. Nour is making these stunning box valances for the bedroom. You should come over when they’re done.”
“Absolutely,” said Lily, taking a sidestep toward her office door. She’d try to avoid the visit, though. She didn’t enjoy oohing and aahing over furnishings she’d never be able to afford. Hell, she currently daydreamed of buying one of those basic Ikea beds with the attached bookshelves, so she definitely wasn’t springing for custom work anytime in the next twenty years.
Though maybe she could watch a few videos and learn how to make cute throw pillows. Sharon had offered scraps of her best fabrics in the past. Everett was twelve now. A better mom would’ve already upgraded him from his Adventure Time posters and SpongeBob pillowcases. His funny joke T-shirts rarely found their way to the laundry anymore. Her baby was growing up.
She could paint his bedroom and fix it up with more-mature décor, but . . . She sighed. Not until she’d finished her latest online coursework. Another bullet point of guilt to add to her endless list.
After waving a definitive goodbye, Lily escaped through the glass door of the storage center office, but it was only an excuse to get Sharon to leave. What Lily truly needed to do was head right back outside to check on the grounds and the fencing . . . and on the status of last night’s delivery.
Adrenaline flooded her blood again, and her heart sped right back up to its previous frantic beat. Why had she agreed to this? The first time had been an accident. The second time, her ego had gotten caught up in saying yes. This time she’d barely given it a thought, and now she felt sick with the risk she’d taken.
Managing this storage facility wasn’t just Lily’s job; it was her and Everett’s world. Their home, their security, their future. Their bubble.
She’d started feeling too safe. That was the problem. She’d landed this gig six years before, and she’d lost her gratitude for it somewhere along the way, distracted by her guilt over making Everett live like this, and resentful of how small and dingy her place in the world had become.
But small and dingy was better than out on the raw streets, exposed to every sight, sound, and threat that came along.
She may have fallen far, but she’d clawed her way back up to this ledge, and she’d be damned if she’d let her tired hands rest now. One more year and she’d be past the worst of it. She’d have her degree. She’d be ready to take on the world.
But not yet.
After standing quietly for a few minutes, she grabbed her keys and stepped outside, pausing to look for anyone watching or approaching. Things were usually quiet on weekdays before lunch. Though Saturdays could be busy enough to make her scream, nobody moved on a Monday.