The Geary Series Boxed Set (20 page)

LOVING LILLY

By

Grace Harper

Elijah walked swiftly to get to Blue’s and stopped in the middle of the pavement abruptly. The woman walking behind him hadn’t noticed and bumped straight into the back of him. He’d managed to catch the phone from falling in time. By doing so, he knocked his elbow into a woman’s ribs who had already piled into the back of him. Catching hold of her arm to stop her from falling he successfully managed to keep her upright and still keep hold of the phone. Elaine’s text message had rattled him, she got on his every nerve and he hated that he couldn’t ignore her.

The woman smiled at Elijah and gave an appreciative glance and walked away. He was used to women eyeing him up, it happened every night at Blue’s. Elijah winked at her and went back to studying the text message in front of him. It was bad news, not the end of the world news but it signalled the end of his good mood.

Elijah muttered under his breath that it was his fault, he knew what she wanted but he didn’t want to have a conversation about their future. Elaine, his latest girlfriend was clingy and needy. He’d been dating her for a month, and he wanted out but she had other ideas. Elaine was a stunning woman, long, lean legs, toned body. She had a cleavage you could get lost in, and she looked beautiful. He had met her at a party, a party he hadn’t wanted to go to but Pete his manager needed a wing man. He’d spotted Elaine the moment that he walked into the party and recognised her as a regular in his bar.

Elijah had never been comfortable with women chasing him, he found that he liked to do the chasing, expectations were much easier to manage that way. It didn’t take long until Elaine became clingy and jealous of his job and his time. She didn’t mind that he talked with women at Blue’s but once they started dating she didn’t like it. It was a part of his job, and needed to accept that fact. She didn’t, and he knew that the message he received today was about the other day when Elaine came into the bar and saw him talking to Lilly. Elijah only started dating Elaine to cover up the fact he wanted a life with Lilly.

Elijah was in love with Lilly and desperately wanted to rescue her from her misery, but Lilly wouldn’t let him. He tried to talk to her, but he only ever had an hour a day when she came in for her lunch at his bar. He craved that hour with her and ensured that he was there when she walked in through the door of Blue’s. It was his favourite part of the day.

Except yesterday, Elaine was at the bar, chatting away at a million miles an hour. Making plans for their future. Elijah was only half listening, Elaine’s focus was meeting Elijah’s parents. When Lilly had arrived, and Elaine hadn’t stopped her talk of meeting his parents, he grew frustrated. He had no intention of Elaine meeting his parents, he would go to great lengths that she never met them. Elaine kept him talking the whole time Lilly was sitting at the bar, drinking her usual beverage. Gazing over at her, he was lost in thoughts of spending his life with her. Elaine had caught him staring more than once at Lilly and called him out on it. Elijah had made up a story about being concerned about her as she seemed sad, this angered Elaine further.

He had finally turned his focus and attention to Elaine and tried to block out Lilly, but it didn’t work when he had to keep asking Elaine to repeat herself. Eventually, Elaine lost her patience and left Elijah to it, making a fuss of picking up her bag, and putting her coat on. If Elijah were a betting man, he would have said Elaine was taking her time to allow him to persuade her out of leaving. He didn’t make any effort to stop Elaine and even helped her on with her coat. It was the same time Lilly was going, and that made his disappointment all the more painful. He hadn’t got his Lilly fix, and that would leave him miserable for the rest of the day. He watched as Elaine eyed up Lilly as she followed her out of the bar. He could see that Elaine talked to Lilly briefly and worried for a moment at what Elaine had said. Elaine could be a nasty bitch when she wanted to be, and Lilly was the loveliest women he’d ever met. There wasn’t a bad bone in her body. He wanted her, but she had her barriers up, and he couldn’t infiltrate her wall. He would never give up trying which was incredibly unfair to anyone else he was dating.

Re-reading the test message, Elijah thought about why she said she wanted to talk. It could only mean one thing, either stop the relationship altogether or take it to the next stage. He hoped stop altogether, but he suspected it was the next stage.

