Tiger Lily: Part Three (2 page)

“David. Pull over,” Jonas called out. The car cut across traffic and double-parked. Jonas quickly opened the door and I climbed out just in time to expel what I hadn’t digested from breakfast. Jonas took his handkerchief out and wiped my chin.

I took in a few quick breaths as I waited for the queasiness to pass. Once I was certain, I glanced at Jonas.

He handed me a bottle of water and I rinsed my mouth out, trying my best to pour the remainder over the piece of curb I had spoiled.

“I’m sorry,” I said hoarsely.

“Shhh,” Jonas said, as he helped me back inside the car. Another vehicle pulled up behind us and started blaring its horn, but David sat there for a few extra minutes before pulling out. That distraction broke the well of my thoughts. That, and Jonas placing me back on his lap, cuddling me close. After a few minutes passed without us speaking, I tilted my head up to look at him. His mouth was thin, but his eyes were kind as they connected with mine.

“I need my phone to call Mary. I have to tell her what’s going on, but I don’t want to over the phone…I don’t want her to see me like this.”

“I’ll get you a phone to use and you can invite her down to visit when you’re ready,” he said.

I opened my mouth, poised in protest of him keeping my phone, but he held up his hand to stop me.

“You don’t have to do everything at once. Your doctor said no stress. Let me handle it. I’ll take care of things for you,” he said.

“Like I’m a child,” I stammered.

“No, like you’re a woman I care for,” he replied in a gentle tone. He kissed my parted lips and a flutter went through my stomach. Letting him take care of me was something I had tried my best to resist before, out of fear I’d come to rely on him too much and wouldn’t know what to do with myself when it all inevitably ended. I worried he would only be caring for me out of pity, but we both agreed to put aside our fears and try to work on our relationship.

I had him and I was not leaving.

I gave him a small nod in agreement. The smile he returned didn’t reach his eyes, but he kissed me lightly on the lips and tucked me back into the warmth of his arms before making another phone call.

THE CAR JOSTLED DOWN
a cobblestone street in the West Village, finally stopping before a five-story gray brick and granite warehouse. A stocky man with a dark brown crew cut and navy business suit stood poised outside the building with a notepad. Jonas opened the door and helped me to stand on the sidewalk. He walked over and greeted the man.

“Samuel,” Jonas said.

“Mr. Crane,” Samuel replied. He handed a key ring and a folder to him. “Everything is in order.” I turned and thanked David, accepting my handbag. When I reached for my backpack, he smiled and stopped me, walking over and handing it to Jonas.

“Thanks, David. I’ll see you later,” Jonas said, ignoring my loud sigh and holding out his outstretched hand for me to take, which I did. “Samuel, this is Ms. Salomé.”

“Lily,” I said, awkwardly holding out my hand for him to shake. He smiled at me as he grasped my palm.

“Nice to meet you. We’ll have some of your clothing from your old apartment brought over later today. The rest will come tomorrow. I’ll need you to make a list of things you would prefer to remain in storage…”

My mouth went dry. “You’re done? I’ll need to go over and organize. I need to clean and prepare it for my final walk through. I still have about six weeks and I have to find a new place—”

“Let’s not overwhelm her,” Jonas said with irritation in his voice. “We’ll work it out later. She needs to eat lunch. Is Lin here?” He pressed his hand in the small of my back and guided me toward the building.

“Of course. Apologies, Mr. Crane,” Samuel said and adjusted his tie. “Yes, Lin is here and she confirmed lunch is ready.”

We walked as a group toward the backside of the building, stopping in front of a freight elevator. Samuel pulled the gate and then climbed inside. We rode to the top level. Once the doors opened, I was surprised to find we were already inside the apartment. It was a renovated penthouse loft with exposed brick walls, six floor-to-ceiling windows, and polished mahogany wood plank flooring.

