The stylish sunglasses on top of her head held the rich auburn hair that had been her trademark away from her face. Her hair was shorter than it had been in her days as Ginger Hill, but it still had a sexy, tumbled look. Her complexion was pale and porcelain-smooth, her figure voluptuous. Molly thought of all the girls she'd known with eating disorders that had left them cadaverously thin. In earlier times women had aspired toward Lilly's figure, and they'd probably been better for it.
As Lilly headed up the path toward the house, Molly saw that her eyes were an unusually vibrant shade of green, even more vivid than on television. A faint web of lines fishtailed from the corners, but she looked barely forty. The large diamond on her left hand sparkled as she bent down to greet Roo. It took Molly a few moments to accept the fact that her poodle's stomach was being rubbed by Lilly Sherman.
"This place is a bitch to get to." Lilly's voice had the same husky quality Molly remembered from her days as Ginger Hill, but now it was a shade more sultry.
"It's a little isolated."
Lilly straightened and came closer, regarding Molly with the neutral politeness celebrities adopted to keep people at a distance. Then her attention sharpened, and her eyes frosted. "I'm Lilly Sherman. Would you have someone bring in my suitcases?"
Uh-oh. She'd recognized Molly from the People article. This woman wasn't her friend.
Molly stepped aside as Lilly climbed the steps to the porch. "We're sort of reorganizing at the moment. Do you happen to have a reservation?"
"I'd hardly come all this way without one. I spoke with Mrs. Long two days ago, and she said you had a room."
"Yes, we probably do. I'm just not exactly sure where. I'm a big fan, by the way."
"Thank you." Her reply was so cool that Molly wished she hadn't mentioned it.
Lilly gazed at Roo, who was trying to impress her with his Bruce Willis sneer. "My cat's in the car. Mrs. Long said it wouldn't be a problem to bring her, but your dog seems a little fierce."
"It's all show. Roo might not like having a cat around, but he won't hurt her. Introduce them if you like while I go inside to check on your room."
Lilly Sherman's star might have faded, but she was still a star, and Molly expected her to object to being kept waiting, but she said nothing.
As Molly headed inside, she wondered if Kevin knew about this. Had they been lovers? Lilly seemed too intelligent, not to mention that she spoke flawless English. Still…
Molly hurried upstairs and found Amy bent over one of the tubs, her tight black shorts forming a world-class wedgie.
"A guest just arrived, and I don't know where to put her. Is anybody leaving?"
Amy straightened and gazed at Molly strangely. "No, but there's the attic. No one's stayed up there this season."
"The attic?"
"It's pretty nice."
Molly couldn't imagine sticking Lilly Sherman in an attic.
Amy settled back on her heels. "Uh, Molly, if you ever want to talk about, you know, things with me, you can…"
"Things?"
"I mean, I noticed when I cleaned Kevin's room that you didn't sleep there last night."
Molly found it irritating to be pitied by someone with connect-the-dots hickeys. "We're estranged, Amy. Nothing for you to worry about."
"I'm really sorry. I mean, like, if it's about sex or anything, I could maybe answer any questions or, you know, give you some advice."
Molly had become an object of pity for a nineteen-year-old Dr. Ruth. "Not necessary."
She hurried upstairs to the attic and found the room surprisingly spacious, despite its sloping ceiling and dormers. The antique furniture was homey and the four poster double bed seemed to have a comfortable mattress. A large window had been added at one end to give more light. Molly threw it open for fresh air, then investigated the tiny, old-fashioned bathroom at the opposite end. Barely adequate, but at least it was private, and if Lilly Sherman didn't like it, she could leave.
Just the thought of it raised her spirits.
She asked Amy to get the room ready, then rushed downstairs. There was still no sign of Kevin. She returned to the front porch.
Lilly stood near the railing stroking the enormous marmalade cat in her arms while Roo sulked beneath one of the wooden rockers. He hopped up as Molly opened the front door, gave her an injured look, and scurried inside. She arranged her face in a pleasant expression. "I hope your cat will be gentle with him."
"They kept their distance." Lilly rubbed her thumb over the cat's chin. "This is Marmalade, commonly known as Marmie."
The longhaired cat was nearly the size of a raccoon, with gold eyes, enormous paws, and a large head. "Hey, Marmie. Go easy on Roo, will you?" The cat meowed.
"I'm afraid the only empty room is the attic. It's nice, but it's still an attic, and the bathroom leaves something to be desired. You may want to reconsider staying or maybe you'd rather take one of the cottages. They're not all filled yet."
"I prefer the house, and I'm sure this will be fine."
Since Lilly had Four Seasons written all over her, Molly couldn't imagine anything about it would be fine. Still, manners were manners. "I'm Molly Somerville."
"Yes, I recognized you," she said coldly. "You're Kevin's wife."
"We're estranged. I'm just helping him out for a few days."
"I see." Her expression said she didn't see at all.
"I'll get you some iced tea while you're waiting."
Molly raced through her preparations and was just returning to the porch when she spotted Kevin crossing the Common toward the house. Since breakfast he'd changed into faded jeans, a pair of battered sneakers, and an old black T-shirt with the sleeves ripped out so that ravelings draped his biceps. The hammer protruding from his pocket indicated either that he'd recovered from his hangover or had a high tolerance for pain. Remembering the hits he'd taken over the years, she suspected it was the latter. Since he disliked the place so much, she wondered why he was putting himself out to do repairs. Boredom, she suspected, or maybe that preacher's kid's sense of duty that kept complicating his life.
"Hey, Daphne! You want to go into town with me to pick up some supplies?"
She smiled to hear him call her Daphne again. "We have a new guest."
"That's great," he said unenthusiastically. "Just what we need."
The rocker banged against the wall, and she turned to see Lilly stand up. The diva had disappeared, and in her place was a vulnerable, ashen-faced woman. Molly set down the iced tea tumbler. "Are you all right?"
In a barely perceptible motion she shook her head.
Kevin's foot hit the bottom porch step, and he looked up. "I thought we might-" He froze.
They'd had a love affair. Now Molly was certain of it. Despite the age disparity, Lilly was a beautiful woman-her hair, those green eyes, that voluptuous body. She'd come to find Kevin because she wanted him back. And Molly wasn't ready to give him away. The idea shocked her. Was her old crush sneaking back?
He stayed where he was. "What are you doing here?"
Lilly didn't flinch from his rudeness. She almost seemed to be expecting it. "Hello, Kevin." Her arm fluttered at her side, as if she wanted to touch him but couldn't. Her eyes drank in his face.
"I'm here on vacation." Her throaty voice sounded breathless and very uncertain.
"Forget it."
Molly watched as Lilly pulled herself together. "I have a reservation. I'm staying."
Kevin turned on his heel and stalked from the house.
Lilly pressed her fingers to her mouth, smearing her soft taupe lipstick. Her eyes shimmered with tears. Pity stirred inside Molly, but Lilly wouldn't tolerate it, and she rounded on her with a hiss. "I'm staying!"
Molly gazed uncertainly toward the Common, but Kevin had disappeared. "All right." She had to know if they'd been lovers, but she couldn't just blurt out something like that. "You and Kevin seem to have a history."
Lilly sank back down in the rocker, and the cat jumped into her lap. "I'm his aunt."