Lily and the Pea #OnceUponNow

Chapter Three

After Max left, Lily stripped off her wet clothes and pulled on the warm, dry pajamas on top of the stack. He had also brought a pair of jeans with a brand name she would never be able to afford and a soft, high-quality t-shirt. Good. She'd been a little worried that they would dig up a pantsuit like Evelyn's.

Sinking into the deep couch, Lily downed the food on the tray with a distinct lack of table manners. Mom would have threatened to take away dessert for that. The errant thought about her mom made Lily wonder what she would have thought about this place. She decided Mom would have loved it. She had been the most feminine woman imaginable. Lily sometimes wondered if she would have learned to be less awkward if Mom had been around longer to teach her.

It was still a little early when she finished eating, but Lily couldn't suppress her yawns. It had been a long week. She had been walking dogs in Emerald Hills long enough to build up a good reputation, but people here were finicky. She had accidentally let Alabaster, a tiny white Maltese, traipse through some mud on the way back from a walk. Her owner had been upset, to say the least. The snooty woman had gone and complained to all her friends, causing three of them to confront Lily about the standards they expected her to keep. As if she wasn't even capable enough to walk their dogs properly.

A grunt of disgust turned into another yawn and she decided she may as well turn in. Even in this fancy house, there wasn't a TV in sight. Her bare feet didn't make a sound as she padded across the thick carpet. Lily examined the huge bed, not sure how she was going to climb up into it with her short legs. Ah. Tucked just under the edge of the frilly pink bed skirt was a stepstool. She pulled it out and climbed in.

The breath left her lungs in a deep sigh as she sank back into the soft mattress. Maybe they were onto something with three mattresses. She pulled the blankets up to her chin and tried to focus on relaxing every limb, one at a time. Sleep had been a struggle for years, ever since she turned four and her entire life had crumbled. But if she could sleep well anywhere, it would be in a bed that had to cost more than a car.

No, something about this position wasn't comfortable. Lily turned onto her right side. She closed her eyes tight and forced herself to think about the cute dogs she walked, all romping in the park. Then she flopped onto her stomach. Maybe that would be the right spot. Or not. She turned onto her left side and tried counting imaginary sheep.

It took several hours of tossing and turning, but she finally fell into a fitful sleep. Until the nightmare that kept her up most nights reared its ugly head again. She could only ever remember bits and pieces. Dressed in a lacy party dress, four-year-old Lily sat at a table, waiting for her birthday cake. She looked around, unable to find her parents in a sea of people. Panic growing, she ran around the table, asking each stranger where her mommy and daddy were. But no one answered.

She woke covered in sweat. Tonight, one scene had been different. Just as she was about to start screaming - the part that usually jerked her awake - dream Lily had turned and run headlong into Max. He cradled her against his chest, one hand stroking her hair until she stopped crying. Then she woke up.

Nothing had ever changed the nightmare. The parts she could remember had always been the same. She tried not to put too much importance on that. She couldn't expect Max to be part of her life. An orphan who drove a cruddy old car and walked dogs to eke out a living wasn't acceptable to the upper-class members of Max's world.

It was still early when she gave up and climbed down out of bed. The sun was just peeking up over the horizon. Her room had a spectacular view of the sunrise, so she pushed back the gauzy curtains and watched. As the sky turned pink, orange and gold, she did some stretches to loosen up muscles that were stiff from her restless night.

A knock sounded at the door just as Lily was pulling the clean t-shirt over her head. She gathered her shoulder length blonde hair into a ponytail on the way to answer the knock. Standing in the hall with his hands in his pockets, Max looked even better than he had last night.

"Good morning, Lily. I hope you slept well."

She shrugged. "Ok, I guess."

He paled, sucking in a quick breath. That was a strange reaction. What, were rich people offended by those who didn't sleep well? He cleared his throat and offered his arm in an old-fashioned gesture. "Well, may I escort you to breakfast? Mother insisted that we eat before calling the tow truck."

She nodded and slid her hand into the crook of his arm. Something about his outdated move was sweet. Like chivalry wasn't dead, after all. They passed through several long halls on the way to the dining room. Lily was pretty sure she would never find her way back to that room on her own. But the sideboard loaded down with food was worth the walk. Not even thinking about manners, she rushed over and examined the offerings. She did love a good breakfast.

As she was reaching for a plate, a delicate cough at the table made her pause. Oops. Evelyn was sitting there watching her with raised brows. Max stood by an empty chair with an amused light in his eyes, trying to hold back a grin. Meeting his gaze, she raised both hands, palms up. Another mistake in decorum.

"Good morning, Lily." Evelyn's voice didn't betray any disapproval over Lily's faux pas. Maybe she wasn't as cold and snooty as most of the rich people in Emerald Hills. "If you'll join us at the table, my cook will dish up some food shortly."

Max pulled out the chair he was standing by and waited for Lily to sit. Then he helped her scoot the chair up to the table before seating himself across from her, next to his mother. Evelyn delicately stirred sugar into the tea in front of her. "How did you sleep, Lily?"

"Everything was nice. Thank you for letting me stay."

"You're welcome, of course. But I'd love to know if you feel rested and refreshed." Why was everyone so concerned about Lily's sleep? She was only a dog walker who landed at their house for one night.

Lily looked to Max. He was studying the linen napkin on the table at his place. And maybe refusing to meet her gaze, because who was that interested in a napkin? "To be honest, Evelyn, I didn't sleep well. I mean, the accommodations were great, but I just couldn't get comfortable." It was only partly true, but Lily wasn't about to explain her tragic past to near strangers.

But Evelyn's reaction caught Lily off guard. The elegant woman clapped her hands together with glee, like a kid at Christmas. "Oh, my. Well, of course, I'm sorry you didn't sleep well. But...Maxwell, may I speak with you privately, please?"

Evelyn jumped from her chair and marched from the room. Max followed, acting miserable and still refusing to look at Lily. She chewed her bottom lip. These people got more strange by the minute. With a roll of her eyes, she got up and helped herself to food from the sideboard. If they were going to get all bent up over the quality of her sleep, that was their problem. She was going to eat a hot breakfast and get herself out of this crazy place.