Lilly nodded. “Patricia, I
am
sorry. I never meant to cause you any trouble.”
Patricia shook her head and walked toward the foyer to greet the guests.
Zach cringed. “Try not to worry about her.” He stepped aside so Lilly could descend the staircase. “Are we okay?”
Lilly shook her head as she made her way down the steps. “I’m sorry, Zach, I don’t think we are. But this is Tommy’s day, and we need to concentrate on him. We’ll talk about this later.”
***
Zach took a bite of lasagna and rolled his shoulders, trying to relax the knot of tension in his neck. Lilly refused to sit next to him, and instead chose the seat across from him. That would have been fine, but Curtis Crandall had shown up late and made room for himself next to her.
The bastard kept rubbing Lilly’s arm, and Zach wanted to lunge across the table and rip his head off. Lilly’s mouth was set in a prim line, and her face was very pale. Zach knew all Crandall’s touching likely scared her, but he didn’t know how to get Crandall away from her.
Tommy wouldn’t appreciate it if Zach started a fight with a man Tommy still considered his best friend. Sometimes, Zach wished he’d told Tommy the truth about Crandall and Victoria. He wished he had told his whole family.
Bridget sat next to her mother, whispering, as they had done for most of the dinner. So much for the manners of someone brought up in polite society. Many of their comments reached Zach’s ears, so he knew Lilly heard them.
“The murderess made this dinner?” Mrs. Stern’s whispered question carried in the tense silence.
Lilly’s cheeks flashed from white to red, though from embarrassment or rage, Zach couldn’t tell. However, she patted her mouth with her napkin and leaned toward Mrs. Stern.
“Patricia helped,” she said. “We made it special, just for you.”
Zach snorted with amusement, and next to him, Sarah did the same. That would teach them to gossip. He caught her eye and winked, but Lilly turned away from him.
Tommy made another stab at conversation, as he’d attempted to do all night. “It’s really terrific food, Lilly,” he said. “I’m glad you agreed to help us out.”
“Sugar pie,” Bridget whispered, though her voice was more audible than her mother’s had been. “Don’t talk to her. She’s a criminal.”
Tommy sputtered for a moment and then leaned down to Bridget’s ear.
She obviously didn’t like what he said, because she pouted.
Why did Zach confide in them? He’d ruined everything. This nice little meet and greet between the families had turned into a disaster. Not to mention the damage he’d done to his and Lilly’s relationship.
Curtis Crandall took a sip of his wine and looked around the table. “I can’t understand what’s wrong with all of you,” he said. “Lilly makes a fabulous meal and all you can do is talk badly about her? In front of her?” He snorted. “Have a little tact, won’t you?”
Lilly turned to Crandall. “Please, it’s okay, Curtis. Don’t cause any problems.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s not okay. Why would you say that?”
Lilly dropped her gaze to the table, not responding. Crandall put his arm around her again, but this time Lilly didn’t pull away.
Zach ground his teeth together. Once again, Crandall tried to move in on his woman. However, Zach knew he really should have stood up for Lilly, not leaving it open for Crandall to do so.
Everyone sat in tense silence, eating their meal without further conversation.
Mrs. Stern unbent enough to take a small bite of her vegetarian dish. She squished her face up as though she expected the deathblow any minute, as she chewed slowly. When she didn’t keel over, she ventured another bite. “It’s very good,” she said to Patricia. “How original of you to get a murderess to cook dinner. Of course, I’d never let her in my house. How can you be sure what she’ll do? Scary to think she has sat right next to your family and been in—”
“That’s enough,” Margaret thundered from her place at the head of the table, apparently unable to bite her tongue. “I can’t sit here and try to be polite any longer. If you Sterns have a problem with our family, you’re welcome to leave.”
Lilly stood abruptly from her chair. She blinked rapidly and Zach knew she fought back tears. “But I’m not family, Margaret. And Bridget will be.” She backed away from the table and grabbed her cane. “I’m so sorry. Please excuse me.”
