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Without a word, Henrik left the sweating, pulsing crowd, the obnoxious beats, and pulled Lily through the sand back to the sidewalk. They didn’t speak until they could do so without having to shout. The music’s heavy beats continued pounding in his head even after they’d left it far behind.
* * *
Lily couldn’t tellby Henrik’s expression, but she wondered what he was thinking. He’d yanked her to her feet and guided her across the sand, away from the noisy, headache-inducing rave she’d suggested, and guilt collected deeper with every step. Was he going to reprimand her? Was he the type of man who would mansplain all the reasons she’d failed?
“You’re upset, aren’t you?” Lily asked.
Henrik dug his hands into his pockets. “Not in so many words,” he said in a patient tone she hadn’t expected. Lily had been bracing herself for backlash, not kindness. He was definitely not like her ex. “There was a time this would have been the perfect scene for me, but I think more one-on-one situations with a woman would be preferable.”
Lily stared straight ahead. So he was disappointed. The night had a deep blue cast and stars twinkled over their heads as waves crashed to their left. “Henrik, I’m not a matchmaking service,” she said with defeat.
“Surely you have friends who I might be compatible with,” he suggested.
She still couldn’t believe he wanted her to keep trying. Why wasn’t he telling her to forget the whole thing, demanding his money back? Couldn’t he see how wrong she was for something like this?
Lily thought this over. They walked in silence with the boisterous, busy street on one side and the peaceful spread of ocean and sand on the other. What a juxtaposition, just like his situation with Lily was. If only she hadn’t agreed to this. She regretted it more and more with every step.
But she couldn’t risk him pulling back and demanding a refund. Come to think of it, Henrik hadn’t even asked what she’d needed the money for. He’d had total confidence that she would carry out her part in this deal. She needed to ensure he still felt that way.
They crossed the street, and she guided him back to the parking lot and the employee entrance. “All right then, Mr. Von Frosk. You have a suitable contract written up for me by tomorrow, and I will see to it that you have a quiet date ready for you tomorrow evening.”
“Excellent,” he said with that effervescent enthusiasm. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
The two shook hands and then Lily pulled away at how warm his hand felt holding hers.
“Good night, then,” he said. “And I like sausage and pancakes, by the way.”
“You got it.” She held her smile until he was inside. Lily exhaled, relieved and tired. Henrik wanted to continue. He wasn’t demanding the money back. She snapped her fingers and bopped her fists together a few times, staring out at the parking garage in thought. She’d promised him a date tomorrow night. Now to figure out who that date could be.
7
“What about Becca from accounting?” Aaliyah suggested when Lily filled her and Mr. Elir in the next morning. Henrik hadn’t seemed bothered by the fact that Aaliyah knew he was there or that Lily had been the one to tell her. She took that as a sign she could continue to fill them in as they’d requested.
“Becca is always so grumpy,” Mr. Elir argued. He was sitting up in his bed this time, with papers spread across his lap. Lily insisted she could help him look over the reports that had been sent in, but Mr. Elir wanted to do as much of his job as he still could.
“Who better to cheer her up than a prince?” Aaliyah gave her father a cheesy grin but quickly relented and paced the room. “What about Shanice?”
“I think she’s with someone now,” Lily said, thinking of the head of housekeeping and remembering her mention her new boyfriend only a week before.
“You know,” Mr. Elir said, lowering the paper he was reading and pinning his black eyes on her. “Why not you, Lily?”
“Oh no, sir,” she said too quickly.
“Papa is right,” Aaliyah said, acting as if the realization had just dawned on her too. “You work so hard and do so much around here for us. You deserve an opportunity like this.”
“Since when is dating an opportunity?”
“Since now,” Mr. Elir said. “You find the right man, and it is always an opportunity.”
“He is very good-looking,” Aaliyah added.
“I noticed.” Lily willed her cheeks not to give anything away.
“And you are very lovely,” Mr. Elir said. “He would be lucky to have a woman as reliable and kind as you.”
“I’m not all that,” Lily said, shy under the weight of their praise.
“You deserve a good man.” Mr. Elir sounded more like a father than an employer, something Lily hadn’t had in far too long. Her eyes stung, but she blinked and spoke through the emotion, refusing to think of how her father hadn’t said anything at all to her in a few years now.
