I Remember You

Chapter 20

Finn drove down a short drive behind a gate and pulled into a circular drive of crushed rock. The house was modern with an old bungalow feel. It had a tin roof and a wide wrap around porch. The siding was white wood, and the windows were large; leading Lily to believe that during the day it would be a house full of light. The stairs leading up to the main floor and porch were large and wide. It was a beautiful house, and Lily could easily imagine it full of people, but knowing Finn that wouldn't be the case.

Lily didn't wait for Finn to open her door as she jumped down from the truck, they were halfway up the steps with Finn leading the way when a very thin woman with long blond hair and dark roots stepped out from the growing shadows.

"Finn," she greeted. It was obvious that she was agitated and hadn't bathed in a while.

"Bethany, what are you doing here?" Finn asked, stopping short when he saw her, blocking Lily with his body.

"I wanted to see my son, but that witch wouldn't let me in the house!" she said her voice slowly rising as she spoke.

"Then she's doing her job," Finn said, turning and placing his hand on Lily's back as he escorted her the rest of the way up the steps.

As they passed Bethany, Lily could smell the alcohol on her, and Lily felt herself grow clammy at the scent. It brought back a lot of bad memories.

"Who's this? Did you get a girl for Mike? He's about the right age to want one." Bethany looked Lily up and down, and Lily kept her head down as her stomach rolled and she felt sick. The woman had just implied that Lily was a prostitute, but what was even more disturbing was that she thought her son teenage son needing a girl.

"Go back to wherever you came from Bethany," Finn said as he opened the door and pushed Lily through closing it behind her while he remained outside with his sister.

Lily stood in a large open room with wooden floors and white walls; the entire room was white, the deep couches and the marble around the fireplace, all white. The effect was stunning, especially with the wall of windows that ran the entire length of the back of the house. Lily could just make out the ocean where the waves crashed on the shore. She bet it would be a stunning sight in the daytime, the only color being the sky and ocean in a sea of white.

"What are you doing here?" Gretchen asked as she walked into the room from a hallway off the kitchen. "Where's Finn?"

"He's on the porch with his sister," Lily explained, looking over her shoulder at the closed door.

"I thought he said he had to work late," Gretchen said in an accusatory tone.

Lily didn't respond. She was happy to help Finn, but she wasn't going to do his dirty work for him, plus she wasn't in the mood for a confrontation. She desperately wanted to go home and bury her head and her memories under a pillow.

"Well, if he's home then I'm leaving. I've had enough of that woman trying to get in here all night." Gretchen walked over to her bag, which was by what appeared to be a back door at the rear of the kitchen. "Tell Finn I said goodnight," she called as she closed the door behind her.

Lily had expected her to put up a little more of a fight for Finn but perhaps that site of his sister and the baggage she might bring had been enough to turn her off the idea. Living with an alcoholic was not easy.

"Mike!" Lily called, "Are you here?"

After a moment he came from the same direction that Gretchen had. His head was bowed, and he was counting on his fingers, meaning he was agitated, and Lily didn't doubt that it was because of his mother.

"Are you alright?" she asked, and he jerked his head no as Lily heard his stomach growl. "Are you hungry?" his response was to walk over to the dining bar and sit on one of the stools. Lily welcomed something to do, so she set her purse down on the couch and moved towards the kitchen.

"Would you like a sandwich?" she asked, not knowing if that was even a possibility, and he jerked his head no. Lily walked to what she guessed was the pantry and opened it. Before her was can after can of ravioli. "Let me guess ravioli," she teased as she reached for a can.

It took her a few minutes to find a bowl and spoon and heat it for him. "I bet you can do this for yourself, but you're enjoying being lazy," she said as she sat it in front of him with a smile.

He picked up the spoon, taking a bite with one hand while his other hand kept counting.

"That's alright; I prefer to be busy. Your Uncle is talking to your mother, and he'll take care of it, don't you worry," she assured him as she sat on a stool next to him. She was facing the windows that looked out to the ocean, and her back was to the door.

"Did you know that I have an uncle too and that he knows your uncle? They served in the Navy together." Lily watched him eat for a moment and noticed that his finger stopped counting. "My Uncle Lee also saved me like your Uncle Finn is saving you, and I was about your age." Lily smiled at the memory of her Uncle Lee. "He wasn't always frowning like your Uncle Finn though," she laughed and was rewarded with Mike's smile. "Can I tell you a secret?" she pseudo whispered, and Mike tilted his head in her direction. "You're just as handsome as your Uncle Finn is, did you know that?"

He jerked his head no, and Lily smiled.

"She's gone," Finn said from behind them, and Lily jumped. How long had he been standing there?

"Good," Lily said, standing, wondering how much he had overheard. "Gretchen left already."

"I noticed," he said, looking at Lily with his intense look once more.

"She seemed to take her job seriously enough and kept Bethany away from Mike," Lily added looking at Mike to see if what she said had upset him, but he appeared to be fine.

"I'm guessing it was more for her own sake rather than Mike's." Finn crossed his arms, his stance wide.

Lily nodded. "Well, either way, she wasn't inclined to stay and defend her territory, so maybe your sister did my job for me." She meant it as a joke, but somehow, it didn't sound like one.

Mike's spoon clattered into the bottom of the bowl.

"Now that Mike's done eating, would you both mind taking me home? I'm tired and if I'm not needed here..."

"Sure, Mike, you up for taking Lily home?" he asked.

Mike stood and walked towards the door, and Lily looked at Finn with a smile. He was easy to understand.

Finn watched Lily as she climbed the stairs to her apartment, and once the door closed behind her, he sighed in relief. What was supposed to be a simple conversation had gone awry. First, with her unexpected teasing and then her taking his hand. It had all been unexpected and nerve-wracking.

How had she gone from a shy nervous wreck to a confident teasing flirt? When and why did the change happen? The woman had been pushing his buttons from the beginning, and she was starting to chip away at his walls. He couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if he let his walls down and let her inside. He had felt things he hadn't felt in years when she had taken his hand, and if he was honest with himself, he had been feeling them since the first moment they had met when they had auditioned together.

There were moments when she was wise and sure, and then other times, she was like a little girl seeking approval, the contradiction was mesmerizing, and he wanted to know more, learn more about her. She had mentioned that she had thought her uncle was her real father, and when he had blown it off, she had let him even though she didn't believe what he said. He was also intrigued by her conversation with Mike. What had Lee needed to save her from when she was a kid?

Heck, she still was a kid! His fingers gripped the steering wheel in frustration. He was just as contradictory as Lily, and he didn't like it! 

Maybe it was all moot anyway, if his sister had been enough to drive away Gretchen then she should be enough to drive away Lily too. Somehow that thought depressed him and part of him felt that it was nothing less than what he deserved.

And who the hell was Henry!