6. Lily
6
Lily
Even as I hurry around the school’s gym, making last-minute checks before Orson gets up to speak to everyone, I still feel like this is a bad idea. I should have kept my big mouth shut.
Orson had left his card with me after our meeting about the proposal for the bakery; as soon as I woke the next morning, feeling like all the fools of the world combined, I texted him telling him again that we didn’t need to organize a meeting at the school. I mean, after everything I had relayed to Jasmine, what the heck had I been thinking?
You worry too much, Lily, was his reply.
I worry just enough, I texted back.
And you’re up far too early.
Oh, Lord. I’d done it again. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.
You didn’t.
I had to wonder if that was the truth, but I had no evidence to say otherwise, so I didn’t reply.
I spent two hours in the kitchen, baking all the wares for the day, and then I left Jasmine to run the store. After looking over the file Orson had given me, I wanted to do some number crunching. Four hours later, a dreadful realization hit me. I knew we were struggling. I just didn’t really know how much.
My credit cards were maxed out, the bills had accumulated and were now outstanding, and no matter which way I moved the numbers, it was as clear as day. There was more money going out than there was coming in. I was in trouble. Big, big trouble.
At some point, I would need to tell Jasmine, but I was too mentally drained to do it after all that. And so, with a smile pinned on my face, I bid her goodnight at the end of the day without saying a word.
That evening, Orson texted me again. Have you organized the meeting yet?
I had been a little busy, what with my business circling the drain and all, so my text was short.
No.
Okay. Very short.
Are you all right? he texted back.
Tears were welling in my eyes when I answered. No.
I have battled so hard to keep my father’s business going. I have put everything I have into this little bakery, including my heart and soul. I’ve borrowed money from my sisters, which I still have to pay back, so I can’t ask them for any more. And as I sat there at one of my tiny tables, with my head in my hands, I just couldn’t believe it had come to this.
I don’t know how long I sat there, but a sharp knock on the door made me jump out of my skin. When I looked up, it was dark out, and Orson Donovan was standing there, peering in.
What the…?
Wiping tears from my eyes, I cleared my throat and moved to the door.
“What are you doing here?” I croaked.
“Repaying a favor, Lily. Now, please, let me in.”
“How did you get here so fast?” I asked, assuming he lived in the city.
“I rented an apartment just outside of Willow Creek.”
“Really?” I frowned.
“Actually, I bought it, but that’s not important. Let me in, Lily.”
I made coffee, and we sat for a couple of hours talking about all sorts of things. My business, his business, what we had done after high school. It was bizarre, and yet not uncomfortable.
“Why did you buy an apartment?” I asked somewhere in our discussion.
Orson shrugged. “It saves me from having to travel so much. I knew when I took this on that Willow Creek was going to be a big project. It just made sense.”
“And why did you come here tonight?”
“Because it sounded like you needed a friend. Like I said, I’m repaying a favor.” He looked at me with those soft brown eyes. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten what you did for me in school, Lily.”
“I treated you like I treated everyone else,” I said carefully.
In my delicate and vulnerable state, I needed to keep my wits about me. It would be easy, under the circumstances, to let the feelings I had for him back then slip out. I’d already made a fool of myself suggesting that meeting. To add to that, he had arrived at the bakery and caught me crying. That was enough humiliation for one week.
He left some time later, after I thanked him for checking in on me.
“Don’t forget to organize that meeting,” he said, as I pulled the door closed.
“Orson—”
“I’m serious, Lily. It’s like you said. If we want the town on board with these plans, we have to let them know what they are.”
Clearly, he was determined, so I contacted the other council members. We printed makeshift flyers and over the next few days, we pinned them around the town. Mrs. McKenzie suggested visiting some of the residents in the outlying areas, so we did that together.
In the meantime, Orson texted me. He’s persistent, that’s for sure. Have you organized a meeting yet?
Rolling my eyes, I texted him back. Yes, I have. Next Friday at seven p.m.
Friday. Really? That’s my only night off.
I couldn’t believe what I was reading, and quickly stabbing at the keyboard, I sent a reply.
What? And you couldn’t have mentioned this earlier? I have flyers printed. The whole town has seen them. What am I supposed to do?
