Page 66 of For My Finale
She should have known better.
But like Ives had once told her, it wasn’t her intentions that mattered, it was her actions.
Her grip tightened on the mug.
She’d been an idiot to think that she could stay hidden here, that she could build a life in Bankton and pretend that she wasn’t Lilah Paxton, the headline magnet, the Hollywood scandal, the walking catastrophe. She’d been Lilah Paxton for as long as she could remember, who the hell else was she supposed to be?
And she’d been stupid to think that the people in this damnvillage were starting to warm to her, that she was becoming a part of the fabric of the place. After all, someone had sold her out in the end, just as she’d suspected.
The thought twisted like a knife. She’d let herself believe that she could belong. That was the cruelest joke of all.
Her gaze drifted toward the window, toward the path that led next door. Toward Blossom.
Blossom who had trusted her. Who had looked at her last night with nothing but warmth, who had held her hand beneath the table as though she wanted Lilah to be part of her life. Blossom who had asked her for nothing, expected nothing. Blossom who deserved so much better than this mess, better than a life spent dodging flashing cameras and headlines that would twist every look, every touch into a sordid story.
Blossom deserved someone steady. Someone who could protect her, champion her, not someone who would drag her into the center of a media storm.
Lilah let out a slow breath and reached for her phone.
Margot picked up on the second ring. “I knew you’d call.”
“I’ll take it,” Lilah said, closing her eyes, pressing her hand to her head. “I’ll take the Leyland film.”
There was a pause, then Margot exhaled sharply. “Good. You’re making the right choice.”
Lilah didn’t comment on this.
“You need to be in London ASAP,” Margot continued, all business. “I’ll get you checked into The Savoy. There are meetings scheduled already, contracts to sign. You’ll need to get your skates on, darling. I’ll expect you tonight.”
“You’re already there?” Lilah asked.
“I knew you wouldn’t let me down,” said Margot.
Lilah nodded. “Alright, I’ll be there.”
She ended the call and set her phone down on the table, staring at it as if it might provide her with an answer she didn’t want to find.
It was the right choice, the only choice.
She took a deep breath and pushed back from the table. Therewas just one thing left to do. She had to talk to Blossom.
She walked to the door, each step feeling heavier than the last. When she reached it, she hesitated, her fingers hovering over the handle.
She wasn’t ready, but she had to do this.
Finally, she opened the door and stepped outside. Blossom’s cottage was only a few feet away, but today it felt like an ocean stretched between them. Lilah forced herself forward, step by step, until she stood in front of the door.
She raised her hand to knock.
???
Billy was both Blossom’s best and worst confidant. He was always there, always listening, but he never had any actual answers. Right now, for example, he was chomping lazily on the carrot she was holding through the kitchen window, his dark eyes blinking at her with a kind of serene indifference. It didn’t help.
“Well?” Blossom asked him, watching as his thick tongue curled around the vegetable and yanked it from her fingers. “What am I supposed to do?”
Billy offered nothing except the crunch of his chewing. Typical.
Blossom sighed, rubbing his nose before withdrawing her hand. The air outside smelled of damp earth and fresh grass, a hint of autumn creeping in with the late summer breeze. It was peaceful. But her head wasn’t.
