Chapter 36
Lily stood still, stuck between Paul and Nick.
This couldn’t be happening now, could it?
The cool night air felt sharp on her skin, bringing her back to reality. It really was happening.
‘Lily?’ Nick’s voice interrupted her thoughts. ‘Everything okay?’
He walked up to Paul and held his hand out. ‘Hi, I’m Nick Stafford.’
‘Hi, Paul Meadows, Lily’s agent. I loved your performance tonight,’ Paul said to Nick. ‘Ever think about doing this professionally?’
Nick laughed. ‘No, I have a job already.’ He turned to Lily. ‘You didn’t tell me your agent was coming?’
‘I didn’t know,’ she said with a raised brow at Nick.
‘Nick’s my boyfriend,’ she said, and the confidence in her voice surprised her. That was one thing she was sure of, even though the end of the night had been weird with Jessica.
Paul sniffed at Lily. ‘I was just telling Lily about some great chances in London. Phantom of the Opera is going on a tour through Asia that I think it would be great for her.’
Nick’s hand around Lily’s waist got tighter almost without her noticing. He kept his voice neutral and said, ‘Wow, that sounds amazing.’
Lily felt a rush of love for him. Lily agreed, her mind still racing, ‘It does sound amazing and thank you, but I’ve just started teaching here, and I need to help with my gran. I mean you don’t need to know about that but still…’ She was rambling. Stop talking, Lily, she told herself.
Paul gave a nod of agreement. ‘Of course, but Lily, chances like this don’t come up every day. You have had a quiet spell. It would be good to get back in the swing of things. You’re a real talent. A voice like that is hard to come by. I think you could do Broadway as well,’ he said.
‘I remember this speech,’ Lily said with a frown.
‘What speech?’ Paul snapped.
‘What you just said, it’s what you said when I graduated college. You said, I’m a real talent. A voice like that is hard to come by. And I could do Broadway as well.’
‘It’s the truth – that’s why I’m saying it again,’ Paul said, putting his hands deep in the pockets of his coat.
‘And you said it to Nigel, when he graduated.’
‘Nigel?’
‘Never mind,’ she said with a shiver. ‘I have to go. I’ll speak to you tomorrow.’
Paul nodded. ‘I’ll wait for your call.’ And he walked away from Lily and Nick.
Lily turned to Nick. ‘Let’s go for a walk.’
They walked in silence for a while, the sounds of the village fading behind them. The moon hung low and full in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the landscape. It was beautiful, peaceful – everything London wasn’t, she reminded herself.
‘So,’ Nick finally said as they reached the riverbank. ‘London, huh?’
Lily let out a shaky laugh. ‘Yeah. I don’t know. I mean it feels too good to be true. Why now? It feels like déjà vu. It also feels like a test,’ she said.
‘It’s an amazing opportunity, Lily. You should do it.’
She looked up at him, searching his face. ‘But what about us? What about Gran? My teaching job? I can’t just leave all that behind.’
Nick took her hands in his, his touch warm and comforting. ‘Lily, listen to me. I love you. I want you to be happy. If that means going to London and doing some auditions, that’s what you should do. Just try it. You don’t know what might happen.’
‘But what about you?’ Lily pressed. ‘You said you’d follow me anywhere, but I can’t ask you to uproot your life for me.’
‘You’re not asking. I’m offering,’ Nick said firmly. ‘I can find nursing work anywhere. And as for Gran… well, we both know she’d be furious if you turned down an opportunity like this because of her.’
Lily laughed softly, knowing he was right. She could almost hear Gran’s voice: Don’t you dare use me as an excuse, Lily Baxter!
‘But what if I don’t want to go?’ Lily whispered, voicing the thought that had been nagging at her since Paul approached her. ‘What if I’m happy here, teaching and doing community theatre?’
Nick cupped her face gently. ‘Then that’s okay too. But Lily, I need you to be sure. I don’t ever want you to resent staying here, to wonder “what if”. If you don’t at least audition, you might always regret it.’
Lily leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. He was right, of course. Even if she ultimately decided to stay in Appleton Green, she owed it to herself to at least try.
‘Okay,’ she said softly. ‘I’ll call him tomorrow.’
Nick smiled, pulling her into a tight embrace. ‘That’s my girl. And hey, who knows? Maybe you’ll hate London and come running back to little old Appleton Green.’
Lily laughed, burying her face in his chest. ‘Maybe. Or maybe you’ll fall in love with the big city and never want to leave.’
‘As long as I’m with you, I don’t care where we are,’ Nick said, his voice sincere.
They stood there for a long moment, holding each other under the moonlight. Lily felt a sense of peace.
‘We should head back,’ Lily said eventually, reluctantly pulling away. ‘The others will be wondering where we are.’
As they walked back towards the village, hand in hand, Lily’s mind was already racing with plans. She’d need to talk to Mr McBride at the school, arrange for someone to cover her classes. And Gran… how was she going to tell Gran?
‘Stop,’ Nick said suddenly, tugging on her hand.
‘What?’ Lily asked, shocked out of her thoughts.
‘You’re already miles away, planning and worrying,’ Nick said, a fond smile on his face. ‘We have time for all that tomorrow. Tonight, let’s just celebrate your amazing show. Deal?’
Lily smiled, feeling the stress leave her shoulders. ‘Deal.’
They entered The Crumpetty Tree to a chorus of cheers. The entire cast and crew were there, along with what looked like half the town. Jasper rushed over, pressing a glass of champagne into Lily’s hand.
‘There you are, my dear! We were about to send out a search party,’ he shouted. ‘Come, come, we’re about to toast our marvellous Eliza!’
As Lily was swept into the crowd, taking congratulations and answering questions about her performance, she felt a surge of affection for these people. They had become her family over the past few months, helping her through ups and downs.
Could she really leave everything behind?
As she laughed and talked, the thought kept coming back to her, but she ignored it. Nick was right; tonight was a good night to party. She could worry about London, auditions, and big choices that might change her life tomorrow.
As the night went on, Lily stopped by the bar to catch her breath. Nick showed up next to her with two new drinks in his hands.
Someone raised a glass and said, ‘To Eliza and Freddy!’
‘To Lily and Nick!’ Jasper added, and everyone in the crowd cheered.
Lily felt a sour pang as she looked around at all the happy faces. Now this was her home and these were her people. It hurt her heart to think about leaving them, even for a short time.
However, when Nick squeezed her hand, she too felt excited.
London was calling, giving her the chance to make a dream come true.
She felt like she could do anything with Nick by her side but did she really want that dream anymore?
Just because it was offered didn't mean she had to take it, she reminded herself.
Tomorrow would bring choices and plans, as well as endings and starts. But tonight, when she was with people she loved and who made her laugh, Lily let herself enjoy the moment, enjoying her victory and the bright, unknown future that lay ahead.