"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."
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."
He smiled. "Do you want to come?"
"Sure. But the same rule applies. You can't get too beat up or it'll bring back memories of the first night we met."
"Okay."
"You say that now, but the way you talked about Johnny Reese, you might not be able to guarantee it."
"No guarantees," he conceded. "What did you and Lily talk about when you were in the bathroom?"
"Mainly we talked about you."
"Okay."
"No follow-up questions?"
"No."
"How can you not be interested in what we said?"
"Because that was between you and Lily. It's not my business. And besides, it couldn't have been too bad, or you wouldn't still be holding my hand."
"So what kind of club are we going to?"
"All I know is that it plays eighties music. That's one of Lily's quirks. Evan told me that listening to Madonna was the way she rebelled when she was a teenager."
"Huh. Not much of a rebellion..."
"Not to you or me. But to Lily's parents? I'm sure they wrung their hands for years. They don't like me much."
"Maybe you should invite them to a fight," she said. "That'll probably change their minds." She heard him laugh as he opened her door, the sound continuing as he rounded the car to the driver's side.
Despite the blaring sound of REO Speedwagon, the scene at the club wasn't at all what she expected. Instead of divorced women and balding men in their forties trying to relive their youth, the club was populated primarily by students from the university; Maria half expected to spot Serena with her friends. Groups of college girls were dancing in clusters, singing or lip-syncing to the music.
Colin leaned closer to her ear. "What do you think?"
"I feel old," she admitted. "But I like the music."
Evan pointed toward the bar, and Colin nodded before reaching for her hand, maneuvering her around tables and groups of people to the thronged bar area. When they were finally able to get the bartender's attention, Colin ordered water--no surprise there--Evan ordered a beer, and both Maria and Lily ordered sea breezes. Halfway through their drinks, a song by Madonna started to play and a delighted Lily clapped before leading Evan to the floor. Suddenly thinking, Oh, what the hell?, Maria grabbed Colin's hand and they followed.
The evening sped by as they danced to sets of three or four songs in a row, stopping only for the occasional break. Maria ordered a second sea breeze, and though she hadn't finished the first, she felt giddy and flushed. For the first time in a week, she'd actually been able to enjoy herself.
At half past eleven, they were able to commandeer a small table for the first time. They were taking a break and debating how much longer to stay when a young cocktail waitress appeared holding a tray of drinks. She placed anot
her sea breeze in front of Maria.
Maria waved it off. "I didn't order this."
"Your friend ordered it," the waitress explained, straining to be heard above the music.
Maria shot Colin a quizzical look. "You ordered another drink?"
When he shook his head, she turned to Evan, who seemed as surprised as Colin. Lily also appeared confused.
"Who ordered it?" Maria asked.
"Your friend from the bar," the waitress said, turning her head in that direction. "The one in the baseball cap." She leaned in. "He told me to tell you that he was upset that you didn't like the roses he sent you."
Maria gasped; a split second later, she saw a sudden movement as Colin jumped up from the table, causing his chair to tip over. In the moments that followed, Maria was only able to register a series of images, like snapshots caught in a strobe light: Colin taking two steps toward the waitress, his jaw beginning to clench... closing in so quickly that she dropped the tray of cocktails...
Evan and Lily getting up from the table, their drinks sloshing over them...
Bar patrons turning their way at the commotion...
Colin demanding that the cocktail waitress tell him exactly who it was at the bar, ferociously angry, repeating the question...
The waitress backing away, terrified...
Bouncers beginning to move toward them...
Evan taking a step toward Colin, his hands raised...
Maria was frozen, rooted to her seat, the waitress's words ringing in her ear. Baseball cap... He was upset you didn't like the roses...
He was here. He'd followed her. He'd been following her all along...
It was hard for her to breathe, a waterfall of images, the world collapsing inward.
Bouncers pushing through the crowd, moving with frightening speed...
Colin shouting, demanding to know more about the man who'd ordered the drink...
The waitress backing away, beginning to cry...
Bystanders beginning to surround them...
Evan pushing forward and grabbing Colin's arm...
Lily moving toward Maria...
Maria felt someone place both hands on her shoulders and begin helping her from her seat. She didn't have the energy to resist, and all at once, she realized that Lily had been the one to whisk her to her feet. She could hear Colin shouting, even as Evan continued to tug hard at Colin's arm, the waitress crying out in terror, strangers circling, with bouncers close behind.
Stranger in blue shirt: "What the hell's going on?"
Colin, to the waitress: "What did he look like?"
Stranger with spiked hair: "Chill out! Leave her alone!"
Waitress, through her tears: "I told you that I don't know! He was wearing a hat! I don't know!"
Stranger with tattoos: "What the hell's wrong with you?"
Evan: "We gotta go!"
Colin: "Was he young or old?"
Waitress: "I don't know! Twenties or thirties? I don't know!"
Evan: "Now, Colin! Come on!"
By then, Lily was leading Maria quickly from the table, and out of the corner of her eye, Maria saw Evan jerk Colin off balance. Colin reacted instinctively, twisting free immediately and quickly regaining his equilibrium, his hands ducking into fighting position. His face was red and tense, the muscles in his neck taut; for an instant, he seemed not to recognize Evan.
"Colin! No!" Lily screamed. Evan took a step backward, and as quickly as it had erupted, Colin's rage began to dissipate.
By then, the bouncers had reached them, and as Maria watched, Colin slipped his hands behind his back, clasping his left wrist with his right hand. A bouncer grabbed both his arms, looking as angry and adrenaline-filled as Colin had been a moment earlier.
"I'll go with you," Colin said. "I'll go." Then, to the waitress, who was still crying, he said, "I apologize. I didn't mean to scare you."
