Lily's Story: The Complete Saga Read online

  Lily’s Story

  The Complete Saga

  Christine Kersey

  Contents

  Note to Readers

  Book Description

  Books by Christine Kersey

  He Loves Me Not

  Don’t Look Back

  Love At Last

  Life Imperfect

  Books by Christine Kersey

  About the Author

  Note to Readers

  Click HERE to join Christine Kersey’s VIP Readers’ Club and receive 2 free books.

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  Book Description

  When college student Lily Jamison receives an ominous note telling her to Stay away from him, she convinces herself it's a mistake. After all, she's barely met the two men it could be referring to. But as she begins to fall for the man with the striking blue eyes, the disturbing messages increase.

  Refusing to believe warnings from an anonymous sender and trusting her own heart, Lily presses forward with her relationship, eventually coming to understand the meaning behind the messages as she fears for her life.

  Books by Christine Kersey

  Park City Firefighter Romance

  Rescue My Heart

  Hearts On Fire

  Emerald Falls Romance Series

  Crushing On You: Travis and Gabriella (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book One)

  Dangerous Lies: Sawyer and Amethyst (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book Two)

  Searching for Love

  Falling for You (Searching for Love, Book One)

  Finding Reese (Searching for Love, Book Two)

  Surrender My Heart (Searching for Love, Book Three)

  Bring Me Home (Searching for Love, Book Four)

  Lily’s Story

  He Loves Me Not (Lily’s Story, Book 1)

  Don’t Look Back (Lily’s Story, Book 2)

  Love At Last (Lily’s Story, Book 3)

  Life Imperfect (Lily’s Story, Book 4)

  Parallel Trilogy

  Gone (Parallel Trilogy, Book 1)

  Imprisoned (Parallel Trilogy, Book 2)

  Hunted (Parallel Trilogy, Book 3)

  After (a parallel story)

  The Other Morgan (a parallel story)

  Over You Series

  Over You

  Second Chances (sequel to Over You)

  Witness Series

  Witness (Witness, Book 1)

  Retribution (Witness, Book 2)

  Standalone Books

  Suspicions

  No Way Out

  Box Sets

  Parallel Trilogy

  Lily’s Story

  Searching for Love bundle

  He Loves Me Not

  Lily’s Story, Book 1

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  He Loves Me Not (Lily’s Story, Book 1)

  Copyright © 2011 by Christine Kersey

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  eBook Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people.

  Discover other exciting titles by Christine Kersey available through her official author website: ChristineKersey.com or through most online retailers.

  Created with Vellum

  Chapter One

  It was my first day of college at the University of Nevada, Reno—the beginning of a new chapter in my life. Excited to discover what lay in store for me, and eager to begin my future, I walked down the crowded hall looking for my classroom. At twenty years of age I was older than the average freshman, but that was okay. I felt just as young and inexperienced as any eighteen year old.

  Not liking to draw attention to myself, I avoided eye contact with the other students. Out of habit, I reached up to adjust my glasses, but then remembered I’d traded them in for contact lenses. Worried I would be late for my first class, I hurried down the hall. It was hard enough to be alone in a new city—when I added my lack of familiarity with the campus and my poor sense of direction, the butterflies in my stomach became oversized moths.

  Students sat on the floor of the hallway waiting for their classroom doors to open so they could flood in. Everyone seemed to know each other, which seemed to emphasize the fact that I didn’t know a soul. I pushed down the sudden feeling of panic and continued walking, reminding myself that even though I'd just come through a very difficult time in my life, a new phase was about to begin. I straightened my back against the weight of my bulky backpack and withdrew a printout of my schedule from the front pocket of my jeans so I could double-check the room number I needed to find.

  As I slowed my pace to scan my schedule, my long black hair fell into my face, and for the hundredth time I thought about chopping it all off. Just as I began tucking my hair behind my ear, I noticed a backpack lying in my path. Though I tried to avoid it, the strap seemed to wrap around my foot, and I began falling. Trying to catch myself, I flung my arms out and slammed into the back of another student.

  “Whoa!” the man said as he turned around. He caught me before I crashed to the floor.

  Blood rushed to my face and I thought I would die of embarrassment, but I forced my eyes to meet his. “I am so sorry. I guess I should watch where I’m going.” He still held on to my arm—not that I minded—but I couldn’t help glancing at his hand.

  He let go. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded.

  “Where were you going in such a hurry anyway?”

  “I really wasn’t going that fast. I just, well, I was looking at my schedule . . . I wasn’t sure where my class was and I guess . . . I . .” My voice trailed off and I stopped talking before I made myself look like more of an idiot.

