Three Wishes(117)

Still no answer and she felt hope quickly dying as he missed call after call that he promised he’d never miss.

Then she left the shop early and made certain she was home when Tash got home from school so she could latch onto the phone when Tash was done speaking to her father.

“Mummy wants to talk to you,” Tash said on a giggle as she watched Lily pacing in the kitchen, Fazire’s assessing eyes on her, regarding her from his seat at the table.

Lily nearly snatched the phone out of her daughter’s hand when Tash offered it to her.

Lily had been thinking about it, trying to find a reason for his abrupt change to such hostile behaviour and she’d convinced herself that she’d pushed too hard, got too close, made a mess of things by trying to break through and she was ready for retreat. Even having Nate removed was better than this.

“Nate, I –”

“Lily, I don’t have time for this now,” he interrupted her before she got started, “call me later.”

Then, without another word or waiting for her to respond, he hung up.

She stared at the phone finding it difficult to breathe, her heart stuttering so much she felt like it would come to a halt. Then she looked at Tash who had been grinning at her but her grin faded as Lily put the phone on the receiver.

“Didn’t Daddy –” Tash started.

“Daddy’s really busy, doll baby. Getting ready for our honeymoon,” Lily explained quietly, not believing a word she said but hoping that Tash would.

Luckily, her daughter bought her lie, her grin came back with a vengeance and she skipped out of the room.

“Lily-child,” Fazire spoke and started to float and Lily knew what that meant and she was having none of it.

Lily shook her head and when she heard Tash cooing to Mrs. Gunderson somewhere in the house, she said one word to Fazire, knowing he’d know what she meant, “Tash.”

Then she ran, ran out the front door, ran down the street, ran passed the pier, along the seafront path, straight to the bandstand and stopped. She stopped her feet, her heart and her thoughts and she started walking, fast, breathing heavily, making her body work hard so her mind wouldn’t. She walked until she felt she would drop then she turned toward home.

Later that night, when Fazire and Tash were both asleep, she tried Nate again.

He answered his mobile and in the background she heard what sounded like a busy club or restaurant.

“What is it Lily?” he asked instead of greeting her, obviously seeing her name displayed before answering his phone.

“I just wanted to say –” she began tentatively, not sure what she wanted to say but needing to say it all the same.

Then she heard, in a purring, female voice that was very close to the phone, “Nate, our table’s ready.”

Nate didn’t even try to cover the mouthpiece when he responded, “In a minute, Georgia.”

Lily’s legs buckled from under her and powerless to stop herself, she dropped and sat on the bed. It felt like it took a year for her to turn her head and look at the clock on the bedside table.

It was passed ten at night and Nate was out with Georgia, his old girlfriend, a woman Jeffrey had thought he was ready to marry. He was away from Lily the week before their wedding, in London, out on the town with another woman.

“Lily.” She heard her name sound in her ear as if from far away but she had herself together enough to note that Nate’s voice sounded impatient.

“It –” she cleared her throat, her body numb, her mind blank and she had no idea her voice betrayed exactly how broken she felt, “it’s nothing, Nate. Enjoy yourself.”

Then she’d pressed the button to hang up even as she heard him start to say her name again.

Her mobile rang in her hand almost immediately but she opened and closed it, disconnecting Nate without a word. Then she turned it off. The house phone rang and she picked it up out of its bed, hit the button for on then hit the button for off and then on again, listening to the insistent ring tone until it grew urgent and even longer and then it was silenced. Then she rolled on her side in the bed, pulled the pillow over her head and again, keeping her thoughts at bay with an extreme effort of will, she cried herself to sleep which was, she was realising, the only way she could get to sleep.

The following morning at the store, Maxie cornered her.

“What on earth is going on?”

It took effort but Lily lifted her eyes to Maxine’s. “Nothing,” she lied through her teeth. “Why do you ask?”

“Why do I… why…?” Maxie spluttered. “You’re marrying your dream man in two days and you look like hell. I’m sorry to say it but you do. You look pale, your eyes are all puffy. You should know, Fazire called me –”

“Don’t listen to Fazire. He doesn’t know what’s going on,” Lily broke in.

“Do you know what’s going on?” Maxie flashed back.

Lily responded automatically, “Nate’s an important man, a lot of people depend on him. He hasn’t had a holiday…” Lily stopped.

She had no idea when he’d last had a holiday. She had no idea about a lot of things about Nate.

What she did know was that he was guarded. What she did know was that he had secrets. What she did know was that, eight years ago he demanded that she move in and then promised her the world. Two weeks later, when she needed him the most, he broke all his promises and let her go. Now, eight years later, the same thing happened with slight differences. And, two months later…