Chapter Nineteen Lily
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Lily
O ver the next week, Lorenzo and I increase our public outings.
I pop into his campaign headquarters for a very public lunch, we hang out together at Last Call, and I join him at the Park Promenade one afternoon—and by join , I mean sat on a bench and gawked at Lorenzo while he used the park’s outdoor fitness equipment.
Shirtless, I might add.
And dripping .
By the time he was halfway through his workout, he had formed a fan club of nannies and dog walkers, which was slightly annoying. The only way I got rid of them was by throwing my arms around Lorenzo’s half-naked, glistening body and staking my claim.
Word spreads all over town about our relationship. I’m not the only one everyone is talking about because it turns out Rafa is dating Ellie, who gave her two weeks’ notice because she likes her boss as more than a friend.
I’ve been meaning to talk to Rafa about it, so when he asks me to help him take his new family of kittens to the vet, I agree to tag along. I’m the second-biggest animal lover in the family, so there’s nothing I’d love more.
Rafa didn’t outright admit he adopted them because of Ellie, but I connected the dots when he retold the adoption story during our drive into town. He even smiles at one point when talking about her, and I’m overwhelmed by his happiness.
But I’m also a teeny, tiny bit sad—not for him, but for myself. Because how many years have I spent longing for a person who talks about me the same way?
I’ve been on dates. I’ve joined every matchmaking app. I’ve given men multiple chances because I wanted to be sure they weren’t the person I could see myself spending the rest of my life with.
Then I met Lorenzo, and I thought he was that person for me. I was so confident about it that I wished for him to be.
Just like my dad said to.
I shove the painful memory away and focus on Rafa telling me another story about his trip. By the time we arrive at the animal clinic, the kittens are meowing like crazy, so the secretary shows us to a private room where we can let them loose while we wait for the vet.
“So, you and Lorenzo…” Rafa says as he plucks the one with the pink collar off the floor.
I reach for the kitten and place her back with her brother and sisters. “What about it?”
“How’s it going?”
I laugh. “I mean, as good as can be expected after hiding our relationship for nearly a year.”
His eyes turn to slits. I brace myself for a judgmental comment, but he surprises me by saying, “I’m sure that was hard on you.”
“Yeah…but I feel so much better now that people know.”
“I’m curious—how did you both keep it a secret for so long?” He stares at me instead of the kitten currently destroying his shoelaces with its tiny claws.
“Why are you asking?”
“Because you’re the last person anyone tells anything to.”
My mouth falls open. “That’s so uncalled for.”
He shrugs. “But true.”
“I can keep a secret.”
“So can I.” He looks so smug after saying it, and I instantly know something is wrong.
The vet then walks into the room, cutting our conversation short. At first I’m grateful for the interruption, but the longer I have to wait to ask Rafa what he meant, the larger my concerns grow.
Relax , I chant, trying to find my inner yoga voice and failing miserably.
When the vet leaves the exam room after promising to return with some results, I can’t take Rafa’s smugness anymore.
“What did you mean?”
He pauses in the middle of stroking one of the kitten’s bellies to look over at me. “What?”
“When you said you can keep a secret. What were you referring to?”
“ Oh . That.” He goes back to playing with the kitten.
“Rafa,” I say with a groan. “Come on.”
He stands to his full height and crosses his arms. “I know the truth.”
My whole world tilts as I come to terms with Rafa knowing about my big, bad secret.
“How?” I ask, although I’m certain Ellie is the one who said something.
And people think I can’t keep a secret?
I can’t believe Lorenzo gave me a whole speech about not telling my sister and Julian about us when he should’ve been worrying about Willow talking to Ellie.
But I’ll deal with that issue later.
Rafa rubs his stubbled cheek. “I don’t get how you landed yourself in this…situation.”
I can’t look at him head-on, so I pick up a kitten and cradle it against my chest. “It’s a long, uninteresting story.”
“I’d rather be the judge of that myself, if you don’t mind.”
I’m the one grimacing now.