  “That's okay. Don't worry about it.”

  Relieved at his response, I smiled, and when he gazed at me, a blush rose on my cheeks.

  He cleared his throat and reached for the schedule I still held in my hand. “Maybe I can help you find your class.”

  I let him take the piece of paper and watched him peruse my schedule, trying not to be distracted by his startling blue eyes or his blonde hair.

  “Well, what do you know?” He glanced up from the schedule, catching me staring. “We have a class together.”

  “We do?” I reached for the piece of paper, self-conscious that he knew I’d been checking him out. “Which one?”

  “Sociology. At eleven.”

  “That’s cool,” I said.

  “What’s your name?”

  “It’s Lily.”

  “Lily, huh?” He grinned again. “I'm Trevor.”

  “Hi,” I said stupidly. It had been so long since I’d been in this kind of social situation, I felt awkward and didn’t know the right thing to say. I finally said, “I’m still not sure where my next class is. Can you point me in the right direction?”

  To my pleasure and dismay, he leaned close to me to look at the schedule I held in my hand. The subtle scent of his aftershave drifted into my nose, making me nearly flush again.

  Well, I have to breathe. I didn't ask him to stand so close to me.

  When he stepped back slightly, I was mortified to realize I'd almost leaned toward him to get one more sniff of his cologne.

  “It looks like you’
re almost there,” he said.

  Trying to regain my composure, I nodded. “Okay.”

  “Just go to the end of the hall and make a right.” He pointed in the direction I’d been heading. “Your class should be right around there.” He smiled at me. “Hey. I’ll save you a seat in our class.”

  “That sounds great.” Pleased to have some help, and by such an attractive man, I smiled again. “Bye.” I started in the direction Trevor had shown me, forcing myself not to turn around to see if he was watching me.

  In my Financial Accounting class I had a hard time paying attention to the professor. My mind kept drifting back to Trevor and how much I'd enjoyed our brief contact. Even though I’d dated a few boys in high school, I hadn’t done any dating recently and knew the few flirting skills I’d possessed had become rusty.

  Visualizing how I would interact with Trevor when I saw him later that morning, I imagined myself as one of the characters in the romance novels I liked to read, and pictured myself saying something witty, which would of course charm him and make him fall for me instantly and completely.

  Fifty minutes later it was time for my next class, but not yet time to see Trevor in Sociology. After placing my notebook in my backpack, I checked my schedule to see where my next class would be, then reached into the depths of my backpack for the campus map. I dug around for a moment, then realized I must have left it on my desk in my apartment. “Crap,” I muttered under my breath.

  “Is everything okay?” the girl sitting next to me asked.

  Startled to realize someone had heard me, I stopped digging in my backpack. “I was just looking for my campus map, but I’m not finding it. Maybe you can you tell me where this building is?”

  She looked where I pointed on my schedule, then she unzipped a side pocket on her backpack and pulled out a campus map. She spread it out on the table and showed me where we were and where I needed to go.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “You can keep the map.” She folded it and handed it to me. “I know my way around well enough that I don’t really need it.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  I took it from her. “By the way, I’m Lily.”

  “Alyssa,” she said.

  I tucked the map into my backpack. “I appreciate your help.”

  “No problem.” She smiled. “And don't worry. By the end of the week you'll know your way around really well.”

  We both stood and walked out the classroom door.

  “I'll see you later,” Alyssa said before walking away.

  As my next class came to a close, I thought about Trevor, and when I remembered my romantic fantasies about him falling madly in love with me, my face burned with embarrassment.

  What makes you think he’s interested in you that way? He was just trying to be helpful.

  Eight minutes later I stood at the entrance to the Sociology classroom. I didn’t see Trevor anywhere and wondered if I should wait for him before going inside so we could sit together. After a couple of minutes I wondered if he would even be coming. With a sinking heart, I admitted that when he’d promised he would save me a seat, he really was just being kind.

  He might not even have the class with you. He was probably trying to make you feel better about nearly knocking him over.

  I lifted my heavy backpack from the floor, slung it over my shoulders, then walked into the classroom.

  Chapter Two

  The only empty seats were in the front row. The teacher smiled at me as I made my way to a chair, and it seemed as if everyone watched me. Heat raced up my face, and I tried to be as inconspicuous as possible as I unzipped my backpack and pulled out my Sociology book. While the teacher passed out the syllabus, I thought about Trevor not showing up, and felt stupid for agreeing to sit by him in the first place.

  Once class was over, as I gathered my things, I glanced at the other students to see if Trevor was somehow there. He wasn't. I left the room, once again feeling gullible for believing he’d had any interest in me.

