“No, I do. I think. Are you sure you do?”
“I’m sure. I feel fine now and I really did miss you when you were gone, you know.”
“You did?” So it wasn’t just the medicine talking. A little thing, but it made her feel ridiculously happy.
“You don’t need to rush home, do you? Let’s watch a movie.”
Cody held out his arm and Lily snuggled against him, his arm on her shoulder and they stayed like that, kissing a little every now and then as they watched the movie While You Were Sleeping, a romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock that Lily had seen before and loved. By the end of the movie, they were both yawning. Reluctantly, Lily eased herself off the sofa to head home.
“I’ll walk you to your door,” Cody said.
Lily laughed. “I’m like ten feet away.”
“No matter. Let’s go.” And walk her to her door he did. He kissed her one last time before she stepped inside, but not before making plans to go out Friday night, on a proper date.
Chapter 12
Lily was on cloud nine all the next day. She replayed the kisses with Cody over and over again in her mind. It had been such a good night. She knew they had plans to go out to dinner Friday and she was looking forward to it, but her perfect night was what they’d shared the night before—a simple meal, a few sweet kisses, watching a movie and just enjoying each other’s company.
She’d been worried about Cody at first, thinking that maybe he wasn’t the right type for her, that they didn’t have enough in common. But she’d gotten to know him better, and it felt right. It was still new, though, and she wasn’t ready to share it with anyone yet.
“You’re in an awfully good mood today,” Bernie commented at lunch time.
“I’m well rested. Went to bed early and got a good night’s sleep.”
Bernie nodded. “Are you up for trivia, then? I saw Simon when I took the mail down to the post office a few minutes ago. He said he and Jaclyn will be there.”
“Sure, why not?”
When Lily returned from her usual afternoon coffee, she had a text message from Cody.
‘I know we have dinner plans tomorrow night, but I don’t suppose you’d be up for trivia tonight?’
She smiled as she texted him back.
‘Bernie, Gwen and I are meeting Simon and Jaclyn there after work. I’ll save you a seat?’
‘Save three. Wade is coming too and he’s bringing Maddie with him.’
‘Will do.’
Maddie must have found a sitter. Lily was glad that Wade was bringing her out for trivia. They were going to have a good group.
After work, they went straight to the restaurant and saw that Jaclyn and Simon had just been seated at a large round table.
“I have to save three seats. Wade, Cody and Maddie are joining us,” Lily said as she sat down.
Simon’s eyes lit up. “Excellent! The more the merrier. The Root Beer Floats will be in first place again!”
“Settle down, Simon. Winning isn’t everything,” Jaclyn scolded him.
“No, but it sure is fun!”
“How was your dinner the other night?” Lily asked.
“Surprisingly good. It turns out that Simon can cook. Who knew?”
“I told you I was a good cook.” He grinned. “I made meatloaf with mushroom gravy. You can’t go wrong with that!”
“That sounds great.”
Barbi brought several pitchers of root beer and a basket of rolls to the table, as Cody, Wade and Maddie walked in. Cody sat next to Lily, then Maddie and Wade sat down.
“How was your day?” Cody smiled and Lily felt all warm and tingly inside. She was so glad that he’d decided to join them.
“Good. Very busy, as usual. You?”
“Same. Oh, root beer is fine with me, too,” Cody told Barbi when she asked if wanted something else.
“I’ll stick to it, too. I don’t want to be the one to break your lucky streak,” Wade said with a laugh. “But, maybe Maddie will? Do you want something other than root beer?”
She laughed. “No, that’s fine with me. I very rarely drink anyway.”
“I’m so glad you could join us tonight,” Lily said as Barbi took Maddie’s menu.
“Wade finally made it in for a massage and said you were all going and that it would be fun. I didn’t think I could go because of Vivian, but my sister surprised me by calling and offering to watch her so I could have a night out. It doesn’t happen often, so I jumped at the chance.”
“How are you doing, Cody? Lily mentioned that you had a fall recently,” Maddie asked him.
“I’m good. Maybe a little stiff in my lower back, but it’s not too bad.”
“I forgot to mention that I saw Maddie and she said a massage could help with that,” Lily said. “Wade is right. She really is amazing.”
Cody smiled. “I know. Maddie used to practice on me. when she was learning. Her husband was my best friend.”
Barbi came back with another pitcher of root beer and took everyone’s pizza orders. The restaurant was busy as usual on trivia night. The pizza special was popular and brought in a lot of local people on an otherwise slow night.
Arthur came around with pencils and trivia sheets to keep score and handed them to Simon. He was usually their official scorekeeper and enjoyed keeping track of how they were doing. Everyone dug into their pizza when it came out, and they were almost finished eating when Lily noticed Cody’s brother Ben and Andrea walk into the bar area.
“Your brother’s here,” she said to Cody. He looked and waved at Ben to come over.
“We can pull up a few chairs, if you want to join us,” Cody said when Ben and Andrea reached the table.
Simon looked positively thrilled. “We will have the best team ever!”
