Page 51 of Kiss Me at Midnight
Lily nodded. After all, her grandmother had taught her how to make egg salad.
There was another knock on the door. This time, it was Jud. Lily managed to smile at him, but just barely.
He looked handsome in his dark blue suit. If he was surprised that Lily hadn’t gone the extra mile in her dress and appearance tonight, he didn’t show it. His smile was as bright and charming as ever. “You ladies look ravishing. Are we ready?”
“I’ve been benched.” Grandma Dotty plopped down on the bed. “But if I hear yelling, I’m going to come running.”
Jud high-fived her. “Good to know you’ve got our backs. Shall we, Lily?” He stepped into the hallway and gestured toward the staircase.
Lily’s gut clenched as she joined him. She didn’t want to do this. From this point on, Lily was alone. Jud wasn’t falling in love with her. He’d been using her to bolster his image, the same way Rachel was using her. Lily was one part angry, one part hurt, and one part numb.
“You look gorgeous,” Jud said in a gruff voice, taking her hand and tucking it in the crook of his arm.
Lily didn’t believe that for a second, but she held on to him all the same. There were memories to be made and lessons to be learned. But Lily knew that you had to survive the bad to know which were which.
“I mean it,” Jud insisted. “You look gorgeous all the time. To me.” He turned her at the stairwell, as he had a few times before. “I need a kiss to tide me over until this weekend. I’m taking you to dinner, remember? Saturday and Sunday.”
Lily remained mute. But she couldn’t kiss him. If she did, all the knots inside of her would come undone and she’d melt into a puddle at his feet. “A kiss for luck,” Lily said instead. She pressed two of her fingers to her lips and then pressed them to his, bolting up the stairs instead of catching his reaction.
“Dinners this weekend though. And we can talk. You know I’m a good listener.” She had to hand it to him. Jud was in tune with her safe, mundane moods, sensing her reluctance to commit.
Lily should have ascended the stairs in silence, calmly collecting herself for the emotional boxing ring she was about to enter. Instead, she said sharply, “We both know that your weekend dates won’t happen.”
Jud made a sound of frustration. “What’s wrong? Talk to me.”
She’d already said too much. Lily kept climbing, hurrying because she didn’t want to argue with a man who’d lied to her all this time. When she reached the landing, she snapped, “I don’t want to hear any more about it.” It was the scripted line they’d planned on the car on the ride back from Charleston.
Lily held her head high as she crossed the room and took her place next to Paulo.
Jud sat next to Lily, radiating annoyance. Was that because she hadn’t agreed to dinner this weekend? Or had the acting begun?
He was always acting with me.
Lily smiled at Rachel, although it felt as if she was baring fangs. Rachel had put on the red dress!Grrr!“Rachel, you told me you selected wedding rings, but you didn’t say what kind of rings they were.” How did actors do it? It was so hard to pretend to care.
“Platinum. Black diamonds.Tres chic.” Rachel ran a hand over Paulo’s thigh. “I heard your sisters showed up. I bet Jud was no match for them.”
“I was,” Jud said crossly. “Now if it was Paulo facing the Summer sisters…”
Lily took the lob, giving Paulo a starry-eyed look. “He would have passed, too.” She gave the groom’s arm a proprietary squeeze.
Jud reached across her body, took her hand, and returned it to her lap. “You can give the man some breathing room. In fact, why don’t you sit on the other side of the table? Next to Rachel. Go on.” He gave her shoulder a gentle nudge.
“Jud, stop.” Lily frowned at her hands in her lap, unable to look him directly in the eyes. “You’re making something out of nothing.” She forced herself to look at Rachel. “Where’s Abe?”
“He had a business call. He told me not to hold dinner. And here comes the first course now.” Rachel sat back to allow the porter to serve her. “Pancetta crisps with goat cheese and diced pear. I love a multi-course meal with these small servings. Just enough to tantalize your taste buds without weighing you down.”
Jud scowled at his small plate.
Lily leaned toward Paulo and said in Spanish what she would have said to Jud in English before she’d learned what he really thought of her. “That can’t be satisfying.”
Jud. She ground her teeth. Of course, Jud was willing to take things slowly. He had no real interest in her. No spark of attraction. Everything was a lie, including those kisses.
Lily realized she was practically in Paulo’s lap and had lost her train of thought. “Look at that plate, Paulo,” she told him in Spanish. “It’s hardly enough to fill a man up.”
Paulo chuckled, glancing at Rachel’s plate but speaking to Lily in Portuguese, “If I am quick, I can convince Rachel to give me hers.”
Lily forced out a laugh, handing Paulo her plate. “Here. Have mine.”
