Lily Mae told no one. She withdrew money for the plane ticket at the ATM rather than go to the bank where someone might see her. She bypassed the closest airport for a larger one and paid for long-term parking for her SUV.
She lucked out on a flight. There were two cancellations for a direct flight scheduled to leave for L.A. thirty minutes after she arrived. But as Lily Mae buckled her seatbelt, she realized how incredibly thorough she’d been in sealing her fate.
No note. No word. Just a missing suitcase and abandoned ring and enough money missing from Jace’s account to let him know it was enough for a plane ticket. He wouldn’t be back until late in the evening. She tried not to think of how terrified he’d be to find her gone, and how betrayed when he realized she’d not been taken, but had left. Of course, he’d likely figure out she’d gone back to L.A., and he may follow to press for an explanation. But she’d planned for that, too. Her first stop would be to the townhouse. Jace had been right. She had thousands of dollars in jewelry—more than enough to pawn to pay most if not all the money she owed Tony. She’d stop to get that first; Lily Mae did not want to risk being at the townhouse should Jace immediately hop a plane to follow. She’d gather what she needed, settle up with Tony. And after that? The picture from that point was murky and uncertain, but the last time Lily Mae had left Texas, she’d started with nothing and built a career and a life from scratch. She could do it again if she had to.
“You sure look deep in thought.” The voice to her right was accompanied by the nudge of a pudgy elbow, and Lily Mae turned to see a flush-faced, middle-aged redhead grinning at her.
“Oh, yeah,” she said.
“Marge.” The woman extended her hand. “Marge Bridges. Nice to meet you.” She paused and cocked her head. “So, honey, where you headed?”
Lily Mae wasn’t in any mood to talk, but suspected this would hardly matter to her affable seatmate who struck her as one of those anxious fliers who felt compelled to chatter nervously nonstop during a flight. Now that the plane was in the air, she was trapped.
“L.A.,” she said.
“Well, obviously. Direct flight. Silly me,” Marge giggled. “So am I. My daughter’s getting married.”
Lily Mae forced a pained smile as she swallowed her instinct to say, “Me, too.”
“That’s nice,” she said instead.
“Her name’s Mindy.” The woman shifted her bulk in the seat so she was now turned toward Lily Mae. “I didn’t think she’d ever find a guy, but I have to say that Randy—that’s her fiancé—is just the nicest guy. I mean, a lot of people would say he’s too old-fashioned; he won’t let her lift anything heavier than her purse, holds the door for her, all that stuff. But she tells me he makes her feel like a lady. And really, what more can a gal ask for this day and age?”
Lily Mae looked out the window. Far below, the Texas sprawl was receding to be lost beneath the cloud cover. Somewhere down below, Jace was approaching the ranch where he’d deliver the steer. Maybe he was trying to call her, wondering why she wasn’t picking up. She imagined the iPhone he’d bought her vibrating on the kitchen counter where she’d left it before she walked out. She imagined the screen lighting up with the word that always made her smile: JACE.
“Listen. I’m happy for you,” Lily Mae said. “But if it’s all the same to you, I’m not really in a talkative mood.”
The smile on the ruddy face disappeared. “Well, I’m sorry I bothered you,” Marge replied, her tone leaving no doubt that she was affronted. “I won’t be bothering you the rest of the trip.”
Lily Mae didn’t respond. The last thing she wanted to do was listen to wedding talk.
She looked back out the window. The plane was above the clouds now. Occasional breaks afforded glimpses of the patchwork landscape below. They were no longer over Texas.
Lily Mae put her head back and closed her eyes. She tried to clear her mind in preparation for what she was about to face, but no matter what she did, Jace’s face appeared—the easy smile when he was pleased, the stern look of authority when he was not. Until Jace, she’d never met a man who could make her feel safe even when he was displeased. She could always count on him to be reasonable and, ultimately, to be forgiving. Except for now.
Dishonesty is a deal-breaker, but I’m not worried that you’d throw away what we have by ever lying to me.
She heard the words he’d said to her at the pond as clearly as if he were sitting beside her, saying them into her ear.
“I’m so sorry, Jace,” she said.
“What?” A voice got her attention and Lily Mae turned her head, embarrassed to realize she’d said her thoughts aloud. She looked over at Marge.
“Nothing,” Lily Mae said.
Marge was looking at her with concern. “You okay, sugar? You look so sad. If you want to talk about what’s bothering you…”
“Thanks,” Lily Mae said. “But I really don’t. Talking won’t fix what’s bothering me. Nothing will.”
Chapter Twelve