Page 10 of Fortune’s Control (Fortune’s Creek #1)

“We have a visitor,” Jack announced.

I smiled as the familiar footsteps sounded on the staircase.

“Am I interrupting?” Lilah asked. She pulled her sunglasses over her forehead to check our latest progress.

“You’re keeping me from fulfilling my friend obligations,” Jack said with a smirk.

Lilah’s face pulled into a nervous grimace over his misunderstood comment. She got along well with my friends, but still hadn’t acclimated to our sarcastic interactions.

“Oh, shut your mouth, dumbass. I’m doing you a favor. Consider this entire project a great chance for exposure,” Aiden shot back. “My future tenant will come in one day, and he’ll declare this to be the work of Jack Dossman. He’ll then tell all his friends about you.”

“ She will say it’s the work of Jack Dossman,” I said, knowing I was right. Aiden’s insistence guaranteed he’d rent the space to a woman. He wouldn’t be able to stop himself.

“I’m grateful for the exposure.” Jack rolled his eyes. “Like I said, your interruption is appreciated. Please visit more often,” he told Lilah, and her features relaxed.

“I made brownies.” Lilah bit her lip and lowered her eyes before meeting mine. “I was thinking of you.”

I accepted her dessert plate with effusive thanks. I didn’t like chocolate, but, damn, I adored her baking for me. “They’ll be gone in less than an hour. Are you going to the library after this?”

“On my way there next.”

My two friends leaned against a wall, neither bothering to hide their curiosity. I refused to indulge their repeated questions, and they never missed an opportunity to learn more.

“Will you bring more newspapers home tonight?” I asked.

“The last stack.” Her shoulders slumped with disappointment.

I wanted to pull her into my arms and remind her the search wasn’t over.

Lainey, the librarian, lent out a stack of old newspapers for the past several days, and Lilah took them home for us to comb through every evening, searching for a familiar name or face.

In the morning, Lilah returned them and picked up a new batch.

We were no closer to an answer than the night she arrived in Fortune’s Creek.

The one positive was our growing friendship, so another tie developed between Lilah and Fortune’s Creek.

“That isn’t the end of our search.” I brushed her chin, urging her to look up at me. “We go sleuthing next, remember?”

“Secret mission style, I know.” There was little enthusiasm in her tone.

Lilah was loath to, as she put it, “interview women of a certain age”.

The circumstances regarding her mother and childhood were private, and she didn’t want to share them with others.

She was careful with her words when mentioning the infamous Sarah Jane Mayberry.

Lilah said she didn’t enjoy all aspects of motherhood, hinting at buried hurts she wasn’t ready to discuss.

A more public search for her grandmother forced those secrets into the open.

“I’ll see you tonight,” I said.

“Is that a question or an order?” Lilah bit her lip and smiled up at me, relieved to change the topic away from her missing grandmother.

I couldn’t stop my returning grin. “What do you think?”

“I think it started as a question, but would turn into an order if I said no.”

My grin deepened to a laugh. “Then you’ll see me tonight.”

Jack chewed before swallowing an entire brownie. “You’re going to eat chocolate bars for the rest of your life, aren’t you?” he asked the moment Lilah left.

“He likes her,” Aiden said. His eyes widened as realization hit. “I want credit. It was my prank that went wrong and brought you two together. You two should name your firstborn after me.”

Jack and I ignored him.

“Is it serious?” Jack asked. He rolled back on his heels. “I thought you were only doing her a favor.” His pensive expression hid his opinion on the idea. “You’re spending evenings together. That’s a boyfriend and girlfriend activity.”

We kicked it off with a movie night and popcorn, and added her newspaper search to it. My instant attraction grew, along with my genuine interest in her. Lilah’s personality shone through more with every passing night, and I looked forward to our time together. In simple terms, we fit.

“I’m helping her out.”

“Oh, is that what we’re calling it these days?”

“Help is a perfectly acceptable word to describe my behavior.”

That was enough of an explanation. The first time I saw her, I knew she needed me.

Lilah thought someone had been watching her the other day, but she shrugged it off as a worry brought on by stress or bad luck.

