Gift Wrapped for Christmas: A Contemporary Romance (18 page)

The woman’s expression softened.
“You helped my Bernie.”

“I’m sorry?” What was she talking
about?

“Your organization. We wouldn’t
have been able to enroll our son in a hockey league if it wasn’t for you.”

No matter how badly he wanted
Lily’s number, he couldn’t take full credit. “What’s your name?”

“Greta.”

“Well, Greta, it’s very kind of
you to say that, but I’m only one person. It takes a lot of people to make the
organization work.”

Greta studied him for a moment
then walked to the reception desk. She opened a drawer, pulled out an
old-fashioned Rolodex and flipped through it. “Here,” she said, pushing two
cards across the desk. “Lily’s cell phone number and her parents’ number.” She
waited patiently while he entered them in his cell phone.

“Thank you,” he said, passing
back the cards. “I really appreciate this.”

“Lily’s a good boss.” There was
that accent again. “She’s been good to me. When we came to this country, I
could barely speak English. She was the only one who would give me work.”

He smiled at her. “I’d say she’s
a good judge of character. Thanks again.”

He left the building and walked
slowly toward his car. This was a side of Lily he didn’t know. He only hoped he
hadn’t ruined his chances to learn more about the woman who had captured his
heart.

* * *

Lily grabbed her phone. “Hello?”
She’d fallen asleep in a chair in her father’s room.

“Lily, please don’t hang up.”

Tears sprang to her eyes as she
recognized his voice. Dammit! Why did he affect her like this? She looked up to
see her mother watching her. She sat up and tossed back her hair. “What do you
want, Chase?” She hated herself for her weakness; she should hang up but his
voice sounded so good.

“I want to explain about
Saturday. Lily, please believe me. I am not engaged to Laurel. I don’t know how
she managed it, but she bribed a photographer to be there and then she got her
father’s newspaper to run that ridiculous photo caption.”

“Fool me once, Chase.”

“I know.” She could almost see
the expression on his face as he searched for the right words. “I’d promised to
accompany her to that wedding a couple of months ago. Long before I met you.”

“You lied to me about being out
of town.”

“Would you have agreed to go to
the ball with me if I’d told you about the wedding?”

She sighed. “No, probably not.”

“It was wrong, Lily. I admit
that, but I wanted you to go to the ball with me. I still want you to go, if
you’ll forgive me.”

Her mother jumped up and ran to
her father’s side. His eyes were wide open, and he was looking around, trying
to get his bearings.

“I have to go. My father just
woke up.”

“Wait... Can I call you later?”

“I don’t think so. It’s better
this way, Chase. Goodbye.” She disconnected and went to join her mother and
father.

* * *

Lily’s mother started talking as
soon as they climbed into the back seat of the taxi. “Did you believe him?” She
looked hopeful.

“Who, the doctor? Yes, I did.”

It had been two days since her
father’s stroke, and the doctor was remarkably upbeat. True to form, Lily’s
father had fought against staying in the hospital, but had been overruled by
his wife and the doctor. Lily had looked on, an amused smile on her face as her
mother had transformed into the tough negotiator she knew her to be. “Two more
days,” she’d insisted, echoing the doctor. “Then you can come home.”

Her father had looked to her for
help, but she’d shrugged, deferring to her mother. In her opinion, he was ready
to go home now, but better safe than sorry.

“But our trip.” He’d tried one
last time to get up.

“Taiwan will still be there next
year.” Her mother’s tone brooked no argument, and her father finally lay back,
having exhausted all of his arguments.

Her mother spoke again. “The
doctor says it was a very small incident.”

Lily nodded. They’d been over
this several times already, but she knew her mother would keep repeating it
until she actually believed it. She was content to be a sounding board.

The taxi pulled into the driveway,
and both women got out. Lily paid the driver and stood, looking at the family
home. Located part way up Burnaby Mountain, it was the only home she’d ever
known.

Lily walked up the broad front
steps and on to the verandah that ran across the front of the house. Beside the
door, propped in a cardboard box, was a bouquet of white calla lilies. Packed
tightly, and without any greenery to distract the eye, they were held together
by a wide white ribbon.

