Always & Forever Read Free Page A

as she looked over the food cart, trying to determine whether she forgot anything Margaret or Zach might want. Activity whirled around her as the kitchen staff scrambled to prepare the dinner meal.
    Though overpriced, Woodbridge Manor was the leading place to send inconvenient loved ones who required too much care to stay in their own homes. Lilly counted herself lucky to have found a position working for the woman who owned the entire establishment. While Margaret had her little quirks, it was easy to like the lady.
    It was even easier to like her grandson.
    Zach frequently visited, and Margaret seemed to encourage a connection between her grandson and Lilly. Lilly couldn’t understand why Margaret would push Zach to foster a relationship with a penniless employee, but she enjoyed the interactions with him over the last three months.
    This would be the first meal Zach ever stayed to eat with Margaret while Lilly was present. As per usual, Margaret ordered Lilly to bring the meal up to her suite. Her employer had been very mysterious about things this week. Margaret seemed overly excited about the visit, and she kept talking about parties and how Lilly’s luck was about to take a turn for the better.
    No matter how many times Lilly questioned her, the older woman simply smiled and said Zach would explain when he arrived.
    Lilly set silver domes on top of the food trays and placed wine and water glasses on the bottom rack. She wheeled the cart through the double swinging doors into the hallway. Rich blues and teals set a soothing background for the expensive artwork hung along the walls, and finely detailed statues adorned every intersection.
    Plush carpet muffled her footsteps and caught at the wheels of the cart, making her task difficult as she walked to the elevator. Her left leg was in agony before she had gone ten steps but Lilly plastered a smile on her face, nodding at the residents who passed her on their way to the dining room.
    She exited the elevator on the top floor and knocked on Mrs. Woodbridge’s door before opening it. Lilly carefully backed into the suite, dragging the food cart with her.
    “Lilly, you should have had one of the orderlies bring that up.” Zach’s voice filled the room all at once and sent a shiver down her spine.
    She had always been a sucker for a deep, seductive voice. Unfortunately, experience with Charles taught her a sexy voice and the face of an angel could hide the heart of a sadist. She didn’t get the sadist vibe from Zach, but how well could she really know a person she only saw once a week? Charles fooled her for almost a year.
    Lilly turned the cart in the small space and pushed the door closed. “Don’t worry about it, Mr. Woodbridge. It’s my job, after all. I’ll have dinner set out for the two of you in a moment.”
    “You’ve known us three months now.” Margaret wagged a finger in Lilly’s direction. “I’ve told you there’s no need to be so formal. This is Zach, and you must start calling me Margaret.”
    “Of course, Margaret.”
    At night, during her most secret fantasies, Lilly always called him Zach.
    She pushed the cart past the delicate, flower-patterned furniture in the sitting area. Though the purpose of the room had only been as a sitting area, a tiny dining table took center stage beneath the window facing the lake. Margaret loved looking at the water. She rarely took meals in the dining room where the view was nonexistent. The afternoon sun glared off the lake, but in another hour or two it would be breathtaking.
    “How did your rewrites go, Mr. ...Zach? Your grandmother tells me you’re finished with them.” Lilly stole a quick glance behind her.
    Zach assisted Margaret out of her favorite rocking chair. He was a very tall man and dwarfed his grandmother. Both Woodbridges had the same ramrod-straight spine and arrogant lift to their shoulders, the demeanor of successful people who knew their worth in the world. Lilly’s father affected the