Loving Lily (5 page)

"See you
then
. "
He tipped an imaginary hat at her and
walked out of the bed and breakfast.
 
Lily watched his perfect ass move inside his
cargo shorts.
 
Damn, he was good-looking.

"He's a
handsome one, isn't he?" Betsy said, smiling.

Lily nodded,
watching him walk down the sidewalk, hard shoes clicking on the stones.
 
"Does he really write books?" she
asked absently.

"Oh my, he
sure does.
 
His latest is still on the
bestseller list. "

"Which bestseller list?"
Lily asked, following the older woman down the hall.

"The
New York Times
list, dear," Betsy
replied, pulling a key from her pocket.
 
"His latest book is 'Tunnel View. '"

Wait, what?
"He's Matt Swift?" Lily tried to wrap her mind around that little
tidbit.
 
It couldn't be true.
 
Matt wrote those novels? No one knew who the
author really was.
 
He didn't give
interviews.
 
He never did book signings
or readings.
 
Rumor had it the man was a
recluse, somewhere up north… Lily laughed.
 
It fit.
 
Somehow, she knew it was true.
 
“Ha.
 
He
really
is
a hermit. ”

"Yes,
indeed.
 
We're all very proud of him
anyway.
" Betsy
unlocked the door and led the way
inside.
 
"This is your room.
 
I hope you enjoy your stay.
"
She
strode over to the far side and pulled the curtains open, exposing floor
to ceiling windows and another door.
 
The
view looked out over a long stretch of meadow with a few trees dotting the
edges of a sparkling river.
 
"It's
the one with its own outside entrance
. "
The door
opened onto a private deck with a small wrought-iron table and steps that went
down to a cobblestone path.

Lily parked her
rolling suitcase by the old wooden dresser.
 
"It's beautiful
. "
It truly was.
 
She took a deep breath and
let the soothing ambience of the space fill her.
 
"Thank you
. "

"Of course,
my dear
. "
Betsy smiled one last time and set the
key on the dresser, closing the door behind her as she left.

Lily sat on the
bed, smoothing her hand down the soft, white comforter.
 
"A hermit, indeed
. "
She snorted.
 
"I'm going out with
Matt Swift tonight.
 
Holy
moly.
"

****

"You what?"
Alex said as he
banged on the wrench with a mallet.
 
"You haven't been out on a date in ten
years!"

"Why does
everyone keep saying that?" Matt asked sourly.
 
He grabbed the impact wrench and handed it to
his brother.
 
"Stop banging on it.
 
Here. "

Alex took the
wrench from him and slid it onto one of the bolts.
 
"Seriously.
 
Ten.
 
Years.
"

The sharp whir
of the wrench made Matt wince.
 
"It
hasn't been that long.
 
And
she
asked
me
. "

Alex stopped
unbolting the wheel and stared up at Matt, eyebrows raised.
 
"Yes.
 
It
has
been that long.
 
Remember Annie?"

Matt sighed.
 
"Women drive me crazy
. "

"She was
insane.
 
You were traumatized, I
understand, but ten years man.
 
That's
what's crazy. "

"Shut up
. "
Matt ran his hands through his hair.
 
"I need to run home and change
. "

"You do
that," Alex said, grunting as he pulled the wheel off.

"I intend
to
. "
Matt didn't move.

Alex stood up
and cracked his back.
 
"You're not
leaving.
 
I can see you standing right in
front of me.
 
You’re a giant idiot. "

Matt shrugged.

Alex leaned
against Lily's SUV.
 
"What? You look
like you swallowed a lemon. "

"Maybe
this is a bad idea
. "
Matt hated feeling
uncertain.
 
Lily was gorgeous, yeah, but
he had no idea how to make small talk.
 
His ex-girlfriend Annie had told him he was an
unfeeling bastard.
 
He wasn't, not at all.
 
In reality, he felt things too deeply.
 
Too strongly.
 
And he had no idea how to talk about his
feelings.
 
Ugh.

"Stop
getting yourself so worked up over it.
 
It’s just one date," Alex said, wiping
his hands on his pants.
 
"Get out of
here.
 
Go put on something respectable.
 
Your shirt has a hole in the shoulder. "

****

Lily looked at
herself in the mirror, lips twisted.
 
She'd put on a dark peach dress.
 
It was cool and flattered her curves.
 
"And by ‘flattered’ you mean it covers
everything up adequately," she said out loud,
then
sighed.
 
The dress fell to knee length
and actually managed to accentuate her waist in a way that didn't make her look
like a blimp.
 
It would do.
 
She didn’t have time to go shopping and this
was the only dress she’d packed in her overnight bag.
 
The rest of her more elaborate dresses were in
storage in Pennsylvania.
 
Or was it New
York? She couldn’t even remember anymore.
 
She grabbed her purse and was about to head
out, when a knock on the glass of the outside door had her jumping.
 
She looked across the room.
 
Matt, Jesus.
 