I knew that wasn’t true, and the incident only proved my decision to seek her out correct.

**** *

Lilah appeared at the top of the stairs, beaming, and hurried down to where I waited.

My jaw dropped. “You look stunning.” The short, sleeveless dress hugged her breasts and hips, while the sage green color complemented her dark chestnut hair. “You always look stunning.” She wore her hair brushed to one side. I wanted to wrap it around my fist and pull her against me.

“I enjoy dressing up.”

I wore my typical denim and raglan shirt. Like a slob. “Not me.”

The dulcet tones of her laughter filled the air. “Yet we’re still going to dinner.”

When I dropped off furniture at the Live Oak Gallery yesterday morning, Pete brought it up again, and then Jack dropped an unsubtle hint that the townsfolk would start wondering what I was doing with her. “It’s the Creekside Diner. Don’t get excited.”

“Yes, but it’s the local Creekside Diner. We could walk there.”

It was over a mile, and late in the evening. I started the day with a run, spent time in the woodshop, and helped Aiden; my leg could not handle another long walk. “I open car doors for my wife like a proper gentleman.”

Her mouth popped open, and the moment’s levity disappeared.

Oh, hell. A dumb impulse on my part didn’t make this real.

She’ll leave, and I’ll return to my former life.

Lilah described Fortune’s Creek as an enchantment, noting the efflorescence on the brick buildings or the faded paint on the gas station walls.

It was her refuge, just as it became mine after the accident.

“Shall we go?” I put a hand on the small of Lilah’s back, guiding her to my truck’s passenger door.

*****

Lilah leaned across the booth to avoid being overheard. “This isn’t what I expected.”

“What did you expect?”

“Sand and seashells and art prints with ocean waves on them.”

“You find those things at beaches. We live by a creek.”

“Okay, that’s true.”

“Do you remember Diane from the Gator Tale? Her sister, Josie, owns this place.”

“Oh...” Lilah nodded, as if that explanation made sense.

The diner occupied a nondescript building made with plain white stucco with a plainer white sign, while the inside assaulted the senses.

A person first noticed the bright pink walls and yellow floor tiles before taking in the more minor details, such as the emerald green vinyl booths and the red Formica countertop.

“Also, everyone is staring at us.” Lilah checked out her hands and then her dress, searching for a non-existent flaw.

“No, they’re staring at you,” I corrected. Her lips tightened. “They’re curious about you and jealous of me.”

“Jealous of you, why?”

Because she was the most gorgeous woman in the entire damned town, and I was the one she’d go home with. “You should look in a mirror more often.”

“Thank you.” Lilah bit her lip at the compliment, causing a dimple to appear. “Let’s order drinks.”

Pete came in, making a beeline for the counter before stopping. He noticed Lilah, saluted me, stepped toward the counter, changed his mind, and approached us.

“It looks like you took my advice,” Pete said.

Oh, hell.

I offered a quick introduction and waited until they shook hands. “I took your advice.”

Pete tapped my shoulders. “A lady enjoys being spoiled,” he said, with all the confidence of a bachelor’s wisdom.

Lilah’s eyes bulged while I winced.

“Shane has told me so much about you,” she said.

I hadn’t, but appreciated her save.

“His decision to place his furniture for sale was a bit of serendipity, wasn’t it?” he asked.

She flashed me a curious glance. “It was indeed.”

I cleared my throat.

Pete noticed and ignored it. “We all owe you our thanks.”

“For what?” Lilah asked.

“Well, the whole town heard what happened at the Gator Tale. Diane said you two made eyes at each other all night. You brought him out of hiding, and we worried that might never happen. It’s been a tough year, and it turns out all he needed was you.”

My eyes blazed a warning. “I have a few smaller items ready to go. Can I drop them by in the morning?”

“Sounds wonderful. You both enjoy your meal.”

“What furniture for sale?” Lilah asked once we were alone. She crooked her neck. “Those pretty chairs. Did you make those?”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“It is a big deal. You’re an artisan, Shane. You will show me more tomorrow.”

I chuckled at her order. “Yes, m’am.”

