Chapter 24
Tommy left a few folded dollars on Lila’s dresser on his way out. Lila stayed on the bed and stared at the money but didn’t bother to get up and count it. He didn’t ask for it, not in so many words, and felt bad Tommy had to pay for his company. But it was that or turn him away, and Lila could never do that.
In the morning, Lila pulled on a dressing gown to hide his nightdress and brushed out his hair as he sat at his vanity. He stared at the pale face looking back, too harsh without makeup to be womanly but too fey and slim to belong to a man. With his hair loose about his shoulders, he looked more feminine than he felt.
Tommy makes me feel like a woman, he thought suddenly, surprising himself. He knows I’m not and yet looks at me as if I’m beautiful. How could he not love a
