Spotlight (27 page)

Inside sat a voucher for a first-class airplane ticket to Los Angeles.

“Oh my God, Nate. It’s too much. You shouldn’t have!”

“Yes, I should have,” he said, his tone sincere. “I want to
see
you again, love.” Lily felt her breath catch—it was the first time he’d called her that. “Maybe you can fly out sometime in the next couple of months?”

Tears filled Lily’s eyes. “I’d love that. Thank you. This means more to me than you know.”

“Oh, I think do know. And I’m so glad you like it. I just want to be with you again.”

She sighed. “Me, too. You’ve given me something to look forward to.”

On the other end of the phone, Nate laughed. “Trust me, this is just as much for me as it is for you. My motivations were selfish.”

Lily returned his laugh. “Well, I’m glad I get to benefit from your selfishness. I can’t wait to see you again.”

Nate hummed lowly. “I’m just as anxious as you are, believe me.”

Lily’s felt her cheeks heat at his insinuation. “Sounds like you’ve got big plans for me.”

“Well, it has been weeks since I’ve kissed you.” His tone was completely unapologetic, “How soon can you get here?”

Lily burst into laughter. “Unfortunately, the next holiday after New Year’s isn’t until Easter, in April. But I might be able to take some time off in early March. Maybe right after awards season ends out there? I’ll have to check my calendar, though.”

“That sounds great. I’ll be counting down the days.”

Lily smiled. “Me, too.” Then she heard what sounded like a faint knocking on the other end of the line.

Nate sighed. “I should let you get back to your family. And I should do the same. They’re waiting on me.”

Lily sighed. “Okay. I suppose you’re right. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, right?”

“Of course. Later, Lily.”

“Bye.” Eventually her phone beeped when Nate disconnected the call.

She didn’t bother trying to hide her bright smile when she rejoined her family.

After dinner, Lily stood at the sink rinsing dishes while her mother loaded the dishwasher.

“Thanks again for all this food, Mom. You know how much I love your cornbread dressing.”

Anne laughed. “Oh, I know it’s your favorite. And thank
you
for helping make it.”

Lily rolled her eyes in amusement. “That’s my favorite part of Christmas—being in the kitchen with you.”

Anne grinned. “The kids seemed to have fun.” She loved any excuse to buy fun gifts for her grandchildren.

“I thought Evan was going to wear me out with that game! And I’m not old, but he had to show me how to work the Wii. I had no clue! When did he grow up to be so smart?”

Anne couldn’t help but laugh. “Now you know how I feel every single day at work with my kindergarten class!”

They decided to split the rest of a bottle of their favorite red wine, filling their glasses and resting their tired forms on the comfortable couch in the living room.

“You seemed happy this afternoon. I’m guessing you went to call Nate?”

Lily blushed. “Yes, ma’am.”

Anne glanced at her daughter with a knowing expression. “All right, sweetheart, what’s that look about?”

“Well, we agreed to open our gifts together over the phone. I sent him a leather messenger bag. He always carries one, and his was looking a little worn.” She paused, chewing her lower lip for a moment. “His gift to me was incredible . . . and way too generous.”

Anne raised her eyebrow, encouraging her daughter to continue.

“He sent me a voucher for a first-class airline ticket to go see him in Los Angeles.” She looked up, careful to watch her mother’s reaction.

Anne’s hazel eyes widened in surprise. “That’s extremely thoughtful of him.”

Lily smiled. “Yeah, it really is the perfect gift.”

“When do think you’ll go out there?”

“Probably not until the first part of March. It’s a busy time for him, and I’m sure I’ll need a break by then.”

“And I’m sure you’ll be anxious to see him by then.”

Lily started to blush and reached for her glass. “Mm-hmm.”

A slow smile spread across Anne’s face. “Just so you both know, I’m not quite ready to be a grandmother again.”

Lily nearly choked on a sip of wine.

“
Mom!
I can’t believe you.”

“Sweetheart, I’m being realistic. I assume you’re staying with him. You’re an adult, and you have good judgment. Just be safe.”

“I can’t believe you’re encouraging that kind of behavior.”

“Well, I was your age once. I still remember what it’s like to be very attracted to a member of the opposite sex.”

Lily laughed. “Don’t worry, you’ve still got it!”

Anne rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, dear. Now, I’m going to offer you one piece of advice. Don’t tell your father you’re staying with Nate.”

“Wow. Condoning premarital sex
and
sneaking around . . . what’s gotten into you?”

Anne’s expression softened. “I just want you to be happy, sweetheart. And I can already tell that this boy makes you happy. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that sparkle in your eye.”

Lily knew all too well how true that was. Her dating history wasn’t extensive, by any means. Her romantic relationships had a way of ending before they ever began. Lily believed wholeheartedly in sparks. That complete attraction—physical and mental—was important to her, and she didn’t want to settle for anything less. Very few men captured her attention, but Nate topped that list.

“I’m excited to see where this goes, Mom. Right now, I’m just taking it one day at a time.”

“I know there are challenges to overcome, but from what you’ve told me there is potential there.”

“I think so. We know distance is our biggest challenge. But I can’t help but wonder if we’re going to butt heads professionally at some point. More so than we already have.”

