Chapter 2
Chapter Two
The following day, Elijah watched as Lilly Harrison walked into Blue’s, with the same look, which graced her beautiful face every day.
Desolation. He couldn’t work out why she kept doing the job she did if she felt unhappy.
He had watched her spend her lunch break in his bar for too long and listened as she complained about the job she had and the people she worked alongside.
She worked with the biggest set of bitches he had ever met.
They were regulars in his bar on a Friday and Saturday night.
Hanging out and looking for their next rich man so that they could give up their jobs.
Elijah was leaning against the tall wine refrigerator.
He shouldered himself off the glass front and walked towards the dark-headed beauty that was Lilly.
Lilly pulled herself onto the tall bar stool and laid her arms on the metal pole that ran along the bar edge.
Her head rested on her forearms and she massaged her head on her forearm, moving it from side to side like she was ridding the ache in her head.
Elijah had only ever seen her in Blue’s so had no idea what she did for fun. At this moment in time, he didn’t think she ever had fun. Moving towards her, he picked up a glass and poured her the drink she ordered every time. Lime and soda water, with plenty of ice.
Standing in front of her, Elijah placed the glass on a coaster and stroked the back of her head. Smoothing down the stray strands of hair that had come loose from the bun she wore at the back of her head.
“Are you okay, Lilly?” Elijah asked her.
Lilly raised her head in slight confusion and beamed a broad smile as she looked at Elijah’s face. That look she gave him made his heart thud, hard. To be responsible for making someone else smile was a great feeling. When Elijah made Lilly smile, it made his day.
“No different from yesterday, Elijah, but I’m fine now. I have seen your face. Thanks for the drink,” she answered.
Elijah tilted his head to the side in question and raised an eyebrow at Lilly. She mimicked his action and smiled back.
“I’m ok Elijah. The bitches are keeping to themselves today.”
“Why do you stay at the job? You don’t enjoy it and do it under sufferance.”
“I do it because I owe it to my parents. They schooled me to be a lawyer and have high hopes for me. I couldn’t possibly leave.
They would never forgive me, and I would never hear the end of it.
They would go on about how much money they spent on me,” Lilly said and resumed her position of rolling her head from side to side on her arm.
“What else would I do with my life?” It was the most she had ever revealed to him about why she stayed in the job, and he was delighted that she had shared with him the confidence.
This meant he had something to work with.
He hoped that his scene with Elaine yesterday meant that she would open up more to him.
Elijah walked around the bar, stood next to Lilly, and tapped her on the shoulder.
He waited for her to sit up and slide around on the seat to face him.
Elijah was tall and able to trap her knees between his thighs.
He rested his large hands on her shoulders and bent slightly so that his eyes were level with hers.
His green eyes were looking into her green eyes.
“Now, you listen to me and listen well. Life is far too short to be miserable. You need to do what you want to do. You have spent the last six months complaining about your job and how much you hate it. I have seen you lose weight and become unhappy. I promise you that if you continue to work in that job, you will make yourself ill with those snobby bitches any longer. I’m not prepared to watch that happen.
Are you listening to me?” Elijah asked and shook her to emphasise his point.
Elijah swept his eyes over her face, looking at the dark shadows under her beautiful eyes, and wished she would leave for a happier job. His beseeching look startled Lilly, who sat there wide-eyed, unblinking, into Elijah’s face.
“I’ll think about it, Elijah. I know what you’re saying is right, but I don’t think I have the courage to leave.
What would I do instead? I have no idea what I want to do with my life.
I had never known what I wanted to do when I was in school as a career.
Mum and dad decided for me, and I went with what they said I should do. ”
Her voice started to falter, and Elijah thought she might get upset. To rescue the situation, he blurted out the first thing that he could think of.
“Work here. I’ll give you a job,” Elijah said.
He didn’t know where the notion had come from, but now he’d said it, he went with it.
Elijah often always offered help without thinking.
He told himself he must stop doing this as that got him into trouble time and time again.
He had just ended his relationship with Elaine after helping her out with a commission.
“You can work behind the bar until you decide what you want to do. The wages are not great, but the tips are good and we are an excellent team and have fun,” he said. He couldn’t believe what was tumbling out of his mouth. He couldn’t stop them from pouring out.
“Work here? I don’t know how to pull a pint, let alone make a cocktail.”
“I’ll teach you. Please consider it Lilly. I don’t know how much longer I can watch you fade away and become a shadow of your former self.”
“That’s a bit dramatic. I’m not that bad,” Lilly replied.
“You don’t see what I see. Please consider it,” Elijah pleaded.
“Ok, I will think about it.” Resigning herself to the possibility that she might have to face the fact that she needed to change the direction of her life.
“Good,” Elijah said, grinning from ear to ear.
“I said I would think about it, so stop grinning. I haven’t made any decisions yet. Tell me about Elaine. It looked like you had an argument yesterday?” Lilly asked to change the focus from her life.
“It was more of a discussion, really. She thought going for a coffee constituted a marriage proposal. I ended her notion of being Mrs Geary. She seemed to think me offering her a job meant more than it was. I should never have started it, but I wanted to help her and then started dating her without realising. I won’t make that mistake twice,” Elijah said with conviction.