With a heavy sigh, he pocketed his phone and walked on to his beloved Blue’s. He had owned the bar for many years and had bought the premises when he came out of the Navy. It was an old Victorian Building, high ceilings in the day bar and low ceilings in the night bar. Elijah had bought it when it was run down and empty. It had been a pub previously many years ago and was derelict. After renovations, he opened Blue’s. The day bar had soft, comfortable deep red armchairs, airy high ceilings with glittering chandeliers. It was a place you felt instantly at home in. This part of the building closed at around six o’clock and then the night bar opened. This part of the bar was intimate and seductive. The atmosphere drew you in, the moment you stepped over the threshold you already felt you were having a great night. There was nothing specific you could put your finger on, but the ambience was there.

Technically, Elijah didn’t currently own the deeds to the place. The last bet he had made with his brother Jack he had lost. The ownership had passed back and forth a dozen times or more over the last few years. Their parents held the deed, and a post-it note on the front of it dictated who currently owned the bar. The ownership changed depending on who won the last bet. The change in ownership reminded him that he needed to make a new one. The last wager that was discussed involved Olivia agreeing to marry his brother and Elijah had lost. Maybe he could bet who made it down the aisle first, him or Jack.

Jack was pushing Olivia to get married, and she wanted to wait but Jack was impatient and wanted that ring on her finger. There was something holding Olivia back, and he didn’t know what it was, Jack was oblivious and had planned the biggest wedding he had ever heard. Jack wanted everyone he knew to know he wanted Olivia now and forever. Olivia, on the other hand, wanted a quieter affair but didn’t get a choice. It was rare for anyone to go against anything that Jack wanted, this was no exception. The two of them were perfect for each other. They had both been married before and coincidentally Olivia’s husband and Jack’s wife had passed away. This was their second chance of happily ever after.

Elijah arrived at the bar and scanned the room, he looked over to where Elaine would be and saw her dressed in overalls painting the wall he had commissioned her to do. He regretted that decision the moment he agreed to it. Helping Elaine was Elijah’s priority at the time, Elaine was a freelance artist that specialised in murals for business premises. Elaine hadn’t had a commission for work in months, and he needed his mural painted on the wall of his bar. Her idea for the wall was ingenious, and it created the illusion of another room to expand the naturally dark area of the bar. The drawings looked like you were looking in on a decadent party and wanted to be a part of the Venetian 18th-century masquerade ball.

Elaine hadn’t made much progress in the last month, and the area, was filled with pots of paint, ladders and floor coverings. She had started working on the wall after the drawings were signed off, which was last month. Elijah was already bored with the idea of having her in his bar all day. She was becoming increasingly needy and wanted him to stop talking to female customers. That would never happen, and it was the cause of many heated rows that inevitably ended up in him storming away from her. Elijah explained it would be ridiculous to only speak with the male customers. When he gave it some thought they’d never had a happy date, it had ended angrily. He didn’t want anger in a relationship and wondered why he continued with it. He knew why instantly, he needed an escape from Lilly, he needed a distraction.

Arriving at Blue’s he looked up at the neon sign and grinned, he loved being here, which was fortunate as his apartment sat above the premises. Pulling open the door, he walked in and up to Elaine. He prepared to end it, no matter what she said, he wasn’t going to carry on with the relationship. She could finish the painting, but that was it.

He stood directly behind her and watched as she bent down for a paint brush, the curve of her bottom in the overalls didn’t excite him as much as it should. These thoughts were further confirmation that this was a dead relationship.

“I got your message Elaine, what do you want to talk about?” Elijah said, his voice impatient and monotone.

“Oh hello darling, there you are.” Elaine replied without turning around, she carried on mixing the paint and pouring it into the tray ready for the roller. She was priming the wall first before the sketching work started.

“What was so urgent that you needed to see me?” Elijah asked.

His tone more than the question prompted her turn around. Elijah wanted to know what she had to say but looking at the thunder in her eyes made him take a step back. His impatient tone had angered Elaine, and he didn’t like her venomous stare, it made him instantly angry.

“Elijah, is there a reason I have to justify asking to see the man I am dating? Are you fed up of me Elijah because you never want to see me at the moment? You refuse to let me meet your family or have sex. I have a high sex drive, and you deny me.” Complained Elaine.

“Why do you keep pushing to see my family? You are dating me not them, what is this about? As for the sex, if that is all you want from me then you will be disappointed.” Elijah replied.

