Betrayed Hearts (11 page)

“Mom is going to kill me.” Chloe giggled around a huge spoonful of ice cream. “Talk about ruining your appetite.”

Lily glanced over at Maxi and burst out laughing at the chocolate sauce lining her mouth. “You look like a clown with a bad makeup job.”

The three of them laughed and sprayed more whipped cream. Looking around the ugly Formica table, Lily stilled at an unexpected realization. She was having a normal girl moment with her sister and new best friend, something she'd missed out on during her teen years. For the first time in a long, long time, the crushing weight of loneliness ebbed, and tears of gratitude threatened.

“So, are you coming to the next youth meeting?”

Chloe's question startled Lily out of her thoughts. She blinked back the unexpected tide of emotion. “I'm not sure. Why?”

“Because we want you there.”

Lily hesitated, rubbing a pensive finger over the bandage on her thumb. Since the kiss in her kitchen, she'd avoided Nick, unsure how to behave around him.

“Come on,” Chloe coaxed. “What else have you got to do?”

“Another date with Marco?” Maxi teased.

Lily snorted. “Not likely. I haven't heard from him since Nick knocked the wind out of him.” She bit back a groan the minute the words were out.

Chloe's mouth dropped open. “Nick did what?”

Heat scorched Lily's face as she pushed her chair back, the metal legs scraping the floor. “It was no big deal. He caught Marco getting a little too friendly, and well, he put a stop to it.” She dumped her dishes in the sink and turned on the hot water.

“You never told me that part,” Maxi accused. “This totally confirms my suspicion. Nick has a serious crush on you.”

Lily shrugged. “He said he knew what Marco was like and was just looking out for me.”

Chloe's expression sobered. “Yeah, Marco tried that with me once. I thought Nick was going to kill him.”

“See, simple explanation. Now can we forget about Marco, please?” Lily moved to clear the table and prayed for a change in subject.

Chloe rose with her dishes, a slight frown creasing her forehead. “I think Maxi's right. I've never seen Nick act so protective with anyone but me.” She turned on the tap and shot Lily a penetrating look. “How do you feel about my cousin?”

Images of their amazing kiss popped into her head. Lily swallowed hard, willing the color away from her cheeks. She grabbed a cloth to wipe the tabletop. “Nick's very sweet. Unfortunately he's not my type at all.” She half expected a lightning bolt to strike her at any moment. Instead, the familiar panic began to build in her chest.

I cannot be falling for Nick Logan.

Maxi stood and pushed her chair in. “You're probably right, Lil. Somehow I don't see you as a minister's wife.”

The cloth fell from Lily's hands with a wet plop. “Wh-what did you say?”

Maxi's eyes widened. “Hasn't he told you? Nick's studying to be a minister. Wants to take over for Reverend Baker when he retires.”

The blood drained from Lily's head and pooled in her feet. She grabbed the back of one of the chairs to steady herself. “A minister?”

“Yeah. You OK?”

Maxi and Chloe both stared as if she'd suddenly sprouted horns.

“Do you have a problem with that?” Chloe demanded.

Lily hesitated. These girls were her new family. She owed them some sort of explanation for her reaction. She sank onto one of the chairs. “My father is a minister, and he's, well, let's just say we don't get along.”
Understatement of the year.
“I swore off anything to do with religion when I left home.”

Maxi's eyes narrowed. “What did he do to you?”

Lily shook her head. “It's not what you're thinking.” How did she describe the type of neglect and emotional abuse she'd endured? “He didn't like me—and constantly let me know it.”

Chloe gasped. “What kind of father doesn't like his own child?”

The two girls sat beside her, and Chloe put her hand over Lily's.

“One who's forced to adopt a child he doesn't want. Things were fine while my mother was alive, but once she died...” Lily trailed off, the steady drip of the tap breaking the silence.

“I didn't know you were adopted, too.” Sympathy swamped Chloe's expressive eyes. “Something else we have in common.”

Lily bit her lip and held herself rigid on the seat, afraid of blurting out the truth.

“Did your father hit you?”

