Page 55 of Second Act at Appleton Green
Nick’s expression was one of remorse and irritation at the same time. ‘I was not engaged to her. She’s making it up.’
They were both silent for a moment.
‘Why wouldn’t you ask me? Why would you assume that I lied to you, Lily? That’s the worst part of this,’ he said looking furious.
‘Is it? That’s the worst part?’ she scoffed. ‘Well, I don’t know who to believe now, so unless she comes to me and tells me you weren’t engaged, consider me out of the picture and out of the show.’ She got into the car and slammed the car door and started the engine.
Nick stood by the side of the road as Lily took off, and not once did she look back in her rear-view mirror.
Gran was in bed when she made her way up the stairs, for which she was thankful. She needed to think and she didn’t want to have to explain anything to her yet.
Why would Sheila say they were engaged? Jess was certainly acting appallingly for someone who was only in a brief and casual thing with Nick.
She was still in her clothes when she collapsed onto the bed in her room and lay there, the curtains still open. The sound of the owls calling made Mr Mistoffelees jump onto the windowsill and investigate the darkness.
‘No mice for you, my friend. They belong to the owls,’ she said to the cat and he jumped from the sill and onto her bed, and snuggled up next to her. For the first time in a long time, Lily buried her face in his velvety fur and cried for being so overemotional, for yelling at Nick and for Jessica making her doubt herself.
*
Lily awoke the following morning with a feeling of dread in her stomach. There was a rehearsal today and she wasn't sure what to expect.
She went downstairs to set things up for breakfast and sat outside with her tea and the cat, looking around at the garden. She should have worked on the garden instead of getting mixed up in this stupid amateur drama show.
‘Morning, love, you going to rehearsals today?’ Gran was at the door with her frame.
Lily smiled at her ruefully. ‘Actually, I think I’m going to drop out. Jessica won,’ she said. ‘It’s over.’
‘What do you mean? What’s over?’ Gran scoffed.
Lily came inside and poured Gran a mug of tea.
‘Last night Sheila told me that Nick and Jess had been engaged. He has told me all along it wasn’t serious and he says it’s not true, but I said if that’s correct then Jess needs to tell me that. I don’t know who to believe.’
Gran gasped. ‘Why would he lie? Surely this is just that Jessica woman causing trouble?’
Lily shrugged. ‘Maybe, but whatever it is, I don’t want to be a part of it.’
‘But leaving the show is poor form, darling. You have worked so hard and so has everyone else. It’s only a few weeks until it’s on. Don’t be a bad sport.’
Lily put her head in her hands and leaned her elbows on the table. ‘I know, but I feel sick at the thought of seeing them all. I ran away last night; it was all so overly dramatic.’
‘It’s not dramatic. You are being told inconsistencies, so you left to see what time will reveal. But I think not going to rehearsal is unprofessional, even in an amateur show.’
Lily knew Gran was right and she sighed. ‘Okay, I’ll go, but now I’m just embarrassed and if it is true, then I will be even more embarrassed,’ she said.
‘You need to go. You can’t let everyone down – you know that,’ Gran said firmly and Lily knew she was right, but the dread in her stomach was telling her to stay at home.
*
At the village hall, there was a palpable sense of tension when Lily arrived. She could sense people looking at her, and as she got closer, whispers were swiftly silenced. Jasper was already there, and Nick was in the middle of a very heated discussion with him. He saw Lily and he gave her a hopeful smile.
She looked around and saw Sheila looking at her, her face concerned. The rest of the cast were there, except for Jessica, which made it somewhat more bearable, but also didn’t solve the mystery of whether she and Nick had been engaged or not.
‘Right, places everyone!’ The call came from Jasper, who was clapping his hands and walking away from Nick. ‘Let’s take it from the top of Act Two.’
As Lily took her place on stage, she turned and caught a glimpse of Jessica, who was standing in the wings and watching her with a smirk of triumph on her lips. So she was here, she thought as her stomach dropped.
Lily lifted her chin. She was resolute in her determination to conceal how she felt from her and listened to the introduction to the music.
