The Firefighter's Appeal. Elizabeth Otto

to care what was going on under Garrett’s surface, and right because she’d be a complete bitch not to at least wonder.

      Their hands parted more slowly than she would have liked, prompting Lily to make a half turn toward the hall and her exit.

      “I’ll clear my schedule and meet you here at noon.”

      “Okay.” He followed her down the hall until he stopped at the employee lounge. “Oh, and, Lily?”

      She didn’t look back. If she did, he’d see how badly she was trembling. “Yes?”

      “I’m not opposed to you wearing that coconut bra again.”

      His voice was lighter, and the sound made her pause and look back. His weariness was gone and the usual confident charm had returned. His cocky grin seemed a bit out of place, as if it was a mask he hadn’t quite gotten to fit right. True colors? It was hard to tell which were really his. Not that she’d be finding out.

      Lily turned back to the exit without a reply. The last thing she needed was to try to figure out a complicated man. She just wanted to secure this job, pack her bags and get the heck out of Danbury.

      * * *

      “THREE WEEKS?” LILY slid to the edge of her bed, taking the comforter with her until it bunched against her butt. She held the phone away from her ear, stared at it a moment to be sure she wasn’t still asleep.

      Doug’s gruff voice floating through the receiver made it clear she was awake.

      “It’s what you wanted, right?”

      The blanket—and Adam the cat, who Lily hadn’t noticed—landed on the floor when she abruptly stood, excitement prickling her skin. Hell, yes, this was what she wanted. She just wasn’t expecting to have it so soon.

      “Lincoln’s having an open house in the showroom and he could really use you there. That way you can check it out, see the sights—see if moving to Nashville is what you really want. Linc’s getting too busy with the construction end. Thankfully, he’s doing better than we are, but he could use some help.”

      The Ashden Construction and Design office in Nashville wasn’t just an office, it was a showroom. Junk artists, master furniture builders, concrete and textile artists all had work on display. Lincoln managed both the construction business and the showroom, but he’d been trying to dump responsibility for the showroom for the past couple of years.

      Lily wasn’t much of a crafter herself, but helping others support a career doing just that was close enough. The poetry of artisan construction elements had always fascinated her—bathroom sinks made from decorative concrete, mosaic tabletops, hand-carved finials and molding created by loving hands were as beautiful as stunning architecture. Managing the showroom would be a dream come true, especially since Lincoln was talking about starting an architectural salvage yard. Instead of watching reruns of American Pickers, she could be living it.

      Her father had been reluctant to approve Lily’s request to transfer there—always citing that he needed her in Danbury more than she was needed in Nashville. Lily knew that her father played on her guilt over leaving him alone, so she stayed. Until recently, she hadn’t felt completely ready to move on, but the loneliness of her days and nights made her realize now was the perfect time.

      The sound of swallowing came through the receiver. Scalding coffee, she suspected, black and strong enough to disembowel a T. rex.

      “Linc’s excited that you’re coming, Lil. He wants you to give him a call when you can.”

      Lily paced her small bedroom, barely feeling the scratchy carpet that usually irritated her bare feet. Leaving her father alone with no family in Kansas seemed cruel. But Doug seemed to be managing, as far as she could tell. Maybe he was ready for her to go.

      He’d never said either way, because they never talked about how their relationship had changed since Katja had died, or about the tension between them. Knowing Doug, he never would. She’d tried so many times to get him to talk, to no avail. It was just easier to give up trying and keep her emotions bottled up.

      “We need to talk this through a little more, Doug. I mean, if I do decide to move there, who will replace me in the office?”

      She’d decided a long time ago that moving to Nashville was a no-brainer, and before she and Katja had decided to open a salvage yard in Danbury, she’d been ready to go. It was Nashville, for crying out loud. The nightlife. The shopping. The men. Guilt was the only thing holding her back now, and Lily was starting to see that was an obstacle she could skirt around.

      “How’d it go last night? You didn’t text me like I asked.”

      She sighed heavily at Doug’s deflection, but it didn’t dampen her excitement. The chance to meet new people, make new friends. Maybe find someone...who wasn’t Garrett. The thought prompted her to grab the alarm clock from her nightstand to check the time. Eleven o’clock. She’d tossed and turned last night, finally waking up after another nightmare only to spend hours staring at the wall.

      “Doug, I have to go. Talk to you soon, okay?”

      He hung up without a proper response, as usual, leaving Lily to rush through a shower with no time to dry her hair. A flowing, lacy top from her favorite store, Magnolia Pearl, and slim, well-worn jeans did the trick. She slicked on a touch of red lipstick on the way out the door.

      Lily was still on an endorphin high when she pulled into the Throwing Aces. It was great to have something to focus on, something that helped drown out the reality that the first anniversary of her sister’s death was fast approaching. She’d been thinking about that a lot lately, wondering how she’d handle it—whether Doug would acknowledge it or ignore it. For once, Lily hoped he’d face the tragedy they’d been through, maybe talk about it—something.

      Lily pushed her thoughts away as she tried the front door, frowning when she found the lobby completely dark. The building was eerily quiet and a little calming in its emptiness. She wandered through the main room of shadowy tables with upturned chairs, drawn to a soft glow coming from behind the bar.

      Her excitement started to fade and apprehension about being alone in the deserted bar with Garrett crept in. She frowned. There was no reason to feel nervous. Sheesh. It was a business meeting, not a date.

      “Hello?” Lily paused at the bar, running her fingers along the silky wood as she moved toward the door that led to the back. The door was slightly ajar, letting a sliver of light through. Then it suddenly swung open, startling her and revealing a smiling Garrett, wiping his hands on a towel. Lily jerked back, nearly dropping her canvas workbag. The impact of Garrett’s smile was nearly as intoxicating as the savory scent wafting out from the kitchen.