“Aunt Lilly?” Savannah called to her retreating back, but Lilly didn’t turn around. Savannah stood up on her chair, and pointed a finger at Mrs. Stern. “You’re mean. You hurt my Aunt Lilly.”
“Savannah!” Sarah protested. She pulled Savannah down onto her chair. “That was very rude. Apologize to Mrs. Stern.”
Savannah folded her arms across her chest and jutted her lip out. “I will not appoleragize, Mommy. She
is
a mean lady.”
Zach stood from his own chair and threw his napkin onto his plate, drawing attention away from Savannah.
“I have to thank you all. I’m so glad I shared private information and everyone acted like mature adults tonight. Lilly is innocent, but you refuse to see that.” Zach’s face grew hot. He took a few deep breaths to calm the rage that flowed through him. How could they have done this to him? He looked down the table and met his father’s eyes. “I will
never
make the mistake of trusting you again.”
He rushed from the room. A cacophony broke out behind him, but Zach didn’t care at all what they thought of his words.
Lilly sat in the front room. She’d hidden her face behind her hands, which quieted her soft cries.
Zach crossed the room and sat on the floor next to her feet. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head.
Zach grabbed the handkerchief out of his breast pocket and handed it to her.
“This is why I left New York.” She dabbed at her eyes. “Everyone watched me like a rabid dog, and they weren’t sure if I’d bite.”
“I’m sorry.”
She sighed. “I know.”
He took her hand in his. “Then why won’t you forgive me?”
“I do forgive you.”
Hope filled him. “So walk back in there with me. We can face them together. If I just show them they can’t shake us, that we’re still together—”
“No, Zach. Things aren’t that simple. Your mother will never accept me, and I didn’t see you standing up to her or the Sterns.” She sighed. “Curtis showed more consideration for me than you did.”
Pain knifed through him. “So what we’ve shared means nothing to you then? You would throw everything away because I made a mistake?”
Lilly touched his chin, looking deep into his eyes. “You must know how much I care for you, but it will never work. I’m the one who made the mistakes, and it changed my life forever. There will always be people like the Sterns, like your mother, who will judge me and tear me down.”
“I don’t care about them!”
“Maybe you mean that right now.” Lilly dropped her hand to her lap. “One day you will care. My past will cause problems in your society life, and eventually you’ll resent me. We’re just not meant to be.”
“So what? You want Crandall instead? Is that it?” Zach jumped up from the floor to pace the room. “Or maybe you just don’t want a nice guy like me. Maybe to win your heart I need to act more like Charles.”
Lilly gasped, and Zach turned away from her. It was a low blow, and he knew it. He’d let his anger get the best of him. She didn’t deserve him treating her as poorly as Charles had.
“Look, I didn’t mean—”
The sound of a throat being cleared cut off Zach’s words. “Sorry to interrupt. Things sound a little heated out here.”
“Well, my night’s not going exactly as planned, Dad.” Zach turned to face his father. “Thanks to you.”
“I know.” James stood in the entryway, his hands in his pockets. “Tommy and I should have kept our mouths shut until after the party. We promised to have your back, Lilly, not blab your secrets. I’ve straightened everyone out. I want you guys to stop fighting and come back in.”
Lilly stood, not even glancing in Zach’s direction. “I’m sorry for causing embarrassment. I couldn’t do what I agreed to either.”
James crossed the room and put his arm around her shoulders. “You’ve handled yourself very well. I’m ashamed at everyone else’s behavior.”
“Dad,” Zach said, “we’re kind of in the middle of something here.”
“No.” Lilly said. “We’re done. I think we both said more than enough.”
“How can you say that?” Zach asked. Why wouldn’t she just tell him what was on her mind? Did she really mean to break it off with him because he made a mistake?
Lilly took a deep breath and nodded at James. “Let’s go face the music.”
