Fade to Black (5 page)

“And how do you know that?”

Dory tilted her head to the side. “Hello.
Do you really want me to answer that?”

“We had dinner, we played a game, we stayed
up and talked, and then he left. That’s it.”

“As much as it pains me, did you at least
get a goodnight kiss?”

“No, he was a perfect gentleman.
A nice, quick kiss on the cheek.”

“Well, there’s your problem. You know, you
need a good fucking.”

“DoryAnn Draga!”

“Well, how long has it been? Don’t answer,”
she continued as she waved her hands. “I’m sure you have cobwebs. If I thought
about it I could probably remember the last time you had that glow, but eww.
Anyway, just because you want to be there for your son, which is great, doesn’t
mean you can’t scratch that itch every few years.”

“Come on. You, more than anyone, know
having sex with someone leads to feelings, even if it’s just casual. I don’t
want that complication. And you know, neither does he. We’ve all seen the
stories about how he’s never going to get married, and every time a girlfriend
gets that look in her eye, he’s gone.”

Dory hopped up on the counter and swung her
legs. “Yeah, that’s marriage. I’m talking about getting your pipes cleaned, not
walking down the aisle with him.”

“You’re incorrigible.”

“Don’t you know
it.
”
A smile spread across Dory’s face. “And it appears someone is going to be the talk
of the town for at least a week.”

Lily spun around to face her. “What are you
talking about?”

Dory pointed out the front window where a florist’s
van was parked across the street. They watched as a young man carried a huge
bouquet across the street and up to her door.

“Looks like Mr. Cross wouldn’t mind doing
some dusting to get rid of your cobwebs.” Dory smirked.

“Shut up. We don’t know they’re from him.”

“Oh, please. Yeah, and I’m not gay. Come
on.”

Lily answered the door when she heard the
doorbell. “Miss Walker? These are for you.”

“Thank you, can you set them here?” Once
the deliveryman set down the vase full of lilacs, she said, “Let me get you a
tip.”

“Oh, no, ma’am, it’s already been taken
care of.”

“Thank you.” Lily noticed he was staring at
Dory. Smirking, Lily leaned over and adjusted the collar on her shirt so Dory’s
tattoos weren’t showing. She laughed when Dory sent her a dirty look. It was a
game they’d been playing for years, ever since Dory had gotten all of her
tattoos. Lily always gave her a hard time about why she got them if she didn’t
want anyone to see them. Then, every time they started to show, Lily would make
sure Dory stayed covered up. It was a silent way to tease her.

Once they were alone, they looked at each
other.

“Do you always have to do that?” Dory
asked.

“What? You’re the one who is all tatted up
but doesn’t want anyone to see. I’m just trying to help.”

“Shut up and read the card.”

“How can I shut up and read the card at the
same time?” When Dory just stared at her, she narrowed her eyes at her and
tried again, “What if I want to read it alone?”

Tilting her head to the side, Dory gave her
a look that meant she was going to sit there and wait until she shared, and
Lily knew she would.

“Fine.
‘
Lily,
I thought it would be cliché to send you lilies, and if there is one thing I
never want to be
it’s
cliché. I’m going to be busy for the next few days with the movie, but I wanted
you to know I’m thinking of you.
Dev.’
”

“Ahhh… that’s so sweet, he’s thinking of
you. Next thing you know…” Dory grinned.

“No, we aren’t going there. He’s a nice man
and we get along. I’m sure it’s nice to be treated like a regular guy and not
some famous movie star. Besides, he likes my cooking.”

“Yeah, that’s what she said.”

Lily threw her dust rag at Dory. “Shut up.”

Chapter
Six

A
few of days later, Hayden entered the gallery and tried not to turn her nose
up. Her tastes were much more sophisticated than what was being shown there. She
felt a person would be better off purchasing something at the local thrift
store than the gallery. She had no idea how Devlin could stand it.

When she heard someone approaching from the
back room, she had to turn her back to try and control the anger that was about
to explode from her. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she tried to
think of the big picture rather than gutting the bitch right now, as she made
sure her wig was on straight.

“Can I help you?”

Pasting a smile on her face, she turned
around.
“Oh, hello.”
She placed a hand on her heart as
she said, “Oh, my, you scared me.” She added a slight Southern accent to her
voice. “I must say, the work here is wonderful. Can you tell me who the artist
is?”

“I sure can. It’s me, Lily Walker.”

“Oh, really.”
She held her hand out to her. “My name is Kathleen Simmons and it’s a pleasure
to meet such a talented artist. I have to see everything. You’re truly
amazing.” She waved her hand around as she continued speaking, “And you run
this place also? Wow, what can’t you do? I don’t think I’d be strong enough to
do all of that.”

“Thank you. It’s a lot of work, but if you
love something it makes it easier.”

“Surely you must have some kind of help.”
She wandered over to look at a seascape hanging on the wall. “Does your husband
help you?”

Lily laughed. “Oh, no I’m not married. I
tried that once, didn’t work out. Now I do everything on my own.”

Yeah,
I bet if Devlin asked she’d be all over that
, Hayden thought
.
“Why, you sure are strong. I wouldn’t
even know where to start. Maybe you have a boyfriend to help?
Or same male friends?
I’m sure there are times you need some
strong arms.”

“Nope, just me.
We are a small town; everyone pitches in when needed. If I have something large
needing to be moved, I typically head down to the hardware store, someone’s
always around there.”

