Memo: Marry Me? by Jennie Adams Page A

Lily ever knew that he had accidentally uncovered her secret…
    ‘I must ask you not to speak of what you’ve just learned to anyone, especially not to Lily.’ Uden’s face had paled. ‘I might wish she would trust people more easily with the truth of her condition, but this still should have been her story to tell, if and when she was ready.’
    ‘It’s not your fault. I won’t say anything to her, there’s no reason she need ever know.’ But Zach wanted to ask Lily about it, to understand, to offer support and comfort and encouragement…
    ‘Mark! What’s going on? Why are you swearing Zach to secrecy? What have you told him about me?’ Lily’s strident words brought Zach’s head around in abrupt attention.
    She barely looked at him. Instead, her glance slewed to the man at Zach’s side. ‘Mark?’
    Lily could have heard everything. Zach had been too absorbed in Uden’s shocking revelation to notice anything around them. All he knew was the hurt on her face now, and the need to make this situation right. ‘Lily.’
    ‘My dear…’ Mark’s voice trembled through pinched lips.
    She looked at the older man with betrayal in her eyes. ‘You did tell him! How could you?’
    Uden’s expression confirmed it. ‘It wasn’t intentional, my dear. I called in to ask if you’d like to ride with me to the institute and grab a bite at our cafeteria before you do your volunteer session. Your employer and I misunderstood each other, and I’m afraid I told him something I shouldn’t have.’
    Lily held a large envelope in her hands. She lowered it to the desk with excessive care, and turned to face Zach as though she thought she might fly apart at any second. Accusation made her words sharp. ‘How dare you mislead Mark into blurting information about me?’
    Her voice trembled at the end. Unshed tears pooled in eyes that seemed to have lost all their vivacity and had filled, instead, with deep hurt. ‘You had no right to pry into my affairs, and now you’ll
know
.’
    She came to a choked stop.
    Zach took an automatic step towards her. He wanted to comfort her, to make this right, but she was so upset. ‘It was a mistake. I thought — ’ He reached out a hand, but sensed her withdrawal even before she stepped back to avoid his touch.
    ‘You thought what — that you would find out just who Mark was and what he had to do with me? All because I went to lunch with him?’
    Zach
had
been jealous of a relationship he now realised must have started as that of mentor and student, and progressed to friendship. Lily must have studied under Mark Uden in order to learn to function again after her accident. What exactly had happened?
    Zach didn’t try to defend himself. This wasn’t about that, anyway. ‘I meant you no harm, Lily. I can only repeat that, and hope you believe me.’
    Uden cleared his throat, and Lily turned her head towards him. ‘It’s all right, Mark. Why don’t you go? I’ll be there for my session, but I don’t feel like eating first.’
    The older man hesitated, then after a moment nodded and left the office.
    But it wasn’t all right. Zach waited until Uden’s footsteps receded before he spoke again. ‘Lily, please believe I would never have pried deliberately, and I’m sure your mentor wouldn’t have betrayed you, either. It was a very short conversation, stopped the moment we both realised what had happened.’
    ‘The end result is the same, isn’t it? You know my brain doesn’t work like it should. That I’m flawed and always will be.’ She drew in deep gulps of air. Harsh spots of colour dotted each cheek, alabaster whiteness behind them.
    ‘I’d like to understand about your injury.’
So I can help you. So I don’t blunder around and hurt you, as I must have done the day I got angry at you for forgetting to write down a stupid phone message.
    ‘I’m so sorry, Lily.’A great well of protectiveness rose up, and Zach realised that he did care about her. That he