unbidden surge of loneliness washed over her, as stifling as the warm, humid air.
Every day she spent in Boston, Lily was reminded that she was a stranger in this town. She had no friends, no one she could confide in, no one who might sympathize with her problems. The only person she felt close to was Brian Quinn and now she'd resolved to put him out of her life for good.
Lily sighed and walked toward the park at Post Office Square, a pretty little oasis in the midst of skyscrapers. When she reached the park, she headed right for the glass fountain and found a grassy spot nearby where she could listen to the soothing sound of water.
She spread the folder on her lap and picked up the report, skimming through it to find mention of the fund- raiser. 'According to several guests,' she read out loud, 'Brian Quinn attended the fund-raiser sponsored by Richard Patterson, held at the Copley Plaza Hotel on Saturday, June 14. He entered without a ticket and was seen dancing with a red-haired woman in a gold dress, her identity unknown to other guests.'
Lily took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. There was no mention of what Brian had done after he danced with her, nothing about them leaving together or having sex in the back of her limo. Relieved, Lily flipped back to the first part of the report and began to read. The detective had done a thorough job of describing a rather difficult childhood.
Lily read about Brian's fisherman father and his missing mother, about the difficulties in their home on Kilgore Street in South Boston, the older brother who took care of five younger siblings before becoming a cop. Another brother had become a fireman. 'Conor and Dylan,' she murmured. 'Brendan the writer. Sean is a… private investigator.' She frowned. And the youngest brother, Liam, was a freelance photographer. There was also a sister, but Lily skimmed over details of a complex history.
So far, she hadn't found anything that could be used against him. It wasn't a crime to have a bad childhood, an absent father and a mother who deserted the family when he was only three. But then she moved onto the next paragraph and she stopped. 'Brian Quinn has several juvenile offences on his record including miscellaneous charges of shoplifting, vandalism, and petty theft. There is proof of an auto theft at age fifteen, but his older brother, Conor, then a rookie cop, convinced the owner to drop the charges.' Grand theft auto. Now there was something that his bosses at the station probably didn't know about.
Was she willing to drag his past out into the light? Lily had been forced to play dirty on occasion, but she'd never deliberately hurt another person. And giving the public this information might seriously affect Brian's career. 'Knowing his luck, it would raise his popularity,' Lily muttered.
Lily lay back on the grass and covered her face with the report, blocking out the sun. She needed to relax and put all her cares and worries aside for a few minutes. Her thoughts drifted, the sound of the fountain in the background soothing her mind. But the images that filled her head weren't of pretty waterfalls and swaying trees. Instead, she saw naked bodies and disheveled clothes, historic scenery passing outside tinted windows. This time, she didn't brush the images aside, but let them linger.
'Imagine my luck.'
The voice came out of nowhere and at first, Lily thought it was part of her daydream. But then she realized that she'd dozed off, right in the middle of the park. She slowly lowered the report to find a tall figure standing over her. Though the sun was behind him and she couldn't see his face, she knew who it was. She pushed up, setting the report behind her. 'I don't think this has anything to do with luck. I think I must be cursed.'
'You, too?' Brian asked. 'I guess we have one thing in common.'
She glanced up at him and watched his gaze slowly drift from her face to her feet. She wore a business suit, hardly a sexy outfit. But then Lily noticed that her silk blouse gaped open in the front and her skirt was bunched up on her thighs. She quickly rearranged her clothes only to catch him grinning at her.
'May I sit down?' he asked.
Lily braced her hands behind her, trying to ignore the pounding of her heart. Why did he have to be so charming? Even dressed as she was, he made her feel like the sexiest woman on the planet. 'No. But you can continue standing there. I forgot my sunscreen and you're providing shade.'
'When I was a kid, I dreamed about a career as a tree,' he said, sitting down beside her. He set a paper bag on her lap.
'What's this?' Lily asked.
'Lunch. I called your office and your assistant told me that you were probably in the park.'
Lily gasped. 'She told you where to find me?'
He nodded. 'Right after I told her I was an old friend from college, here in Boston on business. I also told her what a lovely voice she had and that Marie was my favorite name. Hey, I have picked up a few valuable skills as an investigative reporter.'
'I still can't believe she did that.' Lily tossed the bag back in his direction and got up, tucking the report under her arm before he had a chance to see it. 'I have to go.' She hurried toward the sidewalk, then glanced back at, to find him smiling at her.
But the smile quickly turned into a frown. He scrambled to his feet and came after her. 'Lily, look out for that-'
Her foot caught on something and she looked down and found it tangled in the wheels of a bicycle lying on the grass. She felt herself falling. There was nothing to stop her from tumbling on top of the bike… until she felt a strong hand on her elbow. When she looked back, she found Brian standing next to her.
'Be careful,' he murmured. 'Watch where you're going.' He smiled as he smoothed his palm along her back and she felt her defenses waver. 'Come on. Have lunch with me.' He walked over and retrieved the bag.
'You're not going to take no for an answer, are you.'
'I'm a nice guy. Women have a hard time resisting me.' He sat down at her feet and then patted the grass next to him. 'I wasn't sure what you liked for lunch,' he said as he opened the bag. 'After you ordered a salad the other night, I figured you were probably one of those women who eats like a gerbil.'
'A gerbil?' Lily laughed as she sat down, thinking about the numerous desserts she had devoured in his name.
'Yeah, one of those little ratlike animals they have in all the kindergarten-'
'I know what a gerbil is,' Lily said. She leaned over and looked in the bag. 'So did you get me a salad?'
Brian pulled out a sandwich wrapped in paper. 'Nope, I got you a grinder.' He pulled out a dark brown bottle. 'And a root beer.' Lily slowly unwrapped the sandwich. 'It's really good,' he explained. 'It has all kinds of meat in it and cheese. Boston is famous for them. In fact, we've taken sandwich-making to new heights.'
'Gee, the Pilgrims, the Revolutionary War and now sandwiches,' Lily teased. 'All we have in Chicago is wind and deep-dish pizza.'
Brian shrugged as he twisted off the cap of the root beer. 'I thought since you were here, you might want to know something about the city.'
She realized her comment sounded awfully cynical. 'And what other culinary treats should I sample?' she asked, taking a sip of the soda then smiling as it foamed up in her mouth. He handed her a napkin and she dabbed at her lips.
'Well, you'll definitely want to try Boston Baked Beans. I like to eat those with fish. And New England Boiled Dinner, which is a traditional Irish dish. Since I'm one hundred percent Irish, I grew up on that.'
'Really?'
Brian paused. 'No, not really. We didn't eat too well when I was a kid. The closest we came to boiled dinner was wiener water soup.'
She'd read his file and knew that his childhood hadn't been easy. But it was different hearing the story directly from him. She sensed what it cost him to open up. Brian Quinn, with all his charm and good looks, did not like to appear vulnerable, especially to her. 'What is that?'
He grinned. 'My family didn't have much money and so we had to make the food budget stretch. If we had the money for hot dogs, then we'd boil them up for dinner and save the water. The next night, my brother Conor would take the water and throw in carrots and potatoes and celery and catsup to make a soup. He wasn't much of a cook, but we learned to like wiener water soup. With Wonder Bread.'
'You said your brother Conor did the cooking.'
'My da was working and my ma wasn't around. She left when I was three years old.' Brian hesitated, as if he wasn't sure whether to go on. 'My family came over to the U.S. from Ireland when I was just a baby. I was born there, but I don't remember any of it. What about your folks?'