Lily gasped when she saw them,
and her hand flew to her mouth to hide her reaction, but she doubted that she
had fooled her mother. She lifted the flowers from the container and brought
them to her nose. She knew they weren’t scented, but maybe she could hide behind
them.

Her mother gave her a knowing
look. “Where’s the card?” She looked into the box and then around the porch.
“How do you know they’re for you?”

Lily almost dropped the bouquet.
“Oh. I...ah...”

“Never mind.” Her mother’s eyes
were alight with mischief. “I know they’re for you.” She dug into her purse for
the house key and opened the door. “I suppose they’re from him?”

Lily nodded.

“I see.” Her mother hung up both
of their coats. “At least he has good taste.”

Lily rubbed one of the flowers
between her thumb and forefinger. The texture was thick and waxy. “Most of the
time,” she murmured.

Her mother raised both eyebrows.
“Let’s get some tea.”

Lily followed into the kitchen,
found a simple black vase and filled it with water. The flowers looked right at
home on the kitchen table.

“We had a misunderstanding last
weekend.”

Her mother sat down and waited.

“He said he was through with this
woman, but over the weekend they were photographed at a wedding, and the
picture appeared in the newspaper. The photo caption hinted that they might be
getting engaged.”

“But he’s not.”

Lily’s head snapped around. “How
do you know that?”

Her mother gestured toward the
flowers.

Lily nodded. “He says he’s not
with her and never has been.” She watched her mother for a reaction, but got
none. “Her father owns the newspaper, and Chase says she hired the photographer
and then strong-armed the society columnist to print an erroneous photo
caption.”

Her mother nodded as though she’d
heard the story before. “What else?”

“He told me he was leaving town
for the weekend. His excuse for lying was that I wouldn’t have agreed to go
with him to the Oilmen’s ball if I’d known about the wedding.”

“Was he right?”

Lily was beginning to feel like
she was the one who’d done something wrong. “Yes.”

“So now you’ve decided to punish
him by refusing to talk to him.” She held up a hand. “I know it was him on the
phone earlier today, so don’t deny it.”

As if she could fool her mother.

“Why, Lily? Why won’t you forgive
him?”

“Because.” She looked down at the
table as she spoke. “I’m afraid.”

Her mother watched her for
several long moments then stood and went to the stove. The kettle was boiling
for tea, and she took her time, pre-heating the pot and then spooning in some
of the fragrant green tea leaves she imported from China. When she finally sat,
Lily raised her eyes.

“I love your father, Lily. I love
him very much.”

It was difficult not to show
emotion, but Lily managed. Where was this going? She nodded. “I know, Mom.”

“Good.” She poured tea into the cups
and passed one to her daughter. “Because I’m going to tell you something.” Her
gaze drifted around the kitchen then came to rest on her teacup.

“When I was about eighteen, back
in Thailand, I fell in love.”

Lily’s heart began to thud.

“He was a Frenchman.” Her eyes
grew wistful. “He was very handsome. He worked as a desk clerk at the biggest
hotel in town, and we saw each other every day for three or four months.” She
took a sip of tea, and Lily could see that her hands were trembling.

“We wanted to get married, but
when I told my parents, they balked. They wanted me to marry someone local, or
failing that, someone who would understand our ways.” She gave a wry smile.
“Someone Asian.” She gave a deep sigh, and in that sound, Lily heard the
regrets of a lifetime. “There was nothing dramatic. They didn’t threaten to
disown me, or lock me up. They knew that I would be a good, dutiful daughter
and follow their wishes.” She looked at Lily, her eyes brimming with tears. “I
was introduced to your father, and I married him.” She gave a thin smile. “In
time, I’ve come to love him. He’s a good man.”

Lily stared across the table at
this woman she didn’t know. “Why are you telling me this? Why now?”

