"Okay. I need to run out to the store in a little bit so if I'm not home when you get here, I'll be right back. I have a pot of gravy on the stove. Did you have a good time at the aquarium?"
I hesitated. "Yes. Grandma, did you call someone to follow me around there?"
There was a pause. "No. Why would I do that?"
"Because you don't trust me." And could I really blame her?
She sighed. "I do trust you, Lily. And I want you to get out. It's good for you. I just don't want—"
"I know. You don't want me to see Ryan. We talked about that. I agreed."
"Right. Speaking of which, I scheduled the movers. We fly back to Colorado two weeks from tomorrow."
I swallowed. "All right."
"All right. I'll see you soon?"
"Yes, see you soon."
It took me a little over forty-five minutes for public transportation to get me from downtown San Francisco to Marin. From there, I walked to my grandmother's rental house and let myself in the door. "Hello?"
There was no answer. I followed the scent of Grandma's "gravy"—rich tomatoes, basil, and garlic—and saw it simmering on the stove. Grabbing the wooden spoon she had set on a spoon rest to the side of the stove, I lifted the lid of the pot, leaning in and inhaling the comforting smell. I stirred the sauce and replaced the lid, moving over to the sink to wash my hands. I'd make a salad to go with dinner.
"Lily," came the deep voice behind me.
Startling and turning abruptly, I found Jeffrey standing in the doorway. My heart began hammering in my chest. "H-Hello," I said. "I was just going to make a salad. Will you be joining us for dinner?"
He shook his head. "No. I have an appointment tonight."
"Okay," I said, glancing at the nametag pinned to the lapel of his suit. Why would he be wearing a nametag? I frowned, blinking at it, unable to read it from across the kitchen. He suddenly began advancing on me, and I sucked in a breath, my eyes shooting to his face. I pressed my butt against the sink, unable to back up any more than I already had. Jeffrey came to within a step of me. He brought his hand up and ran his knuckle down my cheek. I flinched. "You seem so jumpy around me. Why? I'm here to help you. I only want—"
"Lily," my grandmother called from the foyer. Jeffrey stepped back.
"In here," I called loudly. Jeffrey gave me one last assessing look and then turned and left the kitchen. I heard him chat briefly with my grandma and then the front door closed. A few seconds later, my grandma came into the kitchen carrying a bag of groceries. I took the bag from her and she leaned toward me as I kissed her on her cheek.
"Are you okay? You look peaked."
"I'm okay," I said softly. "I was going to make a salad." I turned toward the refrigerator.
"That would be great. All the ingredients are in the crisper."
"Grandma, about Jeffrey—" The chiming of the doorbell cut me off. "I'll get that," I murmured.
I walked through the living room and into the large foyer, peeking through the curtain next to the door. It was a woman, turned halfway away, but I recognized her immediately. She was the woman from the charity benefit. The woman who had been with Ryan. "Good grief," I whispered. What more? She turned and saw me peeking at her. Taking a fortifying breath, I opened the door. "Hello?" I asked, pretending I didn't know who she was.
"Don't pretend you don't recognize me," she said. "I can tell by your expression that you do. My name is Jenna. May I come in?"
I stared at her. She was somehow even more beautiful when dressed casually in jeans and a sweater. Her auburn hair was down and curled around her beautiful face, and her deep brown eyes were a stunning contrast to her creamy complexion. "How did you know where I live?"
"I'm good friends with a client who helped organize the charity event," she said, not elaborating. I supposed she had access to the guest list and all the information pertaining to that. I sighed and stood back, holding the door open to her. What a wonderful way to wrap up a wonderful day.
"Who's there, Lily?" my grandmother called.
"Someone for me," I called back, gesturing for Jenna to follow me to the formal living room to the right of the foyer. Doubtless my grandmother would listen in at the door, but I couldn't bring myself to care. Not today. I took a seat on the couch and Jenna sat down on the loveseat, facing me.
"I guess I'll just get right to it," she said. "I know who you are. I know about you, and I've come to tell you to stay away from Ryan."
What the hell?
I let out a small laugh. "You know about me? You know what exactly?"
"I was listening when you talked to him in the lobby. I heard what your grandmother said about you being ill. About you being in a hospital—a mental hospital, I assume. A whole year? You must have been very, very disturbed. Are you still? Disturbed that is?" She cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes as if she could tell more about my mental state if she looked hard enough.