knowing he was going to dump me a second time? Was that his way of easing his conscience? And what about all those stock options he gave me? I guess he wanted to be sure I didnât starve. Actually he made me a multimillionaire. The last time I looked, Digitech was around $160 a share. He just kissed me off in the blink of an eye, didnât he?â
âYeah, thatâs exactly what he did. Oh, Lily, Iâm so sorry this happened. I wish there was something I could do to wipe away that horrible look on your face.â
Lily swallowed her glass of wine in two long gulps and held it out for a refill. âWhat is this?â she asked, pointing to her plate.
âChicken something or other. Itâs what you ordered. Itâs good. Try eating something, Lily. Listen, I think Iâm going to delay my trip a few days and stay here in Natchez with you. I donât feel right leaving you.â
âNo, no, no. I walked into this with my eyes wide-open. I have no one to blame but myself. Iâll be okay. When you stop to think about it, a million-dollar kiss-off plus stock options isnât so hard to take. Iâm going to enjoy spending every single penny of Matt Starrâs money,â Lily said, tears rolling down her cheeks.
âLily, donât cry.â
Lily gulped more wine as she stared at the busy waiters rushing about âHeâs not worth my tears is he? How much did I pay you for your house? My brain is numb. I canât seem to think or remember anything. I donât think Iâm going to sell the condo. Iâll just close it up. Iâm not in any condition to make decisions that involve large sums of money right now.â
âGood thinking, Lily. Thereâs no hurry to sell. Consider it a sanctuary in case you ever feel the need of one. Eighty thousand, and I robbed you. Itâs costing you five times that amount to fix it up. That monstrosity Mom willed to me was just sitting empty for twenty-five years. Iâm glad to be rid of it and the taxes that go with it. Iâll remind you of that tomorrow when youâre sober. You said you were using all your inheritance to refurbish it. Thatâs not counting your kiss-off money and all those stock options,â Sadie said sourly.
Lily nodded as she poured more wine into her glass. âYou donât think heâs lying dead somewhere, do you, Sadie?â
âNo, I donât think heâs lying dead somewhere. Eat something, Lily.â
âWhat did you do with the food from the reception?â
âI told Rene Adams to take it to the nearest homeless shelter or soup kitchen. She wanted to know what she should do with the flowers. I told her to send them to a nursing home. I hope that was okay, Lily.â
âThat was nice of you. People say their hearts break all the time. I always thought that was impossible, but itâs true. My heart feels like it was shattered. How am I going to get over this?â
âOne day at a time, Lily. The same way you did it before.â
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Lily wrapped her arms around Sadie one last time. Iâll miss you, Sadie. I donât know how to thank you for everything. This is the second time youâve . . .â
âShhh,â Sadie said, placing her index finger on Lilyâs lips. âWeâre friends. Iâll call every chance I get. Iâm going to miss you so much, Lily. You should leave before we both start to cry. Buzz is waiting for you in the car. If you need me, all you have to do is call, and Iâll be on the next plane back here. Deal?â
âDeal.â
âTheyâre calling you to board. Call, okay?â Lily said in a choked voice.
âYeah, you, too. Oh, God, I almost forgot. Iâve been meaning to give you this forever. I kept forgetting. It came with the house. Itâs probably just a trinket of some kind. I found it wedged in the back of one of the closets. It always helps to have
Marion Chesney, M.C. Beaton