He hoped that the changes he was formulating would bear fruit. It was beyond him why Tabitha refused to have contact with these customers in the store when they lived in the same area. He had to stop what he was working on anytime one of them came in. One day the week before, a concerned local customer had come in while Tabitha was at lunch to show Clay the package she had mailed to him.
The customer had purchased a solid gold clit hugger with a diamond dangle as a gift for his wife of twenty years. Tabitha had lined the messily labeled cardboard box loosely with the religion page from the local newspaper. The white velvet gift box containing the clit hugger had rattled around inside the box with the newspaper, and by the time it had arrived the velvet packaging was ruined.
Clay had wondered how many other online customers had similar experiences and had known then that something was going to have to change. Lily’s arrival might be just what his business needed, and this challenge might be just what Lily needed.
* * * *
Nearly a week after her arrival in Clay’s home, Lily sat waiting on the exam table in Doctor Guthrie’s clinic. The paper shirt and sheet she had draped over her rustled with her movements.
She and Clay had settled into a routine of sorts. The first day or two of “rest” had been stressful. Uppermost in her mind was her fear that JT wasn’t done with his demonstration of dominance and ownership of her. Clay had told her he would protect her from JT, but what if JT found out where she was living and showed up while Clay was at work?
That thought had been unnerving, and on several occasions she’d found herself sitting on the couch, with the blinds and drapes closed, wringing her hands, her heart pounding and dizziness assailing her. For something to do one day, she’d pulled out a blank book she’d intended to use as a journal years before and her feelings about the adjustment had poured out onto the pages.
She’d told Clay about the panic attacks, and he’d suggested that she sit down and write the moment she felt one coming on. So it hadn’t surprised her when the journal slowly morphed into letters to him.
Lily found a lawyer who got the ball rolling on her divorce, and Clay had suggested they get in touch with Jack Warner, a friend of his who was a building contractor. She felt like she was making real progress.
The stranglehold of tension at not constantly working and pushing herself had finally begun to unravel so she was able to relax in the evening. Clay had been patient and kind, unchanging in his moods.
When he came home from work every evening, Clay was unperturbed when he found her on the couch, reading, or writing in her journal. JT would’ve gone on a rampage, claiming he’d been on his feet working all day and who did she think she was, lying around eating bonbons.
She’d voiced that thought to Clay, and the next day he’d teasingly brought her chocolates and a sexy romance novel. They’d laughed over it, and she’d felt even closer to him. Understood. And she’d really enjoyed the novel as well. The peace of his home had gradually sunk into reality.
“Earth to Lily.”
Startled from her reverie, Lily jumped and squeaked when she looked up. A beautiful, tall woman clad in a blue silk blouse, knee-length skirt, heels, and a white doctor’s coat stood before her.
A flush heated Lily’s cheeks as she smiled and laughed. “I’m sorry, I was daydreaming.”
“They looked like pleasant dreams judging by the smile on your face,” Doctor Guthrie said as she removed her glasses and polished the lenses before putting them back on. “You look much better than the last time I saw you.”
Lily rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh. “Ugh. I can only imagine. Thank you, by the way. Clay told me that you were the first medical professional on the scene.”
Doctor Guthrie nodded and removed the stethoscope from around her neck. “Yeah. We happened to be behind you as you drove through town. You gave me a start when you slumped over behind the wheel. I’m glad you’re okay.” She breathed on the bell of the stethoscope and then applied it to Lily’s chest. “Breathe in. Out.”
The basic exam continued as they chatted for a few minutes about her symptoms and recovery from surgery. “Doctor Burns explained to me about losing one of my Fallopian tubes.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a baby. It’s just going to require some diligence on your part.” Doctor Guthrie consulted her chart. “You’re thirty-eight now, so you still have a few years if you want to have children. Go ahead and scoot down to the end of the table.”
Lily had requested the works because it had been years since her last gynecological exam. After the pelvic exam and Pap smear were done, the doctor examined her incision and removed the stitches. Lily bit her lip and her face flamed as the doctor paused and ran a gentle, gloved fingertip over the tattoo above her mound.