Summer of Love (12 page)

There was a pause on the other end of the line. ‘Evelyn’s really not taking it well, then,’ Cora said, eventually.

Lily sighed. ‘I’m sorry. It’s been… a bit of a week.’

‘So I gathered.’ There was a rustling on the other end of the phone, as if Cora were settling down against her pillow for a proper talk, the way they had every night after school when they were teenagers. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were thinking of leaving Edward?’

Ah. So that was it. Of course. If Lily hadn’t been so preoccupied with Alex and Evelyn and everything else, she’d have guessed instantly why her best friend was in such a mood. She felt left out.

‘Because I wasn’t really. Until I did.’

‘Honestly nothing to do with Alex?’

Lily sighed. ‘Not the way you’re thinking, anyway.’

‘I hope not. Lily… I know Alex can be charming and he’s good looking and rich but… You know what he’s like with women. I’ve told you enough stories about him.’

‘I know that. And it’s not… We’re not… That’s not why I left Edward.’

Cora wasn’t listening. ‘And I know he says he’s looking to settle down, but really, I don’t think –’

‘Don’t think he’d be looking to settle down with me?’ Lily asked, stung at her best friend’s opinion, even if it was the same one she held herself. ‘No, of course not.’

‘That’s not what I meant! Lily, no. He’d be damn lucky to have you. But leaving Edward on the off chance –’

‘I told you. That’s not why I left.’

‘Then why?’ Cora asked, sounding weary. ‘Because honestly, Lily, I don’t understand it. You were happy, we were both going to get married this summer, together, like always. Alex said you thought you and Edward had grown apart but honestly, the only thing I can think of that’s changed is Alex coming home.’

Rubbing a hand across her forehead, Lily tried to find a way to explain it that didn’t sound stupid or petty. She was pretty sure “I didn’t like the ring” wasn’t going to cut it as an excuse for Cora. ‘It felt like I was living someone else’s life,’ she said, finally. ‘Like I woke up one day, and everything about my existence felt wrong. Like I’d changed, and my life hadn’t kept up. Like I was two people, and neither of them felt quite like me any more.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me that?’

‘Because I was still trying to figure it out, I guess. Trying to fit myself into the role I thought I was meant to be playing. But then Alex came –’

‘So it is his fault!’

‘Not really. He just made me remember who I used to be. What mattered to me. The things I wanted out of life. And then, when I started paying attention to my real life, with Edward, I realized that none of those things were there. It’s not like you and Rhys. Rhys knows you backwards, knows everything you want, every dream you have. But Edward… We both assumed we knew what the other wanted, but we never talked about it. And I suddenly realized that… we’ve both changed since we got together. We’re both
still
changing. And I just knew that, if we got married right now, without ever talking about it, we’d change so much we’d end up making each other truly miserable.’

‘Oh.’ There was silence on the other end while Cora digested that information. ‘Well, okay. You’ve made your decision. Maybe the time apart will make you and Edward realize what you’re missing. Fall back in love with each other. I mean, it’s not like you won’t still see each other – you’ll both be at my wedding, for a start. You can take it slowly, learn to love each other again, maybe. You don’t have to get married
this
summer, after all. And now, since you’re not planning your own wedding, that means you’ll have plenty more time to help me with mine. And I’ve been thinking about the favours…’

With a sigh of relief, Lily settled back against her pillow and prepared herself for an extended debate on the merits of chocolates versus wild flower seed packets. She didn’t much care about the outcome. All that mattered was that Cora was still on her side, even if Lily feared she was being wildly optimistic about her future with Edward. If she had Cora, and Max, and maybe even Alex in her corner, what on earth did she need a husband for anyway?

Eventually, everyone would come to see that ending it with Edward was for the best.

It just might take a little while, in Cora and Evelyn’s case.

* * * *

The next morning, Alex was waiting for Max when he arrived at his office.

‘You’re really serious about this,’ Max said, unlocking the door.

Alex followed him in, portfolio in hand. He’d been up half the night going through the photos he’d taken at Tiger Lily and the ones from the wedding, editing, cropping and perfecting them. ‘What on earth could have made you think I wouldn’t be?’

Max shrugged. ‘Wasn’t sure if you were just going along with it to get the girl, so to speak.’

