“Who sent the roses?”
He shut off the engine and told her what he’d learned.
She frowned, thinking about it. “If it wasn’t Ken, and you don’t think Ken hired him, then who is it?”
“I don’t know.”
She turned toward the passenger window. Beyond the glass, she watched an older couple walking into the restaurant, all smiles. Without a care in the world.
“I saw Ken again yesterday when I was meeting with Barney,” she said in a wavering voice. “Other than the fact that he was acting a little distracted, he was completely professional. In fact, he barely seemed to notice me at all. It almost makes me think…”
That it’s not Ken. She could tell by Colin’s silence that he’d been able to complete her thought.
“Let’s try not to worry about it tonight, okay?” he said.
She nodded, feeling the tension in her shoulders. “I’ll try. It’s hard not to.”
“I know,” he said. “But you should probably take a moment to prepare yourself for Lily. I adore her, but she does take some getting used to.”
Maria forced a smile. “That’s a backhanded compliment, you know.”
“Guess who I learned it from?”
It took Maria only a second after entering the restaurant to identify Lily. Almost as soon as she and Colin had stepped through the door, a perfectly coiffed, ravishing blonde with eyes the color of turquoise glided toward them. She wore a stylish midlength dress and a strand of pearls. Practically every man in the restaurant turned to watch her pass. Evan, who was dressed preppy stylish and could have passed for someone still in college, trailed in her wake. Maria noticed his air of breezy confidence; he was clearly comfortable allowing Lily the limelight.
Lily’s smile never faltered, and as soon as she got close, she took Maria’s hands in her own. They were remarkably soft, like a silky baby blanket. “It is an absolute delight for me to have the pleasure of your company this evening! Colin has said so many wonderful things about you.” By then, Evan had reached her side. “And oh, dear! Where are my manners? I’m Lily, and this handsome man beside me is my fiancé, Evan. It’s so wonderful to meet you, Maria!”
“Hi there,” Evan said with genuine warmth. “And please don’t be offended if Lily doesn’t let me get a word in the rest of the evening.”
“Hush now, Evan,” Lily scolded. “There’s no reason to give our new friend the wrong impression about me.” She returned her gaze to Maria. “Please try to forgive him. He’s as sweet as can be and more intelligent than he lets on, but he went to State and he was in a fraternity. You know what that means.”
“At least my university was coed,” Evan countered.
“And as I’ve assured him repeatedly,” she responded, nudging Maria, “I will never hold that flaw against him.”
Despite herself, Maria smiled. “It’s nice to meet you both.”
Still holding Maria’s hands, Lily turned to Colin. “Colin, you must admit that you weren’t being fair to Maria at all when you told me about her! She’s absolutely breathtaking!” Then back to Maria: “It’s no wonder that you’ve been all that Colin has been able to think about lately. You must know that you’ve been the topic of discussion every time we’ve spoken in recent weeks, and I can certainly understand why.” Letting go of Maria’s hands, she kissed Colin on the cheek. “You’re very handsome this evening. Did I buy you that shirt?”
“Thank you,” Colin said. “And yes, you did.”
“And that’s a good thing, don’t you agree? If I wasn’t around, you’d probably be wearing one of those awful T-shirts with slogans on them.”
“I like those shirts.”
She patted his arm. “I know you do, bless your heart. Now, shall we head to the table? I’ve been on pins and needles all day and I want to know absolutely everything about the woman who already has you wrapped around her little finger.”
“I’m not sure that’s quite true,” Maria protested.
“As true as due north. Colin – despite his stoic demeanor – is actually quite expressive in his emotions once you’re familiar with them. Now, shall we?”
When she turned for the table, Colin shrugged at Maria, as if to say I told you so. While Maria had become acquainted with the Southern belle debutante phenomenon among the sorority girls at Chapel Hill, Colin was right: Lily took it to a whole new level. Maria initially assumed it to be partially an act, but as they settled into wide-ranging conversation over dinner, she gradually changed her mind. What was interesting was that as much as Lily could talk – and the girl could talk about anything – she could also draw out information simply by the way she listened. She had a way of leaning forward slightly and nodding when appropriate; making noises of empathy or sympathy, followed by probing questions. Maria never once had the sense that Lily was trying to think of the next thing she wanted to say while Maria was still talking, and to her surprise she even found herself telling Lily and Evan about the delivery of the roses and its aftermath. At that, the table went quiet, and Lily impulsively covered Maria’s hand with her own.
Later, while the two women were freshening up in the restroom after dinner, Maria caught Lily’s reflection in the mirror.
“I feel like I did most of the talking,” Maria said. “I’m sorry about that.”
“There is absolutely no reason to apologize. You have a lot going on in your life right now, and I’m flattered by your trust in us.”