feels thick with sudden emotion. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You’re not asking, I’m offering,” she says. “Let me just drop off this rascal with his father, and I’ll be right back.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
Five minutes later I’m in the passenger seat of Lily’s car, leaving the glittering ocean behind me in the rearview mirror. She turns on the radio, keeping the music down, her fingers drumming on the steering wheel.
“Sorry for this, truly,” I say again.
“Oh, don’t apologize. It’s not a problem at all. And even if it was a problem, I’d still do it.”
I swallow before speaking his name, but it still grates on my tongue. “You and Rhys… you’re close?”
“I’d say so, yes,” she says, face softening. “We’re both the rebels of the family, in a way. I run an art gallery, he has a publishing company. It’s not construction or real estate and it’s not going to land us in Forbes.”
“And those two things are important to your father,” I murmur.
“They were,” she says. “They’ve become less so now, but they still hover above our heads, in a way. How about you? Did you always want to be a model?”
“No. I wanted to dance when I was younger, but I injured my knee, and had to stop. I worked with a lot of physical therapists afterwards. I’m studying to be one, now, part-time. Modeling is how I pay for college.”
Lily nods. “What kind of injury?”
“Tore a ligament in my knee, and the recovery was pretty rough. It can handle a lot now, but it can’t handle hours of dancing every single day.”
“A shame,” she says softly. “Did Rhys tell you about my injury?”
“A little, yes.”
“Well, one of my legs is pretty bad too. Not terrible, but dancing is pretty much ruled out for me as well.” She shoots me a grin. “It probably was before the accident too, to be honest.”
I smile back, even if my heart feels like it’s shattering. They’re all being so nice to me, and here I am, running away.
“So,” she says. “If you want to tell me what my brother has done to piss you off, I’ll listen. Lord knows he’s pissed me off too many times to count.”
I look down at my hands. “This might be a bit different.”
She snorts, sounding so like Rhys. “Probably. But I’m a good listener, and I don’t gossip.”
I stare out at the passing landscape and think of what to say. What will be true, without going into all the gory details. My throat still feels tight with tears. “Well… I think we’re on different pages, in regards to us. How serious we were, or where we’re heading.”
Lily is quiet for a long moment, and when I look back at her, a frown is tugging at her lips. “Was that too much info?”
“No,” she says. “It’s just, I’ve never known Rhys to be anything but honest. I don’t like thinking he’s misled you.”
“He’s your brother,” I say quietly. “I don’t want to come in between that, somehow.”
She shakes her head with a kind smile. “Don’t worry, you won’t. And I completely understand if you don’t want to say more. I’ll still give him an earful later.”
I chuckle at that, despite myself.
“He’s often difficult,” she says. “He goes his own way. He makes his own path. He claims to love debate, and truth, but that doesn’t mean he’s always good at putting himself in other people’s shoes. But if there’s one thing he is, it’s loyal, right down to the bone.” She’s quiet for a long moment, even as we pull up to the Bridgeport train station, turning the car off in the parking lot.
But then she turns to me. “I’ve just met you, Ivy, but on account of us both being named for plants…,” a smile curves her lips, “let me tell you that I’ve never seen my brother laughing with a woman the way he did with you last night. And I don’t think he would have come to our father’s party if he didn’t have you there by his side.”
My mouth feels dry, my heart heavy. “Oh.”
“Yesterday, when we were playing cards, you said that life just keeps getting better. Do you remember that?”
I search my memories, the alcohol and the games. “Faintly.”
“He didn’t contradict you.” Lily smiles at me. “He’s been a cynic since he was eight years old, and he didn’t even blink, just raised his glass to cheer.”
I look down at my handbag. In my pocket, I can feel my