A Date on Cloud Nine (17 page)

Speaking of wing
…

Lilly was pretty sure Donna would have her committed if her explanation contained any part of a trip to heaven and a bargain with angels, so she shuddered dramatically and said, “I made a promise that if I lived through that explosion, I’d help others. But that’s not the only reason. I really
feel
that I’ve had so much in my life, it’s the right thing to do, sharing, you know, with people who need it.” Better head Donna off at the pass, so she threw in, “I’m very careful about not donating to questionable organizations.”

“I see. I’d like you to consider investing in the business.” Meaning Marquette pockets.

“Andrew mentioned something about that. I’m consid
ering it.” At her mother-in-law’s steely look, Lilly softened the blow with another lie. “It’s a very generous offer. I’m not saying I won’t eventually.”

“I see.”

Better change the subject. “Is Frank here?”

“No, dear, something came up at the office, and he won’t be able to join us. Andrew tells me that Jake fellow invited you to move in with him, now that I’ve agreed to buy the house?”

Lilly didn’t like the way Donna said “that Jake fellow,” as if his and Brady’s fifteen-year friendship meant nothing; but since she wasn’t here for an argument, she let it slide and pulled her pen from her purse.

“Speaking of which, how about we get the formalities out of the way so we can enjoy the evening?”

Donna smiled broadly. “I think that’s a splendid idea.” She slipped on a pair of half glasses and started to sign the contract lying on the small table by her chair, until Drew leaned over her shoulder.

“I’m sure that should be notarized, Mother.”

Not to mention
read by me, Lilly thought.

“Oh you know, you’re absolutely right.” Donna patted her motionless hair and gave the matter some thought. “Frank sent his secretary by to pick something up a little while ago. She’s a notary, and I believe she’s still up in my office. We’ll just run these up there and have her do it. Come along, Lilly.”

Reluctant to leave the fire, Lilly opened her mouth to demur, but then Andrew shot her a
Let’s not upset Mother because we both have to have dinner with her yet
look. In complete agreement, she set her glass on the delicate side table and followed in Donna’s wake.

“Thank you,” Andrew whispered, falling in step beside her.

Lilly tripped over nothing and leaned on him, surprised to find herself woozy.

“I’ll make an excuse right after dinner,” he said, “so you won’t get trapped here all evening.”

“We’d better eat soon. I think the wine’s going to my head.”

“You all right? Lilly?”

She thought Donna said, “Uh-oh, I must have given her too much,” but she’d only had half a glass, maybe less.

Andrew seemed concerned, though. “
What?
”

“She looks awful. Quick, put her in there before the secretary sees her.”

“I’ll be okay, really—Hey!”

At the top of the stairs, Andrew grabbed Lilly by the arm and shoved her through the first open door. It slammed behind her. And locked.

Startled, it took Lilly a moment to realize Andrew wasn’t teasing, wasn’t standing on the other side of the door cracking a joke, wasn’t opening the door and explaining that he’d thrown her in here for her own good because of something weird and totally unexpected, like the ceiling in the hallway was caving in and he didn’t want her to get crushed.

“Drew?” No reply. “Andrew! This isn’t funny!”

She rattled the knob and shook the door, and when that accomplished nothing, she kicked it. Unfortunately, with all the heightened senses she had since coming back, pain wasn’t excluded, and her toes throbbed so badly that it was hard to stay on her feet.

“Donna!”

“Hush, I’m afraid I’m going to need a little more of your time, dear. Drew, go show the secretary the back way out, will you?”

“Let me out of here!”

“Now, dear, you’ve been spending money very foolishly.” Donna maintained a calm tone even as Lilly assaulted the door again, though this time with the flat side of her fists. “Your broker says you emptied your accounts today.”

Lilly screeched and screamed and pounded and kicked. Antoine would hear her. The maid would hear her. The secretary would hear her.

“And you’ve been spending far too much time with that pervert.” Donna’s prim voice was only slightly muffled by the door. “The last woman who got involved with him died, did you know that? Oh, he made it look good—the police never even questioned him—but where do you think he got the money to go into business with Brady? You’re a Marquette, Lilly. You have to think of your reputation. You have to look out for gold diggers.”

What was she thinking? If the cook, maid or anyone else was still in this house, it’d only be out of true loyalty. In which case, she was screwed.

Wait—What had Donna said about Jake?

