Love At Last (Lily's Story, Book 3) (23 page)

I looked into the two guest rooms and smiled. “Decent closet space.” I peeked into the first bathroom. “Needs some updating, but it’s okay.” Next we went into the master, and my gaze went around the room. “There’s plenty of space in here, though it needs a coat of paint, and the carpet is gross.” Then I went into the master bath. “It’s not too big, but it will work. And again, I’d want to update it.”

I turned to face Russell and Marcus. “I like it. I’m not quite sure how I’ll manage all the work that needs to be done, but it feels like home.” I thought about Cameron’s statement that he wasn’t handy at all, and wondered who I could hire to do the work—and how much it would cost. It didn’t matter, this place felt right.

“Are you ready to make an offer?” Russell asked.

Fresh excitement swept over me as I realized I was about to buy my first house. I glanced at Marcus, who had been silent the whole time. “What do you think?”

“I think you like this place,” he said, smiling.

My smile widened. “Yes, I do.”

“Then you should go for it.”

I looked around the space and felt my smile falter a bit. “I have to admit, I’m a little worried about the work that needs to be done.”

He adjusted Natalie in his arms. “What is it that’s worrying you?”

I bit my lip. “I’m just a bit overwhelmed about where to find people to do the work. I’ve never hired anyone to do this kind of thing before.” I paused. “And I’m a little worried about the cost. Buying the house will take almost all of my budget. I won’t have much left over to hire someone.”

He shook his head, his face relaxed. “Don’t sweat it, Lily. I’ll help you.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant, but felt confident that he would come through for me. I nodded, then turned to Russell, my earlier excitement returning. “Let’s do it.”

We went into the kitchen and he drew up the paperwork for the offer.

“I’ll submit the offer and let you know as soon as I hear anything,” he said.

Relief that I’d found a place for me and Natalie flooded me, and I grinned. “Great.”

A few minutes later Marcus, Natalie, and I were back in my car.

“It’s a good area,” Marcus said as he drove out of the neighborhood.

“Yes, I think so too.” My gaze examined the houses and yards near the house I wanted to buy, and I felt confident that this would be a safe place to live. I turned to Marcus. “Thanks for coming.”

He smiled. “I don’t think I did much to help.”

I laughed, then said in a soft voice, “It was just nice having you there.”

He looked at me and his smile faltered a bit, then he looked back at the road without speaking.

My brow creased. I was confused by his reaction. Did he regret coming? Was he afraid I might think he wanted more than friendship? Of course I did, desperately, but I knew it was out of my hands. I looked out the passenger window, my excitement about buying my house tempered by my sorrow over Marcus.

A short time later we pulled into my driveway. I climbed out of the car before Marcus had a chance to open the door for me, then walked around to Natalie’s side, where Marcus was unbuckling her car seat. He kissed her cheek, then handed her to me.

My heart flip-flopped to see him treat her like he would surely treat his own daughter, and my sorrow that he would only be a friend intensified. I held her to me, and breathed in her baby scent, comforting myself that she would always be my daughter. “Thanks again, Marcus.”

“No problem. Let me know when you hear back from Russell.”

“I will.” I hesitated. “Do you want to come in?”

He shook his head. “No, I’ve got some things I need to do.”

I nodded.
Chelsea. Of course.
“Okay.”

“See you later, Lily.”

He drove off a moment later and I carried Natalie into the house.

Two days later I heard back from Russell. The seller had accepted my offer and my terms to close within two weeks. Ecstatic, I picked Natalie up from her swing and danced around the room.

“I’m buying a house,” I cried out. “I’m buying a house.”

Greta barked in alarm, but I just laughed. Natalie had no idea what was going on, but she must have sensed my joy because she giggled as we spun around the room. Finally I sat on the couch and held Natalie on my lap. “What color do you want your room, baby girl?” I kissed her soft cheek and held her close.

Then I thought about the projects I would need to do and mentally listed them: replace all the carpet, replace the kitchen floor with tile, update both bathrooms, paint all the rooms, fix up the front and back yards. As the list grew in my mind, I began to feel overwhelmed and my exhilaration dimmed.

