Chapter 3
Lily froze, fear paralyzing her. Scott and Olivia were both in Europe. No one else had a key to her apartment, and her heart raced in panic. She worried the man from earlier had somehow found out where she lived and was back for revenge. As her front door swung open, Lily made a desperate dash to where she’d dropped the blanket, covering as much of her body as possible before she swung around to face her intruder.
The man facing her looked just as surprised to see her as she was to see him. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Mrs. McCann. I didn’t see a light in the apartment, so I just assumed you weren’t home.” Mr. Blackstone, her landlord, didn’t seem at all sorry as he leered at her from the doorway.
She glared at him, clutching the blanket to her chest. “Aren’t you supposed to give me twenty-four hours’ notice before entering my apartment?” she snapped, her fright putting her on edge.
“Well, I suppose it does say that in the lease—unless it’s an emergency, of course.”
Lily pulled the blanket closer as she looked at him suspiciously. “So, what’s the emergency?”
“Well, the contractor wanted me to take pictures of all the heat and water services in the building, and he insisted I get it to him tonight, seeing as he’s starting construction bright and early Monday morning.” Mr. Blackstone produced a camera from his pocket, holding it up for her to see.
“What are you talking about? This is the first I’ve heard of any construction starting,” Lily said.
He cocked his head and touched his finger to his chin as though he were recalling something important. “Oh, I’m pretty sure I sent everyone a notice last January that I was planning to update the heating and plumbing systems sometime this year.” Her landlord grinned at her broadly. “Looks like the contractor had a cancellation and can finally fit us in. He starts Monday.”
Lily was dumbfounded by the man’s flippant and uncaring response. “Don’t you think it would have been nice to give your tenants just a little more notice than two days? How long will this take? It’s almost Christmas!”
Lily’s chest tightened with anxiety. She vaguely remembered something in the notice saying they would be without water and heat during the upgrades, but he was supposed to have notified them about the date.
“Well, to be fair to me, I did give you almost a year’s notice,” Mr. Blackstone pointed out. “And I’m as much at the mercy of the contractor and his openings as any of you are. The grant the city is giving for upgrading some of the older buildings expires at the end of the year, so as you can see, I don’t really have much choice in the matter.” He had to be kidding. He couldn’t possibly think that sending out a notice that said he would be doing some upgrades at some point during the year had actually given any of the tenants the ability to make alternate living arrangements during the renovations.
“Where exactly am I supposed to live while the upgrades are being done?” Lily hated how her voice sounded so squeaky and desperate, but she found it hard to speak with her chest constricted in panic.
“Well, I suppose if you wanted, you could stay right here. I can’t really kick you out now, can I? Although, to be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t advise you to do that. The water and heat in the building will be turned off, and there will be men coming and going out of all the apartments to do the work. I doubt they’ll be locking doors behind them.”
“I see,” Lily grumbled through a clenched jaw.
Mr. Blackstone looked at her for a minute, probably expecting her to say more, but there wasn’t really much to say. He wasn’t going to cancel the repairs because she had nowhere to go, and it obviously made no difference to him where she went--as long as she was out of the way.
Clearing his throat, he took a step farther into the apartment. “The good news is that the grant covers the rent for the duration of the construction, so you won’t need to pay me until you can move back in.” He looked over at her sink and radiator. “Now, if you’ll bear with me for just a minute, I’ll take those pictures and be out of your hair.”
He brushed by her, and she did her best to stay covered while carefully keeping her eyes on him. Nevertheless, she wondered why, at times, the camera seemed to be pointing her way.
“Well, that should take care of it then,” he finally said, making his way back to the door.
“Er, how long did you say all of this is supposed to take?” she asked.
Shrugging, he gave her a sympathetic smile. “Who knows? A month? Two? One never knows nowadays with these contractors. And I don’t suppose anyone is too keen on working over Christmas anyway.” Smiling broadly, he continued, “But don’t you worry, Ms. McCann; as long as the work begins before the end of the year, I can get up to a year of missing rent, so I should be just fine.”
As the door closed behind him, Lily expelled the breath she’d been holding and tossed a pillow after him.
Now what? Clearly, she wasn’t going anywhere with Violet tomorrow, much less on an outing to Lake Tahoe. She needed to find somewhere to stay and a place to store her stuff for the next few months. Even though she hadn’t taken much from the home she’d shared with Scott for so many years, she wasn’t about to lose what little she did have.