“I’m from a small town myself.” She smiled
tightly, she hated that fact, hated the small town. Her mother was one of the
worst human beings around, so she could understand why no one would help her,
but for the whole town to turn their backs on her when she was only a child
didn’t make any sense to her.

“Then you know what it’s like, we are a
tight-knit community, that’s for sure. If I need something I can call on people
to help, but mostly I like doing things myself. My son is my number one
priority.”

“Oh, you have a son?
How
precious.”
Smelling,
stinking, loud little boys.
I
only want them around when they are grown up.
“You must be so thrilled.”

“I am
,
he’s the
world to me.” She turned away when the phone rang.
“If you’ll
excuse me?”

“Of course, I’ll take a look around.”

Hayden wandered around acting as if she was
interested in the art when really she was getting a feel for the place and the
owner. Once she was in the back room, she noticed stairs leading up, which were
roped off, and another door to the side of the stairs. Casually looking around,
she noticed there wasn’t an alarm on any of the windows.
Her stupidity might work out well for me.
Since it sounded like
Lily was going to be a while on the phone, Hayden crept over to the door and
slowly opened it, thankful it didn’t squeak. She
peeked
her head in the room and it looked like it was a big workspace and nothing
more.

“You’re not supposed to be in there,” said
a young voice behind her.

“Excuse me?” She looked down her nose at
the little boy.

“That’s my mom’s private space. You aren’t
supposed to be in there.”

“I’m sorry. I guess my curiosity got the
best of me. I’m sure you know what that’s like.” She closed the door and backed
away from it.

“Yes, ma’am, I do.” He stood there looking
at her for a moment.

Cocking her head to the side, she said, “Is
there anything else I can help you with?”

“No. Sorry, bye.”

She watched as he ran out of the room and
said something to his mother before continuing to run out the front door. Not
sure what to make of the boy, she decided to see if she could push his mother.
She walked over to the largest piece in the room, the one whose design was too
busy for her taste. With one finger she reached out to knock it off its pedestal,
pausing first to let out a little scream before pushing it over and watching it
shatter on the ground.

~^~

Lily stood straight up when she heard the
crash from the other room. “I have to go,” she told the supplier on the other
end of the line and rushed into the other room. Her biggest fears were confirmed.
There was Aibell lying shattered on the ground, and Kathleen standing there
with large eyes and her hand over her mouth.

“I’m so sorry! I thought I saw a mouse. I
don’t know what happened. I must have backed up into it.”

Lily fell to her knees, trying to pick up
the broken pieces of the goddess. Her heart felt as shattered as her artwork
was; she knew she’d never be able to create another one. “We’ve never had any
mice,” she managed to croak out.

“Here, I must pay for the damage. How much
were you selling it for?”

“No,” Lily waved her off, “the cost isn’t
important.” It wasn’t the money; it was the fact no one would be able to enjoy
it now. It was gone forever. She could never duplicate it. She’d never want to,
it was a piece she could never replace it once it was gone.

“Of course it is. Now tell me how much to
pay you for it.”

“It’s not the money, really. I know you
feel bad enough, can you just leave so I can clean this up?”

“Here let me help at least.”

“No, it’s something I have to do. Please,
just leave.” She had to be the one to clean it up. She created it; she would be
the one to throw it away. She needed to be alone with her broken creation.

“I’m truly sorry.”

Lily didn’t watch as the woman left the
gallery. Her vision became blurred as tears ran down her face and dropped onto
the twisted metal and broken glass. She stood up and retrieved a broom from the
closet, sweeping everything into a pile before dumping it all into the garbage
can. One second her art had been there, the next second it was gone, never to
be seen again. The tears fell off her cheeks and onto the broken pieces in the
garbage. The set was no longer
complete,
they would
never be together again. One was destroyed and thrown away, like it never
mattered. She loved her goddess set; she could almost feel their power when
they were together, and now there was nothing.

Placing the two remaining goddesses
together in her home didn’t bring her as much pleasure as it did before.
Standing back, she looked at them and knew something was missing. Their faces
reflected the sadness she felt.

Chapter
Seven

Devlin
relaxed against the kitchen counter as he watched Lily cook dinner. He was
amazed by all she did and how little she asked from anyone. Maybe he’d been in
Hollywood too long, where everyone was out for themselves and was always asking
for something. When you were on top, everyone wanted to be seen with you. If
you stumbled, even just a little, you were out and couldn’t get anyone to
return your calls. He’d seen it happen more than once. Lucky for him, he’d ridden
the wave of success to where he was now. While he always tried to look for the
good in people, and to help them whenever possible, there were times when it
was nice to be around someone as genuine as Lily was; where he knew exactly
where she was coming from. Today, she was quieter than usual.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“It’s nothing.” She continued to cut up
vegetables without looking up.

“If there is one thing I’ve learned, when a
woman says ‘nothing’ it’s always something.” When she didn’t respond or look up,
he went to her and placed his hand over hers. “Really, Lily, what is it?”

She sighed and finally looked up at him.
“There was a lady in the shop today. I know I shouldn’t be so upset about it,
because things like this happen. It wasn’t the first time, and I know it’s not
going to be the last. Well, unless I design the gallery like those big, fancy
museums, which I suppose, I could do. But I’ve always felt art should be up
close and personal. You should be able to touch it if you want. Be next to it
and see every color, every stroke of the paintbrush if you want. What’s the
point of showing it if you have to stand ten feet away from it? I mean come-”