“How am I going to do all this?” I said out loud. But then I remembered Marcus’s statement that he would help me. I pictured the earnestness in his face and knew I could count on him. But then I thought about Cameron. How would he feel if he knew I was spending time with another man? Should I tell him? Afraid of his reaction and that he might walk away, I decided to say nothing for now. After all, there was nothing to tell regarding Marcus.

But I had promised Marcus that I’d tell him once I’d heard back from Russell. I called his cell phone and he answered right away.

“I got the house,” I said in response to his greeting.

“That’s great, Lily. Congratulations.” He paused. “We need to celebrate. I’m taking you out to dinner tonight.”

I grinned. “Okay.” I had to admit, I was a little surprised he’d been so spontaneous in his offer. Wouldn’t he want to check with Chelsea first? Not my concern, I reminded myself.
 

That evening at dinner, Marcus was as sweet as ever with Natalie, and it suddenly occurred to me that maybe it was really her that drew him to me. Did that mean if I didn’t have her, he would no longer want to spend time with me? How ironic, I thought. Cameron’s interest in Natalie was minimal—he just seemed to be interested in me. But Marcus seemed to be the opposite. Why couldn’t I find someone who had both of those qualities rolled up into one?

Pushing aside my silly thoughts, I focused on enjoying my time with Marcus, regardless of why he chose to be with me.

“I’m glad the seller agreed to close on the sale in two weeks,” I said as I sprinkled salt onto my steamed vegetables.

Marcus nodded as he swallowed his steak. “Do you want to get started on your projects as soon as you close?”

“I haven’t even looked for carpet yet, but I guess I should paint the rooms before I have it installed.” I took a bite of the steamed broccoli.
 

“What about the tile work in the kitchen and bathrooms?”

“You said you’d help me find someone to do it.”

He smiled. “No. I said I’d help you
do
it.”

“Wait. You mean do the work myself?” I felt panic edging in. “I don’t know the first thing about that.”

His smile grew. “That’s why I’ll be there to help.”

My mind immediately went to the day he’d helped me put in Greta’s dog door. He’d pretty much ended up doing the whole thing himself. But what I most vividly recalled was the way he’d knelt behind me when he was trying to show me how to use his power tools. A rush of warmth cascaded over me at the memory.
 

How would it be if we worked together again? I didn’t know if I could handle it when I knew it wouldn’t lead anywhere. But what other choice did I have? I didn’t feel comfortable spending a lot of money hiring people, and Cameron had made it clear he wasn’t the handy type. I nodded, resigned to the idea. “Okay. Thanks.”

“On Saturday I can go with you to look at tile,” he said.

“Shouldn’t we wait until I close on the house?”

“You don’t have to buy the tile yet, but I think you should know what you want to get, and then once you close on the house, we’ll just need to buy it. Then we can get started right away.”

I smiled, starting to see the possibilities. “Maybe we can get it done before Natalie and I move in.”

“Exactly.”

“Thanks, Marcus. I really appreciate all you do for us.” And I did. Whether he was just doing it for Natalie’s sake or not, he made my life a little easier.

He gazed at me, his green eyes bright. “Like I’ve told you, Lily. I’d do anything for you.”

As I stared back, I felt something pass between us, and for a moment hope flared in my heart, but then I thought about his statement only weeks before that we could only be friends, and my hopes plummeted back to earth.

I nodded, a tiny smile on my lips, but I couldn’t speak as it seemed my throat had swollen with unshed tears.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Late the next afternoon I put Natalie in her stroller and wheeled her outside for a walk. Greta was on a leash and the three of us walked down the street past Trish and Jeff’s house. As I passed, I noticed an unfamiliar car in their driveway. We walked for half an hour, in which time Natalie fell asleep, before turning around and heading toward home.

As I approached Marcus’s parent’s house, I saw Trish standing in the driveway talking to a woman with blonde hair.

“Lily,” Trish called out, then waved me over.

Holding tightly to Greta’s leash, I pushed Natalie’s stroller up Trish’s driveway.

Trish went to Greta and scratched her ears. “Hello, Greta,” she murmured.

I smiled to see that they really had become old friends. “She really likes you, Trish.”

Trish stood. “She’s a good dog.”

“I completely agree.”

“Lily,” Trish said, motioning to the woman standing next to her. “I’d like you to meet Chelsea.”