“I’ve been trying to convince you any way I could to move in with Frank and me. I called you every week so you’d understand how vulnerable you are, but you’re just so darned stubborn.”

Suddenly understanding the late-night phone calls, Lilly backed away from the door.

What would Donna and Andrew tell Jake when she didn’t go home tonight? Would they make up some story
about how she didn’t want to see him anymore?

God, Jake, don’t believe them.

Lilly quickly found herself sitting in the middle of the carpet, and not very straight either. She didn’t remember sitting down.

What the heck?

Her head felt very heavy, and it was hard to focus with the walls swimming in circles.

Was this it? The end?

Before she could appeal to Elizabeth for more time, the room turned black.

J
ake didn’t take Lilly’s advice; he skipped the wine. He wanted to keep a clear head so that if Andrew was too tired to bring Lilly home, he could drive over and get her.

Damn, he should have offered. He should have said something before she walked down his driveway and dipped into the low-slung Jag.

He should have his head examined.

He’d been so focused on how he was going to hook a meter up to her bracelet as soon as they got home. How he’d explain everything so it’d be crystal clear and Lilly wouldn’t doubt the results, because he sure as hell didn’t want to read any blasted metaphysics book.

Maybe she’d call and want a ride home. He carried the cordless phone everywhere in the house with him, just in case. When it finally rang, he nearly stabbed his finger right through the
TALK
button.

“Hey, Jake, how ya doin’?”

“Gary, hi.” Gary was one of his former Silicon Valley
employees, and Jake needed this call right now about as much as he needed a hole in the head. But networking meant business, and business meant paying his dad and uncle back. It also meant hiring back people like Gary, who had families to support and bills to pay, people he’d hated letting go, but had no choice. It also meant earning Lilly’s respect.

“Hey, listen,” Gary said, “I got your message, and I’ll get back to you on that later. But I have a minute now and I just wanted to tell you, you know the guy that bought your house?”

For a song
.

“Yeah.”

“He’s having a party next weekend. Lotsa bigwigs, buddy. I’ll schmooze all night.”

Jake had to laugh, in spite of himself. Gary schmoozing was about as hard to imagine as catching fish with cat bait. “Get ’em drunk first.”

“That’s my plan, right after I show off everything you put into the house. I’ll call later and let you know how it goes. I just wanted you to be jealous, so you’d move back out here and hire me again.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’m working on some leads from this end, too. Stay in touch.”

At eight-thirty, he gave in to what he’d wanted to do since the moment Lilly’d left; he called the Marquettes’ house. He got their machine. He called Lilly’s cell phone and got her voice mail, which was odd because she always had her phone handy. But it was a big house; maybe her purse was in another room. It was early still. He’d try again later.

At eight-forty-five, he put his phone on call forwarding and walked over to Noreen’s to hook up an RBD: Random
Barking Dog. The neighbors loved his RBDs, especially the women. Susannah’s was a golden retriever. Mickey and Glen went for two yappy miniature schnauzers—go figure. Noreen was getting her very own Doberman pinscher, whose bark was spiced with some very convincing rumbling growls. He’d formatted them so there was no repeat pattern to pick up on. Susannah even had a sub woofer to imitate the sound of a large dog thumping against the door.

It wasn’t high-tech, but it kept him busy and made the neighbors happy. And you never knew when someone with connections would see it and want to talk to him.

Noreen had been a stay-at-home mom back when that was the norm, and now she was a stay-at-home grandmother who babysat half a dozen of her grandchildren while her own kids pursued careers. She was pleasantly round, always smiling, and didn’t worry about keeping up with fashion.

When she heard Jake had forgotten to eat supper, she
tsk-tsk
ed, warmed over a casserole, and insisted he fill his stomach before she’d let him work. The portion hadn’t been modest, but conversation was pleasant, it took his mind off Lilly for ten minutes, and his plate was clean before he knew it.

Installing an RBD was too simple; it allowed him time to think. To worry. And then to castigate himself, because Lilly was undoubtedly fine. Donna’d look out for her. Brady always said Donna doted on Lilly.

Then again, Brady’d said a lot of things that weren’t true.

Would Lilly be impressed if Andrew pulled out all the stops—like champagne corks—and made a play for her?

“Jake, phone call. It’s your dad.”

He was installing a sensor at the front door when Noreen handed him the cordless. He propped it between his shoulder and ear and continued to work. “Hey, Dad.”

