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  Cottage in the Mist

  Dee Davis

  Cottage in the Mist is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental

  Copyright 2016 by Dee Davis Oberwetter

  2016 Smashwords Edition

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design: Frauke Spanuth, Croco Design

  http://www.deedavis.com

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  Table of Contents

  ALSO BY DEE DAVIS:

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  EPILOGUE

  SNEAK PEEK AT WILD HIGHLAND ROSE

  CHECK OUT THESE BOOKS BY DEE DAVIS:

  ABOUT DEE DAVIS

  Also by Dee Davis:

  Random Heroes Collection:

  Dark Of The Night

  Dancing In The Dark

  Midnight Rain

  Just Breathe

  After Twilight

  Liars Game Series:

  Lethal Intent (novella)

  Eye Of The Storm

  Chain Reaction

  Still of the Night (novella)

  Last Chance Series:

  Endgame

  Enigma

  Exposure

  Escape (novella)

  A-Tac Series:

  Dark Deceptions

  Dangerous Desires

  Desperate Deeds

  Daring (Novella)

  Deep Disclosure

  Deadly Dance

  Double Danger

  Dire Distraction

  Matchmaker Chronicles

  A Match Made on Madison

  Set Up In SoHo

  Time After Time Series

  Everything In Its Time

  Cottage in the Mist

  The Promise

  Wild Highland Rose

  Devil May Care Series

  Hell Fire (novella)

  Hell's Fury (novella)

  Every book requires a tribe! Julie Kenner and Sherri Erwin, don't know how I'd face the day without you both in my life. Lexie and Robert Oberwetter, you are the lights of my life and the reason I'm not a total and complete mess. Kim Whalen, you keep me fixed on true north. And special thanks to Kasi Alexander and Melody Brislin for careful reading and an awful lot of work!

  CHAPTER 1

  Greenwich, CT – present day

  "ONCE THE PROPERTIES ARE SOLD and the possessions liquidated, there should be a small amount left. But certainly nothing like you've been accustomed to, I'm afraid." Mr. Banderson's expression held both a note of finality and pity as he looked across the desk. "I know this isn't what you were expecting."

  Lily Chastain fought against the urge to throw up. What she'd been expecting was that her father and mother would come home from their latest trip, brimming with tales of adventure. That the two of them would grow old together. That they'd share the joy of her marriage and be there for her children when the time came. That everything would be as perfect as she'd dreamed it would be.

  But none of that was going to come true now. She reached for Justin's hand, needing reassurance, but he'd risen from his chair, his face contorted with anger. "What do you mean there's nothing left? Lily's parents were worth a fortune. Everyone knows that."

  She twisted the sparkling engagement ring on her finger, her stomach taking a polar plunge. She'd always known that Justin cared about the fact that she'd come from good breeding, but she'd never thought that it had been about money.

  "It'll be okay," she whispered, finding it odd to be comforting him. But it didn't matter; as far as he was concerned she might as well have not been in the room.

  "What the hell happened?" he asked the lawyer, grinding out the words.

  "I'm afraid I don't know. Thomas never really confided in me. I just handled contracts and so forth when he needed me to." Mr. Banderson paused, his attention shifting to Lily. "I'm so sorry, Lily. I swear to you, I had no idea. Your father always invested in property. I'm guessing when the bubble burst, he got hit hard."

  Lily nodded, still trying to make sense of everything Mr. Banderson was telling her. One week ago, she'd received the news that her parents' sailboat had capsized during a freak storm in the Aegean Sea. There'd been no survivors.

  "I don't care about the money," she said. "It's nothing. I just want my parents back." Tears filled her eyes, and again she turned to reach for Justin. But instead, he stepped back, shaking his head.

  "I'm sorry, Lil. Really I am. But I can't do this. Not now."

  "But Justin, I…" She sucked in a ragged breath, searching for something of the man she'd loved in the stranger standing before her.

  "Look, I've been fighting to get ahead my whole life. And I'm certainly not ready to be saddled with your parents' debt."

  Lily swallowed, the panic rising in her chest. "But you heard Mr. Banderson. Once everything is sold, the debts should be covered."

  "Even if that's so, there won't be anything left."

  She struggled to breathe, to keep herself calm. She'd been so sure that Justin hadn't been like the others, but apparently she'd been wrong. "So you're saying that you were only marrying me for my money?"

  He at least had the decency to flinch, but the resolve in his eyes didn't lessen. "I'm saying that circumstances have changed. Of course I care about you. But not enough to bind myself into all of this." He waved at the desk and the papers Mr. Banderson had been consulting.

