That night on the beach was magical. The stars overhead twinkled brighter than Josh could ever remember. Somehow, the sea smelled intoxicating. The air turned chilly as the fire dwindled down, and they snuggled closer on the blanket. When the firewood was all gone, it was time to head back to the cottage, but he didn’t want to move from that spot.

They walked back to the golf cart hand in hand. While no words had been spoken, promises were made. The promise that each of them would stick around to see where this was going. The promise to commit to each other. Yet deep inside he still feared she couldn’t let go of her ex’s words, that she’d never be free to heal. But when she kissed him, he dared to believe in anything.

“Do you want to fly to New York with me on Monday?” he asked. The idea of leaving her for even two days was unbearable.

“You want me to go with you?”

He couldn’t see her face well in the dark, but he could hear her smile in her tone. “Yes, I do. I could take you out to dinner after my meeting. And maybe you can check out gallery locations, if that’s what you want.”

“Even with the money your company is paying me for my artwork, it won’t be enough to start a gallery, but I think I have an idea. Something Connie had mentioned, but it’ll take a lot to pull it off.”

They crossed the main road and headed the last two blocks to the cottage. “What can I do to help?”

“Do you know of any places we could rent that would be a good spot for an event? And do you know how to fill the place?” She sighed. “I don’t have any connections like that. I just create the art. I don’t sell it. Connie has some of that talent, but not the kind of New York connections we need.”

“You’ll be happy to know I can advertise anything.” He turned into the driveway, but there was a car blocking the garage. “Expecting someone?”

“No.” She saw Connie’s car already parked. “Maybe Allen rented his own car so he didn’t have to keep sharing with you.”

Josh ignored the thought that if she was right, his assistant would have told him about it. He drove the golf cart through the grass and around the car into the carport. He got out and took the blanket. “I’ll shake out the sand.”

She grabbed their trash, dumped it in the outside can, and headed inside. He followed a minute later, still suspicious of the unknown car in the driveway. What if there was someone unknown inside the cottage?

“Allen?” he called out, but only silence greeted him. He rounded the corner by the kitchen and stopped short, seeing the man from the gallery seated at the kitchen table. The one he’d asked for information about Lily. The one who’d shattered her confidence. His skin pricked with the desire to punch something, but he managed to keep his cool. After hearing about all the awful things this man did to Lily, Josh could barely stand to look at him.

“What are you doing here?” Lily glared at Stephon across the table, her stance unyielding. “Never mind. I don’t want to know. Leave.” To his surprise, her voice sounded solid, steady, with only a hint of strain.

Connie and Allen stood a few feet behind the man. “I tried to send him away, Lily. I’m so sorry.” Her face twisted with obvious bad news.

The man lifted his cleft chin and pushed his shoulders back. “It’s time for you to leave this hovel and come back to New York. I’ve finally been able to resurrect your career. It took great effort, but I have a show scheduled for two weeks from now.”

“That has nothing to do with me. I’m washed up, remember? You said so yourself. That I’m done, talentless,” she said, her tone bitter and cold. Colder than Josh had ever heard her speak. Good. If he couldn’t deck the guy, the next best thing was a front row seat when she told the man what to do with his offer.

“Yes, well, I found some of your old pieces and decided to use those to rebuild your reputation. If the show in two weeks is a success, I believe I can help you after that. It’ll take a lot of work on my part, but I’m willing to do it to save your career.”

“Why, how generous of you.” Josh stepped forward to join Lily, making sure she knew he’d stand by her.

“Oh, I see you found her. I hear you’re trying to commission her to do some sort of greeting card.”

“It’s not a greeting card. It’s a major department store advertisement,” he grunted.

“Oh, really? How sad. Advertisement art. How humiliating. Well, no need to worry, Lily, my dear. You don’t have to lower yourself to doing advertisements now that I’m here. I will save you from this.”

Josh fisted his hands, but Lily’s arm shot out in front of him, keeping him from stepping forward. “I don’t want to work with you again. I’m going to do this on my own.”

“You? Without me?” He laughed, a deep, condescending laugh.

Connie moved in this time. “Leave. You said what you’ve come to say, but Lily’s already made up her mind.”

Stephon smiled menacingly. “Yes, well, regardless she needs to be in New York for the show in two weeks, or she’ll owe me for loss and damages. It’s in our contract.”

“What contract? Any contract I had with you ended the day you kicked me out. You wouldn’t even let me into the gallery or our apartment. You put me on the street with nothing. I had to call my sister to come get me. I will not work for you ever again.

Stephon moved closer, but Josh jumped between them. “You heard her,” he snarled.

“Then you will hear from my lawyer. Cross me and I’ll ruin you. Forget ever selling your work again. Not to pathetic art enthusiast wannabes who’d commission your second-rate work, or to smalltime advertising agencies. I’ll rake them through the media until the company can’t land even the smallest of clients.” Stephon tossed a manila envelope onto the table. “I’ll expect you on Tuesday, the 14th, by 5:00 p.m. No excuses, or I’ll see you in court.” He hesitated then leaned in toward Lily. “They don’t understand, but you and I both know you can’t do this without me. You’re nothing without me.” He stormed out, leaving Allen, Connie, Lily, and Josh standing in the middle of the room dumbfounded.

After a quick glance at Allen, Connie stepped toward her sister. “You can’t. It’ll destroy you.”

Josh took her hand, but she slid away. “We all knew I’d never finish that drawing. Besides, you heard him. I’m under contract.” She dropped into her chair. “You don’t get it. If I don’t do what he wants, he won’t just take me to court. He’ll ruin you, too. All of you. He won’t stop until he gets what he wants or he gets revenge.”

“I don’t care.” Josh moved to her again, but didn’t touch her this time.

“I do. Besides, he’s right. This is probably my only chance to rebuild my reputation. He created me, and he ruined me. He’s the only one who can bring my work back to the light.”

“That’s not true,” Josh said. “I don’t know what he taught you, but I know that the art I’ve seen you create is not something that can be learned. Your talent was already inside you.” He dared to touch her arm, lightly. “Don’t do this,” He pleaded, his heart shredding by the sudden turn of events.

Lily wouldn’t look at him. She only kept her gaze on the envelope on the table. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do it. That I couldn’t finish the drawing for your advertising campaign. Better that you know now, while you still have a couple of weeks to develop something different, than if I failed at the last minute.”

“Lily.”

She gripped the arms of the chair. “I think you should go now.”

Josh looked to Connie, but she looked as lost as he felt. Allen went to the front door. “Come on, man. We’ll work this out somehow. Let’s go for now.”

Josh backed away from Lily. Not even an hour earlier, he had believed in them, believed they had a shot. Now, in just a matter of minutes, everything had fallen apart. He thought he would fall apart, or lose it if he didn’t get out of there, so he followed Allen out the door. The entire ride back to the hotel, they didn’t say a word until Allen pulled into a parking space and turned off the car.

“Give her until morning, then go talk to her. She’s just in shock. That was a heavy threat he threw in her face,” Allen said, trying to soothe him.

“Thanks, but it’s up to Lily now.” He’d seen it in her eyes. She was gone, lost to the man who had some sort of inexplicable control over her. He couldn’t compete with that, and he couldn’t watch that monster manipulate her either. “I tried to help her. I even put her well-being before our company.” He shook his head. “How stupid could I have been? Now, we need to figure out how to save this contract and our company. It’s time to stop living this beach fantasy.”