TIDES OF FATE - JJ Maybank

XX. Hard cold cash

:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:

3rd person POV

Lily sighed as she waited for the kettle to boil, the events of the previous night were still heavily on her mind. The kitchen, usually a sanctuary of warmth and familiarity, felt eerily silent this morning. She distracted herself from all the excitement of finding the gold, with the routine task of preparing her tea, hoping the ritual would bring some semblance of normalcy. Her mother had already left for the hospital, leaving Lily alone with her thoughts.

As she reached for a mug from the cupboard, the doorbell rang, jolting her from her reverie. Frowning, she wondered who it could be at this hour. She set the mug down and walked cautiously to the door, peeking through the peephole. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Rafe Cameron standing on the porch, cradling his arm wrapped in a kitchen towel.

Rafe Cameron was the last person she expected—or wanted—to see. They weren't friends by any stretch of the imagination. So she couldn't quite place why he was here.

She rolled her eyes as she opened the door to him. "What."

"Good morning Lillian." He sweetly smiled.

"What are you doing here?" She questions, suspicion lingering in her voice.

He winced, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Lily, I need your help. I didn't want to go to the hospital, but I need someone to look at this," he said, nodding toward his injured arm.

She glanced at the towel, noting the spots of blood seeping through. Her instinct to help people in need battled with her reluctance to let him into her home. After a moment's hesitation, her training and compassion won out.

"Come in," she said, stepping aside to let him pass.

Rafe entered, his eyes darting around the kitchen as if he were out of place. He gingerly sat on the kitchen counter, his face etched with pain. Lily closed the door and turned to face him, crossing her arms.

"Show me," she instructed.

He unwrapped the towel, revealing an ugly wound that looked like a burn. Lily's eyes narrowed as she examined it. "Rafe, this looks like a burn. What happened?"

He shook his head. "I just tripped and hit my bike, okay? It's nothing."

She raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "You expect me to believe that?"

He met her gaze, a flicker of defiance in his eyes. "That's what happened, Lily."

She rolled her eyes and got supplies out of the medkit in the corner of a cubby and pulled on some gloves. "I thought I told you to stop calling me that."

"And I thought I told you l'd stop once you go out with me."

She walked over to the counter he was sitting on and raised his arm so it was at level with her. "I have someone else and even if I didn't, the answer would still be no."

"Don't tell me you're actually dating Maybank. After that train wreck at Midsummers—Ow! Careful!" He exclaimed after she poured a cleaning solution on his injured arm without warning.

Lily said nothing as she focused on wrapping his arm. Her good mood had long since deteriorated and she wanted to get this over with as soon as she could.

She could feel his stare on her, burning the side of her face, and after a few seconds of awkward silence, she spoke up. "So who did this?"

"Why do you think someone did this to me?" Rafe questioned, his pride slightly wounded.