Keys To Her Heart (Brookfield) (3 page)

“I’m gonna get out of here.” Cody pushed back from the counter.

Connor opened the box. “Want one?”

Cody could never resist a doughnut, further perpetuating the stereotype. “Thanks. You have a good evening. Be sure to eat some veggies after the box of doughnuts.”

Alyssa laughed. “It’s not like I’m going to eat the whole thing.”

“Sure.” Cody smiled as he pushed the door open and headed back for his vehicle. Should he call Lily today, or wait until tomorrow? Tomorrow. He didn’t want to appear desperate.

* * * *

Lily flung her shoes across the room as she entered her bedroom. Damn, her feet hurt. Standing and walking back and forth across the diner all day had taken a toll on her arches, toes, and heels. As soon as she had a free moment to herself, she was going to pay them an extra twenty just to let her have her feet soak for thirty minutes before they worked their massaging magic.

She quickly changed out of the food stained clothing and into some sweat pants and an over-sized T-Shirt. She still
had to get dinner fixed for Gunther and her mom. Things never stopped. No wonder she dreamed of lounging on a beach somewhere with someone taking care of her whenever she got a quiet five minutes.

In the kitchen, she found Gunther playing on a tablet at the table.

“Hey, buddy.” She ruffled his hair. “Have a good day at school?”

“It was okay.”

“Making friends yet?” She was worried. He’d yet to talk about other kids.

He shrugged. “I miss Dad.”

She smiled weakly. “I know. You’ll see him soon.”

Lily hated they’d had to move a few states away from Gunther’s father, but one day her son would understand. Her ex, Heath, made a great ex. They were still friendly. In fact, being friends had been easy when she stopped to think about it. They’d been friends for several years before the marriage ended. Lily and Heath stopped being lovers shortly after Gunther’s arrival and the marriage moved into a new territory. The break up had been easy. Some found it odd, but she could still call Heath and lean on him when she needed someone to talk to.

“Have you seen your grandma?”

“The nurse is going over a photo album with her.”

Lily’s heart ached. She prayed the memories would hold on a little longer. The thought of her mom not remembering her was unbearable.

“How about an easy meal tonight? Grilled cheese and tomato soup?”

Gunther nodded, his gaze glued to whatever he was doing on that device. Kids, they had no idea what it was like to interact with people away from some device connected to the internet.

Lily busied herself with the task of supper. Her thoughts drifted to Cody. She couldn’t believe when she’d seen him yesterday, she’d asked him to show her around town. How corny. No wonder he hadn’t called. She probably appeared to be a desperate woman. Any normal man didn’t want a needy woman; they wanted someone strong and confident.

It wasn’t like she had time to date, anyway. There was just something about Cody that appealed to her. She knew nothing about this man, other than he was a hot-as-hell police officer, and yet, she wanted to know him in an intimate way.

She needed to get laid. She’d admit it. Life was so busy; she really didn’t even have time to pleasure herself. Something needed to change, or she’d be old and dried before she knew it.

“Mom, your phone’s ringing,” Gunther said.

“Huh, what?” She removed the sandwich from the pan
, and heard the sound of her phone from her bedroom. “Will you go get it for me? I can’t leave the food.”

She flipped the last sandwich over just as Gunther set the phone on the counter next to her. After she put the soup in the bowls and the sandwiches on the plate, she turned to Gunther. “Go get your grandma, okay?”

Lily placed the food onto the table. A moment later, Gunther returned with his grandma and her day caregiver. Lily smiled at her mom, who returned the gesture. “Hi, Lily.”

Lily’s heart flipped with joy.

Margaret, the caretaker, walked over and leaned close to Lily. “It was a good day.”

“Thanks. Have a wonderful evening.” She set out the spoons.

“I’ll try.” Margaret slung her purse over her shoulder and saw her self out.

Lily sat down at the table and stared at the two most important people in her life as they chatted and enjoyed their meal. Seeing the shared smiles and dialogue that flowed well warmed her. Dinner ended much too quickly. She tucked her mom into her spot in the living room to watch her evening shows. Gunther had to do his nightly reading, and Lily stared at the dishes she needed to do. But she just didn’t feel like it. They weren’t going anywhere. She’d deal with them in the morning.

She then remembered her phone had rung and it was still where Gunther had set it down. Unlocking the screen, she noticed it was from a number she didn’t know, but whoever it was left a voicemail.

Hey Lily, this is Cody, the uh, the officer that helped with your accident. I was just calling about the dinner and if you still wanted to do that. If not, I understand. Just give me a call back when you can and let me know. Thanks.

She smiled. He sounded so cute flustered. She skirted across the house to her bedroom and dialed him back. With each ring, a lump formed in her throat.

“Hello,” he answered in a deep, husky voice.

“Hey, it’s Lily.”

“Oh, hey. How are you?”

Better now that she was talking to him. “I’m tired, but I’m so glad you called.”

“I wanted to see when you wanted to do the dinner you mentioned. I mean…I want…to take you to dinner.”

God, this man was so freaking cute. Now that she thought about it, her schedule didn’t really leave much room for a night out. “Actually, I don’t work tomorrow if you’re free during the day. When I mentioned dinner, I didn’t stop to think about a sitter for Gunther.”
And my mom
.

“You’re in luck. I’m off tomorrow as well.”

This was working out better than she expected. “Perfect. Want me to meet you in town somewhere?”

“We can eat at Luigi’s first, if you’d like, before we explore the small town of Brookfield.”

She could feel her grin spread across her entire face. She felt like a school girl, going out with a boy for the first time. The last time she’d been on a first date had been with Heath… “Perfect. Noon?”

“Works for me.”