Ben glanced at Andrea and she shook her head. Lily wasn’t sure, but she thought she’d seen a look of disapproval when Andrea saw her sitting next to Cody. Lily wondered if she sensed something.
“Thanks, but I think Andrea and I are going to just grab a drink at the bar. She’s not into trivia.”
“Sorry. Good luck, though,” Andrea said sweetly as the pair of them walked toward the bar.
“Are those two dating?” Lily asked. She’d thought at one point that Andrea might be interested in Cody, but something about the way Ben was looking at Andrea made her wonder.
“Not that I know of. It wouldn’t surprise me, though. They’ve been hanging out a lot lately.”
“That’s how it starts,” Jaclyn said with a smile. “Pass the root beer, Cody, would you?”
* * *
“Do you think Simon will get over it?” Cody asked later that night. They had just arrived home, and were standing outside Lily’s front door, both of them reluctant to end the evening. They’d been in first place all night, but had blown the final question and didn’t even end up in third place. It was still a fun night, though. It always was.
“He doesn’t really care. He just likes to pretend he does. It’s all for fun.”
“So, where do you want to go tomorrow night? For our official first date? I was thinking maybe that fancy new place a few doors down from Flynn’s?”
“The Belfry? I’ve heard good things about that. We could walk there, too. Then we wouldn’t feel guilty about having dessert!”
Cody laughed. “Something makes me think you don’t often feel guilty about having dessert?”
“Not usually, no. I’ve been known sometimes to look at the dessert menu first!”
Cody leaned over and gave her a kiss. “And that’s just one of the things I like about you. How’s six thirty?”
“Perfect.” She smiled and pulled him in for a final good night kiss. “See you tomorrow.”
* * *
“Okay, spill it. Why are you so happy? You’re practically glowing,” Bernie asked the next day. When Lily didn’t respond right away, Bernie tried again. “Is it Cody? I thought the two of you seemed to be getting along really well last night.”<
br />
Lily smiled and decided to share her news. “I think we’re dating now. We have our first official date tonight. He’s taking me to the Belfry.”
Bernie looked thrilled for her. “Oh, that’s great news. I haven’t been there yet, but I keep hearing about it.”
“Same here.”
“He seems like a nice guy, and he’s certainly good looking. You guys looked cute together.” Bernie seemed happy for her.
Lily thought her day couldn’t possible go any better. Her cell phone rang around three in the afternoon and it was a number she didn’t recognize, but the caller ID said whoever it was from Nashville. Nashville!
Lily quickly walked outside of the office to take the call privately. Bernie raised her eyebrows as she went, because she’d never done that before.
“Hello, this is Lily,” she said.
“Lily Donahue?”
“Yes.”
“Lily, this is Peter Wilson, from Anvil Records in Nashville.” Anvil was one of the biggest record companies in country music.
“Okay, hello.” Lily had no idea what she was supposed to say to that.
“You sang at the BlueBird Cafe recently?”
“Yes, I was there with some friends.”
“A few of my colleagues and I were in the audience and we heard you sing. We also did a little research and learned that you also wrote the song your friend, Laura, sang.”
“You talked to Laura?” Lily was having a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that someone from a record company was calling her.
“We did, and she told us you wrote that song. We’re impressed and we’d like to invite you in to meet with us to discuss possibly working together. We’ll pay all your expenses to visit, of course. I can have Wendy in my office help make the arrangements.”
“You want to meet with me?” she repeated.
“Yes, as soon as possible. Monday, if you can arrange it. We can fly you in and out on the same day. We do that sort of thing all the time.”
“Um, okay. I’ll have to see about getting the time off.”
“Great. Here’s Wendy’s number.” He rattled a number off and Lily repeated it back to make sure she had it right. “Just call her as soon as possible so she can get things set up. We look forward to meeting you soon.”
Lily ended the call and walked back into her office in a daze. Bernie took one look at her and immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Is Wade in his office?”
Bernie leaned back to get a better view. “He’s in there, and he’s not on the phone. I’d go in now if you want to catch him.”
Lily tapped on the open door to Wade’s office and he waved her in.
“What’s up?”
“I’m wondering if it’s possible to have Monday off? I know I just had a vacation but I still have some unused days and its sort of an emergency. Nothing bad, though.”
“Of course. What kind of an emergency? If you don’t mind my asking?”
“There’s a record company in Nashville that wants to meet with me. I’m not sure what they have in mind, exactly, but I’d love to find out.”
Wade grinned. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. Go get ‘em, Lily!”
“Thanks, Wade. I really appreciate that.”
* * *
As soon as Lily got home, she called Laura, who had texted her earlier asking to her to call the minute she got out of work.
“Did you get a phone call today?” Laura asked excitedly when she answered the phone.
Lily laughed. “I did. They said they called you, too?”
“Yeah, they said they loved your song and of course I told them you wrote it. They invited me to send them a tape of my best stuff, other songs that I’ve written, so I’m going to get that together over the weekend.”
“That’s great!”
“It’s a step forward. I’m really excited.” She was quiet for a moment and then asked, “Did they ask for a meeting?”
“They did. They want me to come in on Monday.”
