Page 43 of For My Finale
THE CAFE WAS empty again, and Lilah was wiping down tables when she heard the door swing open. She looked up, her heart sinking immediately at the sight of Blossom’s face. She looked downcast, her shoulders slumped, her usual sunny expression nowhere to be seen.
Lilah’s stomach started to hurt. Oh no.
She set down her cloth and quickly stepped around the tables. “How did it go?” she asked, keeping her voice soft, bracing herself for the worst.
Blossom sighed heavily, shaking her head. She bit her lip, looking uncertain, and Lilah felt her pulse spike. “It was…” Blossom trailed off, staring at the floor.
Lilah swallowed hard, her throat dry. “Bad?” she ventured, already preparing to tell Blossom that they’d figure something out. That there had to be another way.
Then, suddenly, Blossom’s entire demeanor shifted. Shelooked up, and a slow, dazzling smile spread across her face. “The bank gave me a small business loan.”
Lilah blinked. “What?”
“Just a small one,” Blossom beamed. “But enough to give me a bit of breathing space.”
Before Lilah could react, Blossom was moving. The next thing she knew, Blossom had thrown herself into her arms, hugging her tightly.
Lilah stiffened for half a second, completely caught off guard. Then, without thinking, she wrapped her arms around Blossom in return, inhaling the comforting scent of her. Blossom was soft and solid all at once, her body pressed against Lilah’s, radiating happiness.
Which made Lilah’s stomach flutter. She liked this. A lot. Maybe more than she should.
Ives’s words echoed in her head. Intentions don’t matter, actions do.
And guilt began to creep in, mixing with the warmth. Blossom was so open, so trusting, so real. And Lilah… Lilah wasn’t even sure what she was doing here, or what she wanted. She didn’t want to hurt Blossom. She didn’t want to lead her on.
Carefully, gently, she extracted herself from the hug. Blossom didn’t seem to notice her hesitance, she was still smiling, still brimming with triumph.
“That’s amazing,” Lilah said, forcing her voice to stay even. “But you know this is only the beginning. You still need a plan. You can’t rely on a loan.”
“I know,” Blossom said, her excitement dimming slightly. “I know.”
“Good,” said Lilah, stepping back. “Good. Well then, I should go.”
Without looking back, she left the cafe. And yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop thinking about the way Blossom had felt in her arms.
Chapter Eighteen
Lilah walked carefully down the path, scanning her surroundings like a soldier on high alert. Given that she was now no longer allowed to call herself an animal lover, she needed to be aware. But given also that she lived in the country, she thought she might as well take advantage of the clean air. It was good for the skin, so she’d heard.
A distant baa made her shoulders tense as she crested a small hill and spotted George Thompson leaning on a wooden fence, watching over his sheep. He looked completely at ease in his surroundings, which just made Lilah feel like an alien.
“Morning,” Lilah said, stopping beside him.
“Morning,” said George, tapping his flat cap but not moving his eyes from his flock.
Lilah sighed. “I hate them, you know, I really do.”
George cackled. “Sheep?”
“Yes,” Lilah said firmly. “They’re evil. They tried to kill me, remember?”
George rubbed his chin. “I like ‘em. Simple creatures. They want something, they go for it. Hungry? Food. Tired? Sleep. Frisky? Well, you know. They don’t overthink things. Don’t mess around like people do. Life’s easier if you’re a sheep.”
Lilah leaned on the fence. “I suppose. I mean, they don’t have existential crises about what they want in life, do they?”
“Mmm,” agreed George. “We could all learn something fromsheep.”
“Oh, please,” Lilah said, rolling her eyes.