“I’ll see you then. Have a great evening.”

“You, too. Bye.”

“Bye.” She tossed the phone on her bed. 

Lily couldn’t wait until tomorrow. Nothing could ruin her mood. Nothing. She already knew the outfit she was going to wear. She’d bought a new dress when she first arrived to town and had yet to wear it. Tomorrow would be the day.

“Frank,” her mom called from the living room.

Lily’s happiness washed away as her mother called out for her deceased husband.

“Frank, honey. Your favorite evening show is on.”

Lily took a deep breath and went out to the living room to sit and watch TV with her mother.

Chapter Three

Lily straightened her
favorite navy blue dress as she took several deep breaths. All she had to do was open the door and go inside Luigi’s, but opening it was the hard part. God, she was being silly. Just go inside and meet that incredibly sexy man.

She tugged the door open a little too forcefully and tumbled back.

“You okay, ma’am?” A gentleman was by her side, his hand on her elbow.

“Yes, just thought it was going to be heavier than it was.”

The guy took the door from her grasp. She smiled and stepped inside. Gunther had been asking to eat here, but eating out wasn’t in their budget. Only special occasions like birthdays. Glancing around, she spotted Cody and found him staring at her. She turned her smile up brighter and strutted toward him, hoping she made his breath catch in his throat the way he did to her.

“Hey.” She slid into the booth.

“You look beautiful.”

“Thanks. You look handsome.” He wore a button-down white shirt with a pair of dark khakis. Out of uniform, she’d never guess he was an officer. His appearance spoke bad boy, with his hair slightly long, and don’t even get her started on those muscles. “I can’t wait to try a dish.”

“Is this your first time?” Why had that sounded so dirty?

“Yes.” She opened the menu.  “Do you have a dish you recommend?”

Cody leaned back and twisted his lips into a pucker. It was the oddest thing. Was that his thinking face?

“The lasagna is good. I always start with that dish when I go somewhere new. If I like it, then it’s a winner.”

“Sure. I’ll go with that.” She closed the menu. “I trust you. You are a man of the law.”

After working in restaurants most of her adult life, she tried to be the easier patron for her waiter—who she was surprised hadn’t shown up yet for their drink order.

“How long have you been here?” she asked as she glanced around the restaurant. It was how she pictured it would be, booths and tables with red and white checkered tablecloths. Each table had a small candle in the middle, plus the usual condiments.

“Ten minutes.”

An early bird. She’d have to remember that. “Did you order yet?”

He nervously ran his hand along the edge of the table. “No, I waited for you.”

She looked around and finally saw a young girl heading their way. She pulled a pad of paper and pen from her apron. “Sorry for the wait. I’m Kaleigh. Can I get you started with some drinks?”

“Coke, please. And I’m going to get the lasagna.” Lily pushed her menu to the side of the table.

“Same here.”

“All right. I’ll have that out to you in a jiffy.” Kaleigh grabbed the menus and strode off.

Lily stared at Cody. What did they talk about? She was good at talking about whatever since she was a waitress for a living, but with this man…well, she was pretty sure the cat had her tongue.

“How’s the car?” he asked, just as Kaleigh returned with their drinks.

Lily opened the straw wrapper and plopped the straw in her bubbly drink. “It’s fine. I’m really not worried about it.” She’d taken the car by the shop for an estimate, and while it would be covered by the other person’s insurance, she just wasn’t worried about it. It hadn’t been damaged enough to be without a car temporarily.

“You’re kind. Most people go after teens when they get hit.”

Lily shrugged, remembering when she’d been a teen and her first fender bender. It had terrified her to the point she drove ten under the speed limit for almost a month. “It was an accident, literally. There was ice and he couldn’t stop. He deserves a break.”

Cody lifted his glass to his lips. She couldn’t help but watch the Adam’s apple in his throat.  Damn, it had been way too long since she’d been around a man she liked.

“So, uh. Are you close with your sisters?”

He grinned. “Closer than I want to be.”

Something in his tone caught her attention. “How so?”

“They are interesting, to say the least. Life is better now that they get along, but for a while, they despised each other.” He paused. “That’s a story for another time.”

“I’d love to hear it.”

“Yeah, it’s a drama filled story, but I don’t want to scare you away on our first date.”

First date!
Total squee moment. Did that mean he liked her? “I guess we should keep our skeletons in the closet a little longer.”

Kaleigh approached the table with the two plates of lasagna. “This looks so yummy. I can’t wait for my lunch break.”

Lily agreed. The food in front of her smelled mouth-watering. And the portion size...wow.

“Can I get you anything?” Kaleigh asked.

“Maybe a bigger stomach.” Lily opened her napkin to remove her silverware.

Cody was silent, which seemed to be his usual response. A man of few words. Mysterious. She liked it.

“All right. Wave if you need me.” Kaleigh was off again.

They ate silently for the first few minutes. The lasagna was so good; all Lily could do was savor the flavors in her mouth. Next time she got a big tip, or something, she would bring Gunther here. Or better yet, take-out one night soon; her mom would love it, too.

“So, what brought you to Brookfield?” Cody asked.

She disliked that question. She hated the sympathetic look she got when people learned about her mother’s condition. “A fresh start.”

“We can all use one of those. Nasty divorce or something?”

“No, not at all. Heath and I are still close.” She waited to see his expression before she continued. Of course, he nodded like most people did. “We’re friends, that’s it. It’s all we ever really were. So when we split, it was easy.”

“Do you have family here or something?” he pressed.

She took a bite of the lasagna and tried to think about how to answer him. The town knew her mom. In fact, she was sort of surprised he didn’t know who she was. “I like small towns. I always wanted to raise Gunther somewhere where everyone would know us.”