Laura squealed. “That’s amazing! Stay here that night, we’ll go out and celebrate. I’ll want to hear every detail!”
“I wish I could. I’m flying in and out on the same day. I was really pushing it asking for more time off after being on vacation.”
“Oh, that’s understandable. Well, you’ll just have to fill me in by phone, then. I’ll want a full play-by-play.”
Lily laughed. “I can do that.”
“Good. So, what else is new?”
“I’m actually going on a date tonight, with Cody.”
“We are going to have so much to talk about on our next call. Have fun, and good luck on Monday!”
Chapter 13
As excited as Lily was for her date with Cody, her mind was swirling as she thought ahead to her meeting on Monday. She had no idea what they were thinking. Did record companies work with songwriters who only wrote songs and didn’t perform? She was pretty sure that they did, but wasn’t sure how something like that would work. Would they expect her to live in Nashville? Did they want her to perform? That was going to be an automatic no for her, but she was hopeful that they were interested in her songs only.
She was a little worried about sharing her news with Cody, though. She knew she had to tell him, but also knew he was likely to question what she really wanted and if she might move to Nashville after all. She didn’t want to put any kind of a damper on a night she’d been looking forward to all week. Maybe she could put off telling him for a day or two. Yes, that’s what she would do.
Lily stared at her closet for a good ten minutes, considering and eliminating every option as her eyes traveled over everything hanging there. But then she saw a flash of bright red behind a black dress in the very back. She pulled it out for a better look and caught her breath. She’d forgotten all about this dress. It was an impulse purchase, a sale that she couldn’t resist and she’d bought it almost a year ago. It still had tags on it. It was a gorgeous, fun dress and was the perfect thing to wear. The fabric was a soft knit with a pretty scoop neck, long sleeves and snug fit to her waist where it then flowed out and swirled loosely to her calves. Her favorite, cream-colored cowboy boots would look great with it. The decision on what to wear made, Lily jumped in the shower to get ready.
* * *
Cody knocked on Lily’s door at six sharp. He figured it would take them fifteen minutes or so to walk to the restaurant and it wouldn’t hurt to give a little extra time in case Lily wasn’t quite ready or it took longer to walk than he’d worked out. He’d been looking forward to this night all week. He’d even consulted Ben about what to wear. Ben paid more attention to things like that. “Your light blue dress shirt, navy blazer, charcoal gray tie, and dress pants. The ones Mom gave you for Christmas should work.”
“I haven’t worn those yet.”
“Well, it’s about time, then. About time you took Lily on a real date, too. It was obvious that the two of you should be together.”
Cody was amused by that, but also glad that his brother liked Lily.
“What about you and Andrea? You looked like a pair last night. Anything going on there?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I hope so. I think she’s still kind of hung up on someone else.”
“Anything you can do about that?”
Ben grinned. “I’m hoping that she’ll figure out soon that it’s a lost cause and then I’ll be there, waiting.”
Cody shook his head at that. It was hard to know if Ben was serious. He rarely was when it came to women. “Well, good luck with that.”
Cody was still smiling to himself as the front door opened and he got his first glimpse of Lily in her red dress and quickly forgot all about his brother. She twirled so he could get the full effect of the dress.
“Wow. You look stunning.” He gave her a quick but passionate kiss hello.
“I guess you like the dress,” she said with a laugh when he ended the kiss.
“I love it. Are you ready to go?”
“I’m ready.” She grabbed her coat and purse and they set off on their way. It was a beautiful night to be walking. The air was still and unusually warm for this time of year.
“How was your day?” he asked as they strolled down Main Street.
“Oh, really good!” She sounded excited, but then seemed to stop herself from saying anything more.
“Yeah? What happened?”
“Oh, lots of things. We’ve been really busy this week, lots of people wanting to book events in the new barn.”
“Andrea was impressed by the new building. I’m glad that we’re having my parents’ party there. It’s coming up soon.”
“Next Saturday! And they have no idea?”
“None, as far as I know. Their actual anniversary was last Tuesday.”
“Good. I hope they will be thrilled with the surprise.”
“I think they will be.”
They reached the restaurant about ten minutes later and even though they were early, their table was reserved and ready so they were seated right away. Riston was a small town, but tourism was growing due to the resort and local ski areas. This was the second new restaurant to open in recent months. Lily smiled as she looked around and took in the decor. By the look on her face, he could tell that she liked it.
The restaurant had a plush, luxurious feel to it. The tables were spaced far enough apart that it didn’t feel at all crowded. There were rose-colored candles glowing on all the tables which were covered in thick white linen table cloths and polished silver. A small, square crystal vase held a colorful bouquet of flowers and the overall effect was of elegance. It felt like a special occasion kind of place, which Cody felt suited their night perfectly.
Within a moment of sitting, a bus boy appeared to fill their water glasses and right behind them was their server, a dignified man in his mid-fifties who went over the menu with them and told them about the optional chef’s tasting menu, which was a selection of small courses created personally by the chef and paired with various wines. Cody hadn’t heard of half the dishes on the tasting menu, but noticed that Lily’s eyes grew wide as their server, Paul, described them.
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