Nate nodded. “Thanks, man.” Then he turned to face Lily’s parents.
“Mr. and Mrs. Richards, it’s very nice to meet you. Thank you for letting me join your family for dinner.” He offered his hand first to Lily’s father, meeting his eyes as they shook, then her mother.
“The pleasure is ours, Nate,” Mrs. Richards said. “And please feel free to call us Anne and Henry.” Nate glanced over to see Lily’s pleased grin. “We’re both glad you could join us for dinner. We’ve heard so much about you from Lily, and we’ve been dying to meet you.”
Both Lily and Nate blushed at Anne’s statement. “Mom,” Lily exclaimed in embarrassment, “I can’t believe you said that!”
Henry chuckled as his gaze shifted from his daughter to Nate. “Don’t worry, Nate. Everything we’ve heard has been good. Just treat Lily well, and we won’t have anything to complain about.”
Nate hoped Lily’s father saw the sincerity in his expression. “I will, sir. You have an amazing daughter, and she deserves nothing but the best.”
Henry gave Nate a satisfied nod and one pat on the back. “Well played, son. Well played.”
Lily turned toward her best friends sitting next to her. “Geez, it’s like I’m not even here.”
Maggie laughed and extended her hand to Nate. “Hi there. I’m Maggie, and this is Colette.” She pointed to the woman next to her. “And you are every bit as gorgeous as Lily said you were.”
Nate let out a choked laugh as Lily’s cheeks flamed. “Oh . . . um . . . thank you?”
“You’re welcome,” Maggie said. “But handsome or not, just remember that if you hurt our girl, we will hunt you down.”
Lily dropped her menu on the table, and it landed with a heavy smack. “Okay. If you’re all done embarrassing me now, can we order? I desperately need a margarita—now!”
The table erupted in laughter, and Nate couldn’t help but smile at the warmth of this group of people and the affection they had for each other. This was what he always envisioned a birthday dinner to be—not the stiff, four-course affairs at rigidly formal restaurants his parents used to subject him to on the rare occasion they deigned to make time to celebrate his birthday. Laughter, love, and good-natured teasing filled this celebration. The group talked constantly and laughed loudly. Nate easily found his place and spent most of the evening in animated conversation with Lily’s loved ones. The mouthwatering food and flowing drinks left them feeling full and content, but they left room for dessert. Lily clapped when the waiters brought her a serving of tres leches cake with a single lit candle and placed a sombrero on her head while everyone cheered and sang for her. Nate’s heart lurched when she winked at him before making a wish and blowing out her candle.
The adults enjoyed one more round of drinks while Lily opened her gifts. By the time she unwrapped the last package, Evan and Celeste could barely keep their eyes open and Dillon snoozed contently in his carrier. Sean decided it was time for them to leave and said his goodbyes. Not long after, Maggie and Colette left as well, leaving Lily and Nate with her parents. Lily thanked them again for the dinner and the airline gift card they gave her. She was slightly buzzed from the margaritas, but Nate promised her father he’d get her home.
Henry shook his hand one more time and kissed his daughter’s cheek, and then Anne hugged Nate goodbye.
“We’re glad you could come, Nate. You’re good for her,” she said as she let him go and hugged Lily.
“Thank you, but I think she’s the one who is good for me,” Nate responded, taking Lily’s hand.
They walked to her car, and she handed him the keys. She hummed sleepily as she sank into the passenger seat.
“Don’t close those beautiful eyes yet, love. You’ve still got one more gift to open when we get back to your place,” he said as he started her car.
“Really? Your being here is more than enough for me.”
“Maybe, but I couldn’t come empty-handed. You deserve something special for your birthday.”
“Mmm . . . you spoil me,” Lily murmured. “I shouldn’t like it, but I do.”
Nate chuckled at her response. “Good, because I intend to keep spoiling you for a long, long time.” Lily smiled and took his hand.
Later, as they sat side-by-side on her bed after finishing their nightly routines, Nate handed her a small box. Lily, of course, recognized the familiar shade of blue and the pristine white bow, and her hands shook as she took it. Nate’s heartbeat sped as she untied the ribbon and placed it on her nightstand. She took a deep breath before lifting the lid of the box. Inside sat a single bezel-set diamond on a delicate white-gold chain.
“Oh, Nate . . . it’s beautiful!”
Nate let out a breath and smiled at her reaction. “Not as beautiful as you. You are a bright light in my life, and I wanted you to have your own bright light to wear.”
Lily leaned over and kissed him. “Thank you, I love it. Will you put it on me?”
She turned and held her hair up. Nate fastened it around her neck, kissing her shoulder before she faced him again. He smiled as he gazed at the pendant resting in the hollow of her throat. “It looks beautiful on you.”
Lily held her breath as his fingers caressed her neck, eventually stopping on top of her necklace. “I couldn’t love it—or you—more.”
Nate’s eyes lifted to meet hers. “I love you, too. Will you allow me to show you just how much, birthday girl?”
Lily nodded slowly, grinning widely, then smashed her lips into his.