The décor was contemporary, with mahogany and steel custom bookshelves, full of an array of leather and hardcover books. There was a closed, carved cabinet with a flat-screen TV and stereo that took up a third of the height of the fourteen-foot ceilings. A mix of brown leather and antique seating surrounded the centrally located fireplace.

“Your office is set up,” Samuel said.

“Show me,” Jonas said before turning to me. “I’ll be right back.”

I watched him walk away and couldn’t help but admire the way his body fit his suit. Or the lean muscle perfection I knew was underneath. This temporarily distracted me, though I wanted to know more about his plans. I turned away and walked over to the black Steinway piano and lifted the case, pressing lightly over the keys and smiling. In tune.
Of course
.

I sat down and played “Alouette.” When that didn’t sound too bad, I played Brahms’s “Lullaby.”

“I was happy this place had one,” Jonas said, walking up behind me. I stopped playing and smiled. “We used to have an upright piano in our house on Franklin Street. My dad would play and my mom would sing. I learned a few songs but, as you can see, I’m rusty.”

“Paul plays, as you know. I was hoping to get him to play for us. Of course, that is if I can stop him from horsing around.” His smile was wistful.

“Yeah, there’s that,” I said and laughed, but Jonas didn’t join me. I reached out and took his hand. “I’m really sorry for what he overheard today.”

Jonas’s eyes glazed over. “Melissa was right, he’s heard worse.”

I pressed my lips together at the mention of her name. I wondered how he had left things with her.

Jonas cleared his throat. “Dani and I made some decisions in raising him that I now regret. I was under a strict regimen with my father. We kind of went overboard in trying to give him the opposite by exposing him to adult behaviors too early. Letting him have a lot of freedom. And, well, now I’ve got a lovable smartass.”

I covered my mouth, stifling my laugh. “Well, he’s a teen. We all push boundaries at that age. He’s also kind and thinks very highly of his dad, I might add.”

His brows rose and a ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. “Oh does he?”

“Yep. He told me as much,” I said, and grinned when I saw the light in his face.

“Still. Melissa…I just don’t understand her.” He let go of my hand and ran his own through his hair.

“She said she loves you,” I said evenly.

“Yes, there is that,” he said it like it was a curse.

I blanched. “Yeah.”

“She went too far. I don’t know when I will forgive her,” he said.

I swallowed hard and averted my eyes, reminding myself I didn’t have Jonas’s love either.

He ran his hand down my side and a tingle went through me, flaring our connection. He leaned close to my ear. “I don’t feel the same way about her.”

My heartbeat sped up
. As me?

He turned me around to face him. “Maybe we can have Dani, Alan, and Paul over for dinner soon? We used to do that when I lived here.”

I glanced at him. “We’ll need to talk about how this will all be working first. I need to start searching for my new apartment. I’d like to know more about this storage Samuel was referring to. And I have to get back to work…”

“Slow down,” Jonas reached out and took my hand, kissing the back of it. “We’ll talk.”

“But,” I said, just as Samuel came back into the room, a folder tucked under his arm.

“It’s all set. I’ll call you later with updates, Mr. Crane. I’ll just need your signatures,” he said obliquely.

Jonas nodded and Samuel walked over and handed him a pen. He used the top of the piano to sign, before turning to me. “This is to give me permission to act on your behalf, to help you.”

My lips parted as I eyed him questioningly. “In what capacity?”

“I need your permission to represent you through my legal division. Your authorization for me to proceed in the resolution of your apartment lease, and to pursue other issues. If possible, the theft of your property. Samuel will provide a copy for you to read over later,” he said, holding out the pen.

I hesitated. This would not only be placing me further in his debt, but also under his control in the decisions affecting my life.

I trusted Jonas. He had shown his genuine interest in helping me, and had given me no reason to believe he didn’t have my best interest at heart. Refusing would only leave me with the difficulty of trying to find and hire someone to do all of this on my own. But still, giving in felt too close to giving up, particularly after all I had tried to do to take care of myself.