“Come on, Lily. How can you go from wanting to find the love of your life to faking a relationship with Lorenzo?”
I drop my gaze. “I have my reasons.”
“I’m sure, and I’m not trying to judge them.” He exhales loudly. “I just want you to know I’m here if you need any help. Anything at all. You know that, right?”
My bottom lip quivers. “Thank you.”
“I hope you’re at least talking to Dahlia about all this.”
“No.”
He pulls back, appearing stunned. “You’re not going to tell your own sister? She’s your best friend.”
I bite down on the inside of my cheek. “Lorenzo and I decided against it.”
“Why?”
I explain Lorenzo’s reasoning, including his reservations about Julian, before saying, “One day I’ll tell her the truth.”
“But not soon.”
“No.” I shift my weight while trying to hold eye contact. I do my best, but when he doesn’t stop staring at me, I cave and look away.
“Ellie mentioned you’re getting engaged. Is that still true?”
“Uh…yes.”
“Fuck.” He spears his hands through his hair, and the shorter strands stick up. “A fake relationship is one thing, but an engagement? What are you thinking?”
Words evade me.
Rafa’s eyes follow the flush toward my neckline. “I’m going to come out and ask: do you like him?”
“No!” I say too loudly, startling the kittens playing by my feet.
“You sure about that?” he asks, my face turning redder.
“Okay.” I sigh. “Listen. I did like him once. Past tense. But that was nearly a year ago.”
“And you think those kinds of feelings go away?”
Before the cooking class, I would’ve said maybe, depending on the circumstance, but now…
“I thought so,” he says.
“I can’t like him, Rafa.” I shake my head, wishing I could turn back the clock so this conversation never happened.
Rafa carefully walks around the kittens and pulls me into his arms. “Why not?”
“Because he’s never going to feel the same way.”
Rafa is in the middle of paying the bill when a dog is rushed into the clinic, being carried like a baby in an assistant’s arms. We both pause our conversation, too distracted by the swarm of vet techs scurrying about, trying to find an empty exam room for the pit bull mix.
The pit bull’s brown eyes find mine, and my chest aches at the heartbreaking whine it lets out.
There is something about the sound combined with the overall deteriorating state of the dog that makes me want to cry on its behalf.
It is clearly malnourished to the point of having protruding bones, and its fur is in a state of disarray, the neglect evident to anyone who has eyes or a nose.
I’ve seen my fair share of abused animals thanks to all of Rafa’s rescue efforts and my time volunteering at the shelter, but this… This one hits me hardest, and I’m not sure why, but I want to walk over and pull the dog into my arms.
It’s hard not to feel attached when it looks at me and lets out this piercing sound that drills a hole through my heart.
“Where did they find the dog?” Rafa asks the person working the front desk.
“A junkyard not too far from here. The owner skipped town and left her tied to a pole for who knows how long.”
“Is she going to be okay?” My voice trembles.
“Daisy’s in critical condition thanks to some infection she got from another dog bite. The doc is going to do a full evaluation and blood panel now to see how bad it is, but he’s hopeful.”
“Her name is Daisy?”
“According to her collar, yes.” The secretary gasps. “Wait. You’re both named after flowers. How cute.”
I shoot her a soft smile. “Love it.” Before I can stop myself, I ask, “Will you call me once you have an update on her condition?”
The secretary hands Rafa’s card back. “Sure.”
Rafa looks at me, his eyes roving over my face before he turns to hand the secretary his card again. “I’ll cover the treatment costs.”
I give his bicep a squeeze and smile. “You didn’t have to do that, but thank you.”
“Consider it an adoption present.”
I jerk back. “I can’t get a dog. Mom’s allergic.”
“What about Lorenzo?” He smirks, and the secretary beams .
I shake my head with a laugh, not thinking much of his comment. I’m not going to adopt a dog with someone who plans on breaking off our fake engagement in a few months. That would be reckless, and while I have made some interesting decisions lately, I need to draw the line at adopting a dog.
Right?