“Because you’ve never been in
love before.” She reached out and touched one of the flowers. “I can see it on
your face, Lily. You love this man. Don’t let pride stand in your way. If you
don’t at least give him a chance, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

Lily stood up, walked to the
window and stared out. The block of ice that had surrounded her heart began to
thaw. It had taken a lot for her mother to speak so candidly. They were not a
demonstrative family, and confidences did not come freely. She turned back
toward her mother and placed her hands on her shoulders. “Thank you, Mom.” It
was a simple acknowledgement of the effort it had taken for her mother to open
up. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck, giving her a
quick, fierce hug. “I love you.”

Her mother patted her arm. “I
know, Lily. I know.”

* * *

“Good news.” Maddie came back to
the shop shortly before noon after a round of deliveries. They’d scarcely had
time to talk this morning. “Lily’s father is going to make a full recovery.”

“That’s great.” Zelda tweaked a
bow on a gift and stood back to admire it.

“Yeah. I spoke to her last night.
He’s already agitating to go home. She’ll probably come home tomorrow.”

Zelda nodded. “Before I forget to
tell you, Annie came by earlier. She said to tell you she’s gone to the rink.”
She looked at her watch. “She’s probably still there if you want to take your
coffee over.”

Maddie could use a break. “Are
you sure you don’t mind?”

“Go. Brendan’s on his way. He’s
bringing me a sandwich.”

It was snowing lightly when
Maddie got to the rink, but that didn’t seem to bother the children. Even a few
adults were out skating today...probably taking time off with their children
over the holidays. Pale sunshine cast a faint glow on the ice.

She tried not to think of Brent
as she sat down on the cold cement step, but it was difficult. She pushed those
memories to the back of her mind and concentrated on finding Annie in the crowd
of children.

“Maddie!” Annie waved as she
skated by. She was with the same girls as last time, and Maddie was delighted
to see that the child seemed to be part of the group. She waved back.

A shadow fell over her; someone
stood behind her, blocking out the sun.
Please, let it be Brent
. She
turned and her heart plummeted.

“Hello, Maddie.” Allan stood
there, shivering in a light coat and a regular pair of shoes.

She stood up. “Allan, what are
you doing here?” She fought to remain calm. “How did you find me?”

He pulled back, seemingly
surprised at her lack of warmth. “Your assistant told me where to look. Aren’t
you glad to see me?”

She looked behind him. “Where’s
Connor? Is he with you?” She hoped that he hadn’t brought the boy. The child
had become attached to her, and she didn’t want to confuse him now.

“No. Just me.” He spread his
arms.

“What are you doing here?” she repeated.
How could she make him understand? She took a step closer. “I thought I made it
clear when you phoned last time.”

“Come on, Maddie. You can’t mean
that.” He reached for her and pulled her into an embrace. She stilled, letting
him hold her in his arms. Perhaps when he realized she wasn’t responding, he’d
finally get the message.

“I’ve missed you, Maddie.”

She pulled back and looked at
him. In that moment, she saw him for what he was. Self-centered and vain. She
was lucky that she’d escaped from their relationship before it was too late.

“Allan.” She spoke clearly and
distinctly. “Listen to me, because I don’t want to have to say this again. It’s
over between us. I have no feelings left for you. None.” She looked into his
eyes. “Do you understand?”

He backed away, bewildered. “But
Maddie...”

“No, Allan. This is verging on
harassment.”

He took another step back. “You
really mean it, don’t you?”

She groaned aloud. “Yes.”

His expression hardened. “You’re
a real bitch, you know that?”

“Thank you for the compliment.
Now go away and leave me alone.” She didn’t watch him leave, but sat back down
on the cement, her body trembling with rage.

Annie skated up, blade guards in
hand. The child slipped the guards on her skates, walked up the shallow steps
and sat down.

Maddie finally noticed her and put
an arm around the child’s shoulders. “Hi there, sweetie.” Tears brimmed in her
eyes, and she brushed them away.

Annie looked up at her. “Who was
that man? Did he hurt you?”

Maddie pulled her closer. “A long
time ago, Annie. He was my boyfriend a long time ago.” She sighed. “He lives in
Vancouver, and I don’t know why he came here. I already told him I don’t want
to see him anymore.”

“What’s the matter with him?”

Maddie laughed. “Good question.
Anyway, I don’t think he’ll be bothering me anymore.”