I felt my eyes widen, but I quickly gathered myself and put a smile on my face. “Hello,” I said, examining the woman closely. I thought she must be several years older than me, and dressed in her slacks and flattering blouse, I had to admit that she looked lovely. Her blonde hair was cut in a stylish way, and her smile was genuine—making me wonder if Marcus had told her much about me.

“We were just talking about the surprise birthday dinner party we’re having for Marcus on Saturday night,” Chelsea said.

“Yes,” Trish added. “And I wanted to invite you and Natalie.”

“Oh.” Caught off guard not only by the invitation, but also by finally meeting Chelsea, I scrambled to think of a reason to refuse. As much as I liked to spend time with Marcus, the thought of seeing him with Chelsea made my stomach churn, and I knew I would only be torturing myself if I subjected myself to an evening of witnessing their love for each other. “I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to make it,” I finally said, still having no legitimate excuse.

“Oh,” Trish said. “That’s too bad.”

I’d been so focused on my house hunt, that I’d forgotten Marcus’s birthday was coming up. It wasn’t actually until Monday, but I hadn’t even thought of what to get him. Greta tugged against the leash. “I’d better get these guys home.”

“It was nice meeting you,” Chelsea said.

“You, too.” I wheeled the stroller around and walked back toward the street and to my house. Once safely inside, I carried Natalie up the stairs and put her down in her crib, then I went into my room and collapsed on my bed.

Now that I knew what Chelsea looked like, it was impossible to keep the image of her with Marcus out of my mind. Mini-films of them huddled together at work, dancing late at night, gazing at each other and kissing, paraded through my mind. I couldn’t seem to control the visuals as they stubbornly marched into my head and refused to leave.

I squeezed my eyes closed and felt tears flow down my cheeks. Angrily, I wiped at my face. Why was I even getting upset? Trish had told me weeks ago that Marcus was interested in Chelsea. Deep-down, had I doubted her? Well, there was no doubt now. I’d seen her face to face. At Trish’s house, no less. Planning a surprise party for Marcus.

After a short while I was able to get my emotions under control, and just then, my phone rang. I picked it up and looked at the caller ID. Cameron.
At least I have him
, I thought, feeling sorry for myself. “Hello?”
 

“Hey, Lily. How’s the house hunt going?”

“Cameron, it’s so good to hear from you.” I felt my mood lifting to know there was a man who cared about me. True, he would never be Marcus, but he was a good person. “It’s going great, actually. I found a place and the seller accepted my offer.”

“That’s fantastic.” The enthusiasm in his voice was unmistakable. “Do you know when you’ll be moving in?”

I laughed. “Why? Are you available to help me move?”

“Somehow I always seem to get pulled into people’s moving dramas. So, yeah. I’ll make sure I’m available.”

“I don’t have a specific date yet, but before I move in I need to do some work on the place.”

“Oh yeah? So you decided to go for a fixer?”

“The place was perfect, and it felt like home. It just needs some paint and some updating.”

He was quiet for a moment. “You know I’d like to help you, but I wasn’t kidding when I said I’m no handyman.”

I laughed. “It’s okay. I have it covered.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” But now when I thought of spending time with Marcus, I felt sick inside. All hope seemed to be gone. Clearly, he was with Chelsea now. I couldn’t blame him—he’d told me we were only going to be friends. It was only in my mind that I’d held on to a slim tether of possibility.

Now Cameron laughed. “Good. Off the hook.”

With some difficulty, I focused back on Cameron. “Yes.”

“Do you still want to get together on Saturday?”

Several thoughts raced through my mind. I already had plans to shop with Marcus, but could I go through with it? If I cancelled, he’d surely ask why. What could I tell him? And eventually I would need his help to shop for tile. No, I would push myself to go, as painful as it would be.

But what about Saturday night? Marcus would be at his party with Chelsea and I would be sitting home alone. Unless I invited Cameron over. I could make dinner and we could spend time with Natalie. Now that all possibility with Marcus had ended, I needed to work on my relationship with Cameron, give him some time to get to know Natalie better.

“Yes,” I finally said. “I’ll be busy for part of the day, but why don’t you come over in the late afternoon? I can make us dinner.”