James looked from Lilly to Zach. “Are you okay, son?”
Zach shook his head and walked back toward the dining room. “I guess not.”
When they returned to the dining room, everyone pretended to be happy. The tension gradually dissipated as Tommy told stories about his and Bridget’s courtship and proposal. Finally, the focus shifted to where it was supposed to be, the happy couple.
No one mentioned another word about Lilly’s past, but Bridget and her mother continued to glare at her. At least the whispering had stopped, but Lilly would be relieved when the party broke up and she could go home.
After dessert, the party moved to the front room. Lilly stood alone, apart from the festivities. Bridget, Patricia, and Mrs. Stern talked in a cluster, and judging from the frequent glances in her direction, Lilly had no doubt as to the topic of their conversation.
Zach sat on the opposite side of the room from her. She knew he was angry, and her heart ached with the pain she caused him. Lilly didn’t know what to do. They’d both said hurtful things, and she was sure Zach felt as badly for what he said about Charles as she felt for her comments about his marriage. She needed to think, and it was impossible to do with Zach so studiously ignoring her.
Lilly slipped out of the front room into the hallway. She needed to escape Zach’s brooding and the women’s oppressive glares. She entered the dining room and slipped through the double door into the library, breathing a sigh of relief.
“I thought I saw you sneaking away. Is everything okay?”
Crandall’s deep voice oozed into her thoughts.
Lilly jumped and turned around. “What can I do for you, Mr. Crandall? I appreciate you sticking up for me at dinner, but you do realize Zach told me what you did to him?” Crandall may have lost his true love, but Lilly now understood it was Zach’s wife. She felt no pity for him. “He told me what a liar and deceiver you are.”
Crandall laughed and swept his blond hair back from his face. “But we’re both liars, aren’t we?”
“I suppose we are.” Everyone else gossiped about her. It didn’t matter what he thought.
“Tommy also told me you’re having a spot of trouble with a stalker. You must be terrified.” He moved closer, invading her space.
Lilly backed up a step. “Terrified?” She forced a smile. “Not particularly.”
“According to Tommy, Zach’s worried.” Crandall rubbed her arm lightly. “Maybe he’s not man enough to protect you.”
Fingers of fear crawled up her spine, and her breath came in shallow gasps. She wished he would quit touching her. Although she wanted to run, her feet refused to respond.
“I can’t stop thinking about you, Lilly.” He forced her against the wall. “Zach threatened me, telling me to stay away, but I know you feel the connection between us.”
What was wrong with this man? She’d tried to let him down gently when he asked her to go out with him, but she’d done nothing to encourage this line of thinking.
“Get away from me,” she managed through numb lips.
“Don’t be that way. I’ve been dreaming about you since we met. We could be so good together. Give me a chance. You and Zach are over, and I can’t hold back my feelings any longer. I have to be with you.”
He grabbed her face in his hands. His hot lips pressed against hers, and he forced his tongue into her mouth. When he pulled back, fear ripped through Lilly. Crandall’s face held a sweet expression, as though he thought she enjoyed his advances.
“See. Isn’t this nice?”
Tears fell down Lilly’s cheeks. Would someone hear her if she screamed for help? Why had she left the stun gun upstairs in her purse? “Crandall, please stop.”
He wiped her tears away. “I can’t stop, my love. Don’t you feel it? We’re meant for each other. We complete one other in the most glorious way.”
His tongue plunged back into her mouth, and Lilly fought to get away. Desperation allowed her to move through her panic, but it was no use. He pinned her beneath his weight.
He groaned loudly, apparently excited by her movement.
Lilly whacked her cane across the backs of his legs, desperate to cause some sort of damage. He yanked the stick out of her hand and tossed it across the room, hardly seeming to notice the attack.
Crandall pulled back slightly. “Don’t fight me. I want to be with you. I know you want that, too.” His hand caressed her shoulder, exploring down her back as his tongue resumed its assault on her mouth.