2. Lilly
Chapter 2
Lilly
“ I was wondering if you’d?—”
I hold my hands up. “I’m so sorry, Eric. Give me just a moment.” I race over to the checkout counter where a customer is waiting. The woman has an armful of products, most of which I suggested she try.
“Thank you for your guidance. There were too many choices.” She laughs, the lines on her face deepening with her smile.
“It can be overwhelming.” The computer beeps as I scan her items. The total jumps up at an alarming rate. My aunt’s homemade soaps and oils are expensive. They’re completely worth the price, but they aren’t affordable for everyone.
Once the lady has paid and left the store, I do a quick sweep to see if I need to restock anything. The small space screams hippy and homemade. The smell of incense is burned into the walls at this point, and it will forever remind me of home.
I don’t normally work in my aunt’s store, but her usual girl came down with a stomach bug last night. Being a freelance web designer has its perks; the flexible schedule is only one of them. I also love helping out. It gives me a good reason to get out of the house for a while.
“Lilly?”
Eric’s voice makes me jump. “Shit, you scared me.”
He blushes. “Sorry. I thought you saw me here.”
I internally cringe. I forgot he was even in the store. Shoving down my guilt, I give him my full attention. “What can I help you with?”
“Oh, uh. Right.” He sets his bar of soap on the counter. I scan it and place it in a small paper bag. “Lilly, I was hoping to ask you something.”
I tilt my head at him. “Okay, shoot.”
He clears his throat. “Would you… that is… I’d like to take you out for dinner. If you’d be interested in something like that.”
“Oh. Um…” I blink at Eric, thrown off guard. He’s a cute guy with light brown hair and brown eyes. He’s tall and skinny, and I’m sure he’d make a decent boyfriend. He’s been nothing but kind since he started coming into the store. The problem is me. I think something inside me is broken. None of the guys I’ve tried to date have done it for me. I don’t feel anything actually. It’s not like I’m looking for a man to give me heart palpitations or even butterflies, for that matter. I just want something more than the nothing I currently feel.
“I’m flattered, Eric, truly. I’m just not looking to date anyone right now.” I shrug. The disappointment on his face is crushing. I hate saying no. It’s a character flaw I’ve been trying to work on, but it’s hard. This one is important, though. If I said yes to spare his feelings, we’d go on a first date. Then I’d feel obligated to go on a second date if asked. How long could I feasibly keep that going?
“I understand. If that ever changes, will you keep me in mind?”
“Sure.” I nod. He gives me a thin smile before leaving the store.
“Well, that was hard to watch.” Aunt Christine comes striding out to the main floor. With no makeup on, her silver-streaked brown hair braided down her shoulder, and a paisley skirt flowing down to her ankles, she looks like the epitome of a happy hippy woman. She’s by far one of my favorite people. My other favorite person is trailing behind her.
“Why was it hard to watch?” Nellie asks. Her little eight-year-old head tilts to the side.
“Because, darling girl, that man is in love with your mother, and your mother does not share those same emotions. He left here broken-hearted, and that isn’t easy to watch,” Christine bluntly explains. It’s the only way for Nellie to understand social context.
“He is not in love with me,” I protest. “He’s merely infatuated with the idea of me.”
“Okay, honey. Whatever you say.” Christine gently cups my cheek. Her expression clearly says she’s humoring me.
I turn to Nellie. “Did you make some more soap?”
“Yes. I taught Aunt Christine about the chemical properties of each ingredient.”
I grin at her. Her brilliant mind is one of the many things I love about my daughter. I do my best to keep up with her, but it’s not always easy. She’s patient with me when I can’t, though. She reasons that her hyperfixations won’t always match everyone else’s interests, so she practices her patience when I don’t understand what she’s talking about. I don’t think it’s possible to love a human more than I love my daughter.
“I’m sure she loved learning all about it.” I catch Christine’s grimace before she can hide it. I have to bite my cheek to keep my laugh inside.
