Charming Lily by Fern Michaels Page B

through my briefcase and found a memo Matt sent to all our top people which said everyone needed to get on the same page and permanently relocate to Oregon. There’s only going to be a skeleton crew in New York from April on. By year’s end he wants corporate to be in Oregon. I totally agree. Marcus totally disagrees. April 1 is the deadline for relocating. It might mean something, and then again it might mean nothing.”
    â€œDo you live in Oregon?” Sadie asked as she fell in behind Dennis for the walk back to the cars.
    â€œYes. I keep an apartment in the city for when I’m up there. I much prefer Oregon. So does Matt. I love trees and grass and crisp air. I really like the winters because I love the scent of pine, and I love to ski when I get the chance. I have air-conditioning, but I’ve never had to use it. At headquarters it’s different. Everything is climate-controlled. You’ll have to come for a visit someday.”
    â€œHmmm,” Sadie said as she sashayed past Lily and pinched her arm to show what she thought of Dennis’s comment. Lily was too busy with her own thoughts and herding the dogs into the truck to pay attention.
    â€œWe’ll pick up something from Fat Mama’s for lunch and bring it home,” Sadie called from the car. “We can do King’s Tavern tomorrow or tonight if you like.” Lily nodded.
    In the kitchen of the apartment, Lily cleaned out the coffeepot and put on a new pot to brew. Sadie, like her, guzzled coffee all day long. She wondered if Dennis was a coffee drinker. Probably, since Matt had coffee running through his veins. Matt. Everything always came back to Matt. Where are you? Wherever it is, are you thinking of me? This whole past year you and I were on the same wavelength. Tap into me, Matt. Try. I need to know you’re alive and well. If you changed your mind about marrying me, I need to know that, too. I just want you to be alive. Please, Matt. Close your eyes and concentrate. People say that works. When nothing happened, Lily in her agitation, yanked at the Wish Keeper hanging around her neck. Her head snapped forward, and she thought her eyeballs were going to pop right out of her head. Both dogs pawed at her legs. She wanted to move but felt like she was glued to the floor. A blizzard of images rocked past her eyes. Matt’s shoe with the hole. Matt’s sore arm. Lulu’s Bait Shack. Charming Lily. Sound. Humming.
    When she was finally able to move and open her eyes, she had no sense of time. How long had she been standing by the sink? The coffee was done perking. How long did that take? Two minutes? Three? Maybe five? Longer? She simply didn’t know.
    Lily walked on wobbly legs over to the kitchen table. She needed to get a grip on things, get grounded as Matt always said. Matt said so many things. How could you do this to me? Where are you? She felt tearful, anxious now. Something beyond her control was happening to her. What? Matt always used to say, throw it out to the universe and see what comes back. Throw what out? My thoughts? My worries? Maybe I need to go to the doctor’s to see if I have a brain tumor. “What’s happening?” she wailed.
    â€œWe brought all kinds of good stuff,” Sadie bellowed from the doorway. Sadie always bellowed now. She said it had something to do with shouting and yelling at the newbies at Ozzie’s camp. Lily didn’t believe it then, and she didn’t believe it now. She stared at her friend. “It happened again.”
    â€œWhat happened? You mean you saw something else. That makes three times in one day. Maybe we should talk to a shrink or something.”
    â€œWhat brings it on?” Dennis asked.
    Lily shrugged. “Nothing. I was just standing by the sink waiting for the coffee to finish. I was thinking about Matt. I’m always thinking about Matt, so if that’s a trigger, then that’s my answer.”
    Lily