3. Lily
Chapter 3
Lily
A deer. An actual, living, breathing deer.
I was nearly at Ethan’s auto shop, ready to sell this ridiculous car and recoup some of the money I’d squandered on my useless fiancé, when a deer stepped right in front of me.
For a moment, time seemed to slow. The deer’s sleek form was bathed in the golden glow of the late afternoon sun as it turned its head to look at me.
“It’s a sign,” I whispered, despite myself.
Then, reality came crashing back. I shoved on the brakes, praying that the crappy car would respond in time.
What happened next was a blur of screeching of brakes and burning rubber. The car skidded and swerved as I fought to avoid flattening the majestic—but very stupid—animal.
I did avoid it. I know that much because I watched its fluffy white butt prance away from me as I careened off the road, before smashing through a wooden fence straight into the open garage door of McMoy’s Motors.
The impact was jarring. Shockwaves rippled through my body as the airbag deployed with a deafening bang. For a moment, I sat there, stunned and disoriented, ears ringing and heart pounding. A haze of white dust hung in the air.
Then, dazed, I muttered, “I didn’t know classic cars had airbags.”
I rubbed the dust off my glasses and tried to figure out what was what. The hood of my car was crushed up against the hood of another car. A red one, which my car had sliced up like sushi.
I’d crashed into it. First, a car-crash wedding. And now, an actual car crash.
With shaking hands, I fumbled for the door handle, stumbling out of the car on unsteady legs. My dress was somehow torn, and the once-black garment was now covered with white airbag powder. At least now it looked a little more like the kind of dress I might have chosen.
“Hello?” I called out.
For a second, a horrific thought entered my mind, and I looked under the car, but there was nobody there. Dazed, I blinked and tried to focus. The garage swam into view—a cavernous space filled with the acrid smell of oil and rubber. Tools hung neatly on pegboards, and half-finished projects lurked in shadowy corners. The crash had stirred up years of settled dust, creating a hazy, dreamlike atmosphere.
And then a shadow fell over me.
Startled, I looked up to see blazing bright blue eyes fixed on me.
Ethan McCoy.
All six-foot-two of him.
His mouth hung open, his expression one of complete astonishment.
“Oh god,” I said. “I’m so sorry.”
Ethan took a step toward me. His broad shoulders tensed, muscles rippling under his paint-streaked t-shirt. Calmly, he asked, “Lily? What happened? Are you all right?” His eyes raked up and down me, lingering for a moment on my dress. His gaze flicked back to the car. “Thank god I retrofitted that thing with airbags.”
I took a shaky breath, trying to compose myself. “I . . . I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice trembling. “I was coming here to sell my clown car back to you and then I swerved to avoid a deer . . .” I gestured helplessly at the wreckage around us.
Ethan’s gaze followed my hand. His sharp jawline clenched, a muscle ticking in his cheek, as he took in the crumpled fender of Vlad’s car and the deep gash in the red car’s bonnet. Ethan was always hard to read. I saw a flicker of something in his eyes—anger, perhaps, or frustration—but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by a gentle understanding.
“Are you hurt?”
I hadn’t even considered I could be hurt. I ran my hands up and down my body, squeezing every bit of myself. “I don’t think so. I think I’m okay. In one piece.”
He swallowed. “You’ve, uh, got some dust on you.”
“Oh.”
“Got some bad news. I don’t think that dress is gonna be much good after this.”
A huge snort of laughter escaped my mouth. I covered my lips with a duty hand, trying to keep it in, but I couldn’t help myself. I laughed louder and louder, until I was laughing so hard my ribs hurt.
“I don’t give a crap about the dress,” I said, doubled over. “I hate this fucking thing!”
“O . . . kay?
“I think I’m in shock, Ethan,” I said, my voice sounding hysterical. “I’ve destroyed your shop. I’ve destroyed my car. I’ve destroyed my wedding. All in one day. This tasteless, revolting dress is the least of my worries.”
“You destroyed your wedding?”
“Absolutely totaled it. Exploded the motherfucker.”
Ethan led me over to a nearby chair, helping me sit down before grabbing a clean rag and a bottle of water. He gently wiped the dust and grime from my face, his calloused hands surprisingly gentle against my skin. I had just wrecked his shop and destroyed a car, and yet he was treating me with such kindness.
“Hey, what’s with all the rainbows?” I asked, looking up, wondering if I was in fact just imagining all of this and was having some kind of crazy colorful dream.
“This is Ava’s desk. She plays here when I have to work.”
“Oh. That’s sweet. You’re a very kind dad.”
Ethan shrugged. “I’m a busy one.”
I felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to confide. “Vlad cheated,” I blurted out. “Caught him with a groupie. Right before the ceremony.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened. “I see.” He paused. “Want me to beat the crap out of him?”
I laughed. “No. Well, yes. A little bit.”
“I would, but it wouldn’t be fair. I’d pulverize him.”
I laughed again. “It’s true. You’d snap him like a twig.” I took a long, deep, shaky breath. “So,” I said. “Do you want to buy my scrunched-up clown car or not?”
“Well, I might have done. But it’s not exactly in mint condition anymore.”
I nodded, feeling the tears begin to flow again. “Is that car I destroyed expensive?”
Ethan grimaced. “Don’t worry about that right now. You’ve had an emotional day. Plus, we both have insurance, so—”
“I’m not insured on Vlad’s car.”
He paled slightly. “Anyway, let’s not worry about the cars, and the damage, and whether or not either of them is priceless—was priceless—right now.”
“Priceless?” My voice was strangled.
“Did I say priceless?” He scratched his head, running his fingers through his black hair.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “I just crashed into your garage.”
Ethan shrugged. “It’s probably got something to do with the fact you just crashed into my garage.”
“I’ve never even had a fender bender before.”
“You know, with that white dust all over you, you kind of look like a ghost bride.”
“Well, thank you.”
“A lovely one. Just to, uh, clarify.”
“A lovely corpse. Just what everyone dreams of looking like on their wedding day.”
To my surprise, he looked at me with a serious expression. “No, Lily. This wasn’t your wedding day. It was the day you saved yourself from a life of misery. You have happiness ahead of you, Lily Lane. Trust me.”
As I looked up at his hard jaw and deep blue eyes, it struck me that I’d never really looked at Ethan like this before. He really was extremely good-looking. Dangerously good-looking. A proper grown-up. A real man. Strong-chested, thick-armed, and stern-eyed. Not like skinny little Vlad.
Totally wrong for me, of course. Ten years too old. A grieving widow. A dad. My best friend’s future brother-in-law. The list no doubt went on.
I shook my head, realizing I was doing it again—convincing myself the first man I saw was Prince Charming. Just because he wasn’t yelling at me for wrecking his garage didn’t mean he was my perfect man.
Besides, I’d sworn off men and romance just hours ago. Hadn’t I?
For a moment, I felt like Ethan was looking straight into my soul, reading my mixed-up mind.
“Okay,” he said decisively. “Come with me.” He took hold of my hand, and not knowing what else to do, I followed him deeper into the garage.
As I did so, I tried with all my might to ignore the silly intrusive thoughts entering my head.
The bird. The deer. The crash.
What if they were all omens, after all? What if the universe had led me here, to Ethan McCoy, for a purpose?
Oh, jeez, no. I was most likely concussed. I needed to put an end to all this nonsense right now. And yet. . . .