“It is normal Elijah, to introduce your girlfriend to your family. So, what is it to be Elijah, are you going to introduce me to them or not?”

Elaine stood there with her hands on her hips blowing a stray hair out of her face while she glared at Elijah, she wanted an answer, and Elijah didn’t like being given an ultimatum. He had told her at the start of their relationship that he didn’t want anything serious, he had explained that, and she had agreed to it. Why was she now changing the goal posts? Wasn’t helping her with a commission enough for her? She had managed to stretch out doing the artwork for the bar long enough. He suspected the delay was solely to drag out the relationship, but this demanding to meet his parents was a deal breaker.

“I’m not going to introduce you to them, we can end this now and I can walk away. No harm done, you can still finish the wall.”

“Wow Elijah, you’re a cold bastard aren’t you. I know what you said in the beginning, but we are a month along, don’t you feel anything for me?”

“I don’t love you if that is what you are asking, but I’m not cold, just not interested in taking us to the next stage.” Elijah said and fidgeted on the spot so he could get a direct view of the bar and still talk to Elaine.

The truth was if Lilly let him, he would present her to his parents in a heartbeat but she showed little interest in him apart from small talk. He had spotted Lilly walking in a few minutes ago, and his heart beat faster for a few seconds. First, he had to deal with Elaine standing in front of him, knowing that Lilly was in the same room, probably watching the car crash happening. Elijah was equally thrilled that she could see he was about to be single and hoped that was why she didn’t respond to his flirting.

“Just as I thought, it’s a shame Elijah, we could have been good for each other. Now leave me to get on with this painting.” Elaine said.

Elaine turned around ending the conversation, if Elijah wanted to say anything else he was going to have to talk to her back. He wasn’t going to, so he shifted his gaze from her paint-splattered overalls and to the bar. His eyes locked on Lilly’s, her face and eyes were not smiling, they were simply staring at him, seemingly asking him a question. He suspected that she was asking what was going on and was he ok, but without words he was guessing.  He was dumbstruck by the connection and couldn’t move his head to answer her question. Instead, Elijah turned his whole body and walked to the other bar, out of her sight. He didn’t want to know what she thought as she could be considering the worst. He couldn’t stand the thought of her thinking that he was an idiot and she no longer wanted to speak with him. It was a bizarre idea because the worst she could think about was that he just ended a relationship. It scared him to death that he was now single, and there wasn’t anything stopping him from pursuing Lilly. What if Lilly didn’t want him? That would break his heart. He’d managed to hide behind his job to chat with Lilly from afar, over the last six months they had got to know each other over lunch every day. Now he was single and open to court her, to have a relationship with her, and he was terrified.

The following day, Elijah watched as Lilly Harrison walked into Blue’s, with the same look, which graced her beautiful face every day. Desolation. He couldn’t work out why she kept doing the job she did if she felt so unhappy there. He had watched her spend her lunch break in his bar for too long and listened as she complained about the job she had and the people she worked alongside. She worked with the biggest set of bitches he had met, they were regulars in his bar on a Friday and Saturday night. Hanging out and looking for their next rich man so that they could give up their jobs.

Elijah was leaning against the tall wine refrigerator and he pushed himself off the glass front and walked towards the dark headed beauty that was Lilly. Lilly pulled herself onto the tall bar stool and laid her arms on the metal pole that ran along the bar edge.  Her head rested on her forearms and she massaged her head on her forearm, moving it from side to side like she is ridding the ache in her head.

Elijah had only ever seen her in Blue’s so had no idea what she did for fun. At this moment in time he didn’t think she ever had fun. Moving towards her, he picked up a glass and poured her the drink she ordered every time. Lilly always ordered, lime and soda water, with plenty of ice.

Standing in front of her, Elijah placed the glass on a coaster and stroked the back of her head. Smoothing down the stray strands of hair that had come loose from the bun she wore at the back of her head.

“Are you ok Lilly?” Elijah asked her.

Lilly raised her head in slight confusion and beamed a broad smile as she looked at Elijah’s face. That look she gave him made his heart thud, hard. To be responsible for making someone else smile was a great feeling. When Elijah made Lilly smile, it made his day.

“No different from yesterday Elijah, but I’m fine now I have seen your face, thanks for the drink.” She answered.