Lily called Violet and wasn’t surprised when it went straight to voicemail. At fifty-nine, her older sister had a habit of going to bed before nine most nights, and it was already after nine-thirty. After leaving a message on her sister’s phone, Lily double-bolted the door to her apartment and headed to her bathroom to take that long-awaited shower.
*
“I’m pretty sure that what he’s doing isn’t legal.” Violet stood surveying the apartment with her hands on her hips. “He can’t just do this—and right before Christmas.”
Lily sighed. Violet had insisted on coming straight over that morning and had arrived at seven, bringing coffee and bagels with her.
“Well, he’s doing it, and there’s not much I can do about it now. The workers are coming Monday morning, no matter what I think is legal or fair.”
Her sister shrugged and raised her brows. “You could turn him into the housing authority, or call the police, or sue him or something. You can’t just sit back and let him kick you out of your own apartment, Lily. For heaven’s sake, you’ve got to stop letting people walk all over you.”
This was a phrase Lily often heard from her sister. Violet was convinced that Lily was incapable of standing up for herself and was continuously being taken advantage of. It was also a lecture Lily wasn’t in the mood for.
“Look, Vi, I’m sure everything you’re saying is right and has merit, but none of it makes any difference. The fact is, I have two days to pack up most of my belongings, find a place to store them, and hope that whatever I do leave is still here when I can finally come back.”
Lily looked around at her things in despair.
She continued, “Unfortunately, I’ve been looking for movers, and it’s almost impossible to find anyone to move on a weekend on such short notice. And that’s provided I can even find a storage unit on such short notice.”
“And what about you? Where are you planning to stay?” Violet asked.
Lily shrugged. “I don’t know. I suppose until I can find something a little cheaper and more permanent, I can stay in a hotel for a while. I don’t have to pay the rent while I’m not here, so at least I’ll have that money to pay for someplace else.”
“You need to talk to Scott, Lily. He’s got to fork over the money he still owes you. This is the perfect opportunity for you to find a decent place to live. You don’t even have a spare bedroom here for Olivia to stay in when she does come home to visit. The pittance he’s giving you isn’t enough to house a dog.”
Lily sighed. “I know, I know. But he’s struggling as well right now, Vi. He’s helping the kids with their expenses, and we both agreed he needs a bigger condo so Olivia can at least stay with him when she’s here. You know we took a hit on the house when we sold it. I’m grateful he can give me what he does. At least it’s enough to get by on.”
Her sister was about to unload, and Lily knew it was coming. “Oh my word, Lily!” Violet looked like she was ready to explode. “When are you going to stop being so na?ve? Scott has plenty of money. He took Olivia and her boyfriend to Spain, for goodness’ sake—you don’t do that when you’re broke. You may have sold the house for less than you wanted, but trust me, Scott still made a pretty penny on it. He’s just telling you he’s struggling so you don’t go to court and get what you deserve! He wants to spend it all on that new bimbo of his! You’re as entitled to the money and the assets you built up as he is!”
Lily opened her mouth to respond, then closed it just as quickly. That was exactly why she’d asked Violet not to come that morning. She needed to find a place to store her things and somewhere to stay, not listen to another rant about how Scott was cheating her.
“Look, Vi, he’s taking care of the kids, and that’s all I want from him. Can we just get back to figuring out what I’m going to do with my things and where I’m going to stay?”
Violet let out a very un-ladylike snort. “Your kids are twenty-eight and thirty-three-year-old adults. They hardly need Dad and Mommy to take care of them anymore, Lily. But okay, I’ll let it go for now. I’ll help you find a storage place and a mover to handle all of your stuff.”
Violet called Lawrence, her husband, and explained the situation to him. Then, she sat back on the couch and cradled her takeout coffee.
Lily looked at her sister, perplexed. “That’s it? You’re just going to sit there?”
“What else do you want me to do?” asked Violet, but she sighed and stood up. “I guess I could help you pack up your clothes, couldn’t I? Do you have enough suitcases, or do you want me to go get some?”
Lily looked at her apartment with the furniture, dishes, pots and pans, and various knick-knacks. “Violet! What about all of my stuff? I can’t just leave it all sitting around like this. It’ll either get destroyed or stolen!”