Lilah’s voice lowered as she leaned in. “It’s not my business, so I’ll respect it if you refuse to answer.” I tensed, already knowing the question. “May I ask what happened a year ago? Your friend is the second person to reference that.”

Who was the first?

“I joined the Marines to see the world. I came home, which meant adjusting to civilian life. With my parents and sister gone, it was…different.”

She covered my hand with her own. Her soft touch left sparks behind. I flipped my palm and laced our fingers together, knowing half the restaurant patrons still watched us.

“We need to talk about Pirate.”

Her sudden change of topic confused me. “The cat? What’s wrong with her? Wait, you want another one already?” I asked.

Lilah covered her mouth to suppress her laughter. “No, not that. She refuses to come indoors, right?” I nodded. “We’ll keep working on that. Here is an important question. What does every pirate need?”

I knew instantly. “Every pirate needs a ship. You want me to make her a ship?”

“Could you?”

“Cats don’t like water.”

“No, they don’t, but that’s not the point.” Her shoulders shook. “A sleeping nook.”

“She’d better enjoy it,” I grumbled.

“Pirate already loves it. ”

“Pirate is a cat. She doesn’t care.”

“Ours does. She’s special.”

I couldn’t argue with that. “I’ll make it for you.”

“So, I decided to start my job search tomorrow,” Lilah announced right after our food arrived.

“Why? We haven’t found your grandmother, and we still have the last batch of newspapers to review. Then we can move through our list of suspects.”

“I can’t live off your generosity forever, Shane. We agreed to a temporary arrangement, and I promised to pay you back.”

My jaw tightened. “I also said to take your time. You also paid me back for some of it.”

“When?”

“You baked for me, remember? We agreed it was a fair exchange.”

Her eyes narrow with doubt. “That doesn’t sound correct.”

“It is. There’s plenty of time, and I’m not hurting for money, Lilah.”

“I should pay you rent.”

“That’s unnecessary, as, again, I’m not hurting for money.”

“From selling through Pete at the gallery?”

“That was dumb luck. I have my retirement pay, plus my sister and I rent out land we own.” Technically, I received disability benefits.

She drew her eyebrows together. “What land?”

“Acres. We didn’t want to farm, ranch, or raise horses, so we found other uses. A phone tower sits on part of it. There are two cabins on the creek that a rental company manages.”

“Oh, I had no idea.” Lilah leaned back, taking it in. “ That’s a lot.”

“It leaves me with free time to fill.”

She nodded, understanding. I delayed her job searches, but it wasn’t an attempt to control her.

Lilah wanted to work, which I understood, and I would cheer her when she found the right one.

Lilah spoke like she’d take any job because of a mistaken belief that she owed me.

She’d come to Fortune’s Creek for several reasons, and the first available job wasn’t one of them. I intended it to stay that way.

“I’ll still pay you rent when I can.”

She wouldn’t. “Suit yourself.”

I leaned back, and the green vinyl cushion squeaked at the movement.

Lilah walked past an open window that first day, and a compulsion demanded that I follow her. My instant attraction hasn’t faded, despite my efforts at ignoring it. If I’m honest, it was the opposite.

My eyes dropped to the swell of her breasts and lower.

I lost part of my leg over a year ago, and a part of me died until she walked past that open window.

“Shall we go home?” I asked.

*****

My leg ached. I eyed the stairs leading up to her apartment and took her hand. “Thank you for coming with me tonight.”

“Is this the part where you tell me we should do it again sometime?”

“This is the part where I tell you we will do it again.” My thumb stroked her cheek.

I had my back to a dark, empty house with her in front of me. I didn’t want the night to end, and I also couldn’t manage those stairs without her noticing. Another night or another day, but not this one. We haven’t kissed, and moving straight to the bedroom wasn’t my way. I needed more time.

“Good night, Shane.” Lilah stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek.

It was a tentative kiss, yet we both knew it was an offer, and I wanted her. I needed more time, and she was ready for more. I wanted more.

My discipline, cultivated over an entire year, broke, and a quick kiss on the cheek would not satisfy me. Not tonight. “No.” She drew back, surprised. “I want more than that from you.”

My lips landed on hers, and my leg’s throbbing ceased.