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Henrik groaned, leaned his head onto the back of the couch, and ran his hands through his hair, mouthwateringly tangling it. Lily had the sudden urge to run her hands through his hair as well. Yikes. She really needed to leave this room.
“Is Lady Eden looking good to you right about now?” she said.
His hands slid from his face. “No, and thank you for the perspective.” He sat up and indicated the signed contract, which she’d taken a copy of. “Was everything to your liking?”
“I signed it,” Lily said tiredly. She’d had a long day and was ready to go home and see how Snow had done with her fur babies. “And I’m leaving.”
“Wait, now?” He rose to his feet as Lily slipped her shoes back on and gained a few extra inches in the process.
“I’m tired, Henrik. It’s late, and I have to work tomorrow.”
He slumped against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. “You never told me what you do for Mr. Elir. ‘Assistant’ isn’t very specific.”
“I manage his schedule and business affairs,” Lily said, fighting a yawn. There was more to her position than that, but she wasn’t going to go into it all now.
“Sounds like something you’d be good at.”
“Only because I’ve had practice,” she countered. “Would you like another date tomorrow?” They needed to stick to business. Small talk would get them nowhere, especially not this late at night and not with the image of him untucking his shirt playing in her mind on repeat.
“No.”
“No?”
He shook his head. “What am I thinking? Yes. Maybe something earlier in the day. That way you won’t have to rush home right afterward.”
She decided not to read too much into that and slung her messenger bag on her shoulder. “All right. I’ll see what I can come up with.” She made for the door.
“Wait,” he said again, inching closer but still keeping his distance. “You never told me. Did it help?”
She closed her eyes, keeping her hand on the door. “Did what help?”
“The money I gave you,” he said softly. “Did it help?”
Lily lowered her head. She’d been wondering when he would mention the money. “I don’t know yet,” she said honestly, not looking back at him. “I’ll be in touch about tomorrow, okay?” And she stepped out before he could ask her another question.
His words accompanied her during her entire drive with Michael to her apartment across town. They followed her up the stairs and as she paid Snow for watching her fur babies. The money had silenced Damon for now, but who knew how long that silence would last?
* * *
Lily sang loudlyto the music blaring from her phone as she scrubbed her morning dishes. Her apartment was a safe haven, her pets clearly happy to have her around for a little while at least. She’d called in some French toast and eggs for Henrik and Louise, but she didn’t have to be at the hotel until later that morning and she was going to take advantage of the time.
Dishes done, Lily hopped onto her computer to check the website she’d discovered the day before. The site featured Italian flats for rent, something she’d been looking into for months. She didn’t know how to go about scheduling anything right now, not without revealing who she was. She didn’t have all the steps for her name change in place as yet, and securing a place to live in Italy might have to wait until she arrived there.
She knew well enough that if she left for Italy, Damon could still release the emails. But he wouldn’t know where to find her to demand money, and she wanted to put everything behind her and start over. Maybe a new name in a new country would give her the confidence she lacked.
Dr. Grumbles came skidding out of the hall with something in his mouth, Frou Frou and Artemis following after. Pooksy barked happily at the commotion and wagged his tail and Lily bent down to scratch him behind the ears.
“They’re just playing,” she told the husky-doodle.
Her phone buzzed, and she happily swiped to answer Ethan’s call.
“Hey, Lily,” her brother said. “Just calling to see how things were going.”
This was another reason she couldn’t move forward with her plans to leave just yet. She wasn’t sure how to let Ethan know. He would panic if she disappeared without a word, but she also didn’t want to tell himwhyshe was leaving.
“Hi,” she said. “I’ve got a few hours this morning, so your timing is perfect.”
They talked about his girlfriend, Charlotte, and how things at work were going. Ethan mentioned how he’d seen their parents on a TV program featuring the King Toothpaste brand. An additional cinder slid into her stomach. If she hadn’t botched the deal a few years before, that could have been Patrick Billingsworth on TV, not her parents, which had been a long-term dream of theirs. But they were doing the marketing now, just like they always had.