Violet stared at her smugly. “You clearly don’t know Lawrence very well, do you, darling? I guarantee you that before the day is over, you will have a crew of packers, movers, and various other helpers taking care of everything. All of your things will be in a clean and climate-controlled unit before you go to bed tonight.” She grinned and glanced toward the bedroom. “Not that bed, of course. It’ll be in storage.”
Lily looked at her sister in disbelief. No--she actually didn’t know Lawrence very well. But she did like him. After being single until she was well into her forties, her sister had met the much older real estate mogul after a whirlwind romance. Scott had assured her that the relationship would never last, and Lily had had her doubts as well. But despite Lawrence traveling a great deal, Violet seemed content to see him when he was home, and relished her newfound prosperity.
“It’s the weekend,” Lily reminded her sister. “I imagine it’s the weekend for Lawrence as well. There’s only so much that’s possible.”
“Just wait,” Violet said confidently as she walked into Lily’s bedroom.
A short time later, Lily’s tiny apartment was bustling with activity as a crew of movers readied her belongings to be taken to the waiting truck parked outside. Apparently, all the other tenants in the building were also bustling to pack and leave, and Lily was still in awe that somehow Lawrence had procured three of the best spots directly in front of the building to park the moving truck until her things were securely packed inside.
Shortly after noon, Lily was left with only two suitcases and a small overnight bag, while the rest of her clothes were stowed in the back of Violet’s car, packed in boxes.
Lily looked in awe at her now-empty apartment. “Wow, just wow.” She turned to Lawrence, who had arrived to oversee the entire operation and said, “I don’t know how to thank you both. I can’t believe you managed to do all of this in just a few hours. You have no idea what a relief this is for me.”
Lawrence flashed a brilliant smile her way, and suddenly, his bald head and chubby face didn’t seem so unattractive anymore. “Nothing to thank us for. It was no problem at all. After all, what’s family for, if not to help each other?”
He walked over to Violet, who was gazing at him with adoring eyes, and continued, “Now, where would you like me to take the two of you to lunch? I’ve worked up quite the appetite with all the supervising I did this morning.”
Violet laughed and kissed his shiny head. He wasn’t a very tall man, and she barely had to stand on her toes to reach it. “I believe I did most of the supervising, darling, but lunch does sound nice.” She looked at Lily. “What about you, sis? You must be hungry, too. Where do you want to go?”
At the mention of food, Lily’s stomach grumbled loudly. “I guess I am hungry. Maybe we can just grab something quick. My treat, of course. I still need to find a place to stay, after all.”
“Well, I’m thinking that at least for the next few nights, we can stay in Tahoe,” Violet started cautiously. “I say we leave right after lunch, and after we get back, you can just stay with us until we find a nice place for you.”
Lily was flabbergasted that her sister didn’t seem to see the issue with her plans. “Vi! I can’t possibly go to Tahoe with you right now. I need to get situated and find a place before Monday. I already took today off, and I doubt my boss is thrilled with my short notice. I can’t stay in Santa Rosa with you and make it back to work every day. It’s too long to commute.”
Violet looked at Lawrence and then back at Lily. “Look, you’re owed at least two more weeks of vacation and probably even more than that. I’m sure when you explain the situation to your boss, he’ll understand. Let’s just go to Tahoe and take a look at the house we now own. Then, when we come back, Lawrence will have a bunch of places lined up for you to look at.” She looked at the now-bare studio in distaste. “It’s high time you got out of this dump anyway.”
Lily followed her sister’s gaze. She wasn’t wrong. Now that her furniture and belongings were all gone, the peeling paint and disrepair of the apartment were even more apparent than before.
“Well, maybe,” Lily conceded. “But I’m not so sure even you’ll find a lot of options in my price range, Lawrence.”
Lily looked back at her sister. “I’ll go to Tahoe with you, but you have to promise me we’ll be back in time for me to go to work on Monday. I need this job. No one is clamoring to hire a woman at my age with no experience in anything but being a housewife. The bookstore may not be the most glamorous of jobs, but at least it’s a paycheck.”
Violet scowled but said, “Okay, fine. I’ll make sure we’re back Monday morning sharp. That should still give us enough time to grab the keys and take a quick look at the place.”
Satisfied, Lily took one last look around, ready to shut the door behind her, when her phone rang. She looked down, and when she saw the caller, a dark premonition caused her chest to tighten.