‘Lily?’ Alex blinked at the older man, and tried to forget the way he’d lingered over the shots with Lily’s face in them, pale and drawn but still devastatingly beautiful. ‘She was engaged until yesterday.’ And, despite the long series of rings he’d placed on her finger, not to him.

‘Like that matters.’ Max threw his keys into a bowl on the shelf and dropped into his chair. Leaning back, he looked up at Alex, still loitering in the doorway, his gaze examining. ‘You’ve been back in town what, a couple of weeks? And you knew she shouldn’t marry the guy, right?’

A memory of the flash of that stupid golden ring, so unlike any of the ones Lily had made, made Alex’s jaw tighten. Just another sign that the idiot thought Lily’s talent and dream was just “a little job.” ‘Yes.’ The word came out hard and violent.

‘And so did I. Whatever her mother says about needing to see her settled down. Besides, I’ve heard your reputation. If you wanted her, word has it all you’d need to do is click your fingers.’

‘I wouldn’t. Not while she was engaged.’ Alex gritted his teeth to keep his rising temper in. What stories had Cora been telling about him, anyway? Yes, he liked women. But the image most people here seemed to have of him
really
wasn’t going to help him in the long run.

‘And now she isn’t?’ Not waiting for an answer, Max held out a hand for the portfolio. ‘Toss that thing over here.’

For a moment, Alex wanted to hold the file to his chest and never let it be opened. How could Edward not see what a huge thing Lily had done, putting her dream out there to succeed or fail? But maybe Alex wouldn’t have, until he was there at the ledge about to do it himself.

He placed the portfolio on the desk and pushed it across, reminding himself to breathe as Max picked it up.

‘These aren’t half bad,’ Max said, flicking through the months of work and love and labour, learning to frame the shot, learning to use his equipment to best effect, to hone his eye to see the potential picture in everything around him, right up to the ones taken that week, with Lily’s delicate fingers and beautiful designs. ‘Not that I’m any real judge. I sort the business side; the other guys provide the talent.’ He tossed the portfolio back down onto the desk. ‘I’ll tell you what. We don’t have a photographer here, and maybe you could be a good addition. But what we need a hell of a lot more now Phillips has gone is a good accountant. You take on the financial side of things here, for a reasonable fee, and I think the collective will vote you in on Thursday.’

‘That sounds fair.’ Actually, it sounded like a bloody good deal. He’d get to build up his photography business slowly, while still earning money at what he knew and was good at. Maybe eventually he’d want to change the balance of that, but for now, it was too good to be true. And Alex tended to be very suspicious of deals that sounded too good on paper. ‘Any other conditions?’

‘Just one.’ And there it was. Whatever Max wanted that Alex wouldn’t want to give. He’d offered him exactly what he needed, and now he was going to make it conditional on something impossible. ‘Make sure Lily doesn’t go back to Edward.’

‘What?’ Not exactly what he’d been expecting. ‘Why would you think she’d listen to me?’

Max gave him a lopsided smile. ‘Because I saw the way she looked at you the other day. And I know she’s never looked at Edward like that.’

The words hit Alex right in the solar plexus. Wasn’t that just what he’d come home for? To find someone to look at him that way, the way his parents looked at each other, the way his brother looked at his sister-in-law? But not Lily. Yes, he was attracted to her. And yes, he liked her. She was fun to be around, and good to talk to. But he still barely knew her, not the woman she’d grown into, instead of the girl she’d been.

Except… it felt like he did. The time he’d spent with her that week had been comfortable. Easy. Right.

Lily said she didn’t ever want to get married, but that had been in the heat of the moment, in the crazy fallout of her sudden broken engagement. But she’d spent seven years with Edward, because she loved him. Not to mention the fact that Cora thought she’d go back to him. And he’d place money that Evelyn would be trying to talk her into it.

But she shouldn’t. Alex knew, deep in his bones, that Edward wasn’t the man for Lily.

He couldn’t let her marry him. Just couldn’t.

‘Okay,’ he told Max. ‘You’ve got a deal.’

A Cheshire Cat smile spread across Max’s face. ‘Then welcome to the Mill.’

Chapter Eight

Really, if she’d thought about it, it was hard to think of a worse time to break off her engagement. Quite aside from her mother’s hysterics, Lily now had to deal with everyone at the Mill. They’d be concerned about her, she knew, but they were also a load of old gossip hounds, so they’d want the scandal, too.