“I hope you’re getting paid.”

He didn’t mean it like it sounded, he didn’t even mean money, but he’d cautioned Jake about refusing some form of payment and making the neighbors feel uncomfortably indebted. Susannah was the only one Jake had been stubborn about, and that was because she’d been looking out for him since he’d been in diapers.

“Noreen makes a killer casserole.” He tossed her a wink, making her blush girlishly. “I’m moving in with her when you get home.”

“Oh you.” Noreen waved him off and left the room.

“Good for you,” his dad said. “Now that the contracts’re all signed, your mother and I were wondering what you’re doing about Lilly Marquette.”

He wondered how to break the news to his dad. “You’re not gonna believe this.”

“Try me.”

“Well, I think you’d like her. Mom, too. No, I know you would. She’s a really good person, with this really big heart. She didn’t know beans about the insurance money until I told her. Turns out Brady changed the beneficiary. I’ve also found out for myself that a lot of what Brady told me about her just isn’t true,” he said. “You’re awful quiet. Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“I thought you were rattling on just fine.” His dad sounded amused. “I knew you were taken with her the day she married Brady.”

“You did?” Jake couldn’t have been more surprised if the house had suddenly fallen on him.

“Oh hell yes. You came home from California for the wedding the same as you always were—you know, cheerful, controlled, glad to see us, looking forward to a week of your mother’s cooking. Then you put on your tux and went to the wedding. The next morning, you were a changed man.” His dad’s voice grew lower. “You had this horrified look on your face, and you were throwing clothes into your bag willy-nilly while you called the airline and demanded they save you a seat on the next flight out. You wouldn’t talk about it. You were so upset, you forgot to kiss your mother good-bye.”

Geez.

“Julie explained later.”

Of course. His sister had worked for the Marquettes back then. She’d been at the wedding.
Shit
, he’d probably made a spectacle of himself.

“Don’t worry, son, I know what you’re thinking. Julie’s just real intuitive that way.”

“Must’ve gotten it from you.”

“My radar must be off. I thought you were over her when you came home this time.”

“Me too.”

“So if she really is such a good person, what’s the problem?”

Jake sighed. “The problem is she’s my best friend’s widow.”

“So? You love her, right?”

“Yes,” he said without hesitation.

“Son, Brady’s gone. He loved you like a brother. If this
is what you really want, he’d want you to be happy, don’t you think?”

“But—”

“Wouldn’t you, if the shoe were on the other foot?”

“But—” Sure, it made sense coming from his dad, who had more distance and could be more logical about it. “Gotta go, Dad.” He had to go get Lilly.

“You think the feeling’s mutual?”

Jake laughed, remembering Friday evening on Lilly’s granite island, his heart lighter even as parts south grew heavier. “Oh yeah. She’s been after me since the day she came into the store.”

He raced through the rest of the installation, eager to see if Lilly was home yet. At ten, as he stepped through his back door, it was obvious she wasn’t. He grabbed the taxi keys off the hook and headed straight for Lilly.

Lilly lay sprawled on her back on the floor for a long while, knowing she was still alive, thinking the bracelet had finally zapped her into unconsciousness, how could Jake possibly deny any heavenly connection now, and what book would he choose to read to pay up on their bet? She doubted it’d be tarot or channeling, since he was strongly biased against those two.

As she slowly became more lucid, she realized all was not right. Jake never would’ve dumped her on the floor of Donna’s third-story attic office. After a while, and she had no conception of time, she remembered Drew had driven her here, they’d talked to Donna and—

Oh yeah, now she remembered. Even though she’d been moved, she was still at the Marquettes’. Brady’s old bedroom was on the floor below her. But not Brady, of
course. She might feel weak and powerless and muddled, but at least her memory was unimpeded.

Had Brady known
all
of his immediate family were less than the fine, upstanding people they appeared to be? He knew about his father, of course; he’d laughed about how Frank always got what he wanted, one way or another.

Was her father-in-law behind this? Did he think Donna and Andrew could handle her and get the job done? Whatever the job was. She figured she was about to find out when she heard a key slip into the lock.

“Lilly, you awake yet?”

She lay very still, listening to Andrew’s soft footsteps across the attic floor, trying to determine whether he’d paused long enough to lock the door behind him. She didn’t think so. Surreptitiously, she slipped her feet out of her shoes; maybe without heels she’d be able to dart past him.

