Chapter 16 #3
Luke grew quiet, and it was too dark for Lily to read his expression. “I don’t think Kenzie has ever looked at me that way.” His voice was flat. And it was suddenly very clear to Lily that Luke had feelings for Kenzie.
“You should talk to her,” Lily said. “I could be wrong, but I get the sense that she might be open to it.”
“I don’t know about that. Besides, we’re on a date. It doesn’t seem right to talk about someone else.”
“Luke, I think you are awesome. But I don’t think I’m really the one that you want to be on a date with.” Something occurred to her. “Did Kenzie encourage you to ask me out?”
“Yeah, she said she thought we’d be great together. I took that to mean that she wasn’t interested. And I wanted to get to know you more.”
“I’m glad we’ve had a chance to talk. But I really think Kenzie might just not realize she actually is interested in you that way. I got the sense she was a little jealous, to be honest.”
“Really? But it was her idea for me to ask you out.”
“I know, but then I think the reality of it hit her. I’m going to talk to her tonight. I can feel her out if you like?”
Luke was quiet for a long moment. “Yeah, okay. See what she says. If she’s not interested, we could definitely go out again if you want.” He sounded confused by it all, and Lily didn’t blame him really. But she also was pretty sure that Luke should be dating Kenzie, not her.
“Let me call Kenzie and we’ll go from there. Sound good?”
“Yeah.”
They walked back to the car, and Luke drove Lily home. They were both quiet on the ride back, and when he pulled up to her grandmother’s house, Lily thanked him. “I had fun tonight. Thanks for the movie and the ice cream.”
“I did too. Thanks for the popcorn.”
Lily got out of the car. “I’ll talk to you soon, Luke.”
“Thanks, Lily. I appreciate it.”
She watched him drive off, then went into the house.
Her mother and grandmother were sitting in the living room watching TV. They both looked up when she walked in. “Hi, honey. Did you have fun?”
Lily walked over to them and leaned on the couch. “I did. He’s a super nice guy. But I don’t think he’s for me. I think Kenzie secretly likes him but hasn’t admitted it yet. He’s definitely into her, so now I’m going to play matchmaker and try to get the two of them together.”
Claire looked concerned. “Are you sure about that? He seemed like such a nice guy. It won’t upset you if Kenzie goes out with him?”
Lily knew her mother was thinking of the situation in Manhattan. “No, this is completely different. Kenzie actually made this date happen. Now it’s my turn to repay the favor.”
Marsha just laughed. “Teenage drama. I love it. As long as you’re happy, Lily.”
“I am,” she assured them both.
Lily went upstairs, changed into her comfiest pajamas, flopped onto her bed, and called Kenzie.
She picked up on the first ring. “How did it go? Are you madly in love?” The words came out in an awkward rush.
“It was great, actually. The movie was good, and afterward we walked to the Juice Bar and got ice cream. Luke’s a really nice guy.”
“Yeah, he is. I’m happy for you both.” Kenzie sounded anything but happy.
“Can I ask you something?” Lily began.
“Of course. What is it?”
“How do you really feel about Luke?”
“I’ve told you already. We go way back. So are you going out again soon?”
“No, I don’t think so. Luke is great, but he’s not for me.”
“Why not?” Kenzie sounded both surprised and a bit insulted on Luke’s behalf.
“Well, I think he’s more interested in someone else. And I think that person might be interested in him too. It’s you, Kenzie. He really likes you. And I think you like him too, but for some reason, you haven’t admitted it to yourself.”
“He said that? He really likes me?” The joy in her voice was evident.
“Yeah.”
“And you’re really sure you won’t be mad at me if I go out with him now?” Kenzie sounded worried, and Lily loved her for it.
“This is nothing like what happened to me in Manhattan. You encouraged the two of us to go out, remember?”
Kenzie laughed. “I know. I don’t know what I was thinking. I really did think you’d be great together—I love you both. But once you said you were actually going on a date, I was surprised by how jealous I felt. I didn’t realize how I really felt about Luke. Until now.”
“I knew it! I told Luke I’d talk to you. He doesn’t think you feel that way about him. Especially after you pushed him to ask me out.”
Kenzie laughed again. “Poor Luke. I can see how that was confusing.”
Lily laughed too. “So do you want me to call him and tell him it’s okay to ask you out now?”
“No, you don’t have to call him. I will. I’ll call him now. You are the best, Lily. I mean it.”
“I’ll expect a full report tomorrow,” Lily said.
“Of course!”
“Did you have your date with Luke last night?” Teddy asked quietly before music class got underway.