Lily picked up a napkin and crumpled it into a ball. “Sometimes. He quoted the Bible whenever he did. Seems he had a verse to justify everything.”

Maxi laid a hand on Lily's arm. “That's horrible. But you know Nick is nothing like that, right?”

Lily stiffened her spine, along with her resolve. “It doesn't matter, because Nick and I will never be anything more than friends.” She rose abruptly. “I'd better get back to work now.”

As she stalked back to her desk, Lily clamped her mouth into a firm line. This was just the information she needed to keep any feelings she might have for Nick from blossoming.

A minister would be the absolute
last
person she would ever get involved with.

 

****

 

Nick slammed the door to his truck with more force than necessary as he got out in front of the church. Frustration still hummed in his veins two days after fixing Lily's fridge. He'd finally shared a kiss with her—a kiss more amazing than he'd ever imagined—and she'd pushed him away. From her initial reaction, Nick was sure she'd felt the same spark. She'd kissed him until something had changed, and for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what.

Now Reverend Ted had summoned him to a meeting at the church, and judging by his tone over the phone, it was not going to be a pleasant conversation. No cups of tea this time.

Nick paced the rector's office, waiting for Ted to arrive, and eyed the tired décor. The first thing he'd do when he took this position would be to modernize the office. The furniture and curtains had to be twenty years old or more—as outdated and stuffy as the air in the room.

“Nicholas. Please have a seat.” Ted entered the room and closed the door with a sharp click. The scowl on his weathered face only confirmed Nick's fears.

He waited for Ted to take his seat behind the scarred wooden desk before pulling up one of the guest chairs.

“I'm somewhat at a loss for words, young man,” Ted began. His bushy eyebrows drew together in a straight line over his glasses.

“What about, sir?”

Ted shuffled a pile of papers to the corner of the desk. “Word has it you've been spending time alone with your new tenant—a young woman of questionable morals.”

Shock speared through Nick. Who would spread such vile rumors about him and Lily? “I believe you've been misinformed,” he replied in a cool tone.

The eyebrows now rose in a question. “So you deny you left during a date with Sarah Jane to rush over to this young woman's apartment?”

Nick gripped the arms of the chair, straining to remain calm at this assault on his character. “There was a problem with the refrigerator that needed to be handled right away.”

“It must have been serious. Apparently, you were alone with the woman for almost two hours.”

The last strip of Nick's patience evaporated. He vaulted to his feet. “What did Sarah Jane do? Follow me and watch the building until I left?”

Ted's gaze shifted, and Nick knew he was right. Sarah Jane must've followed him to Lily's, watching and imagining all sorts of sleazy things going on. He thought about the kiss then, and anger burned in his gut. It was not something he planned, and he would not feel guilty about it. He paced the room like a prisoner in a cell.

“Calm down, son. We're just trying to get to the truth here.”

Nick sent him a piercing glare. “Whose version of the truth?”

Ted inclined his head. “Why don't you sit down and tell me your side of the story.” His voice was gentler this time, less accusatory.

Nick waited a beat before complying. Then he told Ted the bare facts of what had transpired, leaving out the kiss. “For some reason, Sarah Jane has taken an instant dislike to Lily. I know Lily can be a bit abrasive at times, but I think it's a defense mechanism, stemming from her traumatic childhood.”

Ted remained silent for a moment. “Seems you know quite a lot about this woman.”

Nick bristled. “I've had a few conversations with her. There's nothing sordid going on.” The hard spokes of the chair bit into his back as Ted studied him.

“I believe you, Nicholas. Just be careful. You don't need to give the gossipers any fuel for talk. As a minister, your reputation is worth everything.”

The fight drained out of Nick as quickly as it had risen. “I know, sir. I know.” With a weary sigh, he rose, and started toward the door. He paused with his hand on the knob. “About Sarah Jane and me…I'm afraid things aren't working out between us. She's a very nice girl, but—”

Ted raised a hand to stop him. “Don't burn any bridges just yet, Nicholas. You may be sorry.”

 

 

 

 

9

 

Nick pushed the documents across his aunt's dining room table. “Is this really necessary, Aunt Sonia?”