“I’m good for the rest of the afternoon, Lilly Loo. We’ll be closing in a couple of hours anyway,” Christine says as she scrolls through our sales for the day.
“Are you sure? You know I don’t mind hanging out to help you stock shelves or whatever.” I glance at Nellie, who’s started dancing around the store. Her little butt is wiggling around to music only she can hear.
“I’m sure. Go take Noelle to get ice cream or something.” Christine chuckles at Nellie’s dance moves.
I wrap my arms around my aunt’s waist. I have no idea what I would do without her. She’s been there for me in ways no one else ever has. I’m not sure I could’ve survived the last eight years if I didn’t have her in my life.
Nellie and I work together to pack up our things. We’re about to leave the store when my phone rings. An unknown number is displayed on my screen, and something tells me I need to answer this one.
“Hello?”
“Is this Lilly Gallagher?” a woman asks.
“It is.” I glance at Nellie. She’s slipped her headphones on and is now reading the book she brought.
“This is Toni with the Sonoma Police Department. We need you to come into the station at your earliest convenience.”
“Why?”
“We need to speak with you in person about the matter.”
“And you can’t tell me anything over the phone?”
“No, ma’am. I’m sorry.”
“Um, okay. I can be there tomorrow afternoon.”
After I hang up the phone, I find Christine standing in front of me, a frown on her face. I’m sure based on my tone she can tell that something is up.
“Mommy?” Nellie’s sweet voice pulls me out of my thoughts. “Can we leave now?”
My lips tilt down. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I need another”—I mentally calculate a sufficient timeframe—“fifteen minutes to talk with Aunt Christine.”
“I’ll set a timer.” She goes into Christine’s break room to wait for me. Without a doubt, she’ll find a timer somewhere in there, too. We keep them all over the place to help her with transitions.
Christine and I walk into her office and sit down on her couch.
“That was the Sonoma Police Department. They need me to come into the station for some reason.”
Christine’s face is lined with worry. “Do you think it’s your parents?”
I shrug. “I don’t have a clue. I’ll try to call Mom. Maybe she’ll know what’s going on.” I pull out my phone again, but something in my gut tells me she won’t answer.
There are so many emotions swirling through me. Each one conflicts with the other. To say my parents and I got along would be a lie. We weren’t estranged, by any means, but they never understood me nor did they agree with the choices I’ve made. The last time I talked to them was like a month ago. Christine has been more of a mother to me than my mom ever was.
My parents love me. I’m positive of that. They just don’t show it in the most obvious ways.
When the call turns over to voicemail, I hang up and shake my head at Christine.
“Okay.” She exhales. “You’re going to pack a bag tonight, and I’ll stay here with Nellie. If you need more than a week, then we’ll drive down to stay with you.”
“That’s asking a lot of you, Christine. You know it’s not going to be that easy.” Nellie has never been to my parents’ house. They always came to Greensboro to see us. Setting Nellie up for a successful transition in a few days won’t be a simple task.
“It’ll be easier than you trying to take her tomorrow morning. Not to mention having to keep her entertained when you meet with the police.”
I sigh. She’s right. It’ll be hard enough to explain why I have to leave on such short notice. “Okay, I’ll go down there in the morning. Once I get an idea of what’s going on, we can figure out our next steps.”
“I’ll call in my part-timers. They’re always wanting some extra hours.”
“This is crazy. What the hell happened?” I whisper, my fingers spearing into my hair.
Christine rubs my back. “Are you going to be okay going back in Sonoma?”
My head snaps up. I start to say I’ll be fine, but I’m not sure that’s true. “I honestly don’t know. You know I haven’t been back since I graduated high school.”
“What if you see him?”
“I don’t know. I… God, what a mess.” I exhale.
“Okay, let’s just focus on one thing at a time. We can deal with shitty exes after that.”
I breathe out a humorless laugh. “I can’t decide which one is scarier.”