Lily smiled. “I did. We saw a movie and got ice cream after. I think he’ll be a good friend.”
“Oh, okay.” He seemed confused.
“We decided we’re better off as friends and that he should be dating Kenzie.”
Teddy’s eyes grew wide. “No kidding? That explains why the two of them looked starry-eyed when I saw them at their lockers earlier. I thought it was kind of weird. Are you okay with that?”
Lily grinned. “Very much okay. It’s a long story, but Kenzie got us together, and then I returned the favor by getting her and Luke together. It just took her a while to realize that was what she really wanted.”
“Sounds complicated. You can fill me in Monday afternoon maybe. And let me know how your weekend with your dad and his girlfriend goes.”
“Definitely.” Lily made a face. “Have I mentioned I’m dreading that by the way?”
“Yes. Yes, you have. I bet it won’t be as bad as you expect,” he said encouragingly.
“I hope you’re right.”
Ellis and Rebecca were flying in from New York later that afternoon.
They were staying at one of the island’s nicest and most expensive hotels, the White Elephant, which was near the wharf.
Ellis had rented a white Mercedes convertible, and they drove up to her grandmother’s house at a quarter to six.
Lily knew her mother wouldn’t want to see either of them, so she told her dad to call when he was close and she’d wait outside.
They pulled up, and her dad hopped out of the car and came around to give Lily a hug. He pulled her close and squeezed her tight. “It’s so good to see you, kid. I’ve missed you.”
He turned to Rebecca, who’d just gotten out of the car and stood waiting for him to introduce them.
Lily sized her up and was surprised by how young she looked.
She had a button nose, big blue eyes, and shoulder-length straight shiny brown hair.
She wore a cute, roomy sleeveless Lilly Pulitzer dress with a thin baby blue cashmere cardigan over it.
Lily felt underdressed in comparison. She was in her best dressy jeans and a pink cotton sweater.
“Lily, meet Rebecca. She’s been dying to meet you.”
Rebecca held out her hand. “Hi, Lily. Thanks for visiting with both of us.”
Lily just nodded and shook her hand. She wasn’t going to lie and say it was nice to meet her father’s young girlfriend, because it most definitely wasn’t.
Lily climbed into the back seat, and as they drove off, she glanced back at the house and saw Claire and Marsha at the window.
She knew they probably couldn’t resist taking a peek, but it made her sad that her mother was in this situation because her father had been such a jerk.
It was confusing, because she still loved him and missed him but, at the same time, hated what he’d done to her mother and to their family.
They went to the Straight Wharf, one of the island’s fancier restaurants. It had always been a favorite of her parents, and now her father was sharing it with Rebecca. Lily sighed. It was going to be a long night.
The food at the Straight Wharf was great—mostly complicated seafood dishes. Ellis raved about several of them.
“Rebecca, the scallops here are amazing—so fresh. They’re locally harvested, and the swordfish is always good.”
When it came time to order, Lily got the chicken under the brick.
“Are you sure? You can get that anywhere.” Her father tried to encourage her to get something else, but Lily held firm.
“I want the chicken.”
Ellis ordered oysters Rockefeller and shrimp cocktail for the table. Lily had no interest in either and ate bread and butter while her father chattered on about Manhattan.
“You have to come back and visit soon. We’ll be moving into the new place on Fifth Avenue in a little over a month. You’ll love it. It’s right near the Met.”
“It’s a great location,” Rebecca said happily.
“What’s the address?” Lily asked.
Rebecca told her, and Lily filed it away.
She knew that Claire would be curious about where Ellis was moving to.
Their own condo in Manhattan had sold so fast, in just a few days.
Lily tried not to think about how much she’d loved living there.
She was enjoying Nantucket too, and the people were definitely nicer here.
“How’s the new job going, Dad?”
“Good. Good. I had to start from scratch, you know, but no complaints. It’s been fun trying to build things up again. A few of my old clients have followed me.”
That seemed odd. “Really? Even after you lost all their money?”
Her dad seemed flustered for a moment. “Well, I didn’t lose money for all of them, honey. Just a few of the bigger ones, unfortunately.” He and Rebecca exchanged glances, and then Rebecca changed the subject.
“So tell us all about Nantucket. How do you like it here? Is it terribly boring after living in Manhattan?” She seemed sincere as she asked the question, but Lily was immediately insulted.
“It’s not boring here at all. The people are super nice, and Mom’s shop is awesome. We’re making a new life here.”
Ellis and Rebecca exchanged glances again.
“What shop?” Ellis asked.