Free Friends--And Then Some by Debbie Macomber Page A

you’ll come this way.”
    Jake’s hand on the small of Lily’s back urged her forward.
    “Do you have any color in mind?”
    “Midnight blue, red, and maybe something white.” The choices came off the top of his head. Once, a long time back, it had occurred to him that with Lily’s dark hair she’d look like an angel in white.
    “I have just the thing.” The clerk motioned toward the dressing rooms on the other side of the spacious floor.
    Like a small duckling marching after its mother, Lily walked behind the salesclerk through rows and rows of expensive dresses.
    Sitting in a deep, cushioned chair outside the dressing room, Jake leaned against the padded back and crossed his legs, playing the part of a generous benefactor. This was just the type of thing Rick would relish. Jake had recognized the look in Rick’s eyes the minute he laid eyes on Lily. He’d wanted her. Jake knew the feeling. He’d wanted Elaine from the first minute he’d seen her; had lusted after her and been so thoroughly infatuated with her that he couldn’t think straight. But Lily was different. She wasn’t Elaine—knowledgeable in the ways of the world and practiced in controlling men. No, Lily was an innocent.
    Changing positions, Jake uncrossed his legs and folded his arms over his chest. He didn’t know what could be taking so long—or how he was going to pay for whichever dress Lily chose. But it would be worth it to salvage his pride.
    “Jake,” Lily whispered, coming out of the dressing room. She wore a deep-blue dress with a scalloped collar and short sleeves. “How do you like it?”
    Jake watched her walk self-consciously in front of him. It was a dress, nothing special. “What do you think?” he asked.
    “The saleslady called it Spun Sapphires.”
    “It has a name?”
    “Yes.” She inserted her hand inside the thin belt. “It’s a little big around the waist.”
    “Then try on another.”
    Relieved, Lily returned to the dressing room. The dress was nice, but she hated the thought of Jake spending nine hundred dollars on it. As tactfully as possible, she asked the clerk to bring dresses that were in a lower price range. Eager to please, the woman returned with a variety in the colors Jake had requested. A white crepe frock withfeminine tucks and simulated pearl embellishments caught her eye.
    Jake felt a little too conspicuous as he sat and waited. Since Iraq, he liked to think of himself as an island, an entity unto himself. His life was comfortable. He needed no one. There were no ties to the mainland, no bridges, no sandbars. Nothing. Elaine had been the first to tug him closer to the shore. And now Lily … Just when he wanted to cast thoughts of her from his mind, he glanced up to discover her standing in front of him. She was breathtakingly beautiful in a simple white dress. Without realizing what he was doing, he slowly rose to his feet. Their eyes met for an instant before Lily turned away. Jake could hardly breathe, let alone speak. He’d never seen anyone more lovely.
    “What’s this one called?” He swallowed and held his breath, trying to slow his racing heart. The task was impossible. Lily was a vision; she was everything that Jake wanted in a woman. His fingers ached with the need to trace her cheekbones and touch the fullness of her lips.
    “It’s called Angel’s Breath,” she said.
    “We’ll take it,” Jake informed the salesclerk, without glancing her way. Tearing his eyes away from Lily was unthinkable. He wanted to hold the memory of her in his mind and carry it with him for the remainder of his days.
    “But you don’t even know how much it is,” Lily said.
    “The price doesn’t matter.” Her nose was perfect, Jake decided, with a soft sprinkling of freckles across the narrow bridge. He adored every single one.
    Jake paid the salesclerk while Lily changed back into her clothes. The woman smiled warmly at him as he signed the credit card receipt for three hundred and