Maria added some lipstick before her voice softened. “You weren’t surprised by what Colin did, were you? With the photo and tracking down where the roses came from?”
“No,” Lily answered. “That’s who he is. When he loves someone, he’ll do anything for them.”
“It feels like half the time, I’m still trying to figure him out.”
“I’m not surprised,” Lily said. “At the same time, since you were so honest with Evan and me, you must know that prior to dinner, my loyalties lay completely with Colin. I wanted to meet you so I could make sure that you were everything he said you were.”
“You really care about him.”
“I love him like a brother,” Lily admitted. “He’s very important to me. And I know what you’re probably thinking. We couldn’t be more different, and I didn’t understand what Evan saw in him at first, either. All those tattoos and muscles and all the violence in his past…” Lily shook her head. “I must have visited Evan four or five times before I ever said a word to Colin, and when I finally did, the first thing that came out of my mouth was that I thought he should find a new place to live. And do you know what Colin said to me?”
“ ‘Okay’?” Maria mimicked, and Lily laughed.
“He does that with you, too? Bless his heart. I have been trying to break that habit to no avail, but lately I’ve come to admit that it suits him. At the time, I do remember being offended. I complained to Evan and he promised to talk to Colin, but only on the condition that I talk to him first. Which of course I refused to do on principle.”
“So who ended up breaking the ice? You or him?”
“Colin did. I’d purchased Evan a television for his birthday around that time, and it was in the trunk. Colin happened to come across me struggling with the box. He immediately offered to help. He brought it in and asked if I wanted to have it mounted or left in the box. Which was something I hadn’t thought about. I told him that Evan would do it, but he sort of laughed and said that Evan wouldn’t know how to do such a thing. The next thing I knew, he was on his way to the hardware store, and twenty minutes later, he was mounting it on the wall. He’d also picked up a big ribbon and bow, and it was that, more than anything, that made me wonder whether there was something about him that was worth getting to know. So we talked. It took about thirty seconds of asking him questions before I realized that he wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met before.”
“Colin said you recommended that he go back to college. And that you helped him with his studies.”
“Someone had to. The poor man hadn’t cracked a book in years. But he made it easy, because once he’d decided to go back, he was determined to do his best. And he’s intelligent. Despite having moved from school to school, he must have picked up something along the way.”
“And he’s Evan’s best man?”
Lily pulled a tissue from her purse and dabbed at her lipstick as she nodded. “Yes. Of course, my parents are absolutely aghast at the idea. As far as they know, he’s Evan’s friend, not mine, and they continually hint that I should keep my distance. The first time my daddy saw Colin, he actually flinched, and my mama has gone so far as to suggest that he shouldn’t even be invited to the wedding, let alone be the best man. Even when I tell them that he’s my friend, too, they pretend they didn’t hear me say it. They are rooted in their ways and I will always be their precious child, bless their hearts.”
“My mom and dad weren’t too thrilled with Colin, either.”
“It’s understandable. But unlike my parents, I’ll bet yours will give him a chance and eventually change their minds. I did, after all. Even now, I sometimes have trouble understanding it. In all candor, Colin and I don’t have much in common.”
“I’d have to agree.”
Lily smiled, straightening her pearls before turning to Maria. “Still, there’s something about that heartfelt honesty of his, coupled with not giving a damn about what other people think about him, that just gets to me.”
Maria couldn’t help smiling in agreement.
“You must believe me when I tell you,” Lily added, “that he’s much less rough around the edges than when I first met him. It’s been an extraordinary effort on my part.” She winked. “But there’s no reason to thank me. You ready? I’m sure the lads are already pining for us.”
“I don’t think Colin pines.”
“He’s pining,” she said. “He might not admit it, but he is.”
“I wasn’t pining,” Colin said on the way to his car. Up ahead, Lily was walking with Evan toward his Prius. “I was talking to Evan about my fight.”
“The one in Myrtle Beach?”
“No. The one next weekend.”
“What fight?”
Colin filled her in, then added, “Evan will be coming. You should come, too.”
“Will Lily come?”
“No,” Colin said. “Fighting’s not really Lily’s thing.”
“I’m surprised it’s Evan’s thing.”
“He always goes to my fights. He enjoys them.”
“Really? He doesn’t seem the type.”
“And what type is that?”
“People who resemble you,” Maria teased. “Big muscles and tattoos, but mainly people who don’t look like they’ll faint at the first sign of blood.”