Free Three Days of Rain by Christine Hughes Page B

something with their hands. Her parents had always hired contractors and Lily never understood why. Wouldn’t it be more satisfying if they’d done the work themselves? She looked at the deck and smiled.
    Lily thought her parents were amazing people. Her father was a doctor and her mother stayed at home. Lily had grown up in an upper-middle class neighborhood, had lots of friends, and never wanted for anything. When her parents had wanted to send her to a private school, she balked until they allowed her to attend the public school. It was a decision she appreciated. Her parents trusted her, mostly because she never gave them any real trouble. Sure, she drank at a few parties, brought home the occasional boy, and got into a little mischief now and then. Like all teenagers, she had gone through a short “you’ll never understand me” phase. But all in all she’d been a good kid.
    There were things in this life she wanted to experience. She’d never consider herself sheltered but she probably was. It wasn’t jealousy she felt over the fact that Jake could build his own deck. It was more of an I-want-to-do-that-too.
    When Jake walked out of the makeshift workshop, he noticed Lily standing with her back to him. She was running her hands over the wood that he’d framed. She looked different than before. Her hair was down and curly. Strands got caught up in the slight breeze, reminding him of a willow tree. Her jeans were simple but tight enough to highlight her legs and rear. She was wearing a simple pale-purple T-shirt that highlighted the red in her hair. When she turned around, he saw that the neckline plunged just a little and gave a hint of what was just below the opening. She looked freshly scrubbed and beautiful and, for a moment, when the breeze picked up, he smelled lavender. Their eyes met and neither one moved. She just smiled. The ice surrounding Jake’s heart melted, just a little.
    “Hi.”
    “Hey.”
    “The deck looks good so far. How long have you been working on it?”
    “About a year.”
    “Really?”
    “Well, I tore it down last year and decided today that I should probably get it done, so I went to the store, bought the stuff, and went to work. Hey, you want a beer? I have some pizza left over from lunch, if you’re hungry.”
    She turned from him and bent down. When she turned back she was carrying a six-pack and a bag.
    “I asked Uncle Billy what kind of beer you drank, and I had him make you one of those crab cake sandwiches. I hope you don’t mind. They were supposed to be sort of a peace offering.”
    She looked down when she said this, and the annoyance he’d felt earlier today disappeared. When he didn’t say anything, she put the items on a makeshift table.
    “Well, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for before. It wasn’t really my business. I’ll let you get back to work. See ya later, Jake.”
    “Wait. Aren’t you gonna eat with me?”
    “I ate earlier. I had to run home and shower so your sandwich is probably cold. I had to get the smell of food out of my hair, ya know?”
    “Yeah. Well thanks.”
    “No problem. And Jake? I really am sorry if I made you mad.”
    She was halfway down the driveway when he called out, “Lily! At least have a beer with me. I haven’t talked to anyone all day. Well, since this morning. I could use a break.”
    She turned and looked at him. “Sure. I could hang for a beer.”
    He took the six-pack she’d brought into the house and put it in the fridge. Grabbing two cold ones, he popped the tops off and walked back outside. He had no idea why he asked her to stay. He certainly hadn’t planned to. “Here you go. Thanks for the sandwich. I’m getting a little sick of cold pizza, to be honest.”
    “Anytime. I haven’t seen you in the bar lately, so I figured you’d need something. Presumptuous, I know, but that’s me.”
    Jake dug into the brown paper bag. “Aw, you brought me cole slaw, too?”
    She laughed. “Yeah, Uncle Billy