“That may very well happen. Look at how your paths already have crossed,” Anne said. “You’ve come through it so far. There’s no reason to think you can’t work it out in the future.”

Lily nodded. “True. But I know our professions are a huge part of who we both are. Being a journalist is very important to me. It’s my first love, in a lot of ways. I’d hate for that to become an issue.”

“There may be a time when you’re on opposite sides of things. If that does become an issue, just talk through it. Don’t let it fester,” Anne replied. “I know you’re good at what you do, and I’m sure he is, too. Just remember that’s not all you are.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Lily rested her head on Anne’s shoulder.

Anne pulled her daughter in for a hug. “You’re welcome, sweetheart. Now. What are you going to pack for your trip? Wear something cute on the plane.”

The days between Christmas and New Year’s Day were always slow in the journalism world. With so many people on vacation and schools out for the holidays, few events were scheduled. Government entities postponed meetings until the next year started, and inclement weather often prevented other events from happening.

It gave Lily time to catch up and work on some in-depth features, which she was grateful to have. She planned the majority of her stories through the spring and set many of them in motion.

She had just finished a conference call with the local Master Gardeners about spring gardening when her e-mail notification pinged. She smiled when she noticed who sent the message.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: Catching up

Lily:

It’s been a while! How are you? I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was great. My parents were thrilled to have my brother and sister-in-law in California, too. Anthony and Rachael left the day after to spend time with her parents in Connecticut, but it was nice to be together on the actual holiday.

I hope yours was just as good. I assume you were with your family, and I hope all is well with them. Was it a white Christmas? I’d love to experience one of those.

Any big plans for New Year’s Eve? Some celebrity chef is hosting an opening for his new restaurant that night, and Nate has me putting in an appearance. At least my date (who says hi, by the way) and I will have a good dinner before toasting the New Year. I think Nate’s planning on joining us. I promise not to make him feel like a third wheel. At least not too much, anyway. (Yep, I’m smirking.)

Speaking of which, he tells me you two are an official item. And I just wanted to say that I’m very happy for you both. You two make a good match.

Anyway, I just wanted to say happy holidays. Talk to you later.

DB

Lily laughed as she clicked reply.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: RE: Catching up

Daniel:

Has anyone ever told you that you gossip like an old lady? :)

Yes, it’s official. Nate and I are an item. I suppose I owe you a huge debt of gratitude since we met through you. So thanks for introducing us. And for the support. Just so you know, I’m very happy. I hope you’ll keep him company, since I can’t be there.

Christmas was fantastic. Everyone in my family is doing well (thank you for asking), and I enjoyed spending time with them. My mom cooked enough to feed an army (with my help, of course), and my niece and nephews spent hours playing with their gifts. Couldn’t ask for a better holiday than that!

New Year’s Eve is going to be low-key. I’ll be with my best friends. We haven’t spent time together in a while, so we’re going to do a girls’ night in and watch the ball drop. Your event sounds like lots of fun. I want a full report on the food. And tell your date hello for me, too.

I should get back to work, but I hope to see you soon. Nate can fill you in. Talk to you later!

Lily

Two days later, Lily found herself more than ready for that girls’ night in. She dressed comfortably in dark teal yoga pants and matching hoodie, along with her favorite dark gray tennis shoes. She pulled her hair into a messy bun and slicked some lip balm on her otherwise makeup-free face. The girls decided to indulge in an evening of beauty routines and chick flicks before watching the countdown. Deep-cleaning masks and at-home manis and pedis served as the perfect complement to the movies they each chose. Maggie picked
Clueless
. Colette went with
Bridget Jones’s Diary
. Lily decided on
Notting Hill
. Maggie and Colette tried not to snicker at Lily’s somewhat obvious choice as they picked nail polish colors.

“Oh, please,” Lily commented with a roll of her eyes. “In no way am I going to end up with Daniel the same way William ended up with Anna Scott.”

Maggie shrugged with a grin. “Okay, true. It’s not exactly the same. But a junket did lead to you finding the love of your life.”

Her completely matter-of-fact tone caused Lily to blush.

Maggie’s eyes widened in confusion. “Lil, what is that look about?”

“It’s just that . . . I know you were joking, and Nate and I are not there yet, but I guess that’s closer to true than you realize.”

Her best friends erupted into a girlie squeal worthy of the chick flick playing on the screen.

“Seriously?” Colette grinned with excitement.

Maggie scooted closer. “Details!”

Lily sighed. “There isn’t too much to say. We talked and decided to be exclusive. I’m his girlfriend, and he’s my boyfriend.”

“Aww . . . Lily’s going steady with Nate!” Maggie clapped her hands and batted her eyelashes.

Lily rolled her eyes again but couldn’t stop her grin. “Yep. I guess so.” She wiggled her freshly painted toes in excitement.

Colette blew on the fingernails of her left hand. “So when are you going to see him again?”

“Sometime before spring. His Christmas gift to me was a voucher for a first-class ticket to come see him.”

“Wow, that’s incredibly thoughtful,” Maggie said while smearing green goo on her face. Lily’s raised her eyebrow at her. “What? It’s an avocado mask! Don’t worry, you’ll be getting one later.”