She cringed after hitting send. Were two exclamation points really that necessary? It sounded overeager. She didn’t want Nick thinking that she liked him, especially since he’d told her that he wasn’t trying to date. It was true that she still found him attractive, and his random monologue about a Swedish IKEA had only intrigued her more about the inner workings of his mind, and he was the first person she’d ever told about Strick and she appreciated that he hadn’t judged or pitied her. But she wouldn’t act on those feelings or let them fester and blossom. She’d decided that their kiss in Violet’s kitchen had been a result of repressed horniness and overexcitement after surviving an elevator brawl. Nick was going to help her find a date to Violet’s wedding, and that would be the extent of their relationship. She wasn’t even sure if they were friends. She was proud of herself for jumping in and asking for Nick’s help, though. Now if only she could properly apply that assertive energy to moving up in her career as well.
The bell over the front door chimed and Lily looked up to see Iris and Calla walking toward her.
“Auntie!” Calla shouted. She ran to Lily as fast as her little legs would allow, and Lily scooped her up into her arms.
“Hey, lady,” she said, holding her niece close. Calla smelled like chlorine. Lily glanced at Iris, who looked sleek in her black workout tank and tights. She wore a black baseball cap, concealing her short cut. Letting out a full-body sigh, Iris sat on the empty stool behind the counter. Lily let Calla down, and she ran over to her grandparents, who showered her with hugs and kisses.
“We just left her swimming class,” Iris said, rubbing her forehead. “And before that it was ballet. In an hour she has karate. I could sleep for a year straight and I’d still be tired.”
“I didn’t even know three-year-olds could take karate class.”
“Me neither, but I looked into it because Calla was so insistent. That’s what happens when you let your child watch Cobra Kai.”
“I’m happy to help with Calla whenever you need me to,” Lily said. “You know that, right?”
“Yes, and I love you for offering. But I’m okay, really. I’m tired, but it’s a normal tired. Not like last fall.”
Lily nodded, thinking about how exhausted and stressed Iris had been last October when she’d been promoted at work. She’d spent almost every evening and weekend entertaining clients and potential influencers for the makeup brand. Earlier this year, Iris had finally told her boss she had to cut back, even if that meant she’d need to find a new job. But her boss valued her too much to let her go. The weekend work had stopped altogether. Sometimes Iris still spent late evenings at the office, but at least she was home in time to have a late dinner with Calla and help her get ready for bed.
Without needing direction, Iris began filling the remaining vases with flowers. She moved even quicker than Lily and rarely had to readjust her arrangements. That was Iris in a nutshell. Doing everything perfectly on the first try.
Lily brushed off her hands and hugged her sister. At first, Iris stilled in Lily’s arms, then she relaxed.
“What was that for?” Iris asked, smiling curiously as Lily pulled away.
“Just because.” Lily shrugged. What she didn’t say was that she admired Iris, who’d experienced the untimely death of her husband and college sweetheart when Calla wasn’t even a year old. Lily thought Iris was a wonderful mom and that Calla was very lucky. But Iris didn’t like sentimentality, so Lily added, “And you’re helping me on these centerpieces.”
Iris snort-laughed and shook her head. “I’m trying to decide where we should go for Violet’s bachelorette party. Karamel Kitty suggested a nightclub in Miami, and she said we could stay at her South Beach mansion. She obviously didn’t use the word ‘mansion.’ She said ‘house,’ but her house is a mansion, so I’m using the correct word for accuracy’s sake. What do you think?”
Lily’s phone chimed on the counter, startling her. Another text from Nick.
Slight change for tonight’s party. It’s 70s themed now. Do you have something to wear?
The theme sounds fun, she responded. I’ll pull something together.
“Who’s Nick?” Iris asked, glancing at Lily’s phone.
Lily stuffed her phone in her back pocket before Iris could see more. “He’s my neighbor. What did you say about Violet’s bachelorette? Miami?”
“Yes.” Iris was smiling. “So Nick the neighbor is taking you to a party?”
“Why are you so nosy?!”
Iris smirked like that was a compliment. “Wait, do you have a date tonight?”
“No. We’re just going to a party together. It’s not a date.”
“Hmm. Interesting.” Then Iris busied herself with fixing one of Lily’s arrangements. If Violet had just discovered that Lily was texting a new guy and had plans to go out with him that night, she would have pushed for details until Lily revealed every bit of information down to his shoe size. But Iris was subtler. She didn’t press. She waited for you to come to her.
And as the silence stretched on, Lily realized she was dying to finally tell someone about what had transpired between her and Nick in Violet’s kitchen. So much so that she forgot that this was a story she probably shouldn’t share with one of her sisters.
“We kissed, though,” she blurted.
Iris’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Yes! And it was literally the best kiss of my life. He has the best, most wonderful lips. Oh my God.”
“Lily! What?! When did this happen?”
“A couple days ago,” Lily said, lowering her voice as Benjamin passed by, smiling at them over a large bouquet. “But we’re just hanging out now. Friends maybe.”
Iris frowned. “Why just friends?”
“Neither of us are looking for anything romantic.”
She definitely wasn’t going to explain that she and Nick had an agreement and he was helping her find a date to the wedding. Or how she’d originally asked him to be her date and he’d turned her down. She already regretted telling Iris that they’d kissed. Ugh, why couldn’t she just have kept her mouth shut?
It didn’t matter much anyway, though. Because Iris pulled out her phone and looked up the LinkedIn profile of a man named Brandon Johnson. She showed his profile picture to Lily, and he looked Professional? with his sleek, fitted blazer and dazzling smile.
“Well, if nothing is going on between you and Nick the neighbor,” Iris said, “I meant to tell you that I met this guy at an event a couple weeks ago. He works for Morgan Stanley, and he—”
“No.” Lily stood and began moving the completed arrangements from the counter to the worktable in the center of the room.
“But I want to help with that wedding-date bet you have going with Violet.”
“And you,” Lily said, coming back to the counter. She frowned at Iris. “The bet is with both of you. I don’t want you to try and set me up anymore either.”
“Okay, okay.” Iris held up her hands. “I won’t bring Brandon up again.”