12. Lily
12
Lily
When Orson dropped me home on Sunday evening, I was completely exhausted. You would have thought, after the utterly soothing weekend, I would have felt refreshed, but I think my body is just not used to being in such a relaxed state. The four-hour journey probably didn’t help; I actually fell asleep on the drive back.
Before I got out of the car, Orson turned to me and said, “Well, that’s us married. When do you want to move your things into the apartment?”
“I suppose it will look suspicious if I don’t do it pretty soon,” I replied.
“I agree. I can send over a moving truck tomorrow, if you’d like.”
I shook my head. “I won’t need a moving truck. If it’s only going to be four months, like you said, I don’t need to bring everything.”
“You’re right.” He nodded.
“I can pack what I need in my car. Just send me the address.”
“Here,” he said, pulling a key from his pocket. “This is yours.”
I took it from him and slipped it into my pocket. “Okay. Then I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
When I trudged up the stairs to my apartment, I didn’t unpack, and I didn’t brush my teeth; in fact, I only just managed to get undressed. Falling into bed, my head hit the pillow, and I was asleep instantly.
My internal alarm clock woke me this morning. That’s what more than twelve years of getting up at four a.m. does to you. It’s a good thing, too. I was so tired last night that I forgot to set my normal alarm.
At 8:30 a.m., Jasmine floats into the bakery with a beaming smile on her face.
“Well,” she says, tugging off her bag and jacket, “spill the beans.”
While she’s clearly excited, I’ve been dreading this moment all morning. I’ve had a hundred different conversations in my head, trying to figure out how I’m going to word it, but without even thinking about it, I thrust my left hand at her.
For a second, she frowns, and I watch all the tiny micro-expressions on her face as her brain tries to comprehend the truth that is so obvious. And then her mouth falls open, and she stares at me, dumbfounded.
I’ll be honest; it’s the first time I’ve seen the woman speechless.
It takes a whole other minute before she can speak, and when she does, she says, “What did you do?”
Okay. It isn’t quite the reaction I was expecting, but under the circumstances, I can’t blame her, can I? I mean, Orson and I have been dating for two weeks. Who the heck gets married after dating for two weeks?
Jasmine’s eyes are still wide when she goes into interrogation mode. “When did this happen? Where did you go? Are you crazy, woman? When did he ask to marry you?”
“Jasmine, it’s all right.”
“It certainly is not all right. Good lord, woman, what were you thinking?”
I’m feeling a bit attacked now, and I can’t say it feels very nice. My smile, as false as it was, has faded, and sadness washes over me. “Are you not happy for me?”
Seeing my face, Jasmine suddenly backtracks. “Oh, my darling. I’m so sorry.” She lifts her arms and throws them around me, pulling me into her. Rocking me from side to side, she continues, “You know I only want the best for you, Lily. I worry about you.”
When she eventually releases me, she looks at me apologetically. “I suppose I’m just a bit blown away. It’s such a surprise.”
“For me too,” I say. “But we were in Vegas, and we both said how cool it would be if we got married. It was a joke at first, but the more we talked about it, the more it seemed like a good idea. I know it’s all a bit of a whirlwind, but I guess when you know, you know.”
“But he’s only been here for five minutes, Lily. And you’ve been dating him for even less.” Jasmine protests. “How can you know in such a short period of time?”
“Well, we have known each other for years,” I counter.
Orson told me it was going to be hard for people to believe at first, but I didn’t think I was going to feel so bad telling the humongous lie. Why, I don’t know—but as Jasmine goes on, I’m tempted to come clean and tell her the whole truth.
After heaven knows how many more questions, she finally settles and smiles. “Well, I did tell you he liked you, didn’t I?”
“You did,” I say, feeling a little easier now that she appears to be coming to terms with it.
She looks at me then with concern in her eyes. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Lily. You know I love you like you’re my own sister. But I really hope you haven’t done this for the wrong reasons.”
I can feel the heat rushing to my face. At some point, I told Orson that maybe two weeks was pushing it, but he convinced me things would be okay. I’m not sure he realizes how smart people really are.
“You don’t have to worry about me, Jasmine. I promise.”
But I can see she doesn’t believe me, and I feel it in the atmosphere between us for most of the day.
Jasmine’s reaction was tricky enough, but now, I have to tell my sisters. There is no point in putting it off. In fact, I can’t. Martha still has friends living here in Willow Creek, and the last thing I need is for my sister to hear that I’m married from somebody else.
I call for an impromptu Zoom meeting, and half an hour after I close the bakery, I’m upstairs in my apartment with my stomach in knots.
“Is everything okay, Lil?” Ellie says once she comes on.