Sliding her pendent along the chain became something Lily did often. Any time her brow furrowed in concentration or deep thought, she reached for it, knowing that the whisper-like clicks as it zipped across her throat helped her focus. In a way, it felt as though Nate were with her, guiding the direction of her thoughts. He said he felt that same comfort in the weight of the warm, worn leather of his messenger bag against his hip.
Maggie and Colette spotted the necklace when the friends met for lunch a few days after Nate had flown home. Maggie’s fashion-forward eyes noticed it first.
“Wow, Lil. You’d think you would have mentioned getting a diamond for your birthday,” Maggie deadpanned.
Lily rolled her eyes and laughed. “If it was that kind of diamond, believe me, you would have known by now.”
“I certainly hope so,” Maggie said. “I have a lot of planning to do. Flowers, photographers, menus for the reception . . . and that’s not even including bridal showers.”
Lily’s eyes got wider as Maggie’s tone became even more serious—and frantic.
“We’re not . . . it’s not like . . . I . . . don’t even know what to say to that,” Lily said, trying to keep the panic out of her voice.
“Well, I do,” Colette offered. “Hand me the appropriate outfit and tell me when and where I need to show up. That’s all I need to know.”
Her matter-of-fact attitude caused Lily and Maggie to laugh, but Lily’s laughter remained guarded.
“Okay, you both know Nate and I are nowhere near that step.”
“For now,” Maggie added. “But it’s coming, mark my words. I have a good feeling about this.”
A slow smile spread across Lily’s face at Maggie’s observation. Was that something Lily even wanted? She expected to be terrified at the thought, but instead, it filled her with comfort.
“Maybe one day. But at this point, we live thousands of miles apart, so put those plans on hold, Mags.”
“Have you two talked about the distance issue?” Colette asked.
Lily nodded and then shrugged. “We’ve talked about how much we don’t like it. Of course we’d like to be closer to one another, but he needs to be in LA, or maybe New York. We’re just trying to make the best of it at this point.”
“You sound much calmer about all this,” Colette commented.
“Actually, I am. I know he loves me, and I love him. That’s what’s important.”
“It’s easy to see that he’s serious about you,�
� Colette said.
Lily couldn’t help but grin at Colette’s observation. “So you guys liked him?”
Both women nodded enthusiastically. “Of course we did. He seems great,” Colette said. “Well-mannered, intelligent, kind—”
“And incredibly handsome,” Maggie cut in, wiggling her eyebrows.
Lily laughed. “I’ll be sure to tell him you said so.”
Later that night, Lily got an e-mail from Devon, asking her to meet him for coffee at the end of the week. He said he wanted to discuss some things with the website, but Lily couldn’t shake the feeling that it was something more.
Curiosity wound its way to the forefront of her thoughts as she pulled into the parking lot fifteen minutes before she and Devon agreed to meet. Deciding that she didn’t need any additional excitement running through her system, she ordered a steaming cup of calming tea and grabbed a table. She had just taken her first sip when Devon walked through the door.
“Hey, Lily! Let me grab a cup of coffee, and I’ll join you.”
“Sure!” Her fingers drummed nervously as he ordered and waited on his drink.
Eventually, he sat down and stirred half-and-half and a packet of Splenda into his coffee.
“Your e-mail seemed serious. Is everything okay?” She didn’t mean to be so blunt, but after thinking about this for three days, she wanted to get right to the point.
Devon smiled. “Better than okay. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Lily’s eyebrows rose in invitation for him to continue.
“The site is doing well. So well, in fact, that I want to make you a full-time offer.”
Lily’s mug abruptly stopped halfway to her mouth as her jaw dropped open. Devon snickered as he raised his own mug to take a drink.
“Seriously?”
Devon took another drink of his coffee. “Seriously. I know you’ve been looking for a job in this field. You’re the strongest writer on our team, and I want you to be a part of it full time.”
“Wow, Devon. Thank you, I’m flattered.”
“Well, don’t thank me yet,” Devon said, eyeing Lily warily.
Lily’s tone was cautious. “Okay . . . I’m listening.”
“The job would require a move.”
Lily’s eyebrows rose again. “Oh. To where?”
Devon sat his coffee on the table. “Los Angeles.”
Lily looked at him with disbelief. “You’re kidding.”
Devon chuckled at her response. “No, I’m not kidding. We’ve grown enough to open a small office in Los Angeles to house all our writers out there. We’ll do the same thing in New York. But for now, I want you to join the Los Angeles staff as a senior writer.”
Lily sat back in her chair as his words began to sink in.
“The pay won’t be great, but it will be enough for you to live comfortably, and we’ll help with relocation expenses. As a senior writer, you’ll be expected to help coordinate and make assignments for the rest of the staff, in addition to covering junkets, premieres, and other events yourself. Many days will be nine-to-five, but you will have night and weekend work, too, and you can adjust your schedule during the week to make up for that. Oh, and I’d like for you to take the lead on our social media, too.”
A million thoughts ran through Lily’s mind, but she kept coming back to one.
Los Angeles. It’s a chance to be closer to Nate.
Lily cleared her throat. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
“I know. The office isn’t scheduled to open for a few months, so take your time and think it over, but just know that I would love for you to do this.”
Lily nodded as her thoughts continued to race.