Did Jake wonder what she was doing this evening, whether she was enjoying dinner with her former in-laws? Did he miss her?

“I know you’re awake, I can tell by your breathing. Here, drink this, you’ll feel better.”

Drew knelt beside her, lifted her a little until she was semireclined against him, and held her woozy head. His hand was warm on her cheek, and she had all she could do not to spit in his face. Liquid poured into her mouth before she could refuse, but there was no way she was swallowing anything in this house ever again. That she did spit out, and
oh dear
, it sprayed all over Andrew’s face.

He whipped a handkerchief out of his jacket and
dabbed his skin. “Come on, it’ll help you wake up.” He tipped the glass to her lips again.

She knocked it out of his hand.

“Sorry about your drink. I had no idea Mother was going to do that.”

“Right.”

“Seems like it’s wearing off anyway.”

“What time is it?”

“Nine-thirty, give or take.”

“I don’t suppose it’ll do any good to say I want to go home now.”

“’Fraid not. Mother wants to talk to you first.”

Lilly’s eyebrows would’ve arched in response to such an outrageous proposition, but her face felt heavy, so she doubted anything moved at all.

Donna entered the office in her normal brisk pace. “Ah, Lilly dear, you’re awake. Goodness, I had no idea you were so
sensitive
, dear. Help her sit up, Andrew. Over by the desk.”

Andrew shifted position and slipped his hands beneath Lilly’s arms.

“I’m not—Leave me alone,” Lilly said. “Oh God, my head’s spinning, Drew, I have to sit down. No, not the chair.”

She was so woozy, she’d fall off it, which’d hurt like hell whether or not she broke any bones. Andrew aimed her for it anyway, but her knees buckled—she didn’t do anything to resist that,
so there
—and she ended up on the floor next to the chair, draping her arms and head across the needlepoint seat.

She closed her eyes, hoping that if she couldn’t see the
room waver, it wouldn’t, but that didn’t work. If things didn’t settle down soon, she was going to be sick. Oh, and on the nice Oriental rug, too. Shucks.

“You were only supposed to get a little mellow,” Donna said, “so I could explain things to you, reason with you. You’re much too close to the situation to see it for what it really is. It’s not good to spend so much time with that Jake fellow. You’re under his control. Giving away all of Brady’s money doesn’t make sense, dear. You’ll see that when you’re away from that man for a while. When you think things through.”

“So—what? You’re going to keep me here?”

“Just until I convince you. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you, you know that. This will be for your own good, you’ll see.”

Lilly snorted, at which she thought Donna frowned, but her facial features were still too distorted to tell. Didn’t matter. Lilly had already shifted her murky focus to planning a break for the door. That’s
if
Andrew didn’t reach out, brush her with his pinky, and knock her flat on her face.

“You’ll be yourself again soon.”

“I am myself.” Giddy, Lilly laughed at that. “What the heck did you give me?”

“Oh,” Donna said, annoyed. “I can see it’s too soon for this discussion.”

Lilly spotted a pen on the desk. Hm, nice pointy end. Not a bad weapon. It looked even better when Donna leaned in, very close, very vulnerable. Was it possible to stab it all the way through her hand and plunge it into the wood desktop, anchoring her there? God, she hoped so. Maybe later, when it quit moving.

Lilly wasn’t sure how many minutes passed between the time they left her alone and when Elizabeth showed up. In her present condition, how could she even be sure Elizabeth was really there?

“Yes, I’m definitely here.”

“Did Brady know what a stinker his mother is?”

“Oh, I think so.”

“Jake’s family is nice, though, right? A good place to raise our son?”

When Elizabeth smiled, there was a glow about her. “Yes, they’re very nice.”

“Are you here to help me?”

“I can only talk to you to keep you awake. I’m afraid you’ll have to get out of here on your own.”

Lilly was ready to jump into action right then.

Okay,
jump
might have been a little strong, as she immediately found herself on the floor on her butt again. She held her breath, waiting to see if Donna and Andrew had heard the thump, if they’d come back in and make another go at it. But they didn’t. They’d probably gone all the way back downstairs and wouldn’t hear her moving around. Time to search for a way out.

“Elizabeth?”

She was gone.

Lilly checked the door first. Securely locked. Hinges on the outside. Solid wood. She even checked whether it was old enough to have the type of lock where she could push the key out the other side and reel it in on a piece of paper; it was, but the key wasn’t in it.