Chapter 1 - The Girl Behind the Flowers
“Because,” Adrian said, “I told her horses couldn’t fly.”
Lily looked at him for a long moment.
Then a small laugh escaped her.
It startled them both.
“She was wrong,” Lily whispered. “It flew.”
For the first time in three years, Adrian Vale laughed without feeling guilty immediately afterward.
Across the courtyard, Vincent Crowe lowered his phone.
Adrian hardly noticed.
“What’s your bear’s name?” he asked.
“Captain.”
“What happened to his eye?”
“He lost it being brave.”
Adrian nodded solemnly. “That happens.”
Lily studied his face, apparently searching for the place where kindness usually turned into discomfort.
“Are you married?”
“No.”
“Do you have a dog?”
“No.”
“Then why do you have such a big house?”
He glanced toward the limestone mansion hosting the fundraiser.
“Mine’s across town.”
“But is it big?”
“Yes.”
“Seems wasteful.”
Adrian looked down, hiding another smile.
Before he could answer, a woman carrying a clipboard approached.
“There you are, Lily.” Her bright expression tightened when she recognized him. “Mr. Vale. I hope she hasn’t been bothering you.”
“She hasn’t.”
“Lily sometimes has trouble understanding boundaries.”
The child’s shoulders rose toward her ears.
Adrian noticed.
“What boundary has she crossed?”
The woman blinked.
“None, of course. I only meant—”
“Then we’re having a conversation.”
Her smile returned, thinner now.
“I’m Marjorie Bell, placement coordinator.”
Adrian stood, careful not to tower over Lily.
“I’d like information about becoming an approved foster parent.”
Mrs. Bell looked genuinely alarmed.
Beside the planter, Lily stopped moving.
“That’s a considerable process,” the coordinator said.
“I assumed.”
“Background checks. Training. Interviews. A home assessment.”
“Good.”
“And no child leaves an event like this with a prospective family.”
“Also good.”
Lily stared at him.
He crouched far enough away that she wouldn’t feel cornered.
“I’m asking about the process,” he told her. “I can’t promise what happens next.”
She swallowed.
“People say that before they disappear.”
“Then I’ll make a smaller promise. If your caseworker allows it, I’ll visit Wednesday at four.”
“You might forget.”
“I might get delayed. If that happens, I’ll call.”
She rubbed Captain’s burned ear.
“People forget calling, too.”
“Yes,” Adrian said. “They do.”
That answer seemed to matter more than reassurance would have.
A shout came from the courtyard.
“Lily!”
Ethan hurried over, his blazer unbuttoned.
“The lady asked what I’d want in my room.”
“What did you say?” Lily asked.
“A bunk bed.”
Her expression flickered.
“For when you visit,” he explained.
Mrs. Bell placed a hand on Ethan’s shoulder.
“Let’s not make promises we can’t keep.”
Adrian looked at her hand until she removed it.
“Who handles their cases?” he asked.
“Ms. Brooks,” Ethan answered quickly. “She listens.”
“Then I’d like to speak with Ms. Brooks.”
An hour later, after Lily and Ethan had returned to Harbor House, Adrian sat across from caseworker Naomi Brooks in a quiet office.
Naomi didn’t smile for his benefit.
“I know your reputation.”
“Then ask what you need to ask.”
“Are you grieving, lonely, or looking for someone to save?”
“Yes to the first two.”
“And the third?”
He considered Lily behind the planter.
“I don’t think a child should have to save me.”
Naomi watched him for several seconds.
“Good answer. It won’t replace an investigation.”
“I wouldn’t want it to.”
Outside, Vincent waited beside the car.
“This is complicated,” he said when Adrian emerged.
“So I’ve heard.”
“There are reasons some children have six failed placements.”
Adrian stopped with one hand on the door.
“Yes,” he said. “And I’d like to know whose reasons they were.”
That night, he found Wednesday on his calendar and cleared the afternoon.
At Harbor House, Lily lay awake with Captain beneath her chin.
May you like
For the first time in months, she wasn’t afraid of a nightmare.
She was afraid of hoping.