After his talk with Ted yesterday, Nick thought nothing could worsen his mood. Reading his aunt's new will, however, had done just that—making him realize how far her illness had progressed. The same heart condition that had taken his mother's life a few months ago would soon claim her only sister.

His aunt's blue-veined hands moved the papers back across the oak tabletop in front of him. The oxygen machine behind her chair clicked every few moments, as if it marked the time when the Lord would call Sonia home. “You know it is, dear. With the state of my health, I can't put it off any longer.”

“Sonia is doing the smart thing, Nick.” Clyde Summerhill, the top estate lawyer in the area, nodded his head toward Aunt Sonia. “It's best to get everything down in black and white while she's still up to it.” He handed Nick a pen. “If you'll sign on the appropriate line, we'll wrap this up and let you get back to your day.”

Nick looked from his aunt's pleading face to the placid gaze of her lawyer and huffed out a loud breath. “If it will make you feel better, then, of course, I'll do it.” With steady hands that belied his inner turmoil, he signed the dual copies, then aimed the pen at his aunt in mock sternness. “This doesn't mean you get to give up. You still have to fight this illness as long as you can.”

Moisture rimmed her eyes. “I won't leave you and Chloe while I can still draw breath. But I feel better knowing you're in charge of Chloe's inheritance until she's mature enough to handle it.”

Nick swallowed the lump in his throat. It hurt to think of his already small family shrinking even more. “I'll take good care of it—and her.”

Sonia patted his hand. “I know you will, honey.”

Clyde gathered the papers and put one set in his briefcase. “Thank you, Sonia. Thank you, Nick. I'll be in touch.” He stood and shook Nick's hand.

“I have to go, too.” Nick bent to kiss his aunt's cheek, noting the paper-thin skin and bluish tinge to her lips, evidence of the truth he was trying to deny. “Call me if you need anything else.”

His aunt reached for his arm. “There is one more thing you can do.”

“Sure. What is it?” Nick helped her stand, and they made their way to the front hall. The portable oxygen machine afforded his aunt the flexibility to move around the house.

“Help me convince Chloe to attend college in the fall. I won't have her putting her life on hold while I get worse.” Her chin quivered.

Nick frowned. “I didn't know she was having doubts about going.”

Aunt Sonia nodded. “She used to talk about college all the time. Now she won't discuss it.” Her fingers clutched Nick's arm. “She listens to you. Tell her I'll be fine here with you and my friends to watch out for me.”

Nick reached for his jacket on the hall tree. “I'll do my best. College is just what Chloe needs.”

She gave a soft sigh. “I agree. At least she's trying to improve her marks. A new friend—Lily I think her name is—has been tutoring her.”

Nick's eyebrows shot up. “Lily's helping Chloe?”

“Yes. At the salon after school.” Aunt Sonia gave him a curious look. “Isn't she your new tenant?”

“That's right.”

“What do you think of her?”

Nick tugged the door open, suddenly anxious to be on his way. “She seems very nice.”
Good non-committal answer, Logan.
“Anyway, don't worry. I'll talk to Chloe.”

“Thank you, dear.” She patted his arm, and he dropped another kiss on her cheek.

“See you on Sunday.”

Nick climbed into his truck but didn't turn the engine on right away, his thoughts too unsettled. Events seemed to be spiraling out of his control lately. Chloe's life was about to change drastically in more ways than one, starting with her eighteenth birthday in a couple of weeks when she'd officially inherit her late parents' estate, including an abandoned house Chloe had no idea belonged to her. A house Nick hoped to one day use for his shelter. How would his aunt ever explain the tragic history associated with that building?

Nick let out a gusty sigh. The bigger worry was Aunt Sonia's health. Losing her would be like losing his mother all over again. He closed his eyes, reminding himself that none of this was under his control. He would have to wait and see what God had in store for them. He bowed his head over the steering wheel in a quick prayer.

Lord, give me strength and wisdom to do Your will, whatever it may be. Help me to be a source of love and support for Aunt Sonia and Chloe, no matter what happens. Amen.