He’d almost given her a heart attack.
 
He must have sensed her dismay because he
smiled sheepishly at her.

She shook her
head.
 
"You couldn't come through
the front?" she asked, unlocking the door.
 
He made no move to come in.

"I didn't
want Betsy tormenting me with my recluse status," he said with a smile.

Lily smiled.
 
"Well, I'm ready, Mr.
 
Famous Author Guy.
”

He winced.
 
“She told you?”

“Yup.
 
I’ve read all your books, by the way, Mr.
 
Swift.
”

He winced
again, but didn’t say anything.

Lily laughed.
 
His odd shyness was appealing.
 
“Don’t worry.
 
I love your books.
 
I’ll have to get you to sign one for me. ” She
looked at her overnight bag where there was obviously no room for books.
 
“As soon as I figure out where I’ve packed
them all
. ”

“I’d be happy
to sign one for you,” he said, eyes moving over her.
 
"You look gorgeous
. "

She blushed,
hoping she hadn’t freaked him out with her forwardness.
 
Sometimes she could be a little too forthright.
 
"Thanks
. "

He smiled at
her and ran a finger down her arm, making her skin tingle.
 
“I’m ready if you are?”

She nodded,
trying to keep from showing how much his little gesture unsettled her.
 
She wasn't used to men paying any attention to
her these days.
 
When she was younger,
sure, but now that she'd hit the wrong side of forty and turned from a curvy
youngster into a plump matron, the looks she got weren't particularly
flattering.
 
Matt just keeps surprising me
.

He waved her
outside.
 
She locked the door behind them
and followed him down the path.
 
He wore
a short-sleeved button down shirt over a wife-beater and jeans.
 
"Where are we going?" she asked,
trying really hard not to stare at his ass, but it was impossible.
 
He looked delectable.
 
And his shirt was purple.
 
What kind of man wore purple? Not that he
looked bad, oh no.
 
In fact, the muscles
rippling down his arms and chest made the color look alluring, not feminine.

"Just over
here," he said, leading the way to a small patio set among a cluster of
birch trees.
 
Paper lanterns hung from
the branches.
 
A bottle of wine and a
selection of cheeses and crackers sat on the table.
 
The inn’s flower garden was behind them and
the long meadow that ran down to the river meandered below.
 
The table was completely secluded.

"How did
you do this?" Lily asked, charmed.
 
She sat down when he pulled out a chair.
 
She had not been expecting this, not at all.

"I bribed
Betsy," he said, smiling.

She cocked her
head, a sudden thought making her stomach clench.
 
"You're not afraid to be seen in public
with me, are you?" She smoothed a hand down her dress self-consciously.
 
That would seriously suck.

"What?
No!" he exclaimed, clearly taken aback.
 
"I just wanted to spend some time with
you
. "
He looked away, running a hand over the
back of his neck.
 
"People have a
tendency to come over and talk whenever I eat out in town and I wanted you all
to myself
. "
He shuddered.
 
“God forbid my
sister
Stephanie see
us.
 
She’d invite
herself onto our date. ”

Lily only had
to think about that for a second before she shuddered along with him.
 
"Small town, right?”

He sighed.
 
"Yes, exactly.
 
You have no idea.
 
Everyone knows everybody else.
 
If we'd eaten in town, you'd be facing my
mother and a few cousins and probably someone I went to high school with. "

She laughed.
 
"Okay, okay, you're off the hook
. "

"Whew
. "
He swiped a hand across his forehead exaggeratedly.

Lily rolled her
eyes.
 
"So, you're the famous, reclusive
Matt Swift, huh?"

He froze in the
act of pouring wine.
 
"Who told
you?"

She shrugged,
enjoying the look of discomfort on his face.
 
"Betsy
. "

He grimaced.
 
"Ah
. "

She frowned.
 
"I really like your books.
 
I meant what I said, before.
 
I’d love it if you signed one.
" She
hadn't meant to make him feel so uncomfortable,
but clearly her intent to tease had backfired.

He put the wine
down.
 
"Thanks
. "

She studied his
face.
 
He really wasn't happy.
 
"I'm sorry
. "
She started to stand up.

He reacted immediately.
 
"No, don't
. "
He put a hand on her arm, tugging her back down.

She bit her lip.
 
"I didn't mean to make you feel
uncomfortable
. "

He sighed.
 
"It's not you it's me
. "

Lily couldn't
help it.
 
She laughed.
 
He’d said it with such a hangdog expression on
his face.

He grinned.
 
"Honestly.
 
I don't know why I get so weirded-out when
people find out.
 
I love to write, but
I'm kind of an introvert.
 
I'm happy my
books are out there and that people like them, but the last thing I want to do
is do the dog and pony show thing. "

"Dog and
pony show?" Lily giggled.
 
She
pictured him with a dog collar on and it was just… no.
 
No way.

"Shut
up," he laughed.
 
"Seriously
. "