Page 88 of For My Finale
“It’s nothing,” Blossom sighed. “She’s just… She’s had a lot of phone calls. She’s not telling me something. And now… I saw Margot in town.”
Ives sat back. “Ah.”
“And then… what if she regrets all this?” Blossom said. Now that she was talking about it, it was hard not to let all the words spill out all together. “What if all this is just too small for her? What if—”
“What if you actually talk to her,” Ives said, putting her hand over Blossom’s. “Because I’m not doing this again. If I’ve learned one thing over the last two years, it’s that Lilah Paxton is absolutely besotted with you. I didn’t want to believe it, but there it is. So if you think there’s something wrong, then you need to go talk to Lilah about it.”
Blossom inhaled shakily. Then she nodded. Because Ives was right. The only thing she could do was talk to Lilah. Even if she might not like what Lilah had to say.
???
Lilah had straightened the cushions on the sofa three times already. She’d also checked on dinner, which was safely in the oven. Since knocking the two cottages together, they’d had a large kitchen installed and Blossom had insisted on teaching Lilah how to use it properly. Not that she’d ever be a master chef, but she could at least feed them both without resorting to calling the fire brigade.
She was trying to distract herself because she knew that the time had come. And nerves were buzzing beneath her skin.
Finally, she heard the front door open and the familiar shuffle of Blossom kicking her shoes off in the hallway. She went to the living room door and leaned on the doorframe, watching as Blossom shrugged off her jacket, marveling, as always, that this was her partner.
Blossom looked up and smiled, and Lilah’s heart expanded just a little more. After all this time, Blossom still made her breath catch, still made her want to make the world a better place. Still made her more nervous than any opening night ever had.
“We need to talk,” Lilah said.
Blossom stopped still, all color draining from her face.
“Oh, God,” said Lilah. “No, wait, that came out wrong. I meant…” She took a breath. “Come and sit down.”
Lilah turned and went to the couch, hearing Blossom following her. She sat down, knotting her fingers together in her lap, wondering just how to begin.
“I already know,” Blossom said.
“Wait, what?” said Lilah.
“I saw Margot this afternoon. I already know what you want to talk about.” Blossom was pale and there was tension in her shoulders.
“You do?” asked Lilah.
Blossom didn’t look at her. She took a deep breath, blew it out, then said, “You want to go back to Hollywood.”
There was a beat of silence, then Lilah let out a startled laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Blossom asked, finally looking at her.
“You,” Lilah said, shuffling a little closer. “Do you really think that I’d want that?” She put her hand on Blossom’s leg, all her nerves suddenly disappearing. “Blossom, my love, do you honestly think I’d rather be anywhere else? This is perfect. We’re perfect. I don’t want to change that, I never want to change that.”
“You don’t?” The relief on Blossom’s face was obvious. “But then why have you been sneaking around, what’s going on?”
Now Lilah did hesitate. But it was now or never. “Alright, I have been sneaking around,” she admitted. “But it was only because I wanted to be sure before I said anything. I’ve been offered a role. In London. It’s a play, a new production, something really special.” She cleared her throat. “And I want to take it.”
Blossom didn’t say anything right away. She was watching Lilah closely, as if searching for something. “Then… what’s the problem?” she said at last.
Here was the hard part. Lilah’s stomach clenched. “You.”
Blossom’s eyebrows shot up. “Me?”
Lilah bit her lip and nodded. “Blossom, I love our life here. The bookshop, the village, waking up to you every morning. It’s everything I never knew that I wanted. And I don’t want to do anything that might screw that up. I don’t want to be greedy.”
“Lilah—”
But Lilah wasn’t done. “I could commute. It’s not that far. But it’s still time away from you. And I don’t want to leave if…” She took a deep, shaky breath. “I mean, I’ll only leave if there’s a guarantee that you’re here when I get back.”