  With an hour until my next class, I decided to take a break and have something to eat. Somehow I remembered where the student union was and found it without too much difficulty. I picked up a tray and gathered my lunch before paying and heading to an empty table to eat alone.

  Halfway through my meal, I heard someone calling my name. It was Alyssa.

  “Do you mind if I join you?” she asked. “Or are you going to do some studying?”

  Pleased to see a friendly face, I smiled. “Not if I can help it.”

  “Are you getting around campus okay?” She sat at the table, then pulled a sack lunch out of her backpack.

  “Yeah, actually. It's not too hard once you get your bearings.”

  “I knew you'd figure it out. I could tell you were smart.”

  I laughed. “Thanks.” I picked up my fork and resumed eating. “How are your classes going? Do you think it'll be a tough semester?”

  “As always.” She rolled her eyes. “Only three semesters to go until I have my degree. Thinking of that keeps me going.”

  “Wow. I’m just starting. It seems like it will be forever before I finally finish.”

  “So you just graduated from high school?”

  “No. I actually graduated two years ago.”

  “Oh. So you’ve been working for the past two years?”

  I hesitated. “No. My dad had some health issues, so I took care of him. He passed away this past spring.”

  “I’m so sorry. That must’ve been tough.”

  I swallowed hard to keep a lump from forming in my throat.

  “If you don’t mind my asking,” she said, “what kind of health problems did he have?”

  I picked up my cup of soda and took a sip before setting it down. “I don't really want to talk about it right now.”

  “Sorry.” She pulled out a napkin. “I can't help myself. I tend to be nosy.”

  “That’s okay.”

  “What about your mom?” She asked. “Oops. There I go again. Just don't answer my questions if you don't want to.”

  “No, no. That's okay. She was killed by a drunk driver when I was young, so I don’t remember much about her. It was just me and my dad for a long time.”

  “Oh.” Alyssa paused to take a bite from her sandwich. “So where are you living?”

  I told her the name of the apartment complex.

  “That’s a nice place. Do you have roommates?”

  “Yeah, two. How many roommates do you have?” Glad for the change of subject, I put a forkful of salad into my mouth.

  “Three. But at least I have my own room. I don't think I could stand sharing a room with someone else.”

  “Yeah, that would be hard for me too. I like my privacy.” I finished my soda. “Well, I'd better get going. I don't want to be late for my next class.”

  “Okay. I'll see you later.”

  I dropped my tray off and went to find my Math class, happy to have made at least one friend.

  By the time my last class finished, I was ready to go home and take a nap before starting on my assignments. I was surprised I had so much homework after the first day—mostly reading, but it would take a while to get through all the subjects.

  As I walked home, I congratulated myself that I’d had the foresight to choose an apartment within walking distance of campus. Even though I had Dad’s Honda Accord now, I wanted to save money where I could, and the price of gas seemed to keep going up. The money my father had left me had to be carefully managed to make it last as long as possible.

  As I thought of my father, I smiled sadly, thankful he’d bought a life insurance policy when he did—he’d gotten sick shortly afterwards. That money was now my lifeline, enabling me to get my education so I could support myself.

  I still had the house my father owned, but for sentimental reasons I couldn’t sell it yet. Even though it took over an hour to drive to it, just knowing it was there and that I could go there an
ytime I wanted brought a feeling of comfort.

  I stopped at the mailbox before walking up the stairs to my apartment. Once at my door, I inserted the key, but found the door already unlocked. I went in, expecting my roommates to be home, but they weren’t. Even though we’d only been roommates for a few days, this wasn’t the first time they’d left the door unlocked. And even though I’d been raised in a small town, my dad had originally come from a large city and had trained me to always lock the front door. Coming home to an unlocked and empty apartment made me uneasy—especially in Reno.

  I locked the front door and went into my bedroom, then set my backpack on my bed. With a quick look around, I made sure all my belongings were still where they should be, then took the books from my backpack and set them on my desk in preparation for studying.

  Glancing at the work before me, I decided I needed something to eat before beginning. I went into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, then shook my head in frustration. Once again my chopped vegetables were gone.

  Though I liked my roommates well enough, I wasn’t used to living with anyone besides my dad. And for the last two years while I'd been taking care of him, I'd been in charge of everything at our house. Living with people who didn’t respect me or my desires was becoming tiresome.

  Maybe I should splurge and get my own place.

  Fantasizing about having a place all to myself, I imagined coming home from somewhere and finding everything the way I’d left it—when I put food in the refrigerator, it would still be there when I next went to get it. But when I considered the cost of renting a place on my own, I knew I would regret it later if my money ran out and I couldn't finish school.