“Lily’s look is inspired by none other than the Queen Bey herself. Are there any Jays out there in the crowd tonight?”
Lily sent a glare over her shoulder at Violet, who simply smiled innocently and shrugged.
Nick was still measuring his breathing as Violet announced that the fashion show was over. The Greenes in the audience stood and clapped, while the models bowed on the patio.
As the groups dispersed, Nick made a beeline for Lily. She stood on the patio, watching him, waiting for him to approach. She removed the Yankees cap and smiled a little.
“Hey,” he said once he reached her.
“Hey. I looked silly, didn’t I?”
Nick shook his head, smiling too. “Not at all. You look beautiful.”
“Oh.” She laughed softly and glanced away. “Thank you. It was Violet’s idea. She was inspired by that time Jay-Z and Beyoncé showed up to TRL decked out in denim. Do you remember that? They drove through Times Square in a red convertible with the top down.”
“Nah, I don’t remember,” he said, unable to keep from staring at her. He glanced down at her thighs again. Her skin looked so soft. He took a step forward, closing the space between them. Lily’s breath hitched but she didn’t retreat. She looked up into his face, her eyes on his lips. He reached forward and gently ran his hand down her arm, pausing at her elbow. What was he doing? He should stop. Right now. But then Lily only moved closer to him.
“Watch Calla for me for a second, please?” Iris said, suddenly appearing. “I have a stupid work call.” She placed Calla in Lily’s arms and hurried away, holding her phone to her ear.
Nick abruptly stepped back and blinked down at Lily’s niece, who looked at him with big, quizzical brown eyes. She turned and buried her face in Lily’s shoulder.
“Calla, this is my friend Nick,” Lily said. “Do you want to say hi?”
Calla peeked up at Nick. He thought back to an email Lily had written once when she’d said that Calla freaked out around people who weren’t family. She wasn’t freaking out now, but she was being cautious. Nick couldn’t blame her. He’d been a cautious kid too. He might not have lost a parent like Calla had, but he’d felt the effects of trauma at a young age.
“Hi,” Nick said softly. He held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Calla.”
Calla glanced at Nick’s hand and then looked at Lily, who smiled and nodded encouragingly. Calla reached out her small hand and placed it in Nick’s much larger one.
“Hi,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.
Nick grinned at her and to his surprise, she smiled back.
The music abruptly stopped, and Lily’s parents stood at the front of the patio, a large sheet cake placed on the table in front of them. They waited for everyone’s attention.
“Dahlia and I want to thank all of you for coming out and celebrating our birthday,” Benjamin said. “Today is my favorite day of the year, and not because it has anything to do with me. But because I get to see how happy Dahlia is, and how very loved we are.”
“We love you!” one of Lily’s aunts shouted.
“We love you too!” Dahlia yelled back.
The Greenes began to sing Stevie Wonder’s version of “Happy Birthday.” When the song ended, Dahlia and Benjamin held hands, smiling at their family. “Who wants cake?” Dahlia asked.
People started to line up and Lily gasped. “Wait, I should get your cupcakes too.” She paused. “Do you mind keeping an eye on Calla? I’ll only be gone for a minute.”
“I’m okay with that if Calla is.”
Lily looked at Calla. “Can you sit with Nick for a couple minutes while I go get some cupcakes for us?” Calla nodded, and Lily placed her on the ground beside Nick. “I’ll be right back.”
Nick was unsure of what to say to Calla. The last time he’d spent time around toddlers was probably when he’d been in daycare himself. He looked down at Calla and smiled tentatively. Without speaking, she reached up and linked her small fingers through his. He felt so moved by that tiny act of trust. She had that quizzical look on her face again. She said something, but her voice was so soft Nick had to bend down to hear her.
“You like cupcakes?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Nick said. “Do you?”
She nodded. “I like vanilla with sprinkles. Mommy and I get them after karate on Saturdays.”
Nick blinked, trying to picture the small, reserved child in front of him doing martial arts. “Do you like karate?”
She nodded again. “And swimming.”
“Wow. I don’t know how to swim.”
Calla’s eyes widened. “You don’t? But you’re big.”
Nick laughed. “I know. No one ever taught me. I can doggy paddle, though.”
“I’ll teach you how to swim,” she said very seriously.
“Really? Thanks, Calla.”
“I have to ask my mom first, though.”
“Right,” Nick said, nodding. “Of course.”
Lily returned, and the three of them sat down to eat Nick’s cupcakes.
“Violet wasn’t lying,” Lily said, chewing. “These are delicious. I didn’t know you could bake like this.”
“My mom worked a lot when I was younger, and my dad . . . wasn’t around all the time, so whenever I had school bake sales and parties, I had to bake stuff myself.”
Lily looked at him, her smile slightly sad. It was the same look she’d given him when he told her about his parents’ marriage.
“It’s a good skill to have,” she said softly. Nick only nodded and watched Lily bite into the cupcakes he’d made, simply because he wanted her and her family to think well of him.
Calla’s mouth was quickly covered in frosting. Her eyes took on the glassy look of a kid who was about to ride a sugar high. And that was how Iris found her when she walked over to their table.
“Grandma wants you to come in the house for pictures,” Iris said, scooping Calla into her arms and grabbing one of Nick’s cupcakes before they walked away.
The backyard started to empty out as it got darker and the lightning bugs and mosquitos made an appearance.
“Thank you for bringing me with you today,” Nick said.
Lily rested her chin in the palm of her hand and yawned. “You’re welcome. I hope we didn’t drive you nuts.”
“Not at all. Your family is great.”
She smiled. “I’m glad you think so.”
He wanted to say more, to tell her that this was one of the best days he’d had in a long time, but Lily’s mom soon called her inside, and Lily quickly stood. “Not sure what she wants, but I’ll be right back.” She jogged away into the house, and Nick picked up their plates to throw them in the trash. As he began to stand, he spotted Iris walking across the backyard in his direction.
“Hi, Nick,” she said, sitting beside him.
“Hi.” He was trying to gauge her mood. Her eyes had an intense and inquisitive quality. It reminded him so much of Calla’s expression.
“My daughter never likes new people, but she likes you,” Iris said. “She just asked me if she could teach you how to swim.”
Nick chuckled. “Your daughter is really sweet.”
“Thank you.”