He raised his eyebrow again. Those crystal eyes boring into hers. “And what qualifications do you have to do the job?”

  “I,” she started to say, but was at a loss for words.

  “Do you have any skills?” he asked again.

  He stepped even closer, and she took a step back, wanting to have distance between them. Her heart was pounding, and she didn’t know if it was because of his proximity to her or if it was because she was running out of ideas.

  “What is your job now?” he asked.

  “I help my sister around her house. I take care of my two nieces and three nephews,” she blurted out, not knowing what else to say.

  Colin shook his head. “That isn’t the type of skills necessary to help here. I’m sorry, but I’m looking for someone with more experience in office work or the law.”

  He turned to walk away. She could see her dreams of leaving Iva and Martin vanishing before her eyes. She was determined that she wasn’t going to leave that office without the job. “How long have you had the sign out?”

  Colin stopped and turned. “Why does it matter?”

  She smiled; she had him. “I can tell by the way the edges are torn and the way it’s weathered from the sun that it’s been out there for some time. Which means, you haven’t had any qualified candidates.”

  He crossed his arms again and narrowed his eyes. “And your point, young lady?”

  “My point is, that I’m the best person that has walked through those doors asking for this job in probably ages.”

  “Wait a minute; just because you think you are the only person that wants this job doesn’t mean that I should hire you. Give me one good reason.”

  “I can give you plenty.” Lily started ticking off reasons on her fingers. “I’m a hard worker. I’m focused. I’m dependable. I want this more than anyone else. I have some amazing qualities that are sure to surprise you once you get to know me.”

  “But you’ve had no other job before…” he started to say.

  “Everyone needs to start somewhere. And I choose to start here. Working with you.”

  Colin looked like he was ready to say no again. Now she was getting desperate. “No, please Mr. Sullivan, I promise I can do this job. You just need to give me a chance.”

  Colin looked at her up and down. She waited with bated breath, hoping that he would agree to it. She had nothing and everything to lose in that moment.

  Colin sighed and put his hands in the air. “Ok, I guess I can give you a shot.”

  She squealed loudly and jumped to wrap her arms around him. “You won’t regret this, I promise,” she said, before she realized she was hugging him. She backed away from him and looked into his eyes, grinning happily. Although he was older than her by many years, she couldn’t help but find him attractive. Maybe it was his muscular frame or the slight stubble on his cheeks, or the smell that reminded her of rain in the park. She felt her insides expand and a warmth push from her belly upwards. She had never felt like this towards anyone before. It was such an unfamiliar feeling.

  “I expect you to be here first thing in the morning. No excuses. You are here on a trial basis. Olivia will get you situated in the morning.” He turned and walked back towards the door from where he first came.

  “Of course!” she said. “I won’t let you down.” She wasted no time heading towards the door and exiting the building. She started to walk back to the park filled with glee and hope. The only problem? How was she going to tell her sister and basically crush Iva’s dreams of an impending marriage?

  Chapter 2

  Philadelphia

  Early Spring, 1887

  “I’m not avoiding you,” Lily exclaimed as she stood on the ladder, reaching for the top book on the shelf in front of her. “I’ve just been busy.” She cradled the large book to her chest as she walked down, making sure to avoid her dress hem as she backed down from the top. When she landed at the bottom, she looked at her sister Iva, who seemed to be fuming at her declaration.

  Her sister scoffed and threw her hands in the air. “This is the fourth time, this month alone, you have canceled dinner plans with Martin and I!” she exclaimed, following Lily around the small office, as she set the book on the desk, before sifting through the stack of papers that lay next to it. “Daniella has been asking about her Aunt Lily and when she is coming to visit.”

  Lily couldn’t help but smile. Daniella had always been a little more attached to her; she was the one that took Lily moving away from the house two years ago the hardest, crying for weeks after. It hurt Lily’s heart so much when she had to leave, but she knew it was right at the time. She was working more hours at the office and it wasn’t fair for her to be taking advantage of her sister’s generosity anymore when she could support herself.

  She had moved into a woman’s dormitory near the office. At least, this what she told her sister when she had made the move; she had left out the critical detail of getting away from her sister’s influences when it came to her social life. She had had too many dinners with too many unexpected suiters invited to the house; she had suspiciously suspected that this was the real reason her sister was so upset for her to be missing dinner.

  “I could drop by tomorrow before I go into the office; see the children before they start their day?” Lily asked, turning to see her sister’s face. When she saw Iva’s eyes were fiery with anger, she knew what she had suspected was true.

  “That would just disrupt their day. You know how hard it is to get them to concentrate after they have a morning with you? I’d never be able to settle them down,” Iva said. She paced around the room. “No, you must come tonight.”

  Lily chuckled to herself, as she grabbed a few sheets of paper and walked to the other side of the room to grab another book that Colin would need later. “Contrary to what you believe, dear sister, you can’t just order me around anymore. And besides, I have plans tonight.”

  When she reached the other shelf, Iva was right next to her, hand on her hip. “Don’t you dare tell me you have to work late.”

