TLS Special SNEAK PEEK Saturday

 

The Lemonade Stand has spent so many years bringing you the best the Twilight fandom has to offer, and we are very excited to have the chance to offer you even MORE. We've watched stories grow and develop from first post through COMPLETE, and now we're lucky enough to share previews of the stories that will soon be your new addiction.

Today we are featuring Lily Jill, author of  Found Missing, A Muse in the Shadows, Pursuing the Proposition, and Unspoken.  She's sharing an excerpt from her new upcoming fic

The Lost Key.

banner by DaniDarlingxx

The Lost Key

by

Lily Jill

Summary: Isabella Swan left her home with a single purpose: to bring her family long-awaited answers about her brother’s death. The city is no forgiving place, and she soon discovers for every answer she uncovers, ten new questions crop up. Unsure who to believe, Isabella must learn quickly who can be trusted, and who shouldn’t. Can she uncover the truth of her brother’s final moments, or will she get caught in the webs that surround notorious pub owner, Edward Cullen?

~ooOOoo~

“You lost, woman?” The second man says as he busies himself in the way most busy men do behind bars. He and the first man work in tandem silence, and the woman thinks they must have been working alongside one another for quite a long time. They nod toward the customers in greeting as more people begin to trickle in.

The first man, apparently named Emmett, cleans a glass with a cloth and laughs towards the woman, grabbing the other man’s attention. “This one’s here about the job in the paper.”

This does in fact catch the man’s attention, albeit briefly, his green eyes glancing across the bar to meet the stare of her brown gaze. He clears his throat and focuses again on the receipts in his hands.

“Hmm.” It’s barely an acknowledgment, but she figures it is a custom greeting around here. He casts her one more quick look before turning to Emmett.  “Boys are coming; bring me a round of the usual.”

With that, he turns on his heel, the sound of his shoes against the hardwood floor of the pub triggering a wave of familiar anger in her.  “Excuse me?”  She asks him, knowing full well he will ignore her.  He does, and in a rage, she turns back towards the bar to Emmett.

“Is he the one?”

“I told you,” Emmett answers with a shake of his head. “Experience or not, this isn’t the place for you.”

She does not give a single damn about her experience or the righteous way Emmett feels he is protecting her virtue. If the man who walked away is in charge of the hiring here, she demands she speak to him at once.

“There’s a woman right here in this very place,” she says heatedly, using her chin to direct his attention to one sitting in a booth in the back of the pub. “What makes her any different from me?”

“She’s a whore,” the second man interjects, standing next to where she sits, leaning against the bar.  She isn’t prepared for him to be this close; she didn’t see or hear him coming. She turns her head at his voice, caught off guard by his proximity. He’s leaning now, his elbows on the bar, their faces level. “Can you say the same for yourself?”

“No.” She fights to keep her anger at bay at the man's gall.

“Didn’t think so.” He chuckles humorlessly before reaching out to take his drink order from Emmett.  “Thanks, Em.”

As he walks away a second time, she feels defeat set into her shoulders, followed by a spark she recognizes. It is what brought her here in the first place.

She clenches her eyes shut, trying to find something to ground her to this place. She sighs. One last chance.

Her brother deserves it.

“Just give me one day.  Today.” She calls over the pub, her voice reverberating over the quiet chatter and hollow walls. She watches as the man freezes before turning around slowly to meet her stare. She swallows nervously. “I’ll work here with Emmett for the day, and at the end of the night you can decide if I’m a good fit for your pub.”

She can see how he contemplates her proposition in his head, his fingers twitching at his sides as he considers her offer.

What feels like an eternity later, he looks at the floor but graces her with a slight nod before walking back over to her at the bar.

“All right then.” He looks over at Emmett with a bemused sort of smile on his face.  “Emmett, today you’ll work alongside…”

He looks towards her now, obviously searching for a name.

She stands tall, shoulders back and chin raised. “Isabella.”

“Isabella.” He repeats out loud for them all to hear, his voice low as her name falls from his lips. He snaps his head over to Emmett. “Show her the basics, and I’ll check in before the night is over.”

He walks away then, the door to the pub opening to a group of three men before they head over to where the second man awaits them.

Isabella lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, legs shaking as she slides back into her seat at the bar.

She looks at Emmett, who is shaking his head as if he’s disappointed in something. “So who is he exactly?”

“That’s Edward Cullen,” Emmett answers with a laugh. He slides her another drink, knowing she’ll need it if she wants to survive a day around here. “And you just made a huge mistake.”

~ooOOoo~

If you haven’t already, put Lily Jill on alert! The Lost Key begins posting on February 27th!