she’s unhappy – ’
‘That man was a saint! She was going to settle down and be happy. It was all planned out!’
‘But maybe I didn’t like the plan,’ Lily said, softly. ‘Sorry, Mum.’
‘Do you think you’re going to find a better one? Do you think anyone else could look after you like he did?’
‘What happened to “nobody’s too good for my daughter”?’ Lily asked.
‘That doesn’t mean he wasn’t good enough! You’d have been stable, settled –’
‘Miserable,’ Max finished and Lily nodded. ‘Face it, Evelyn. It’s over between them, and I think that’s for the best. So now we need –’
‘You need to get out,’ Evelyn said, her face stony. ‘If you’re not going to help me… Well. You can just leave.’
Lily blinked. Evelyn Thomas, stickler for propriety and politeness and hospitality, had just thrown her daughter’s boss out of her house for disagreeing with her. What was the world coming to?
Even stranger, Max looked just as shocked. Horrified, even. Like he couldn’t believe what was happening.
Finally, Max put down his coffee cup and got to his feet. ‘Fine,’ he said. ‘I’ll go. Lily, I’ll see you at the committee meeting tomorrow. Evelyn…’ He inclined his head towards her, a gentlemanly gesture Lily hadn’t seen from him before. ‘Thank you for the coffee. I’ll show myself out.’
They sat there in silence for a moment after the slamming of the front door had finished reverberating through the house.
‘Mum,’ Lily started, but Evelyn stood up, moving away towards the door.
‘I need to start dinner,’ she said.
Lily sighed. ‘Can I help?’
Waving a dismissive hand, Evelyn said, ‘It’s fine,’ and disappeared into the kitchen to poke holes in the plastic on some microwave meals.
Lily stared at the coffee cups for a while. Time to get back to the unpacking, she supposed. It was either that or figuring out what the hell she did next.
Chapter Seven
Later that evening, Alex was reviewing the wedding shots when the hammering on his front door suggested something more urgent needed his attention.
Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be enough to dampen his good mood. The studio at the Mill was this close to being his, the photos from Mabel’s wedding looked fantastic, and life was coming together nicely. He closed his laptop screen on a particularly lovely shot of Lily helping to adjust the bride’s veil, and went to answer the door as the knocking grew more insistent.
‘What the hell did you say to Lily?’ Without waiting for an answer, Cora swept past him into the house, standing accusingly in the middle of his lounge, tapping one high-heeled foot.
Alex tried to figure out exactly what he’d done wrong, and gave up quickly. ‘I’ve said a lot of things to her this week. She’s been helping me with the photography thing, remember?’
‘Oh, I remember. But what I want to know is, what did you say to her to make her leave Edward?’
Ah. That. ‘How did you hear?’
Cora scoffed. ‘Are you kidding? Everyone in town has heard by now. So I’ll ask again. What did you say to Lily?’
‘Wasn’t me. She came up with that all on her own.’
‘After seven years, she suddenly decided the man she agreed to marry wasn’t the right one for her?’
‘Well, he wasn’t! He’s an idiot.’
Cora’s eyes widened. ‘He loves her! They were getting married! And it seems highly coincidental that Lily should suddenly figure this out the week you come back to town.’
‘I have no idea what you mean.’ Except, of course, he did. The fact that Lily was now single opened up certain… possibilities, and of course that hadn’t escaped him. Not that he was about to admit that to Cora. He just had to keep reminding himself that she was a friend, and he was looking for a forever kind of love. Something Lily had made it very clear she had no interest in.
But right now, romance wasn’t the first thing on his mind. He was a busy man, with a new
‘That man was a saint! She was going to settle down and be happy. It was all planned out!’
‘But maybe I didn’t like the plan,’ Lily said, softly. ‘Sorry, Mum.’
‘Do you think you’re going to find a better one? Do you think anyone else could look after you like he did?’
‘What happened to “nobody’s too good for my daughter”?’ Lily asked.
‘That doesn’t mean he wasn’t good enough! You’d have been stable, settled –’
‘Miserable,’ Max finished and Lily nodded. ‘Face it, Evelyn. It’s over between them, and I think that’s for the best. So now we need –’
‘You need to get out,’ Evelyn said, her face stony. ‘If you’re not going to help me… Well. You can just leave.’
Lily blinked. Evelyn Thomas, stickler for propriety and politeness and hospitality, had just thrown her daughter’s boss out of her house for disagreeing with her. What was the world coming to?
Even stranger, Max looked just as shocked. Horrified, even. Like he couldn’t believe what was happening.
Finally, Max put down his coffee cup and got to his feet. ‘Fine,’ he said. ‘I’ll go. Lily, I’ll see you at the committee meeting tomorrow. Evelyn…’ He inclined his head towards her, a gentlemanly gesture Lily hadn’t seen from him before. ‘Thank you for the coffee. I’ll show myself out.’
They sat there in silence for a moment after the slamming of the front door had finished reverberating through the house.
‘Mum,’ Lily started, but Evelyn stood up, moving away towards the door.
‘I need to start dinner,’ she said.
Lily sighed. ‘Can I help?’
Waving a dismissive hand, Evelyn said, ‘It’s fine,’ and disappeared into the kitchen to poke holes in the plastic on some microwave meals.
Lily stared at the coffee cups for a while. Time to get back to the unpacking, she supposed. It was either that or figuring out what the hell she did next.
Chapter Seven
Later that evening, Alex was reviewing the wedding shots when the hammering on his front door suggested something more urgent needed his attention.
Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be enough to dampen his good mood. The studio at the Mill was this close to being his, the photos from Mabel’s wedding looked fantastic, and life was coming together nicely. He closed his laptop screen on a particularly lovely shot of Lily helping to adjust the bride’s veil, and went to answer the door as the knocking grew more insistent.
‘What the hell did you say to Lily?’ Without waiting for an answer, Cora swept past him into the house, standing accusingly in the middle of his lounge, tapping one high-heeled foot.
Alex tried to figure out exactly what he’d done wrong, and gave up quickly. ‘I’ve said a lot of things to her this week. She’s been helping me with the photography thing, remember?’
‘Oh, I remember. But what I want to know is, what did you say to her to make her leave Edward?’
Ah. That. ‘How did you hear?’
Cora scoffed. ‘Are you kidding? Everyone in town has heard by now. So I’ll ask again. What did you say to Lily?’
‘Wasn’t me. She came up with that all on her own.’
‘After seven years, she suddenly decided the man she agreed to marry wasn’t the right one for her?’
‘Well, he wasn’t! He’s an idiot.’
Cora’s eyes widened. ‘He loves her! They were getting married! And it seems highly coincidental that Lily should suddenly figure this out the week you come back to town.’
‘I have no idea what you mean.’ Except, of course, he did. The fact that Lily was now single opened up certain… possibilities, and of course that hadn’t escaped him. Not that he was about to admit that to Cora. He just had to keep reminding himself that she was a friend, and he was looking for a forever kind of love. Something Lily had made it very clear she had no interest in.
But right now, romance wasn’t the first thing on his mind. He was a busy man, with a new
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