Hours later, after Marcus tore Nick’s chapter draft apart and sent him on his way with notes, Nick walked the forty blocks back home in an attempt to jog his creativity. He had three months left until his deadline.
It was late evening by the time he reached his building. He ambled through the lobby, both physically and mentally exhausted, his mind on Deko.
So as the elevator doors began to close, and he ran forward, holding his arm out to keep the doors open, he was wholly unprepared to see Lily standing inside of the elevator with her eyes closed, leaning her head against the wall.
19
Lily had spent most of her day in the mail room, sending books to authors. She was avoiding Edith, who’d come to work on a warpath. Unfortunately, IT was bearing the brunt of Edith’s attitude. She’d locked herself out of her email account no less than three times before noon, and whenever the poor IT person came to assist her, Edith snapped at them as if it were their fault that she couldn’t remember her password.
Secluded in the mail room, Lily was able to work in peace, wearing her headphones. Jazmine Sullivan blasted in her ears and she packed boxes full and taped them closed over and over again. It took all of her attention, which was a blessing. It meant she didn’t have to spend the entire day thinking about Nick. She was avoiding him too.
She hadn’t seen him since he’d given her the stool and items for Tomcat the other morning. She couldn’t trust herself to be around him and make sensible choices. Because no matter how hard she tried not to, she kept thinking about Nick and how he’d shown up at her door the other morning with a kitchen stool and medicine and a toy for Tomcat. She’d been meaning to buy a new stool for the apartment, but she hadn’t gotten around to it. Then Nick had just appeared, knowing exactly what it was that she’d needed. Tomcat usually hated toys and preferred jumping in baskets and smacking around a balled-up piece of paper as a source of entertainment but she couldn’t get that feather toy away from him if she tried. And she couldn’t stop thinking of Nick’s face as he stood in the hallway.
I won’t lie to you again. I swear on my life. You mean too much to me.
Had he really meant that? Would she ever be able to believe him again?
She wanted to. That was the problem. Because she didn’t know if that made her weak or stupid or both.
She was in the middle of taping a box closed when she realized she’d printed the wrong label. Sighing, she went back to her desk to print the label again. As she rounded the corner to her desk, Oliver was walking right toward her. He smiled and waved, and Lily waved back. They met at her cubicle.
“Hey,” she said. “What’s up?”
“A couple of the guys in Production were talking about a restaurant they went to that’s inspired by Victorian England,” he said. “Lillie’s Victorian Establishment. Have you heard of it?”
“I have, actually. I went once with my sister. It’s near our apartment. The interior decor is great but being that you’re actually English, you might find it a bit cheesy.”
Oliver grinned. “See, that’s why I’d like to go and give my proper assessment. And I thought maybe since you share a name with the restaurant, you might like to go too.” Then he winced. “That was worded weirdly. What I mean to say is, Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?”
“Oh.” Lily blinked. She shouldn’t have been surprised, but so much had happened in the last couple days, she’d forgotten that they’d agreed to reschedule their date.
Oliver was looking at her, patiently waiting for her response. He was friendly. He was direct. He made sense. This was a normal way to start dating someone. There were no yearlong emails or secrets or confusing feelings.
So much else in her life was currently up in the air. She didn’t know where her next job would be or where she would live after she left Violet’s. If she was going to date, she wanted it to be simple. Uncomplicated.
She took a deep breath and asked Oliver what time she should meet him in the lobby.
* * *
? ? ?
Lillie’s victorian establishment was crowded during happy hour, but after about thirty minutes, Lily and Oliver were seated at a booth near the kitchen. Oliver was delighted by the red velvet couches and Victorian era–inspired paintings on the walls. Lily was relieved that he found the decor to be good fun and not corny.
They’d both ordered burgers and fries, and Oliver spent a lot of time telling Lily about the training he was doing for his upcoming 5K race. It was fascinating, really. She’d never been an athlete herself, so hearing about how Oliver was so dedicated to getting his body into shape was inspiring.
She told him about her desire to work in children’s publishing, and Oliver asked all the right questions: What were her favorite children’s books growing up, and if she could work with any famous children’s author, who would she choose?
It was a perfectly fine date. Lovely even.
But Lily couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. And it wasn’t Oliver’s fault at all. She kept picturing the way Tomcat had smacked around his new feather toy that morning, and then she thought of the way Nick had gently carried Tomcat in his arms the entire way to the hospital a couple weeks ago.
She knew that there was no room for Oliver. Someone else had already burrowed his way into her heart first.
Oliver excused himself to use the bathroom, and when he returned, Lily knew she had to tell him the truth. She wasn’t going to continue wasting his time.
“All right, I’ll admit the situation in the loo is a bit weird,” Oliver said as he sat down again. “I don’t think I need a portrait of Prince Albert watching me the whole time.”
Lily laughed, but then quickly sobered. “Oliver, I want to be honest with you.”
“Okay,” Oliver said, becoming serious.
“I think you are so funny and kind, and if I’d met you this time last year, I’d probably be crazy about you. But the truth is that I can’t stop thinking about someone else, and you deserve to be involved with someone who is completely available in all ways. Plus, Dani likes you.”
Oliver raised an eyebrow. “Does she, really?”
Lily nodded. “She wants you to bring her to London.”
He laughed and, sporting a thoughtful expression, leaned back in his chair. “Is the person you can’t stop thinking about the guy from the bar the other night? The tall one?”
“Yes,” Lily admitted.
“I felt like there might have been something between you two, but I wasn’t sure.”
“I’m really sorry.”
Oliver smiled a little. “You don’t have to apologize. It is what it is. And now you know way more information about the life of a runner than you probably need to.”
Lily smiled too. “And now you know more about the differences between The Princess Diaries book and the movie adaptation.”
“Can I ask you a question, though?” he said, and Lily nodded. “Why did you decide to come out tonight with me? Why aren’t you with him?”