  Lily continued to look for the book she needed, avoiding Iva’s gaze. “Then I won’t. Colin has a big case this week. He needs me here to finish the briefings for it. We may be working through the night.”

  “It’s not right! He shouldn’t be keeping you late into the evening. It’s so scandalous. What will people think?” Iva said. Lily imagined Iva clutching her pearl necklace in horror at the thought.

  “They would think we were working, as that’s what we are doing. That is what we are doing every night,” Lily said in an even tone, even though she could feel her breath hitch a bit when she thought of all those evenings she and Colin had spent together since she joined the firm as a clerk five years ago.

  She fancied herself attracted to him, but she knew there was nothing there. He was a handsome man, but he had been a bachelor for too long and too set in his ways. He was married to the law, he would say. However, there were those lingering looks when she thought he wasn’t looking, and brushed fingertips when they reached for the same document. She even imagined they were walking home from the theater or grand ball when he would make sure she got safely home from the office when they worked late.

  Yet, Colin since treated her no differently in all these years, she felt extremely foolish for hoarding these girlish feelings for him. She especially didn’t want Iva to know about these thoughts.

  Although one would think Iva would be thrilled she had taken an interest in a man (especially one as successful as Colin was), she knew her sister did not particularly like him. She thought he was an old man who preyed on Lily, especially given the age difference of nearly 16 years.

  “Appearances are everything; and if you aren’t careful, you’ll never find a suitable husband,” she said, with a knowingly-sister nod.

  Lily inwardly cringed. “I can’t imagine what you are talking about. Colin is a perfect gentleman in every single way. If there is any impropriety, it is in your mind. Colin needs me tonight.” It was true; she was Colin’s right hand at times, always with him at every step of the way.

  She was invaluable to him; he had repeated it to her on numerous occasions. When she would find that file that he had misplaced, or found that law book with the law passages he needed for a case, he would look at her endearingly and tell her, “Lily, what would I ever do without you?” And Lily’s stomach would erupt in a thousand butterflies as she blushed and hurriedly said it was nothing before retreating to her desk, where she would replay the exchange over and over again.

  “That Colin, I should give him a piece of my mind,” Iva said, putting her gloved fist in her hand. She shook her head, her long blond curls cascading across her shoulders.

  “Don’t you dare!” Lily calmly said, pointing her finger at her sister. “Colin is a wonderful employer. He has nothing but good intentions for me.”

  Iva crossed her arms. “You don’t realize it, but he’s turning you into a spinster.”

  Lily rolled her eyes. “I am not a spinster. I’m twenty-two years old. I have plenty of time to decide what I want,” she said, as she walked out of the room, towards her desk to retrieve Colin’s mail.

  Iva followed her into the main room, almost at her heels. “And when I was twenty-two, I was already pregnant with my first child.”

  “But I’m not you, Iva; you had been in love with Martin since you were fifteen. It was only natural you married after he graduated from college. And I want that too; I want to be in love with someone before I marry them. I want to have what you have.”

  Iva seemed to soften at the admittance. Even though Lily had said it as a spur of the moment speech, with the only intention of putting her sister at peace, she could see slivers of truth in her words. She did indeed want to be hopelessly and madly in love, to have her heart so full there wouldn’t be enough room in her chest.

  Too bad she was already that much in love; with a man that had never and probably would never look at her in the same way.

  She stilled next to the desk, with the letters in her hand, as she stared down at them. Iva came up, putting her hand on her shoulder. “And you will have that love, I promise you. But you can’t keep your nose to the ground and in these books. How are you ever going to meet someone if you don’t even look?”

  Lily didn’t like the look of pity in her sister’s eyes. All she wanted was for her to leave. “You’re right,” she relented. “I should make an effort to be at dinner. Perhaps tonight?” she added, even though she had no intention to make dinner tonight. “Unless this is too short of a notice?”

  She saw the wheels in her sister’s pretty head turning. She clasped Lily’s hands. “Of course! I will have to hurry home to prepare,” she said, although Lily could read between the lines. Judging from the time, she only had a few more hours to line up another unwanted male suitor that would be waiting for her at the table. It gave her a sort of relief to know she would never be meeting this suitor.

  Just then, the door to the office opened, and Colin walked in, shrugging off his coat and placing it on the rack next to the door. Lily felt her breath catch. He was so handsome; Lily always thought so, no matter what time of day it was, no matter what he was wearing. He was tall and lean, though you could see his muscular outline through his dress shirt. He started to roll up his sleeves, as he had done a thousand times before when he walked into the office. Lily always remarked that it was his way of preparing for his work of defending the downtrodden. His slightly long jet-black hair fell over his forehead. He brushed it back as he looked over at them standing there. “Oh Mrs. Coates, what a surprise.”

  “Mr. Sullivan,” she said, in the crisp tone she used solely for Colin, presenting him with her back. She looked at Lily with a pointed gaze. “Then I’ll see you tonight,” she said, before she briskly left the office, but not before giving Colin a sharp wave before the bell on the door dinged, signaling her departure.

