16. Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Sixteen
T he work was tedious…
Together, they’d reviewed each and every file. They’d made lists and summaries of the information. Aster had done a great job pulling in vendors from far and wide that included things from jewelry and glass art to pet treats and kettle corn.
There were notations for some games for the young children such as bobbing for apples and pin the hat on the scarecrow, but there were no notations as to who was supposed to be the attendants for those events.
So, they’d placed them under the “Revisit” column.
And the problem with that column was that it kept growing.
By ten o’clock, Tony said, “We need to call it a night.”
Lily felt like they were just getting somewhere, and she didn’t want to stop. Still, she could see the exhaustion in his eyes. And the next day was a work day for both of them.
“You’re right,” she said. “It has been a long day.” She closed her laptop. “But we got through a lot, don’t you think?”
“The problem is that there is still a lot to get done.” He frowned as he started to put the files back into the boxes.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“Getting this stuff out of your way.”
“No. Leave it. We had them organized into piles.”
“But it’s all over your table.”
“That’s okay. I don’t normally use it.”
He frowned. “I don’t know. These are city documents. I really should take them back with me.”
She sent him a pleading look. “Can’t you make an exception?”
He was quiet for a moment, as though torn about what he should do. “There are rules and regulations that must be followed.”
“But you’re the mayor. Can’t you make exceptions to those rules and regulations?” When she saw that he was starting to waver, she said, “Please...”
Tony sighed. “Okay. But keep them here. We don’t want any of them getting lost.”
“I will.” She smiled. “See. That wasn’t so difficult, was it?”
“Rules are there for a reason.”
“But there should be room for bending them for a good cause.”
He looked as though he were going to argue with her but then changed his mind. Instead, he gathered his portfolio and phone before heading for the door.
When he opened the door, he paused and looked back at her. “You’re going to continue to work on those, aren’t you?”
It was tempting, but she had something else that needed her attention. “No. I’m not.”
He hesitated as though trying to decide if he believed her. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow evening. Do you want me to bring dinner?”
She was equal parts surprised and excited. “You’re coming back?”
“Of course. You didn’t think I was going to dump all of this on you, did you?”
“No,” she rushed to say. “I just know how busy you are.”
“No busier than you. So, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He continued out the door and into the darkness.
She moved to the doorway and watched until he drove away. As she closed the door, her thoughts drifted to that moment on the beach. Was he going to kiss her? And did she want him too?
She was hesitant to answer those questions.
The day moved too slowly.
The following day, Tony checked the time on his watch at least a thousand times. He told himself he was anxious to work some more on the festival plans, but he wasn’t that good of a liar.
He couldn’t believe he’d almost kissed Lily the evening before. Usually he was able to keep his feelings locked down, but there was just something so vulnerable in her expression that created an overwhelming urge in him to pull her into his arms. He’d wanted to kiss away her worries.
In all the years he’d known her, they’d never come close to kissing. It would definitely complicate matters. But was that such a bad thing?
And there was that photo in the paper. He’d been getting more comments on it today.
Even his mother and sister had called to ask when he’d started dating Lily.
The only thing he could be grateful for was that they called on the phone, and they couldn’t see how uncomfortable their direct questions made him.
In the end, he assured them that nothing was going on. He wasn’t so sure they believed him.
What was he to do now? Stay away from Lily? That seemed extreme, even to him.
Nora’s advice came to mind. If he was truly going to start living—letting people into his life—maybe Lily was the right person to let get close to him. It wasn’t like it would be hard. She was so easy to talk to. He felt as though he could confide in her, and his truth would be safe with her.
Well, maybe not his complete truth. There were parts he didn’t talk about with anyone. It was at that moment he realized he was rubbing his shoulder—the shoulder where he’d been shot.
He pushed away those unwanted memories. He kept them locked up in a box inside him, and that was where they were going to stay. Things like that didn’t happen on Bluestar Island. Thankfully.
By five thirty, he couldn’t wait to see her any longer. When they texted earlier, they’d decided to grill that evening. Lily insisted on picking up some shrimp and vegetables from the market.
