Page 63 of For My Finale
This wasn’t just any role. This was Martin Leyland.
“I…” she started, then stopped. Her throat was dry.
Margot pressed her advantage. “It’s not just the kind of role that wins awards, Lilah. This is the kind of role that cements a legacy. You’d be mad to pass this up.”
Lilah clenched her jaw. Her mind was racing. This was it. Everything she’d ever wanted. This was the dream.
But then, another image came to her. Blossom. The way she had looked that morning, sleep-warm and beautiful, reaching for her in bed. The way her eyes had gone soft when Lilah teased her. The way she was going to defend her cafe, just because Lilah believed that she could.
“I have a life here,” Lilah said at last, her voice quieter than before.
Margot sighed dramatically. “This is Martin Leyland, Lilah. How many times do I have to say it?”
Lilah closed her eyes, swaying in the middle of the street. Margot was right, she knew she was right. And for the first time, she truly considered it. Leaving. Going back. Stepping onto a set again.
Finally, she exhaled. “I’ll think about it.” She didn’t know where the words had come from. They just sort of slipped out.
“That’s all I needed to hear,” Margot said.
She hung up and Lilah stood in the middle of the street, staring down at her phone. She had no idea what she was going to do.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Blossom leaned back on the couch, stretching her arms above her head with a satisfied sigh. Dinner was done, the dishes were cleared, and she had Lilah right where she wanted her, in her cottage, alone, with no distractions.
Lilah was lounging beside her, looking entirely too smug and gorgeous for Blossom’s peace of mind. So she did something about it.
She climbed over Lilah, straddling her thighs, threading fingers through Lilah’s hair, reveling in the way it curled around her knuckles. Lilah’s hands settled on Blossom’s waist. Blossom dipped her head, brushing her lips against Lilah’s in a soft, teasing kiss. Then another. And another. Lilah let out a quiet sound, a pleased hum that sent heat curling through Blossom’s stomach. She felt Lilah’s fingers tighten around her waist, her grip shifting.
And then Lilah groaned and pulled back, resting her forehead against Blossom’s. “We have places to be.”
“No, we don’t,” Blossom murmured, leaning in again. “There’s no rehearsal tonight.” She kissed Lilah’s jaw, then the corner of her mouth. “Nowhere to go. Nothing to do.” Another kiss, deeper this time, coaxing and inviting.
Lilah sucked in a sharp breath, her fingers twitching onBlossom’s waist like she was fighting every instinct to pull her closer. Then, very reluctantly, she gripped Blossom’s hips and shifted her back just enough that their eyes met. “Trust me, sweetheart, I want nothing more than to do exactly this,” she said, voice husky. “But we really do have somewhere to be.”
Blossom narrowed her eyes. “Where?”
Lilah smirked, a dimple appearing on her cheek. “It’s a secret.”
“Well… what should I wear?”
Lilah considered this. “Something nice.”
“That’s not helpful.”
Lilah grinned. “I trust your taste.”
Blossom sighed dramatically and climbed off Lilah’s lap, but not before pressing a final, lingering kiss to her lips. “Fine. But if this turns out to be something ridiculous, I’m going to make you regret it.”
Lilah laughed, leaning back against the couch as Blossom disappeared upstairs.
As Blossom changed, she couldn’t help but feel a tiny shred of anxiety. Something nice, Lilah had said. A secret. This wasn’t going to be some fancy party, was it? Lilah had quit all that, said she was done. But what if she wasn’t? Blossom couldn’t face that sort of thing, red carpets and fake smiles and cameras flashing.
When she came downstairs, she was in a deep green dress that was simple and sweet. She folded her arms and gave Lilah a serious look. “If this is some kind of publicity thing, then you need to tell me,” she said. “I don’t do red carpets, Lilah.”
Lilah, who’d been about to say something flirtatious from the look in her eyes, burst out laughing. She stood up and walked over, cupping Blossom’s face, her thumbs brushing her cheeks. “Blossom, love, I would never do that to you.”
Blossom searched her face for a second, seeing it both familiar and new. Lilah was grinning, and slowly Blossom relaxed.