Elijah tilted his head to the side in question and raised an eyebrow at Lilly. She mimicked his action and smiled back.

“I’m ok Elijah, the bitches are keeping themselves to themselves today.”

“Why do you stay in the job? You don’t enjoy it and do it under sufferance.”

“I do it because I owe it to my parents, they schooled me to be a lawyer and have high hopes for me. I couldn’t possibly leave, they would never forgive me, and I would never hear the end of it. They would go on about how much money they spent on me.  What else would I do with my life?” Lilly said and resumed her position of rolling her head from side to side on her arm. It was the most she had ever revealed to him about why she stayed in the job, and he was delighted that she had shared with him the confidence. This meant he had something to work with, he hoped that his scene with Elaine yesterday meant that she would open up more to him.

Elijah walked around the bar and stood next to Lilly and tapped her on the shoulder. He waited for her to sit up and slide around on the seat to face him. Elijah was tall and able to trap her knees between his thighs. He rested his large hands on her shoulders and bent slightly so that his eyes were level with hers. His green eyes were looking into her green eyes.

“Now, you listen to me and listen well. Life is far too short to be miserable. You need to do what you want to do. You have spent the last six months complaining about your job and how much you hate it. I have seen you lose weight and become unhappy. I promise you that if you continue to work in that job, with those snobby bitches any longer you will make yourself ill. I’m not prepared to watch that happen. Are you listening to me?” Elijah asked and shook her to emphasise his point.

Elijah swept his eyes over her face, looking at the dark shadows under her beautiful eyes and wished she would leave for a happier job. His beseeching look startled Lilly, who sat there wide-eyed, unblinking into Elijah’s face.

“I’ll think about it Elijah, I know what you’re saying is right but I don’t think I have the courage to leave. What would I do instead? I have no idea what I want to do with my life; I have never known what I wanted to do when I was in school as a career. Mum and dad decided for me, and I went with what they said I should do.” Lilly answered, her voice started to falter and Elijah thought she might get upset.  To rescue the situation he blurted out the first thing that he could think of.

“Work here, I’ll give you a job,” Elijah said. He didn’t know where the notion had come from but now he had said it, he went with it. He always offered help without thinking. H told himself he must stop doing this as that got him into trouble time and time again. He had just ended his relationship with Elaine after helping her out with a commission.

“You can work behind the bar until you decide what you want to do. The wages are not great, but the tips are good and we are a good team and have fun.” He said, he couldn’t believe the words that were tumbling out of his mouth, he couldn’t stop them pouring out.

“Work here? I don’t know how to pull a pint let alone make a cocktail.”

“I’ll teach you, please consider it Lilly. I don’t know how much longer I can watch you fade away and become a shadow of your former self.”

“That’s a bit dramatic Elijah, I’m not that bad.” Lilly replied.

“You don’t see what I see, please consider it.” Elijah pleaded.

“Ok, I will think about it.” Lilly said, resigning herself to the possibility that she might have to face the fact that she needed to change the direction of her life.

“Good,” Elijah said, grinning from ear to ear.

“I said I would think about it so stop grinning, I haven’t made any decisions yet. Tell me about Elaine, it looked like you had an argument yesterday?” Lilly asked to change the focus from her life.

“It was more of a discussion really, our relationship, if you could call it that has ended. I should never have started it, but I wanted to help her and then started dating her without realising. I won’t make that mistake twice.” Elijah said with conviction.

“I will remember that Elijah, it’s good to know you don’t want to date the people you help.” Lilly replied, her hurt feelings filtering through her words.

“I didn’t mean it like that Lilly, I’d like to help you and wouldn’t object to dating you either.” Elijah said, cursing himself for his careless words.

“Wouldn’t object to dating me? Is that your romantic side coming out there?” Lilly said, keeping her face straight and her tone flat.

“No need for sarcasm, you know I am digging myself into a deep pit, I’ll stop talking now.”

“Oh, don’t be so sensitive, I’m just teasing you.” Lilly said and pinched his cheek.

“I’m such an idiot, sorry for being crass, let’s get back to your job and not my appalling romantic skills.” Elijah said and rubbed his cheek.

