Page 18 of For My Finale
“I’m working on it.”
Arty raised an eyebrow. “Look, all I’m saying is, people don’t up-end their lives without some kind of goal in mind. Unless you’re here to, I don’t know, rediscover yourself and your roots.”
Lilah bristled. “I am not one of those Hollywood people who go on self-discovery retreats, thank you very much.”
“Could have fooled me.”
Before she could retaliate, a familiar figure walked past. A bright, sunshiny presence on the street. Lilah clenched her teeth. Blossom. Just what she needed. She’d avoided the woman thus far. She didn’t need that kind of positivity in her life.
“There’s someone who can find you something to do,” Arty said with a grin.
Blossom stopped and blinked at them. “Um, why does this feel like I’m being volunteered for something?”
“She’s got no plan,” Arty said.
“This man is seeing fit to interrogate me as to me future,” Lilah said crisply.
Blossom sighed and shook her head at Arty. “You’re not a journo anymore. Leave her alone, Arty. Go back to the pub before someone burns it down.” She looked at Lilah. “Come on, I’ll get you some of that coffee you’ve been wanting.”
Arty didn’t move, still standing against the car, so Lilah stepped around him and joined Blossom. The lesser of two evils. And she did want a coffee, so there was that.
???
As they walked, Blossom kept sneaking glances at Lilah, still not quite able to believe that she was there at all.
Despite her expensive-looking coat and air of city know-it-allness, there was something a bit lost about her. Something lacking in direction. She wasn’t sure if it was because of Arty grilling her or because Lilah wasn’t sure what she was doing in Bankton or a little of both.
Then again, it wasn’t really her business.
They walked toward the corner, but just as they turned, Blossom’s stomach twisted itself into a knot. There was a new sign on the door there. The building had been empty for months now, but no longer. Not according to the sign.
Coming Soon: Coffee-To-Go.
She felt sick. Sick and light-headed and like her world was about to come crashing down around her ears.
Then she felt Lilah looking at her, and she fixed her expression, swallowing and dropping her shoulders. The last thing she needed was Lilah Paxton, famous actress and, admittedly, sex symbol, thinking that she was a failure. She forced a smile and kept walking.
“You okay?” Lilah asked, in a moment of what Blossom suspected was rare perceptiveness.
Blossom waved a hand. “Yes. Fine. Obviously. Just thinking about… scones.”
Lilah squinted. “What’s a scone?”
“It’s…” Blossom sighed. “I’ll show you when we get inside, alright?”
“Please yourself,” said Lilah. She stopped in front of the cafe. “Is this it then?”
Blossom hesitated. She really couldn’t handle Lilah criticizing the shop right now. She wasn’t sure she could handle anything right now. She wanted to go home and put her head under the blankets. She took a breath. It would all turn out alright, she reminded herself. Life always turned out alright. “Yes, this is it.”
Lilah nodded. “Looks… nice. Cozy. Comfortable.”
Blossom’s cheeks flushed as she unlocked the door and let them both in.
“You’ve even got a counter with stools like an American Diner,” Lilah said with glee, hopping up onto one of them.
“Homesick?” asked Blossom, ducking behind the counter and opening the baked goods cabinet to extract a scone. She placed it on a plate in front of Lilah.
“What’s that?”
