Chapter 7
We’rein the conference room. I’m listening to Lily who’s talking about the articles Cleo sent her as she threatened her . . . with me.
“What I don’t understand is why you’re saying that I’ll be grabbing your ass during the ceremony.” And maybe there are a thousand other questions I could ask but this point really bothers me.
“Your brother said you spanked a bridesmaid once at a family wedding,” she tells me.
I can’t help but laugh. “Seriously, that’s what he’s saying? It was one time and pretty harmless.”
Lily crosses her arms. “I don’t see why that’s so funny. Stop laughing.”
“It was actually the bride,” I say once I calm down.
She gasps, horrified at my confession. “How could you?”
I shrug. “I was four. Mother says I was playing with my cousins in the mud, came running to show them a key I had found and tripped. My hands landed exactly on the bride’s ass. She spent the entire party with my handprints.”
Lily burst into laughter. “No way that actually happened. I mean poor woman, but that’s hilarious.”
I nod and shrug. “But that’s what Dominique uses to make me look bad.”
“So, if I don’t find a date, you won’t grab my ass.”
I wink at her. “Unless you ask really nice, sweetheart.”
She scoffs. “In your dreams, Montgomery.”
“Probably, but now that you know about that story, tell me more about these life changing articles.”
“It was like they were describing my own life,” Lily says, still chuckling from my horrible wedding debacle. “All of these failed relationships and wondering what went wrong. It sent me down memory lane, thinking of all my exes and realizing I never found closure with any of them.”
I nod in understanding. “Closure can be a tricky thing to come by,” I say. “I admire you for going after it so head-on.”
“Thanks,” she says with a soft smile, her cheeks flushing slightly at the compliment. “My sister thinks I’ve lost it.” She rolls her eyes, letting out a small chuckle.
“What about the rest of your family?” I ask, tilting my head curiously.
“They won’t know. At least, not until I’m back.” She leans closer, lowering her voice surreptitiously. “They’re pretty judgmental and swear that as the youngest, I do stupid things.”
“Asking questions and searching for answers is not stupid.”
“Exactly,” she says enthusiastically, her face lighting up with excitement.
“So, in my opinion, we should start with whoever lives here before we head to our next town,” I suggest, my mind already mapping out our plan of action.
“So we start with Jeff, the barista poet?” Lily’s voice pitches high with enthusiasm, and I can’t help but smile at her eagerness, my own heart rate picking up at the prospect of our adventure. “Jeff with haikus for every coffee order.”
“Sounds like a character,” I say, my eyebrows raising in amusement as I imagine the quirky barista. “This should be interesting.”
“Character is one way to put it,” Lily laughs, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Let’s say you order a cappuccino, he’ll say: Cappuccino steam. Whispers of warmth in the air. Morning joy in a cup.”
“I mean, that’s an entertaining way to get your daily coffee,” I try to defend the dude, but really, who does that? “We could start with him. Do you have his address?”
“I’m not sure where he ended up, though. Last time I heard, he was out in California.” She shrugs, a hint of uncertainty flickering across her face.
Okay, so she really has no idea where to go.
“Maybe we could sort your exes by geographic region and go from there,” I suggest, leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees, my brow furrowed in thought.
We continue to brainstorm destinations for our new project. For a moment, I forget about the weight of my responsibilities and simply enjoy being in Lily’s company, her voice is warm, seeping in and soothing the usual chill of responsibility.
The mention of Derek, the corporate shark, brings me back to reality. “He might not have time for me—he never did.” Lily’s voice wavers slightly.
“We’ll find a way to come face-to-face with him,” I assure her, reaching out to give her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I know people in all places.” I flash her a confident smile, hoping to ease her concerns.
“Lucky me,” she teases, raising an eyebrow playfully. “Is that part of the Montgomery rescue service package?”
“Only the best for you,” I respond with a grin, my heart skipping a beat at the sight of her smile. She smiles back at me, and I feel a surge of protectiveness wash over me, a fierce desire to help her find the closure she seeks. “What else do you need for the mission? As you can imagine, I have enough resources to figure out things that might not appear in a simple internet search.”
“Resources?” She raises an eyebrow, intrigued by my offer, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“Consider me your personal Sherlock Holmes.” I smirk, flashing her a conspiratorial grin, my pulse quickening at the thought of being her partner in crime. “I’ll be your inside man.”
“Does that make me Watson?” she giggles, and even though it’s a silly joke, I can’t help but feel drawn to her infectious laugh.
Lily reminds me of Irene Adler, the woman who left a significant impression on Sherlock Holmes in “A Scandal in Bohemia.” However, bringing up such a comparison might be inappropriate.
Is she beautiful?
Gorgeous, without a doubt.
Her beauty is undeniable, but I know I need to keep my distance. Crossing any lines would be a mistake. So I answer, “Yes, that makes you Watson and you know what that means.” I wink at her. “You have to keep me in line when I get too carried away,” I say, my voice taking on a flirty tone as I lean in closer. Internally, I chastise myself.
So much for keeping your distance, fucker.
Lily’s eyes sparkle with amusement, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Deal,” she agrees. “But you’ll have to give me your number first. Can’t have my detective going rogue.” She raises an eyebrow, challenging me.
“Of course.” I nod, as she hands me her phone. Our fingers brush during the exchange, and again, I feel that searing current coursing through my body.
“Expect a lot of updates from me,” I warn, a grin spreading across my face as I program my number and send a text to my phone so I have hers too.
“I’m ready for all of it,” she replies in a flirty tone. Whoa, are we . . . No, this is just professional and something I’m doing to get the fuck out of the area while my parents are invading my space.
As we continue to plan our route, I find myself stealing glances at her and maybe this would be a great time to stop what we’re doing. I have things to do—many—before I leave the office for a few weeks.
“I think we’re done for now,” I say. “Send me whatever else you think we’re missing. If you remember more about these . . . gentlemen, just text it to me so I can create a database.”
“Ooh, database,” she says a little mockingly. “You make it sound so . . . official.”
“When do you want to start the road trip?” I ask, disregarding her comment.
Lily’s response is immediate and confident. “We could do another planning session tomorrow and leave the day after,” she answers.
“Tomorrow?” I repeat, a hint of surprise in my voice. I have so much work to do. “Are you sure about that? We could?—”
“There’s no better day than the present,” she interrupts me. “Unless, this is too much for you.”
Oh, the challenge in her voice hits its mark and I just can’t let it go.
“You want to leave tomorrow night, it’s a deal.” I stand up, offering her my hand.“Pack your things, come for our next meeting, and we’ll leave from here.”
She takes my hand without hesitation, her grip firm and warm. “Absolutely,” she says. As I pull her up, I can’t help but notice how perfectly her hand fits in mine, our fingers entwine and everything clicks into place, as if our hands have known each other from another lifetime.
“It’s a date,” I say, the words slipping out before I can stop them. I hold my breath, wondering if she’ll catch the double meaning behind my statement. Part of me hopes she does, while another part fears I’ve overstepped.
“See you tomorrow, Ethan Montgomery.”
“Until then, Lily Harper,” I reply, reluctantly letting go of her hand. As she walks away, I find myself already counting down the hours until I can see her again.