Charlotte laughed. “For the next year, at least. Then you’ll probably want an upgrade.”
A bolt of excitement charged through Lilly. The thin, sleek metal object in her hand signified freedom and the ability to do so much more for herself. “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
The smile on Charlotte’s face looked... affectionate. “You’re welcome. I’ve been very excited to give it to you. I was just waiting for the right moment.”
Lilly knew it was stupid to allow herself to feel so happy. Something terrible always seemed to come right after. But it was starting to feel as if she still had family in the world, and that maybe her sisterwouldn’tabandon her in the end. “You’re the best thing to ever happen to me,” she said and threw her arms around Charlotte.
Charlotte seemed bowled over at first but quickly rallied and returned the hug. “I’m glad,” she said, laughing, “because I’m not going anywhere.”
Breaking away so she could see Charlotte’s face, Lilly stepped back. “Do you mean it?”
Charlotte lifted Lilly’s hand, the one holding her new phone. “Look at this. Here’s my number,” she said, navigating to Contacts. “No matter what happens, I’ll only be one call away, from this day until forever.”
Owning a phone, having a way to reach Charlotte at any time, day or night, seemed to offer a safety net, which was something she’d never had. It also made Lilly feel connected and important to someone—besides a dog. But it was what she saw when she exited out of her contacts that brought tears to her eyes.
The wallpaper on her new phone was a picture of her with her mother on her last birthday—whathadbeen her favorite day.
Until this one.
chapter 24
Ben was eating lunch when he received a text from Sloane.
Is there something going on I should know about?
Surprised and a bit confused, he was about to ask her to clarify what she was talking about when Adele, who was now replacing Sandra on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays until two o’clock, peeked into the back room. “Hey, you. I made something for you last night.”
Her bright, expectant smile—and how often she’d begun seeking him out—made him wish he’d been more guarded. He hoped he hadn’t given her the wrong impression. He liked her, but he’d only been trying to make her feel welcome. His father had died when he was just starting high school, so his mother had been forced to soldier on alone, and he knew how hard that could be.
He set down his sandwich as she came in, carrying a plate. “What is it?” he asked.
Warm vanilla and chocolate drifted up as she peeled backthe foil. “The best cookies you’ll ever eat—oatmeal chocolate chip. I heard you tell Sandra they’re your favorite and that you can hardly ever get them without raisins. So I set out on a mission to find the very best recipe.”
“You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble,” he said. “That... that was very nice of you.”
“I wanted to do it. You’re the reason I’m excited to come to work each day.”
Yikes!Had he said or done something that could’ve made her think his interest went beyond that of a friend or coworker? He was pretty sure he’d mentioned that he was married. Even if he hadn’t, he wore a ring!
“We’re all happy to have you here,” he said, keeping his voice neutral. “We really needed another person.”
“That’s what Sandra told me.” She stepped close enough for her perfume to drift over as she pulled a folded sheet from her back pocket. “By the way, Colt drew this for you.”
It was a picture of a horse. Or a turtle. Ben couldn’t decide which. Maybe it was neither. “Very nice.”
“He wants to know when he’ll get to see you again. I told him I’d ask if you’d like to join us for a picnic this Saturday. I thought I’d make my mother’s potato salad, some sandwiches, that sort of thing.”
Ben cleared his throat. Would it be just the three of them? Because he didn’t mind helping her with chores around the house. He’d spent last Saturday fixing a broken sprinkler for her and getting rid of a bunch of cardboard in her garage because she was new in town and didn’t have much support from family or friends. But a picnic would feel more like a date than a service project.
When he hesitated, she added uncertainly, “To thank you for all you did last weekend.”
“No thanks needed.” He lifted the plate of cookies she’d given him. “These are more than enough.”
She seemed crestfallen that he hadn’t jumped at her invitation, which made Ben grapple for a way out that wouldn’t hurt her feelings. “I...uh...promised my wife I’d get some ‘honey-dos’ done around our house before she gets back,” he added. “Sorry I can’t make the picnic.”
Her smile held, but the light went out of her eyes. He’d reminded her of his wife, subtly let her know he wouldn’t stray. “Of course. No worries. I can’t wait to meet her. Name’s Sloane, right?”
“Yeah, Sloane,” he confirmed. “You’ll really like her. She’s great at decorating. If you ever want help with that sort of thing, she’s the girl to call.”