But neither the waitress nor the bouncers cared; Colin was dragged outside and it was only a few minutes later that a squad car arrived, blue lights flashing. Shortly thereafter, a dark sedan pulled up.
"Who's that?" Maria asked, standing with Evan out front, arms crossed. Lily had gone back into the club a few minutes earlier. In the parking lot, Colin stood with two officers, one of the bouncers, and a man in a well-used sport coat who was chewing on a toothpick.
Evan's tone betrayed his concern. "Detective Margolis. He's been waiting for Colin to screw up again."
"Why?"
"Because he thinks Colin should be in prison."
"Is that going to happen?"
"I don't know," Evan said.
"But he didn't do anything," Maria protested. "He didn't even touch her."
"Thank God, or he'd be cuffed by now. And he still might be, unless Lily can work her magic."
"What's she doing?"
"Solving the problem," Evan answered. "That's what Lily does."
In time, Lily emerged through the front doors, stopping to shake hands with one of the bouncers who had dragged Colin out. She smiled ingenuously as she approached the officers.
Maria watched as Margolis caught sight of her and held up his hand to stop her. Lily ignored him, pressing on until she was close enough to be heard, and for an interminable few minutes, both Evan and Maria watched, wondering what Lily could possibly be saying to him. Eventually, one of the officers followed the bouncer back inside the club while Margolis and the other officer remained with Colin. Margolis was obviously furious, but still no move was made to cuff Colin. The events of the last half hour caused Maria's thoughts to ping-pong, wreaking havoc on her emotions. She'd been followed to the bar, which meant she'd been followed from the restaurant, which meant she'd been followed from home.
He knew where she lived and he'd followed her here.
Her breath caught, and she distantly registered Evan's voice.
"Are you okay?"
She squeezed her upper arms. She wanted Colin to hold her, yet she was angry that he'd lost control. Or was she afraid for him? She wasn't sure.
He knew where she lived and he'd followed her here.
"No," she admitted, realizing that she was shaking. "I'm not."
She felt Evan slip an arm around her.
"It's pretty messed up, that's for sure. If I were you, I'd be a wreck."
"What's going to happen to Colin?"
"He'll be all right."
"How do you know?"
"Because Lily looks calm and Margolis looks pissed."
Maria studied the two of them, realizing that Evan was right. But everything had gone wrong tonight.
A minute later, the officer who'd gone into the club returned to Margolis's side. They spoke for a couple of minutes before both officers reluctantly headed back to their squad car. By then, Lily was hurrying toward Evan and Maria. Evan let go of Maria to encircle Lily in his arms.
"No charges," she said. "They're letting him go."
"What did you do?" Maria asked.
"I spoke to the waitress and the manager, and I simply told them the truth," Lily replied. "That you were being stalked, and that Colin overreacted because you've been frightened, and Colin thought you might be in danger. They were surprisingly sympathetic. Especially once I gave the waitress an extra-large tip, paid for the drinks that were spilled, and offered the manager a little extra for his trouble."
Maria stared at her. "You bribed them?"
"I did no such thing. I merely did my best to rectify the situation in a way that satisfied everyone involved. By the time the officer came to speak with them, they were both adamant that no charges be filed. Still, I will admit there was a moment when I wasn't sure it was going to work again."
"Again?"
"It isn't the first time this has happened," Evan said.
Margolis dogged Colin's footsteps as Colin approached their group. To others, Colin probably appeared as controlled as he always did, but she noticed something in his expression that hinted at an understanding of how close he'd come to losin
g it all. He moved to her side as Margolis studied each of their faces. Colin stared back, unfazed, as did Evan and Lily.
"The dynamic duo strikes again," Margolis sneered. "How much did it cost you this time?"
"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," Lily lied sweetly, her accent as sultry as ever.
"Of course you don't," Margolis said. "I wonder what the manager and the waitress would say if I put them under oath." He let the comment hang, with all its implications, before finally going on. "But there's no reason for that, is there? Now that you've rescued your good friend Colin again."
"There was no need to rescue him," Lily drawled. "He did nothing wrong."
"That's funny. Because I recall something like this happening on at least two other occasions when you two were there."
Lily feigned confusion. "Are you speaking of those other occasions when Colin happened to be out with us and, again, did nothing wrong?"
"Keep telling yourself that. You're just postponing the inevitable. Colin knows who he is. Just ask him. He'll tell you." He turned toward Colin. "Isn't that right, Colin? Since you like to convince everyone you're as honest as the day is long?... Even though you're always on the verge of exploding."
Maria saw Colin's eyes narrow as Margolis jerked his head at Evan. "You need to thank Evan here for pulling you away when he did. Had even one of those guys around you touched you, you and I both know that we would suddenly be spending a lot of time together, with you back in the cage and me telling the DA to throw away the key."
"Colin didn't touch anyone," Evan interjected.
Margolis shifted the toothpick to the other side of his mouth. "I was thinking more along the lines of assault. I was told the waitress was terrified by the fact that Colin was screaming at her, and I've got a dozen witnesses in there who could vouch for that."
"He just wanted to know who sent over the drink," Maria protested.
As soon as Margolis's eyes met hers, she felt herself flinch. "Oh, that's right. Because of the so-called stalker, right? I'll make sure to review the report for you." Maria said nothing, regretting she'd chimed in.
"Oh, wait. You haven't filed a report? Have you even talked to a lawyer?"
"She is a lawyer," Lily said.
"Then it's even stranger, don't you think? All lawyers do is file reports." He turned toward Maria. "I'll tell you what, though; if you ever do get around to it, ask for me, okay?"