Chapter Thirty-Four Lily
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Lily
L orenzo and I spend the night working the room.
We rub elbows with influential townspeople, play a few rounds of roulette with members of city council members, and sit through Julian’s endorsement speech.
For his own benefit, I’m glad he made it through the two-minute ordeal without throwing up, although he did break a sweat once he started talking about welcoming Lorenzo into his family.
I’m not sure if Julian’s endorsement tonight will have much of an effect, but I hope if it does it’s in a positive direction.
Once Julian says his goodbyes, Lorenzo and I split up so we can target different people like we had planned, which means I don’t get him all to myself until two hours later once the final guests leave the ballroom.
“Have a drink with me?”
I should say no, but the way he stares at my mouth for a beat too long has me nodding along like I don’t already have a steady buzz going.
He steps behind the empty bar. “What can I get you?”
“Another paloma sounds good.”
He pops open a beer for himself before getting to work on my drink. His confidence shines through, and I could’ve mistaken him for a bartender if I didn’t know he was the host of tonight’s party.
“Do you have experience bartending?” I ask.
“Not officially,” he vaguely answers.
“Could’ve fooled me.” I watch him line the rim with salt before he walks around the bar and passes me the glass.
“Tips are encouraged.” He taps his beer against my glass.
I stand on the tips of my toes and press my mouth to his. It’s chaste compared to our earlier kisses, but it still makes my lips tingle, and my fingers itch to touch him.
“How’s that?” Why do I sound breathy from an innocent kiss?
He wets his bottom lip, dragging my attention right toward it. “Better than anything money could buy.”
“Says the millionaire who already has everything he needs.”
“Not everything ,” he rasps.
I pop the straw into my mouth and sip, glancing up at him through my lashes like the tipsy little flirt I am.
“Want to go outside?” he asks, his voice gravelly.
I nod, and he leads me toward the same balcony where he proposed a few hours earlier. My heart beats faster at the reminder, only to grow stronger when I think about how we nearly hooked up afterward.
He stares out at the lake. The crescent moon reflects off the dark surface, and the small white caps look like little stars sparkling above.
“Thank you,” he says quietly.
My head whips in his direction, finding him already staring at me. “What for?”
“Everything. I know you have your own reasons for helping me, but regardless, I appreciate it.” He takes a long pull from his bottle without taking his eyes off me.
My body warms at his expression of gratitude, and while it isn’t a long-winded one, it doesn’t make it any less heartfelt.
“Putting my dislike toward the Ludlows aside, I do believe you’re the better candidate. Hands down. No questions asked.”
His brows jump. “Why?”
“You’ve been making a positive impact on this town for two years, in more ways than anyone knows. You care about Lake Wisteria—”
“Only because my mother loved it.”
Lies, but not worth fighting him on right now. “That only supports my third point: You’re incredibly loyal to those you find worthy of it.” My voice catches at the end. I didn’t expect that particular confession to make me emotional, but it seems to expose my own vulnerability.
I want someone to be loyal to me . Not because we’re family or since we’ve spent our entire lives around each other, because I already have that. I want someone who supports me because we’re a team by choice, not by circumstance.
I continue, hoping to keep my voice neutral this time. “It’s only a matter of time before we get everyone to see the real you.”
“I’d rather not.”
“I know that, but you’ll do it if it means winning the campaign.”
He taps his drink to mine. “Cheers to that.”
“And cheers to us.” I lift my paloma higher, and the diamond on my ring catches a beam of light.
He reaches for my left hand and tilts it this way and that, as if he didn’t design the piece. “Do you like it?”
“More than I want to.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He sounds more curious than annoyed.
“Whatever engagement ring I receive next will never match up to this one.”
Instead of dropping my hand, he strengthens his grip. “Why do you keep talking about what comes next?”
“Because I’m not—”
“If you make a comment about your age, I swear to God—”
“You’ll what?” I wrap my lips around the straw and suck.
He curses in Italian.
One point for me.
“And no.” I drag out the last word. “I was about to say that I’m not going to sit around idly, looking like some jilted lover while living in the same town as my ex-fiancé.”
A dark look passes over his face. “So what’s your plan?”
I shrug, hoping to appear nonchalant despite the rising beat of my heart. “I hope to meet a man who makes me forget about everyone who came before him.”
“And where will you find this…man?” he asks with a sneer, clearly struggling with the last word.
Has he not considered what comes next should we follow through with the original plan, or is he that blinded by his anxiety and desire to become mayor that he can’t see what is so clearly right in front of him?
“Maybe I’ll meet someone while traveling,” I reply, and his gaze flickers with awareness. “Or maybe I can join a running club—”
“You already tried that,” he spits out.
“Right. Then maybe another cooking class? That was romantic, and there were a few single people there,” I suggest just to set him off. “Or I could expand my search to other towns. Lake Aurora has a ton of new residents, so maybe someone there ends up being a good match.”
His eyes screw shut. “Can’t you…stop talking about other people? We still have a few months, so let’s…”
“Table it?” I offer when he struggles to come up with the rest of his sentence.
“Yes. For now.” He forces a breath through his flared nostrils.
I exhale, allowing his request to sink in. He is clearly bothered by the idea of me with someone else, yet he still won’t admit why that is.
And he never will unless you push him a little harder.
I have a clear vision of what I want, and I’m taking a gamble on if I’ve read Lorenzo correctly.
If not, my entire plan will blow up in my face and then the rest of our fake engagement will be riddled with a lot of awkward moments and sexual tension.
Only time will tell.
“No,” I say, the word sounding far stronger than I feel.
His eyes snap open. “What do you mean no ?”
I pull my left hand free from his. “I’m not going to stop talking about the future I want, so if you have a problem with it, then you need to do some soul-searching as to why that’s the case.”
I fist the material of my dress so I don’t trip, and spin around, walking away. My heels clicking against the floor punctuate my dramatic departure, matching the erratic beat of my heart.
You’re making the right call , I tell myself when Lorenzo doesn’t rush to stop me.
I wasn’t expecting him to run after me, but it still stings to know he didn’t care enough to try. He let me have the last word, and for once, I wish that wasn’t what happened.
After grabbing my clutch, I escape the ballroom and head toward the estate’s valet area, where the car service is still set up, ready to take Lorenzo home.
A driver opens the door, and I climb into the back seat of the car, my chest twisting as I reach for my seat belt.
“Where to, miss?” the driver asks after taking his spot behind the wheel.
I give him my address, and with a nod, he takes off.
If this was one of my telenovelas, Lorenzo would’ve chased after our taillights in his thousand-dollar shoes, shouting my name until I noticed and asked the driver to park the car.
But unlike my fantasy, the rearview mirror remains empty as we drive away from the estate and the man who holds my future in his hands.