On a normal day, she could have dealt with them one at a time, as they stopped by the shop in dribs and drabs to see how she was. They’d need another excuse to stop by, of course, so some might have even brought her coffee, or cake.

Not today. Today was committee day, which meant they all got to bombard her with kindness and questions at once, totally legitimately. And once they found out she was championing the latest addition to the Mill’s team… Chances were, they’d all jump to the exact same conclusion that Cora had.

Taking a deep breath, Lily opened the car door and stepped out into the Mill car park. Maybe she could make it to the shop and at least get a cup of tea before the meeting – and the inquisition – started.

No such luck.

‘Lily!’ Tessa waved at her from the gates, running to catch up. It could be worse, Lily supposed. Tessa was one of her best friends at the Mill. She and her fiancé, Jack, ran the glassblowing studio across from hers, and they’d collaborated on some beautiful earring sets. Lily had even made Tessa’s wedding jewellery for their beach wedding later this summer.

It really would be very rude to ignore her. Unfortunately.

With a sigh, Lily paused by the car and waited for Tessa to reach her. ‘Hi, Tess. Everything okay?’

Tessa nodded, her coppery curls bobbing around her pixie face. ‘I just… I heard about you and Edward, and I wanted to say how sorry I am.’

‘Thanks.’ Tessa did look genuinely heartbroken at the failure of her engagement. Obviously, despite what Alex said, not everyone had known what a colossal mistake she’d nearly made. Or maybe Tessa was just so loved up she wanted everyone to be as happy as she was. Just like Cora. ‘But, really, I think it’s for the best.’

Tessa’s forehead crumpled into a frown of incomprehension. ‘Well, I just wanted to say, if you need anything, you know where we are.’

‘Thanks,’ Lily said again. She had a feeling she’d be saying it a lot today. ‘See you at the meeting?’

Tessa nodded and bounced off in the direction of her studio, and Jack, and her perfect, loved-up life.

‘If love makes you so blind you can’t see who people really are, I’m well out of it,’ Lily muttered. But only once she was sure Tessa couldn’t hear her.

The committee meeting took place, as always, with the Mill members scattered on chairs around several of the circular wooden tables of the Mill cafe, sipping tea and eating pastries. Max rattled through the usual business while Lily fended off sympathetic looks and murmurs of condolences with a business-like expression and utter concentration on the matters at hand.

Until he reached the latest bid for a studio at the Mill.

‘Right, next up. I’ve spoken to you all about Alex Harper, the photographer who wants to join our collective and take up the empty studio. You’ve all seen his portfolio. So, floor’s open for comments and questions.’

She couldn’t look too eager or too concerned. Couldn’t let on that it mattered to her at all that Alex have a place here, unless she wanted to fuel the latest gossip even more. So Lily looked down at her notes and waited for someone else to speak.

‘I have to say,’ Jack said, eventually. ‘It would be great to have an accountant on site. But only if he’s willing to use those skills. If he’s giving everything up to be a photographer, will he want to be helping out with our accounts as well?’

‘He says so. I think he wants the regular accounting income while he builds up the new business,’ Max said mildly. Lily kept staring at her pad.

‘He hasn’t been doing photography very long though, has he?’ Across the table, Kimberley, the ceramics artist, spoke around a mouthful of
pain au chocolat
.

‘His portfolio was good, though,’ Tessa said.

‘Yeah, but if he’s still so new, is he going to be able to build up that business at all?’ Kimberley argued. ‘Or are we going to be an artists’ collective with an accountant in one studio?’

Lily gave up on being neutral. ‘He had his first wedding booking yesterday. And he’s done all the photography for my new catalogue.’

Knowing looks were exchanged across the table. Lily sighed.

‘I heard you got him that booking, though,’ Kimberley said.

‘I did,’ Lily admitted, knowing exactly what everyone was reading into that.

‘So how can you be sure he can do it on his own?’

Lily looked to Max for support, but he merely raised his eyebrows and motioned for Lily to continue.

‘Okay, look. He’s a friend, so of course I’m going to speak up for him. But he’s bloody good – at photography, not just accounting. He’s given up his whole way of life to move home and make a go of this. He’s going to give it everything he’s got, and he’s going to succeed. Trust me.’