Page 61 of For My Finale
Lilah closed one eye, pretending to contemplate. “Oh, you know, the usual. World domination. Solving the mysteries of the universe. Maybe a bit of grocery shopping.”
“Uh-huh,” said Blossom, propping herself up on one elbow, a smile teasing at her lips. “Sounds productive. What are youreally up to?”
“Mind your business,” Lilah said with a grin. “I’ve got things to do.”
Blossom rolled her eyes and kissed her quickly before swinging her legs out of bed. “Fine, be mysterious, I’ll just pester you about it later instead.”
Lilah watched her move around the room, pulling on clothes, brushing her hair, making herself presentable. It was such an easy, unthinking routine, so natural, so… domestic. Lilah liked it. And that terrified her. Just a touch.
Shoving the thought away, she got up and grabbed her own clothes. “I’m heading back next door to shower and change. See you later?”
“Count on it,” Blossom said, turning and kissing Lilah fleetingly on the cheek.
Lilah slipped out of Blossom’s cottage and walked the short distance to her own. The second she shut the door behind her, her phone began to ring.
She groaned. “Oh, for…” She snatched it up. “What?”
“Hold everything!” Margot said, breathless with excitement. “I have the offer of a lifetime.”
“No.” Lilah hung up immediately.
The phone rang again. Lilah glared at it, willing it to combust. It just kept ringing. She let it go to voicemail, then, just for good measure, she turned the damn thing off. Margot would just have to get used to it. Lilah Paxton was no longer interested. She had other things to do.
LILAH SAT AT a corner table in the pub, leaning forward with her elbows on the worn wooden surface. Around her, the others listened intently. Arty was nursing a half-pint, Daisy had her legs crossed with one foot bouncing, George looked like he’d rather be watching sheep, Mrs. Wilkins looked like she’d rather be doing literally anything else, and Ives looked like she’d shelved thoughts of murder but assault might still be on the cards.
“Alright,” Lilah began, glancing around at all of them. “I’m not going to screw around here. The bottom line is that Blossom’s cafe is in trouble.”
“I thought she was doing fine,” Arty said.
“She was,” Ives broke in. “But this damn Coffee-To-Go chain opening is going to eat into her business. Probably into yours too, Arty, since they do lunches.”
“Coffee-To-Go is going to force Blossom under,” Lilah said. “If she’s going to survive, then we need to do something to help.”
Daisy leaned forward. “What kind of something?”
“I suggest that we set up an online crowdfunding account,” Lilah said.
After a ten-minute explanation of what exactly that was, with, oddly, George taking the lead and telling everyone how it worked, Arty pulled a face. “Sounds boring.”
“Sounds practical,” Ives said, looking at Lilah thoughtfully. “And it sounds like it could work. If we get the word out, if we tell people how much Blossom’s cafe matters, we can raise enough money to help.”
Gloria, who had strolled over from the bar with a glass of white wine in her hand at some point, snorted. “It’s still boring,” she said. “And everything deserves a party.”
“Ooo, a party,” squealed Daisy.
“People don’t like just handing over money,” Gloria said. “But they’ll happily buy a drink and throw in a donation if they’re having a good time. We should launch the fundraiser with a surprise party at the cafe.”
“She’s right,” Ives said after a pause. “It’d help people know what we’re doing.”
Lilah hesitated. “I’m not sure about that. I don’t know that Blossom’s big on surprises.”
“She’s not,” agreed Ives. “But this is for her own benefit, and you know what she’s like, if she knew what we’re up to she’d try and stop us, she wouldn’t want to make a fuss.”
Daisy waved a dismissive hand. “She’ll love it once she sees what we’re doing.”
George nodded. “If she’s got a shot at keeping her cafe running, it’s worth it.”
Lilah exhaled. “Fine. A party. But we have to do it right.”
