Chapter 35
LILY
Lily walked into the kitchen to find her mother leaning over her laptop. Her shoulder-length light blonde hair was askew, like she had been running her fingers through it — which meant she was stressed.
“What is it?” Lily asked, as her mother looked up at her.
“We’ve got a fire blight problem,” she said, almost hissing. Lily knew it pained her to see the trees suffer. That upset her more than how it might impact the business.
“I thought you got it under control?” Lily said, leaning over the counter. Her mother had seemed a bit distracted lately, more so than usual.
“I thought so too. I think I’m going to need to get some outside help this time.” Diana Blake sighed. “Anyway, nothing is going to change today. You ready for your dinner in a few hours?”
“Yeah I think so. What is it that you wanted to talk to me about? And why would Maya need to be there?”
“I didn’t say Maya had to be there, it just might be nice. I know you two have gotten close.”
Lily’s anxiety sparked. Why would her mother need her to have someone she was close with when they talked? Was it sad news?
“Mom?” Lily asked.
“It isn’t anything to worry about!” her mother said, rubbing her shoulder against Lily’s.
She was the same height as Lily, and they were built relatively the same.
Lily liked that she looked like her mother, though her mom had thinner lips and always joked that she didn’t know where Lily had inherited her boobs from.
“I just thought it would also be nice because it’s your birthday. ”
Lily was unconvinced, but her mother was unmovable. Diana didn’t say or do anything she didn’t want to. “Fine, but you’re being weird,” Lily said, adding, “Oh– I invited Hanna and her parents too.”
She felt her mother slightly stiffen. “You did?”
“Is that alright? It’s not like there won’t be enough food. I saw what you bought, we have enough for a football team.”
“Oh, well, yes, I just wished you’d have told me.” Her mother, who was rarely unnerved, looked a bit pale.
“Yeah sorry? I hang out with Hanna as much as I do Maya, and since you and Maggie are going to be there, I told her she could bring her parents.” Lily’s anxiety started to snowball, but she kept her voice calm, not wanting to betray that the girls were coming out tonight over dinner.
What was going on with her mom? She made a mental note to bring something stronger up to the treehouse later, just in case.
“Makes sense,” her mother said, sounding flustered and strange. “I uh—I’ll just go check on some things.” She quickly moved from the room, leaving Lily in a flurry of uncertainty and unease.
Late afternoon came more quickly than Lily had prepared for.
Ever since the run in with her mother earlier that day, she’d been tangled in her thoughts, trying to figure out what was possibly going on.
She’d been distracted and sent a silent thank you to Maya for putting in the extra effort to reassure Hanna in their group chat.
Hanna was dressed casually, in a cotton tank top and jean shorts, but because she thought this moment festive, Lily threw on a purple lipstick she wore like twice a year, which also was about how often she wore lipstick.
Once outside in the back of the house, she made her way down to where her mother was grilling.
“There she is! Ah and purple, nice, looks so great with your hair,” Diana said, smiling. All of the discomfort from earlier had apparently evaporated.
“This looks amazing Mom, thank you,” Lily smiled.
“Sure thing! You know, you never had any parties here, this is fun. I wish I could have done this more for you when you were little.”
“Mom, you never asked if I wanted to do anything,” Lily countered, though she wasn’t truly surprised by her mom.
“Well honey, my approach was to let you lead,” her mother said genuinely.
“I was a kid,” Lily started, but then thought better of it. “Doesn’t matter, thank you for this today.” She leaned over and kissed her mother on the cheek, then felt her phone buzz.
Papaya Maya
Let’s get this thing started. I am here.
Hanna Banana
We here!
Lilith
Guys I want a fruit nickname
Papaya Maya
You get what you’re given
Hanna Banana
Lilith is BADASS. Now come get us!
Lily slid her phone in her pocket. “Looks like everyone’s here,” she said over her shoulder as she made her way back into the house.
“I dig the purple,” Maya said as she, Lily, and Hanna moved towards the backyard, their parents in tow.
“Thanks, I wanted to be festive. You two look amazing,” Lily said, and it was true.
Maya looked gorgeous and chic as always in a pair of flow pants and a cropped v-neck, revealing her golden brown skin in patches Lily wanted to lick.
Her curls and coils were loose and she’d done her makeup.
Hanna was stunning with her long black hair in a high ponytail and simple makeup, save for a shimmery layer of gold eyeshadow that worked well with the rosiness the summer had put into her pale skin.
She wore a purple maxi dress that Lily noticed accentuated her bust in the best way.
“When was the last time you were here?” Lily heard Mary McAvoy ask Maggie.
“Oh, uh, well I—we’ve—been back in town for some time and Maya has been helping here over the summer,” Maggie responded, and Lily exchanged a knowing look with Maya.
“Interesting, because the last time I remember you being here—” Mary started.
“I always liked it here,” Evan McAvoy chimed in. Lily’s ears perked up because she rarely heard him speak.
They made it to the grilling area. Diana had been sure to clean the outdoor furniture and set up couches and chairs, so they wouldn’t have to sit at the table the whole time while she was grilling.
“Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes! Feel free to grab some drinks and get comfortable, of course there’s plenty of cider,” Diana said from the grill.
“You ready to do this?” Lily said, once they were alone and the parents of the group, save for Diana, had walked over to the cooler for drinks. Lily could hear them making small talk.
“I mean, no? But I think we have to do it. It’s the end of July. We leave in two weeks, so even if there’s a fallout, it won’t be for long.”
“We can all run away together to the treehouse,” Lily said. She watched Maggie take an extra bottle of cider from the cooler and head towards Diana.
“Like I said earlier, we got you,” Maya said reassuringly. Lily wanted to pull Hanna into her arms but didn’t dare do so. It was clear she was nervous.
“Maybe a drink to take the edge off?” Hanna breathed out.
“Don’t have to ask me twice,” Maya said.
Lily agreed and was going to say something when she was distracted once again by Maggie and her mother. This time they seemed to be having a very fiery, whispered conversation.
What the fuck?
When her mother caught her staring, she turned to Maggie and said loudly, “Dinner is ready if y’all will take your seats.” She said it sweetly, but Lily knew her mother and heard the dismissal in her voice.
“Let’s do this,” Maya said, and Lily tabled the questions that were starting to bloom in her mind. She would get to those after.