His reply was immediate. Got you . There was a laughing emoji at the end of it.
Even though I wanted to kill him at that moment, I couldn’t help but smile. And then the frustration waned even more. So Mr. Donovan has a sense of humor. Go figure.
You’re not funny, you know , I texted back, even though I was smiling.
I am a little bit , he replied. Something distracted me from replying right away, and another text came through. Are you mad at me?
Not at all , I typed. But next time I make you coffee, I’m giving you decaf.
His next text was just a row of laughing emojis.
The time has flown by, and this evening, as I move to the back of the gym, my stomach is in knots. Orson has texted a few times throughout the week, and I’ve kept him in the loop of the town’s feelings. But I’m still not convinced this is a good idea.
If this all goes pear-shaped, it’s on my shoulders. I haven’t stopped feeling guilty for suggesting it. Clearly, Orson is as stubborn as he is rich. He refuses to back down, even though, for that tiniest second after I suggested it, he let his mask slip, and I witnessed how the idea appalled him. Or terrified him. One or the other.
So if the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper reports that billionaire Orson Donovan suffered a nervous breakdown in front of fifteen hundred people in the school he graduated from, that will be my fault.
Marvelous.
But of course, he proves me wrong.
Without a flicker of nerves or an ounce of doubt in his voice, Orson relays the plans for the town in the same manner as he relayed them to me. Confidently and with a dashing smile.
Yes, I’m relieved.
Partly because I don’t want to be blamed if the guy who is going to save our little town did have a nervous breakdown. But mostly because he did himself proud in front of all these people. Honestly, I don’t know how he did it. I don’t think I could have. There is even a round of applause at the end. I mean, a proper one.
But I’m still not sold on this “wanting to give back to the place he’s come from” malarkey. Even though, when he came to the bakery the other night in my hour of need, he stayed to that same script. Of course, I have no other explanation. I mean, the man is a billionaire. If he didn’t want to be here, he wouldn’t be, right? And yet…
As I mingle after the meeting is over, I watch Orson talking to the residents of Willow Creek. He’s smooth, I’ll give him that, but he also looks genuine, like he does actually care. Maybe there is hope for Willow Creek after all.
He approaches me later with a knowing smile on his face. It makes him look really hot, but I’m not going to mention that to him.
“Not the disaster you thought it was going to be?” he says. His eyebrows are high on that tall forehead, while the corner of his mouth curls into a half-smile.
“I don’t know what you mean,” I reply, feigning utter ignorance.
He lets out a light chuckle. “You don’t have much confidence in me, do you, Lily Harper?”
I give him an intent look at that statement. “That’s not true at all. In fact, after what…” I quickly stop myself. I’ve put my foot in it enough for one week. “What I mean to say is, you are a fine speaker, and, from what I have seen, a very genuine person.”
He’s looking at me like he’s trying to figure me out, and then he nods. “Thank you. That actually means a lot.” He glances outside, where dusk is long gone and darkness now presses against the gym windows. “I suppose I ought to get going.”
“Because it’s such a long drive to your apartment?” I quip.
He shakes his head. “Not tonight. I have to head back to the city.”
“But it’s already so late,” I protest.
“I know.” He smirks. “That’s why I need to get going.” He turns, then glances over his shoulder. “I’ll speak to you soon, Lily. Take care.”
I can’t help watching him stride away. His broad shoulders fill that suit more than well, and his long legs make the journey much shorter than mine would.
“He is a fine man,” Jasmine says, coming up behind me.
I turn and smile at her. “You know, I think you might have mentioned that once or twice already.”
She lets out a great big laugh, which causes heads to turn, but I don’t care. In fact, I haven’t cared much for what people of this town have thought of me for quite some time.
“He likes you,” she says when she’s calmed herself.
“Well, of course he does,” I say, feigning confidence. “I mean, really”—I throw a hand at myself—“what’s not to like?”
Jasmine smiles, but her eyes pierce mine. “I’m serious, girl. Take my word for it. He likes you.”
I laugh her comment off. Orson and I have definitely reconnected, but it has more to do with what happened when we were kids. The man is a billionaire and can have any woman on the planet. I hardly imagine a baker who is about to go out of business is high on that list.