  "I see." Lily clenched her fists, trying to maintain a calm she didn't feel. How had everything gone so wrong so quickly? With shaking fingers, she slid the ring off her finger. "Then I guess I won't be needing this."

  She held it out to him, praying that somehow this horrible nightmare would end. That none of it would turn out to be real. But Justin took the ring with a small shrug, then turned and strode from the office.

  For a moment, she stood frozen, staring at the chair he'd just vacated, emotion threatening to swamp her. How could she have been so blind?

  "Lily, I know this is awful, but…" Mr. Banderson trailed off, sounding as if he wished he could follow Justin. People were like that. Quick to the party, but running from disaster. And that's what her life was now. A disaster. No money. No parents. No
fiancé.

  She shook her head, holding up a hand, pleased to see that it wasn't shaking. "Don't. I can't handle any more sympathy. I appreciate your giving me the truth. And I'll probably want to talk to you later about how to best handle everything. But for now I think I just need to get out of here."

  He nodded, his expression now flooded with relief. "Are you sure you don't want me to call someone?"

  "And just who would that be, Mr. Banderson?" Lily felt the tears again. "Thank you. I'll do fine on my own." She forced a smile and then walked out of the office and through the foyer into the hallway, her whole body shaking as she slid down to the floor.

  What in hell was she going to do now?

  *****

  "I wasn't sure you'd be up for a visit," Valerie Robinson said as she walked into Lily's parents' living room and took a seat on the sofa.

  "You're not a visitor." Lily shook her head, trying for a smile. "You're family. Mother would haunt me if I treated you any differently." The words hurt, but she forced herself to hold on to the tremulous smile. There was nothing to be gained in losing it now. "Anyway, I'm glad you're here."

  "I came as soon as I heard the news." Word traveled quickly in a small town like Greenwich. Her parents' deaths and the news of their insolvency had made all the papers. Even the New York Times. Watching the mighty fall was a blood sport in their circle. Particularly when the story involved tragedy and, if one counted Justin's defection, betrayal.

  "It's been kind of a nightmare around here. I thought things were bad enough with the funeral. But now, the phone rings constantly. And it's either the press or creditors. The sharks are circling."

  "Oh, darling, I'm so sorry you're having to go through this." Valerie was her mother's oldest friend. They'd known each other forever, and as such Valerie had always been a part of Lily's life too.

  "I just keep praying that I'm going to wake up." Lily shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as the shrill ring from the phone splintered the calm façade of the room.

  "Just try to ignore it." Valerie waved at the phone and took a sip of tea. "Have you talked to Justin?"

  "No." She rubbed her ring finger with her thumb, the pain still raw. "Not a word. I just can't believe I was stupid enough to have fallen for him."

  "He loved you, Lily. Everyone knew that. It was plain on his face when he looked at you."

  "Yeah, or maybe he was just high-fiving himself over all that money."

  "Oh, darling." Valerie's face twisted with concern, and Lily felt her fragile hold on decorum slipping. "Sometimes men just don't deal well with change."

  "Don't make excuses for him, Val. He was just like the others, only he was better at making me believe he was different. But in the wake of everything that's happened, it almost seems inconsequential. You know?"

  "I just want what's best for you."

  "Truth is, I'm not sure I know what that is any more." Lily threaded her fingers together, her stomach twisting with the enormity of what she'd lost. "Ten days ago, I had two loving parents, a devoted fiancé and pretty much no worries about anything more pressing than whether to serve chicken or fish at the reception. And now… now I…" She trailed off, choking on her tears.

  "Lily, I wish I could make it go away. But I can't. And I know if your mother were here, she'd want you to go on. To find a new and better life."

  "Easier said than done. Dad didn't exactly leave things neat and tidy. There's property to be sold, and I've got to arrange an auction for their belongings." She tipped back her head, rubbing her temples. "Mr. Banderson tells me I have to sell everything."

  "Surely they understand that this is your home."

  "That's just it. It isn't mine. I was only living here until the wedding."

  "What about your apartment in the city?"

  "Technically it belongs to Dad. He never put it in my name. Basically, except the money in my bank account, and my clothes and personal things, everything is fair game. At my apartment, here—and in the other houses."

  "And you had no idea there were problems?"

  "No. There was nothing. I've been over it and over it, and there just wasn't any sign. Dad was happy to be retired. And he and Mother were having the time of their lives. There wasn't anything to indicate that there was this kind of debt. Did my mother say anything to you?"

  Valerie shook her head. "It's like you said. They were happy. At least you can hold on to the fact that they loved each other very much."