“I will remember that Elijah, it’s good to know you don’t want to date the people you help,” Lilly replied, her hurt feelings filtering through her words.
“I didn’t mean it like that, Lilly. I’d like to help you and wouldn’t object to dating you either,” Elijah said, cursing himself for his careless words.
“Wouldn’t object to dating me? Is that your romantic side coming out there?” Lilly said, keeping her face straight and her tone flat.
“You know I am digging myself into a deep pit. I’ll stop talking now.”
“Oh, don’t be so sensitive, I’m just teasing you,” Lilly said and pinched his cheek.
“I’m an idiot. Let’s get back to your job and not my appalling romantic skills,” Elijah said and rubbed his cheek.
Elijah could have kicked himself. He was single in the presence of Lilly, and he made a total arse of himself.
It was a good job Mickey wasn’t here to witness it, or he would never hear the end of it.
Lilly completely floored him when he was near her, and anything he planned to say flew out of the window.
“Do we have to talk about my work? We always talk about that,” Lilly asked, desperate to change the subject.
“Yes we do, now. Tell me, Lilly, do you love your job?”
“I’m excellent at it,” Lilly said proudly.
Elijah took Lilly’s hand and stroked the back of it with his thumb, soothing her stresses and encouraging her to answer him.
He bore holes into her face as she had dropped her head so he couldn’t see her eyes.
Elijah thought they were beautiful and lifted her chin so that he could see them.
He had caught a flash of sadness before she put her mask back in place.
“That’s not what I asked Lilly and you know it. Do you love your job? Do you wake up in the morning and look forward to getting dressed and arriving for work? Do you stay late because you love your job enough to get the job done?” Elijah asked her softly.
“No.” Lilly replied quietly.
“Then why are you wasting your life there, Lilly? I don’t understand.”
“I’ve already explained, my parents have paid for my education and paid for me to go through law school.”
“But you’re a partner. You’ve paid them back tenfold. You’ve studied hard, best in your class, and have won hundreds of cases. They should be proud,” Elijah argued.
“They aren’t proud. Until I’m a senior partner with my name on the letterhead, I have not paid them back.
They have social circles that depend on this, and I am failing in their eyes.
I’ve been a lawyer for over a decade and still haven’t managed it.
If I left now, my parents would see me as a complete failure,” she said and straightened her jacket.
“Lilly, this is your life to make the most of. Why do you feel the need to make your parents happy?”
This question stumped Lilly. She didn’t know the answer, and she assumed all children needed to make their parents happy and proud. Elijah could see Lilly was struggling with the response and asked a different one instead.
“Lilly, if your lawyer firm closed down tomorrow, what would you do with your life? Which career would you take? Would you find another law firm to work at?”
“No, I wouldn’t. I would take some time off and draw.”
“Draw?”
“Yes, it helps me relax after significant cases. I draw and paint,” Lilly revealed.
“You don’t strike me as the arty type Lilly, aren’t they supposed to be egotistical and needy?” He asked and chuckled.
“Maybe, but my parents wouldn’t tolerate such a character trait. It’s bad enough that my brother, William, wafts around with no direction. If I did, they would never tolerate it.”
“So it is acceptable for your younger brother to do as he pleases, but not you. What does he do for a living?”
“At the moment, not very much. He is the smartest person I know, whisked himself through higher education without really attending and getting a first-class honours degree. William can’t stick to anything. He’s had a series of part-time jobs and has kept none of them for very long.”
“William stayed on in education to get his masters and then did another one. I think he’s addicted to learning. He spends most of his time borrowing money from me, so his jobs can’t be that highly paid. Not that I see much of the money back.”
“Lilly, you have to take back control of your life. I insist on it,” Elijah implored.
“Yes, Elijah,” Lilly said, using her stern voice and saluting.
“Are you making fun of me? And that is not how you salute.”
“No, of course not,” she said and winked. “I wouldn’t dare to. Seriously, there is another reason too. I adore Harry, the senior partner. He lost his sister years ago, and I adored her too. She taught me everything I know, and I am grateful to her and to Harry. I don’t want to let him down.”
“You are staying in a job you hate for everyone but you. I know I have said this practically every time I see you, but please just think about it.”
“Okay, I’ll think about it Elijah. How about I’ll sleep on it, and I will see in the morning.”
“Deal, now can I feed you?”
“Only if you can make poached eggs and impart your saluting knowledge.”
“Poached eggs coming up, don’t move,” Elijah said and watched as Lilly glanced at her watch and frowned. His heart fell. Their time was up, and he knew what she was going to say.
“Elijah, I have to go, or I’ll be late back. Can I take a rain check on poached eggs?”
“Are you sure Lilly? It won’t take long.”
“I’m positive. I need to prepare for a case, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay, take care, Lilly, and seriously think about what I said. If you’re well behaved, I’ll teach you how to salute properly.”
Elijah waved Lilly goodbye and walked back to the side of the bar that gave him protection. Lilly had gone back to work and Elaine was still in the building. There was only one thing left to do, and that was to tackle the mountain of paperwork he had and daydream about Lilly.