Read Online A Date on Cloud Nine by Jenna McKnight - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jenna McKnight
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it.”
“No.”
“But Lilly’s a good person at heart. She’ll see to it that the rest of the money—”
“Elizabeth, Elizabeth,” John said, shaking his head. “Haven’t you noticed people’s tendency to slide by? Give them an inch, and all that? No, I guess you haven’t been doing this long enough. I’m sorry, but without rules to follow, Lilly would simply reimburse Jake, dash off a few thousand checks to charities, produce a child, and think she’s home free.”
“But you don’t know—”
“I do know that there are many good reasons we have apprenticeships at this job, and so will you, in time.”
“But we’re angels. We’re forgiving. We’re understanding. Or we should be.”
“Ah, Elizabeth. I see Lilly isn’t the only one who must have faith. People have to help themselves. They have tostruggle”—his arms spread and rose theatrically—“defy all odds, surmount all obstacles.”
Elizabeth, who’d stopped pacing long enough to watch, yawned at the display.
“A test must equal the gift of going back,” John said, “and it’s no different in Lilly’s case. We cannot make exceptions.”
Elizabeth gnawed the inside of her cheek. How was Lilly supposed to resist the claims of a strapping big hunk like Jake? How was she going to spend every day with him, giving money away left and right, then hold out over the life insurance money she’d inherited in his stead? As a man, he was irresistible enough to be persuasive. Scratch that, as a man, he was downright, drop-dead irresistible.
“He won’t do anything illegal, will he?”
“You mean like forging a check? Well, one thing I’ve learned from watching people—”
“Yes?”
“You just never know.”
“He could get close to her and steal all her money, thinking he can use it to start his business again. Then she wouldn’t be able to follow the rules. Then what?”
“I hope she’s wearing comfortable shoes.”
“But, John, she hates lines. Making Lilly stand in line is like making an artist live in the dark.”
“Fortunately for her, Jake’s always had her best interests at heart.”
Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that was true. Jake had left town to keep his feelings for Lilly hidden, so no one would think she’d encouraged him in any way.
“Although…he is pretty mad at her,” John mused. “Who knows what he might do? Money is a great temptation.”
“But that wouldn’t be fair!”
“Hey, life’s not fair. Besides, Jake has life lessons to learn, too.”
“He’s mastered patience.”
“So far.” John shrugged. “Maybe it’s been too easy. So he lost a little insurance money. Big deal.”
“Ah, so Lilly’s there to try his patience. Well, it’s a good thing for her sake that I took out a little insurance of my own.”
John’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“You’ll see. Maybe I’m working with you for a totally different reason than you think. Maybe I need to learn to fight for what I believe in.”
“Lord, woman, what have you done?”
At home that evening, Lilly took stock. She wanted to talk to Elizabeth—in fact, she did talk to her, quite a bit, but no reply was forthcoming.
She wasn’t sure if she should continue.
“I mean, come on ,” she said heavenward. No way she could give away eighteen million dollars. “I must have been in shock. You’re not really real. I never really talked to you. You’re a figment of my imagination. Aren’t you?”
She could prove it. She’d call the bank first thing and put a stop on the check.
“Ye-ow.”
Damn, but that hurt.
“Okay, so you’re real,” she muttered, shaking her armout. When the phone rang, she hoped it was a new avenue of communication with Elizabeth. Boy, how she’d like to give her a piece of her mind!
But it was only her weekly, after-dark, heavy breather. Shortly after Brady’s death, the nuisance calls had begun with silence on the other end of the line, which frightened her at
“No.”
“But Lilly’s a good person at heart. She’ll see to it that the rest of the money—”
“Elizabeth, Elizabeth,” John said, shaking his head. “Haven’t you noticed people’s tendency to slide by? Give them an inch, and all that? No, I guess you haven’t been doing this long enough. I’m sorry, but without rules to follow, Lilly would simply reimburse Jake, dash off a few thousand checks to charities, produce a child, and think she’s home free.”
“But you don’t know—”
“I do know that there are many good reasons we have apprenticeships at this job, and so will you, in time.”
“But we’re angels. We’re forgiving. We’re understanding. Or we should be.”
“Ah, Elizabeth. I see Lilly isn’t the only one who must have faith. People have to help themselves. They have tostruggle”—his arms spread and rose theatrically—“defy all odds, surmount all obstacles.”
Elizabeth, who’d stopped pacing long enough to watch, yawned at the display.
“A test must equal the gift of going back,” John said, “and it’s no different in Lilly’s case. We cannot make exceptions.”
Elizabeth gnawed the inside of her cheek. How was Lilly supposed to resist the claims of a strapping big hunk like Jake? How was she going to spend every day with him, giving money away left and right, then hold out over the life insurance money she’d inherited in his stead? As a man, he was irresistible enough to be persuasive. Scratch that, as a man, he was downright, drop-dead irresistible.
“He won’t do anything illegal, will he?”
“You mean like forging a check? Well, one thing I’ve learned from watching people—”
“Yes?”
“You just never know.”
“He could get close to her and steal all her money, thinking he can use it to start his business again. Then she wouldn’t be able to follow the rules. Then what?”
“I hope she’s wearing comfortable shoes.”
“But, John, she hates lines. Making Lilly stand in line is like making an artist live in the dark.”
“Fortunately for her, Jake’s always had her best interests at heart.”
Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that was true. Jake had left town to keep his feelings for Lilly hidden, so no one would think she’d encouraged him in any way.
“Although…he is pretty mad at her,” John mused. “Who knows what he might do? Money is a great temptation.”
“But that wouldn’t be fair!”
“Hey, life’s not fair. Besides, Jake has life lessons to learn, too.”
“He’s mastered patience.”
“So far.” John shrugged. “Maybe it’s been too easy. So he lost a little insurance money. Big deal.”
“Ah, so Lilly’s there to try his patience. Well, it’s a good thing for her sake that I took out a little insurance of my own.”
John’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“You’ll see. Maybe I’m working with you for a totally different reason than you think. Maybe I need to learn to fight for what I believe in.”
“Lord, woman, what have you done?”
At home that evening, Lilly took stock. She wanted to talk to Elizabeth—in fact, she did talk to her, quite a bit, but no reply was forthcoming.
She wasn’t sure if she should continue.
“I mean, come on ,” she said heavenward. No way she could give away eighteen million dollars. “I must have been in shock. You’re not really real. I never really talked to you. You’re a figment of my imagination. Aren’t you?”
She could prove it. She’d call the bank first thing and put a stop on the check.
“Ye-ow.”
Damn, but that hurt.
“Okay, so you’re real,” she muttered, shaking her armout. When the phone rang, she hoped it was a new avenue of communication with Elizabeth. Boy, how she’d like to give her a piece of her mind!
But it was only her weekly, after-dark, heavy breather. Shortly after Brady’s death, the nuisance calls had begun with silence on the other end of the line, which frightened her at
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