  Lily let out a sigh of relief before she approached Colin, handing him the stack of mail. He leafed through the letters as he walked into his office. She followed closely and caught a whiff of his cologne. It was the same one he was wearing the day she met him. Her breath caught, but she managed to stammer out the words: “I – I prepared the books you asked me to, as well as the law briefs. They are on your desk.”

  Colin nodded his head, before setting the letters on the desk and turning to her. “Your sister never comes to visit you in the office. It must have been important.”

  Colin rarely broached the subjects of her personal life. She had inquired into his in the most indirect of ways, only gleaning little anecdotes here and there about Colin’s life outside the walls of his office. Most of her information had come from his surrogate niece Samantha, when she would come into the office to gossip a bit with Lily while Colin was at the courthouse. Samantha rarely visited when Colin was in the office.

  When it came to Lily’s life, she was more an open book. Any question Colin asked, she rightly confessed her feelings on the spot. However, his questions were few and far between. He knew all about her nieces and nephews. He even knew about her sister’s overreaching attempts to control her life. He would silently listen and then change the subject back to work. The silence was awkward and deafening. These were the times Lily knew she said too much and wish she would learn not to speak so freely.

  “Yes. She just came by to admonish me for not going over for dinner the other night,” she said, as she leaned over the desk, crossing her arms.

  “Why didn’t you go?” Colin asked. He placed one hip on the space next to her and crossed his legs.

  Lily looked up and met his gaze. His crystal blue eyes bore into her. Every time she looked into those eyes, she felt like she had a window into his soul. “We were so busy last night, I just couldn’t leave,” she said, steering her gaze away from him. She felt like a ball of nerves if she stared into his eyes for too long.

  “Lily,” he said, leaning into her so their shoulders were touching, “I don’t want to keep you from your family.”

  “You aren’t!” Lily said, before she realized her voice raised. She coughed and continued. “No, you aren’t. We just had this important case and I couldn’t just leave you.”

  “The case doesn’t start for a few weeks. We have time. Didn’t I hear her say she’d see you tonight?”

  “Yes, but I only said that to make her leave. We have so much work to do,” she said, as she turned away from him.

  He caught her arm, twirling her around so both his hands were resting on her arms. She stared up at him, trying to calm her dancing heart. “Like I said before, the case is only starting in a few weeks. We have plenty of time. So, tell me, why are you avoiding her?”

  She hated how he just knew her. Why couldn’t she just explain it away with a lie? She was so terrible at lying; he could see right through it. He knew how she loved her sister and how much she adored her nieces and nephews. She didn’t want to tell him the real reason she was dreading going to her sister’s home.

  But she knew he was relentless in his pursuit of the truth; she had seen him hunt for the truth in every case he had ever taken. He wouldn’t stop the questions until he got it out of her. So she decided to face it head on.

  “It’s a set up.”

  Colin raised his eyebrow. “A set up?”

  “You just don’t understand; she uses these dinners as a pretense. She thinks I should be married already. So, every time she invites me over, I know there is going to be someone that she deems appropriate for me to consider as a marriage partner.” There. The words were out.

  She avoided his face when she said the words, but now she searched his eyes for some sort of emotion.

  She hoped he would finally take her in his arms and tell her that it would be ludicrous for her to go to these dinners, because her one true love was standing in front of her. He would murmur her name and the three little words she longed to hear, just before he bent her back and kissed her so deeply she saw stars. She waited, holding her breath, hoping upon hoping that her dreams would become a reality.

  There was a pause between them, as an undercurrent of electricity passed and then it was gone. Lily felt herself leaning forward towards him, holding her breath. Was this the moment she had been waiting for?

  His eyes sparked with emotion. Was it longing? Regret? But before she could decipher it, the look was gone and replaced by his normal unemotional stare. He let go of her arms and walked to look out the window of the room into the gray outdoors

  Already feeling lonely without his touch, she started to walk to him. “You should go,” he said, stopping her in her tracks.

  “What?” she whispered.

  “You should go, have dinner with your sister and your family,” he turned and smiled. A smile that didn’t reach his cool eyes.

  “But,” she started, turning around and motioning at all the papers across his desk. “We have so much work to get through?”

  “You mean I have so much work,” he said, a little bit of laughter edging his voice. “You’ve done so much, you deserve a night off. Go, have fun at your dinner,” he said again, more sternly. “I don’t want you to miss out on a marriage opportunity because of me.”

  Lily couldn’t help but be sad at his declaration. She felt a cold chill running through her. Didn’t he need her? It took a few moments for her to compose herself. “Well, I guess you are right. I have been working so much.” She hesitated before speaking again. “Would it be alright if I left now? I know it’s early and...”

  Colin waved his hand at her. “Go. We are pretty much done for the day anyway.”

  She almost seemed lost, as she turned to her desk in the front office. She picked up her small bag and went to the coat rack to retrieve her coat. As she put it in, she saw Colin in the doorway to his office. “I guess I’ll get going then. Um, well,” she stuttered, looking back at him. He stood tall in the doorway, his angular face sharp and severe.