I tried for a compromise. “I need a copy and for someone to explain this all to me, along with an added clause that states I can reject this agreement at any time, should I choose to do so.”

Jonas’s brow rose a fraction and he broke into a broad smile. “If that will make you feel better. Samuel here is your witness.” The announcement of his involvement prompted Samuel to take a step forward and gesture with his hand in a semi-salute, acknowledging his willingness to do his part in the role assigned to him. Then again, the way Samuel was looking at Jonas had me thinking he would deny his own mother to stay in his favor.

Nevertheless, I reached out and took the pen, signing along the line where asked to do so. Jonas exhaled and handed the paper to Samuel, then walked with him to the door. My mind worried over the implications, but also reminded me that I didn’t fare well on my own. In fact, things often got worse. I needed help, and he was willing to give that to me.

“Thank you for trusting me,” Jonas said when he returned to my side, holding out his hand for me.

I walked over and clasped it. “I wish I could say I didn’t need help, but I do. Thank you.”

He led me out of the living room area and past the circular staircase to a modern, open-plan kitchen. Stainless-steel appliances, dark wood, and marble. Modern lights. A long island bar with steel and leather barstools, custom cabinets and wine racks. A small breakfast nook completed the space.

A petite, elderly women with short, wispy gray hair and large, dark brown eyes stood before a five-burner stove. Her little bow mouth creased. “Jonas and…?”

“Lily. This is Lin, our amazing friend and housekeeper,” Jonas said. “I had to bribe her away from Dani.”

Lin laughed. “No, Jonas. I was more than happy to come over and help.” She pushed up the sleeves of her pink shirt and came around the counter, surprising me with a kiss on my cheeks. “Lily, our little beauty. Or…what was that name you called her, Jonas?”

“Tiger Lily. Or did you hear me call her my lioness?” Jonas said, with a bit of huskiness to his voice that made me blush.

Lin beamed as her eyes shifted between the two of us. “Oh, yes. I see.” Her eyes lingered on us for a moment, and then she added, “I’ve made my special homemade steak truffle pie with a delicious crème sauce and rosewater custard for dessert.”

The smile froze on my face as my mind flashed.
Danger—bazillion calories alert.
Lin’s face was prideful and my heart melted. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but I wasn’t sure about such a heavy lunch. “I had a big breakfast and my stomach has been upset.”

Lin looked a question at me, her smile wilting a little.

“How about you try a bit, Lily. We can get you something light for dinner,” Jonas said.

My brows rose. A compromise? Who was this Jonas Crane? “That sounds good. Thank you, Lin.”

She beamed and squeezed my arm. “One more thing.” She turned and held out a glass of water and a bottle. “Iron pills. This helped when my friend’s daughter was anemic.”

I took the pills and water without fuss. I wasn’t sure yet that I
was
anemic, but I did want to get better. Jonas gave me an approving smile and motioned for me to take a seat at the built-in breakfast nook while he pulled out a bottle of wine.

“Take a seat,” Lin commanded as she came up behind him and patted him on his back, taking the bottle from him.

I laughed as Jonas took the seat across from me, delighting in someone else ordering him around.

His stare warmed me all the way down to my toes. My heart skipped a beat as I returned his gaze with my own intensity.

“I love seeing you smile,” he said softly.

Lin walked up and put our plates of food down in front of us. I shook my head to try to dispel the effect he had on me. I was utterly besotted with him. I needed to get ahold of myself or I might scare him off again.

“What are you thinking?” Jonas asked, no doubt picking up on the change in my demeanor. Nothing got past him.

I lifted the corner of my mouth. “Nothing,” I muttered.

He frowned at me. “Why can’t you just tell me?”

I shrugged. “I’m trying. You don’t need to know every passing thought in my head.”

“I do if it wipes the happiness off your face. I want to know,” he replied.

I licked my lips. “My thoughts are…personal. Please give me time.”