Elijah could have kicked himself, he was finally single in the presence of Lilly, and he made a total arse of himself. It was a good job Mickey wasn’t here to witness it, or he would never hear the end of it. Lilly completely floored him when he was near her and anything he planned to say flew out of the window.

“Do we have to talk about my work? We always talk about that.” Lilly asked, desperate to change the subject.

“Yes we do, now, tell me Lilly do you love your job?”

“I’m excellent at it.” Lilly said proudly.

Elijah took Lilly’s hand and stroked the back of it with his thumb, soothing her stresses and encouraging her to answer him. He bore holes into her face as she had dropped her head so he couldn’t see her eyes. He thought they were beautiful and lifted her chin so that he could see them. He had caught a flash of sadness before she put her mask back in place.

“That’s not what I asked Lilly and you know it. Do you love your job, do you wake up in the morning and look forward to getting dressed and arriving for work? Do you stay late because you love your job enough to get the job done?” Elijah asked her softly.
“No.” Lilly replied quietly.

“Then why are you wasting your life there Lilly? I don’t understand.”

“I’ve already explained, my parents have paid for my education and paid for me to go through law school.”

“But you are a partner, you have paid them back tenfold, you’ve studied hard, best in your class and have won hundreds of cases, they should be proud.” Elijah argued.

“They aren’t proud. They see that, until I am a senior partner with my name on the letterhead I have not paid them back. They have social circles that depend on this and I am failing in their eyes to them. I have been a lawyer over a decade and still haven’t managed it. If I left now, my parents would see me as a complete failure.” She said and straightened her jacket.

“Lilly, this is your life to make the most of, why do you feel the need to make your parents happy?”

This question stumped Lilly, she didn’t know the answer, and she assumed that all children needed to make their parents happy and proud. Elijah could see Lilly was struggling with the answer and asked a different one instead.

“Lilly if your lawyer firm closed down tomorrow, what would you do with your life, which career would you take? Would you go and find another law firm to work at?”

“No, I wouldn’t, I would take some time off and draw.”

“Draw?”

“Yes, it helps me relax after significant cases, I draw and paint.” Lilly revealed.

“You don’t strike me as the arty type Lilly, aren’t they supposed to be egotistical and needy?” He asked and chuckled.

“Maybe, but my parents wouldn’t tolerate such a character trait, it is bad enough that my brother William wafts around with no direction. If I did that they would never tolerate it.”

“So it is acceptable for your younger brother to do as he pleases but not you. What does he do for a living?”

“At the moment not very much, he is the smartest person I know, whisked himself through higher education without really attending and getting first-class honours degree. He can’t stick at anything. He’s had a series of part-time jobs and hasn’t kept any of them for very long.

He stayed on in education to get his masters and then did another one. I think he is addicted to learning. He spends most of his time borrowing money from me, so his jobs can’t be that highly paid. Not that I see much of the money back.”

“Lilly, you have to take back control of your life, I insist on it.” Elijah implored.

“Yes, Elijah,” Lilly said, using her stern voice and saluting Elijah.

“Are you making fun of me? And that is not how you salute.”

“No, of course not,” she said and winked “I wouldn’t dare to. Seriously, there is another reason too, I adore Harry the senior partner, he lost his sister years ago and I adored her too. She taught me everything I know, and I am grateful to her and to Harry. I don’t want to let him down.”

“You are staying in a job you hate for everyone but you. I know I have said this practically every time I see you, but, please just think about it.”

“Ok, I’ll think about it Elijah, how about I’ll sleep on it, and I will see in the morning.”

“Deal, now can I feed you?”

“Only if you can make poached eggs and impart your saluting knowledge.”

“Poached eggs coming up, don’t move.” Elijah said and watched as Lilly glanced at her watch and frowned. His heart fell, their time was up, and he knew what she was going to say.

“Elijah, I have to go, or I’ll be late back. Can I take a rain check on poached eggs?”

“Are you sure Lilly, it won’t take long.”

“Yes Elijah I’m positive, I need to prepare for a case, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Ok, take care Lilly and seriously think about what I said. If you are well behaved, I’ll teach you how to salute properly.”

Elijah waved Lilly goodbye and walked back the side of the bar that gave him protection.  Lilly had gone back to work and Elaine was still in the building. There was only one thing left to do and that was tackle the mountain of paperwork he had and daydream about Lilly.