“Yes,” Martha adds. “What’s going on? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Please, stop worrying. I have some news, and I wanted you both to be the first to know.”
“Oh, Lord. Is it the bakery?” Martha cries. “Are you going to lose it?”
“No.” I smile. “Nothing like that.”
“Then what?” Ellie presses.
It worked this morning, sort of, so I do the same to them and lift my left hand up to the screen. Both of my sisters have a far swifter reaction than Jasmine did.
“What? What is that? Is that a wedding ring?” Martha balks.
“No way,” Ellie says. “It’s not a wedding ring, right, Lil?”
I nod, still smiling. “Yes. It is. I got married.”
“What?” Ellie squeals. “When? How? You’re not even dating.”
I had neglected, accidentally on purpose, to let my sisters know I was dating Orson. I just couldn’t handle the interrogation. Though, now, I think I might pay for that omission.
“Are you pregnant?” Ellie blurts.
“Ellie!” I yell.
And then Martha and Ellie both start talking at the same time, and Zoom just can’t keep up. The green outline jumps from one to the other, and it ends up that I can’t hear either of them until all of a sudden, I yell at the top of my voice.
“Stop!”
My sisters fall silent, both astonished by my action, and I take a deep breath and tell them the same story I told Jasmine. Maybe it’s because they know how much I liked him—I don’t know—but both of them accept it a little easier than my colleague, even though they are not overly thrilled.
“I don’t know why you’ve rushed into something like this, Lil,” Ellie says, sounding far calmer and less dramatic. “I mean, okay, you guys were dating. But two weeks? Seriously?”
“It just felt right,” I say, keeping to the same script.
The call ends half an hour later, with me feeling guiltier than ever, and I realize that I really didn’t think this through. Not the fake marriage, but how hard it was going to be to lie to everyone I love.
I moved into Orson’s apartment that same night. It was weird for me, and I know Orson felt it, too. It was probably the first time we were really awkward with each other. But as the days have passed, we’ve fallen into some kind of a rhythm, and after a couple of weeks, things have settled.
Of course, the town is alive with talk of our love life. Clearly, they have nothing better to do with their time. I’ve heard every rumor, from gold digger to pregnancy and a few bizarre ones in between.
Fortunately, I have my beautiful Jasmine to put them in their place. She has come around, slowly but surely, and the workplace has resumed the easy atmosphere we have always shared.
“Well, how is life in paradise?” she asks me when she arrives this morning. “Do you want to hear the latest rumor?”
We have been entertaining ourselves with the different stories the townsfolk keep coming up with.
“Go on,” I say with a grin. “Hit me.”
“Apparently, you and Orson have been secretly dating for years. They think it’s the only reason Donovan Enterprises would want to invest in Willow Creek. You must have convinced him, and of course, the first place to be renovated will be your bakery.”
I snort and shake my head. “Well, they’re creative. I’ll give them that.”
Jasmine is about to reply as she’s tying her apron, when the bell tinkles, and a customer walks in.
“Hi. What can I get you?” I ask.
He’s a tall man with dirty blonde hair. He’s well dressed in a taupe suit and looks like some kind of businessman. He’s definitely not a local because I’ve never seen him before.
“One of those, please,” he says, pointing to a pastry.
“Of course.”
“I can see why Orson is always talking about the bakery,” the man says. “I take it you must be his latest conquest.”
This remark gets Jasmine’s attention, too, and we both look at him with raised eyebrows.
“I’m sorry. Do I know you?”
The man shakes his head. “But I know your husband. You guys did get married, didn’t you?”
“Who are you? Are you with Donovan Enterprises?”
He snarls as though I’ve just insulted him. “Not a chance. My name’s Marcus. Orson and I cross paths every so often. My company is one of the other investors involved in the redevelopment of this town.”
“Right,” I say.
“A bit of advice,” he says once I’ve handed over his pastry and taken his money. “Keep an eye on your new husband. He’s known for having a few girls in tow.”
Marcus then flashes me a smile and strolls out the door.
I can only stand there, completely stunned. And then I feel Jasmine’s arms around my shoulder.
“Don’t you listen to that man, Lily. He’s no more than a troublemaker. You know Orson would never hurt you like that.”
The thing is, I shouldn’t really be bothered. I mean, we’re not actually married, are we? And yet, it does bother me. It bothers me a lot.
For the rest of the day, I can’t shift from this feeling. There’s an ache in my gut, and my mind is racing with doubts. I “married” this guy, but the truth is, I don’t really know anything about him. What if Marcus is right?
Your marriage isn’t real, Lily.
But even knowing that, I still feel gutted. And as I narrow the feeling down, I realize what it is.
I’m jealous.