“Okay, I need to go, but I’ll talk to you soon,” Devon said, grabbing his coffee. “Let me know if you have any questions.”
“I will. And thank you. I’ll give your offer some serious thought and be in touch soon.”
After Devon left, Lily sat at the table, sipping her tea, and contemplating how life could change in the course of one conversation.
Her thoughts continued to run through the possibilities, mentally tabulating the pros and cons as she drove home. She had no idea what her decision would be, and she desperately wanted to talk to the one person who would understand just what this offer meant.
Nate.
She wanted to be excited, but in the back of her mind she wondered if he would see this as her following him around like a clingy girlfriend. Lily refused to be one of those girls who made life-altering decisions based on a man—this choice came down to what was best for her career—but she couldn’t deny that being closer to Nate sat at the top of her list of pros.
Lily sank into her cozy couch, took a deep breath, and dialed his number. Her hand played with her necklace while she waited for him to answer.
“Hey, love. Everything okay? It’s early for you to be calling me.”
She let out a sigh at the sound of his voice. “Yeah, everything’s fine. I just had something I wanted to talk to you about, if you have some time.”
“Of course I have time for you.” Lily heard things shuffling on the other end of her phone and then the sound of what she assumed was his office door closing. He paused before continuing, uneasiness creeping into his tone. “Are you sure everything is okay? You sound a little . . . out of sorts.”
“I’m absolutely certain, I promise. I’m just a little stunned right now. Actually, this might be a good thing.”
“Well, in that case, tell me all about it,” he said, relief evident in his voice.
She took another deep breath. “I got an unexpected job offer this afternoon.”
“It’s not unexpected that someone would pick up on your talent.” She could tell by the warmth in his tone that he was smiling. “Is it something you’d be interested in doing?”
“I think so. I’m already doing the job part-time. Devon, my friend who runs FilmInsanity.com, wants me to join his staff full time as a senior writer.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. “Well, that’s something I know you like doing. You’d get to travel around to cover junkets and premieres, right? And we’d get to see each other when you have to fly out to LA.” He sounded cautiously optimistic, easing Lily’s nerves.
“Actually, I hope we’d see each other even more than that.”
“What do you mean, love?”
“Well, Devon is opening a small office in Los Angeles, and that’s where he wants me to work.”
He breathed in sharply. “So, if you take this job, you’d be moving to Los Angeles?”
“Yep. I’d have to relocate to the West Coast within the next few months. So what do you think?”
Nate laughed. “God, I think that would be fantastic. Amazing. Absolutely wonderful. You didn’t think I would be anything other than ecstatic with the possibility, did you, sweet girl?”
Lily laughed herself. “No . . . yes . . . maybe? I mean, I know we’ve known each other for a while and are happy together, but I didn’t want you think that I—literally—moved too fast.”
“Well, you have nothing to worry about. First of all, I happen to like it when you take charge. And second, the thought of getting to see you practically anytime I’d like makes me a very happy man.”
Lily snickered. “Anything to keep you happy, sweetheart.”
“Seriously, though, tell me about the offer.”
For the next several minutes, they discussed the details. Nate assured her that the salary Devon offered would be more than sufficient and that the office building was located in a decent area. She already knew the benefits—health insurance, vacation time, and all those other considerations—were comparable to similar jobs. And travel expenses would still be covered by the company.
Is there any reason not to take this? Lily wondered.
After talking through the offer, they started playing around with the what-ifs.
“So, if the office is technica
lly in Santa Monica, it would make sense for me to look for a place there, right?” Lily asked.
Nate paused and cleared his throat before responding. “Lily . . . do you . . . um . . . have you thought about moving in with me?”
Lily sighed. “Honestly? The thought has crossed my mind. More than once. But do you think we’re ready for that?”
Nate’s reply was honest. “I don’t know.”
“Me either. Which is why I think it’d probably be best for me to rent a place of my own for now. We should probably date before we move in together, don’t you think?”
Nate chuckled at her logic. “Good point. But it’s going to be difficult for me to have you here but not have you here, you know? After all, our visits have been domestically blissful.”
“Oh, I know, believe me. Don’t worry, I plan on spending a good amount of time cooking in your kitchen, curling up outside on your sofa, sleeping in your ridiculously comfortable bed, among other activities.”
Lily heard his low hum. “All that sounds incredible. Especially the other activities part.”
Lily laughed. “I’m definitely looking forward to more of that.”
“Me, too, love. I’ve missed having you in my arms. And having you closer would be wonderful.”
“Well, you’re certainly a motivating factor.”
“Any idea whether or not you’re going to accept the job?”
Lily sighed. “Right now, no. I told Devon that he’d given me a lot to think about, and I think I’m still trying to process it all. I definitely need more time before deciding anything. It’s a huge decision, and I don’t want to make it lightly or impulsively. But I will admit that the thought of being closer to you makes me lean in that direction.”
“Well, you know I’d love for you to be closer, but you have my support either way. If this job isn’t right for you and you decide to turn down the offer, we’ll still find ways to be together as much as possible, so don’t worry about that.”
Lily couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you for saying that. It’s exactly what I needed to hear.”
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