Enchanting Lily Read Free

and a trailer filled with dusty remnants of a past life. What did she think she was doing?
Okay, breathe. In and out through the nose.
    What price was the owner asking? What would it cost to set up shop? She needed fixtures, a computer system, a loan. What if she failed?
One step at a time.
    A robin took off from the garden, a worm in its beak, and overhead a bald eagle soared, spreading its magnificent wings, and Lily felt Josh beside her. He didn’t speak, didn’t give her a sign, but she turned on her cell phone anyway and punched in the number for Fairport Realty. Whatwould she say?
Hello, I’m a wandering young widow looking for a home. And by the way, can I move in tonight?
    A perky female voice came on the line. “Fairport Realty, Paige speaking. How may I help you?”
    “Paige Williams? Your name is on the sign in front of this house on Harborside Road. The one for sale?”
    “Oh, you mean the candy cottage!”
    “I don’t know—it is yellow. I’m Lily Byrne. I was passing through town, and I’d like to—”
    “Are you there right now? If you’re there, I’ll swing on by. I’m only a block away. Everything is within walking distance in our little town.”
    A Paul Simon song popped into her head.
In my little town…and after it rains there’s a rainbow and all of the colors are black.
    “Um, yes, I’m here right now. I’ll wait.”
    “I’ll be there in a few.”
    Lily hung up and paced, suddenly noticing tiny flaws in the house—a bit of peeling plaster here, a bare spot there, a hairline crack in the foundation. And no garage. She would have to buy a tarp or carport, as Josh had treasured his truck. He would not want his precious baby exposed to the elements. In the city, they’d shared a parking garage with other condominium owners.
    But even without the garage, the cottage felt right—and almost palatial compared to the condo. In San Francisco,who but the ultra-rich could afford a big house? She and Josh hadn’t minded the lack of space. They’d loved being practically on top of each other. Their honeymoon period had lasted through their entire marriage. They were perpetually like two giddy newlyweds gazing into each other’s eyes. Joshua’s eyes—green flecked with hazel, alive and intelligent.
    I wish I could show you this cottage, the view, the sun trapped in pools of light on the waves.
He would’ve loved this small town, woven into the fabric of the forest and sitting right next to the ocean. Already she was thinking as if she lived here, and she hadn’t even been inside the house.
    Sometimes you just know,
Josh had once said when he’d bought an expensive coat on impulse.
You do it and don’t think too much.
    But buying a cottage was not the same as buying a coat. Or was it? She traipsed around to the back again, this time noticing new features in the yard—an empty wooden squirrel house nailed to the old shed, a broken ceramic birdbath lying in what had once been a raised flower bed. Faded nursery tags lay here and there, a few still attached to plants. One tag on a bush with bright red flowers read “Salvia Hot Lips, sustainably grown.” On the back of the tag were the words “Salvia microphylla. Stunning red and white flowers bloom all summer.” The plant had defied the odds and still bloomed in autumn.
    “Are you Lily?” a perky voice said behind her.
    Lily turned to find a fresh-faced woman striding toward her in a brown sweater and boots, floral frock and leggings, bouncy blonde curls and a blinding sunshine smile. “Yes, I’m Lily. You startled me. You must be Paige.”
    “Sorry. I tend to sneak up on people.”
    “Thanks for coming out on short notice.”
    “It was such a long trek from around the corner. The owner has been trying to lease this place for a while now. Maybe I shouldn’t say that. But what the heck. It’s the economy. Who can resist such a cute little cottage?” Her dangling gold earrings glinted in the light. But her eyes—dazzling