  "And that they were together when they died. I've thought about that a lot. And as much as I wish that one of them at least was here with me now, I know the truth of it is that they'd never have wanted to be apart. So now they're together forever."

  "And you're left with the mess."

  Lily nodded, grateful that Valerie wasn't sugarcoating the truth. "But I'll deal. I always do." She'd been the third wheel in her parents' relationship her whole life. Which meant that although she had always known she was loved, she'd also learned, as an only child, to be self-sufficient from an early age. "The hardest part, really, is dealing with all the people. If it isn't the press or the creditors, it's all of the others, friends and acquaintances, hovering, trying to fix everything. Or bringing food. There must be ten baskets from Zabars in the kitchen."

  "People don't know what to do, darling," Valerie said. "They're just trying to help."

  "I know. But sometimes it just makes it harder. Like I have to comfort them. And I don't know how much more of it I can take."

  "Well, then maybe I shouldn't feel guilty for not bringing muffins."

  "Actually it would have been a nice change from bagels." Lily laughed, the sound surprising her. "Oh, God, Val, what would I do without you?"

  "Hopefully, you won't be finding out anytime soon. But just because I didn't bring food doesn't mean I didn't bring something." She held out a small white box.

  Lily slipped off the top, her breath catching in her throat as she looked down at the narrow silver band nestled against the cotton inside. "Daddy's ring."

  "I hope I did the right thing. I know how much it meant to your father. And it's been in your mother's family for years. She always talked about how it created happy endings as it was passed from one generation to the next. So I thought it should be with you. I asked the funeral director to give it to me."

  "Oh, Valerie, it's perfect," Lily said, unclasping the silver chain she was wearing. She strung the ring with its intricate silver knots onto it, refastening it around her neck, the weight of the cool metal comforting in some deep, intrinsic way. "I should have thought of it myself."

  "You weren't up to making those kinds of decisions." Val reached over to squeeze Lily's hand.

  "Well, I'm glad you were." Her hand tightened around the ring. "It's like having a small part of them here with me."

  "You'll always carry them in your heart. Just as they carried you. But it is nice to have something to hold on to. And that ring is as much as symbol of their love as you are. They loved you very much, you know."

  "I do. And I'm really glad to have the ring. Much better than muffins." The phone started ringing again and Lily flinched. "It never stops."

  "Actually," Valerie said with a hesitant smile, "I think I have a plan for that, too."

  "You've cancelled the phone subscription?"

  "That definitely would be a solution, but this will be even better. At least I hope so." Valerie reached into her bag and produced a white envelope, handing it to Lily.

  Lily opened the envelope and quickly scanned the contents. "A plane ticket? To Scotland?" If nothing else, Valerie had caught her completely by surprise.

  "I know it seems insane. But I've got a friend who runs an inn in the north of Scotland. And she's offered to let you stay there for a bit. They're in the middle of changing owners, so the inn is temporarily closed. Don't you see? It gets you away from all of this." She waved her hand at the room, as though it held the source of all Lily's problems. But then in many ways, maybe it did.
r />   "I can't accept this," Lily protested.

  "It's nothing. Just a plane ticket. The rest is taken care of. Agnes is delighted you're coming. And the new owners are lovely as well."

  "But I can't leave, Valerie. I have to take care of things. What kind of daughter would I be if I just left?"

  "Your mom and dad are gone, Lily. They don't expect anything of you. The only thing they'd want is for you to be happy. Mr. Banderson can handle everything here. It's what he does, for goodness sake. And God knows he's been paid well enough to do it. If you need to sign anything it can be messengered to you. And besides, you know how slowly this sort of thing moves."

  Lily opened her mouth to protest, but Valerie waved her quiet.

  "You need to get away from here. Distance will do a world of good. And in Scotland no one is going to give a whit if your father lost his money. And there won't be anything to remind you of Justin or the debt—just peace, quiet and maybe a little solace."

  "It does sound enticing, but I can't just walk away."

  "Of course you can. I'll be here. I'll be sure that things are taken care of. That everything is moving forward. I can handle the press. And I can certainly handle the predators." She crossed her arms, her eyes shooting sparks. "Marisa was my best friend. And I loved Thomas like a brother. I'll not let anyone make them seem any less than the wonderful people they were."

  "I can't think of anyone better. But I still think I should stay." And she knew that she should. That she had to meet her responsibilities. But the idea of escaping, if only for a little while, was so very tempting. And Scotland. It had called to her from the very first time she'd visited. A fishing trip with her parents. It had been one of her favorite vacations.