Lily Mae gave the driver Tony’s address and sat back in the seat, watching the familiar, unwelcome scenery of L.A. pass as the driver zoomed in and out of traffic. It was midmorning, and back home she’d probably be running errands for Jace or maybe checking the garden for vegetables she planned to use for the evening meal. She’d be barefoot, the earth warm and alive under her feet. Maybe she’d keen to watch a bee make its way from deep inside a squash blossom, its back legs laden with its harvest of pollen.
There were no bees here, no soft earth, no sense of home. No love. Lily Mae forced herself to turn her mind from what she’d lost to what she had left. She hugged the bag on her lap close to her chest. Inside was all of her jewelry. She’d planned to take it to the pawn shop, but decided that a man like Tony could get someone to give him fair value for it. There was more than enough to cover what she owed him. She was confident enough of that to keep a few pieces for herself. She’d have to pawn those to rent a room until she could find a job. Once she got settled, she’d find a way to her SUV, if she could. Or maybe she’d just rely on public transportation and send the title to Jace, giving him the vehicle to make up some of what she owed him. A deep sadness bubbled back to the surface. She could never repay him completely. The most valuable thing he’d given her in Texas could not be repaid. He’d given her trust. And she’d broken it.
Anxiety replaced sadness as the taxi turned down the street leading to Tony’s office building. Lily Mae had not called to let him know she was coming. She wanted to catch him by surprise, to walk in without giving him time to think of a way to trap her. Her plan was to pay her debt, walk out of Tony’s life, and start a new one. If she sensed a threat in him, she’d leave. Maybe she’d find a smaller town, some place where she could eventually get her own place, if she worked hard enough. Maybe some place where she could have a garden…
“Here you are, cowgirl.” The driver turned the screen of the meter toward Lily Mae so she could what she owed. Peeling a few of her remaining bills from what she had left, she handed them to the driver and exited the cab.
She’d gotten good at hiding her nervousness when working in Los Angeles. Now she called upon that reserve as she took the elevator up to the third floor. The lobby of Tony Orzo’s office suite bore her distinctive decorating style. Sleek, modern lines and gleaming surfaces greeted Lily Mae, and she was struck by how unappealing that style seemed now to a girl who longed for gingham prints and wood grain.
“I’m here to see Tony Orzo,” she told the receptionist. It was Kelly, the same girl she’d talked to whenever she’d visited Tony’s offices, and the girl stared now, as if trying to place Lily Mae.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“He’s expecting me,” Lily Mae replied, knowing it was partially true. He was expecting her within the week…
“Name?”
“Lily Slater.”
“Lily…?” Kelly looked her up and down, her phone frozen in her hand. “I didn’t recognize you…”
“Please, if you don’t mind. I’m kind of in a hurry.”
The receptionist called into his office and then cradled the phone. “You can go on back,” she said.
Stay calm. Lily tried to look the part of the brave, secure woman she’d tried to be in L.A. as she walked into Tony’s office.
He was sitting behind his large desk, his hands folded on the black lacquer surface. His ebony hair was slicked back away from his angular, wolfish face.
Tony was wearing a tailored black suit with a black silk shirt underneath. His blood red tie matched the carefully folded kerchief peeking from the pocket of his jacket.
He smiled, his white teeth gleaming as he fixed her with a steady, predatory gaze.
“What on earth are you wearing?”
She didn’t ask before taking a seat on the other side of the desk. Usually she did, but Lily Mae was in no mood for formalities.
“I got your letter,” she said, ignoring his question.
“Yew gawtt mah lettah?” He mimicked the drawl that had returned in her short time in Texas, and she felt herself flush with humiliation. “A month in the country and they’ve turned you back into a bumpkin.” He chuckled. “Looks like I’m going to have my work cut out for me, turning you back into the sophisticated woman I know you can be.”
“You won’t be getting the chance, Tony.” Lily Mae opened her purse. “I’ve come to pay you what I owe you.” She began laying her jewelry out on the top of his desk—sapphire rings, diamond necklaces and earrings, several delicate antique Victorian pendants, designer bracelets.
“What’s this?” Tony asked.
Lily Mae looked up at him. “Giving you all my jewelry,” she said. “It’s probably worth more than what I actually owe. I have appraisal cards for the antique pieces…”
“Put it back.”
She looked up at him. “What do you mean?”
“The deal was for money, not a bunch of your old jewelry.”
“It’s not ‘old jewelry,’ Tony,” Lily Mae responded. “It’s valuable jewelry. Some of these are designer pieces.”
He leaned back in his chair, tenting his fingers in front of him. “So if it’s so valuable, why didn’t you pawn it instead of coming to me for a loan?”
Lily Mae flushed. “At the time I thought I could turn things around without selling off my belongings,” she said.