He drove toward Lily’s place. If she wasn’t home yet, he would go for a walk on the beach. After all, he’d promised himself he would get a life, and he’d forgotten how relaxing a walk on the beach could be.
But when he pulled up to her house, he parked behind her little red cart with all of the colorful stickers.
There was a hot air balloon that read: Come fly away with me .
There was a starfish one that read: Starfish Harbor .
The stickers were all different colors and shapes.
It reminded him of Lily, all bright and cheery.
When he approached the porch, he noticed the front door was open. He stepped onto the porch and knocked. Through the screen door, he called out, “Lily? I’m early.”
“Lily?” He knocked louder and waited.
Then he realized she might be on the back deck and not able to hear him. He was just about to head around back when she appeared in the back hallway.
She hurried toward the screen door, looking a bit frazzled. “Uh, hi. You’re early.”
“I guess I should have called. I thought maybe you were out on the deck, starting the grill. I was just about to head around back.”
“Uh, no. I didn’t get to it yet.” She moved to the kitchen and opened the fridge.
“Well, I know how much we have to do, so I thought an early start would help things.”
She nodded as she continued to stare into the fridge. “Would you like to eat now? Or do you want to do some work?”
He pressed his lips together as he tried to decide why she was acting so strangely. “I think we should start working.” Maybe it would give him a chance to figure out what was going on with her before they ate. “Then we can take a break. What do you think?”
“I agree.” She closed the refrigerator. “Then if we get stuck, it’ll give us a chance to step away from the problem and come back with fresh minds.” Her gaze still wasn’t meeting his.
“Then let’s get to work.” He headed for the table that still had all of the files right where they’d left them the day before.
He really should have insisted they work on this stuff at city hall. It was what he would have done if he were working with anyone else. So, what was it about Lily that had him making an exception?
He didn’t have time to come up with an answer before Lily asked, “Do you know where the various stages will be set up around town for the entertainment?”
He stopped to think about her question, and then he nodded. “It’s in my notes.” He glanced around for his portfolio. She picked it up and handed it to him. “Thanks.”
And so, they started working. He noticed she’d added one thing to the dining room since the day before—a magnetic dry erase board. She’d attached a map of Bluestar. It would help them have a visual of how the festival would function.
Just as he’d suspected, as they worked, she’d relaxed. And soon everything was normal between them. Well, as normal as they could be when he was crushing hard on his best friend’s sister.
In the end, it was a productive evening as well as a delicious dinner of grilled shrimp and vegetables over a bed of steamed rice. But it was the company that he’d enjoyed the most.
Every time Lily smiled at him, he felt a warmth grow in his chest. He wasn’t ready to put any names to the sensation he was feeling when he was around her.
And then before he was ready, it was time for him to go home.
“Are we on for tomorrow night?” At the doorway, he turned to her. “I can bring dinner. After all, it’s my turn. Although, I won’t guarantee it will be as delicious as tonight’s meal.”
“Uh, I can’t. I have another obligation.”
He couldn’t deny that he was disappointed, but he decided to cover it up by saying, “Hey, are you calling me an obligation?”
“What?” Her beautiful brown eyes widened. “No. Of course not. It’s just that I volunteered to go over to the Bell farm and help out with the kids and stuff.”
“Oh.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “How come I didn’t hear about this volunteer thing?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. If I had to guess, Birdie figured you were too busy being mayor to deal with homework and toys.”
“I’ll have you know that I was very good with homework, back in the day.” Although, he knew nothing about children. No wonder no one had asked him to help out. Still, he felt like he should do something more than the pastries and flowers he’d sent to the house.
“Stop frowning.”
“I’m frowning?” When she smiled and nodded, he said, “I guess I would have been out of my element. What else can I do?”
“You’re already doing plenty.”
“How do you get that?”
“Because you’re helping me make the arts festival a reality. I know Aster really appreciates it. It’s one less thing for her to worry about.”
“Something tells me that she has other priorities on her mind at the moment.”
“I know. I stopped by the hospital at lunchtime. I didn’t stay long. They are giving her medicine to mature the baby’s lungs.”
“They think she’s going to deliver early?”
Lily nodded. “Seems that way.”