18. Chapter Eighteen #2
And now, because she was helping a dear friend, she was no longer allowed to enter the art contest. Really? She couldn’t believe Tony would deny her this opportunity.
That couldn’t have gone worse.
Tony hadn’t meant to hurt her. In fact, that was what he’d been trying to avoid. And yet it had happened anyway.
He’d tried to recall if Lily had mentioned previously that she intended to enter. Night after night, he’d combed through his memories, but he couldn’t recall her mentioning it until she’d shown him the seashell painting.
She was extraordinarily talented. And he wasn’t being biased. He was just being honest.
It wouldn’t have surprised him if she would have won the competition.
And that was why she couldn’t enter. The rules he and Aster had carefully laid out for the contest, and were later approved by the city council, stated that no one organizing the competition could enter.
It only seemed fair. Why couldn’t Lily see it that way?
In the days that followed, Lily had done everything in her power to avoid him.
Just the day before, he’d called her to let her know he needed to stop over and pick up the remaining files for the festival.
He’d been hoping when he did that they could talk and perhaps smooth things over.
But she was quick to inform him that she’d leave the files on the porch.
She said she would be at the hospital that evening.
Surely, Lily didn’t intend to leave things between them like this. Were they never supposed to speak again? The thought didn’t sit well with him.
He wouldn’t accept that. There had to be a way to fix things between them. In fact, the next time he saw her that was exactly what he was going to say to her. After all, Bluestar was a small island. She couldn’t avoid him forever.
He drove his cart from one location to the next since the festival was literally encompassing the whole downtown area.
He had a lot of ground to cover. He had just looked over the temporary stage set up near the Elegant Bakery and the Hamming It Up Deli.
The music Aster had lined up for the weekend included country tunes, cover bands, and some folksy stuff.
If a tourist didn’t care for one band, all they had to do was keep walking to find a different sound.
“Tony!”
He stopped walking. Had someone called out his name? He thought so. But in the crowd of tourists, he couldn’t see anyone signaling to him. So, he continued toward his cart.
He had just sat down when Neil appeared. “Hey, I called out to you. Why didn’t you wait?”
“I didn’t see you.” Lily’s brother was the last person he wanted to speak to. He’d taken his advice and backed off Lily, but it hadn’t helped. She was more upset with him now than ever.
Neil walked around the cart and got into the passenger seat. “We need to talk.”
“I don’t have time. I have a lot to do today for the festival.”
Neil didn’t move. “I thought we agreed you were going to leave my sister alone.”
Tony’s back teeth ground together. It was all he could do to hold back his frustration. But he didn’t want to say anything he’d regret. He already had one Adams family member not speaking to him; he didn’t need to expand the list.
And so, he swallowed his heated words. “I did exactly what you said. In fact, I haven’t seen your sister in more than a week.”
“Then why is she so upset? I’ve never seen her quite like this.”
Tony’s thoughts went to the art competition. That must be the reason she was so upset. He hated that she was taking it so hard.
“You know what’s bothering her, don’t you?” Neil stared pointedly at him.
Tony shrugged. “I might.”
“Then what is it?”
Tony replayed the moment he told Lily she couldn’t enter the contest. The pained look she’d sent him was like a punch to the gut. She’d stared at him like he’d just stolen her puppy, well, if she had a puppy.
And he’d been dealing with the guilt ever since. This talk with Neil was not helping matters. He might as well tell him so they could both get on with their days.
Tony drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel. “I told Lily she couldn’t enter the art competition.”
“What?” Neil looked totally baffled. “Why would you do something like that?”
“Because it’s the rule.”
“And do you know how long my sister has been looking forward to the contest? Since she first heard about it.”
Tony glanced at his friend. “I didn’t know you two were that close.”
“We’re not. But she talks to Jenna, who can’t keep a secret to save her life. She told me that Lily has been working night and day to get ready for the contest. And after the year she’s had, this is exactly what she needed. Now you’re telling me that she can’t enter.”
“I’m sorry. It’s the rule. I tried to explain it to her, but Lily didn’t want to hear what I had to say.”
“Then change the rule. Do something, because this isn’t fair.”
“I can’t.”
“Last time I checked, you were the mayor of Bluestar. Act like it. Find a solution.” Neil didn’t wait for a response before getting out of the cart and walking away.
Tony was left sitting there on the busy street corner while he replayed his conversation with his best friend. How exactly did Neil expect him to fix this? If he’d had an answer, he would have done it long before now.