Loving Lily Lavender (7 page)

Tuesday morning I had a meeting with my client, Aaron Parker. It
was a long but productive meeting. She had finally decided on the food for the reception,
and that alone gave me a sense of accomplishment.

It was after lunch when I arrived home. I smiled noting Lucas’s
black rental car parked in my driveway. He was on the front porch sitting in
the swing. My heart was beating heavily with excitement at seeing him again. I
rolled my window down. “I’ll be right there.” Then I drove my car around to the
back.

I went into the house, slipped off my heels, and set my
paperwork, laptop, and the rest of my things on the bar. I poured two glasses
of sweet tea and headed for the porch.

“So, what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?”

“Well Randall had things to do today, so instead of staying in
the apartment on such a beautiful day, I thought I would come and see if you
wanted to take a walk in the park.”

“Sure, that sounds nice. Do you want to leave right this minute?”
I handed him his tea and joined him on the swing.

“No, not right away.” He took a sip of his drink, then taking
both of our glasses and setting them down, pulled me close to his side.

“I hope you haven’t been waiting here long. I had a meeting with
a client this morning.”

“No, not too long, about an hour, but it’s very peaceful here. I
was just enjoying sitting here and thinking.”

“What were you thinking about? Hopefully not hamsters again,” I
teased, bumping his shoulder with mine.

“No.” He smiled, taking my hand in his and studying them
intertwined. “I was thinking about you actually and how I feel when I’m with
you. I can’t quite explain it. It’s like you have this power to make me feel
better about myself.” He turned to study me, his eyes penetrating mine. “When I
look at you, the look I see, right now, in your lovely green eyes, makes me
want to be a better man than I am. It’s like I can take on things easier somehow.
You are such an amazing woman, Lily.” His eyes began to roam my face with
admiration, as if he were memorizing each curve and line. He absentmindedly
wrapped a finger through one of my loose curls. “I’ve never met anyone quite
like you before.”

My heart was pounding. I’d never had anyone say those words to me
before, and it touched me deeply. “Wow, thank you, Lucas, but the truth is
you’re quite an amazing person yourself. If you could just see yourself the way
others see you—the way I see you. It’s not just your looks, though
breathtaking, it’s your spirit. You have a very sweet spirit, and I’m glad I’m
getting the chance to know you.” I laid my head on his shoulder. I was
surprised as he then rested his head on top of mine. We stayed just like that,
swinging quietly, for a long time. It was a very sweet moment in my life, and one
I wouldn’t easily forget.

It was a beautiful, cloudless day as we walked through the quiet park
holding hands and laughing. Lucas had a great sense of humor. Most of the funny
things he said he didn’t even realize were funny, even studying me in confusion
when I laughed at him, which just added to his charm.

In a normal relationship, I probably wouldn’t have spent so much
isolated and undivided time with one person, but Lucas’s time was limited, and
I felt a strange sense of urgency to spend as much time as possible getting to
know him. With that decision, however, also came the danger of unavoidable
heartbreak later. But the idea of breaking it off was unbearable to me. I think
the danger for me had already come. It was a strange, new feeling, and yet, one
I was surprisingly embracing.

Lucas and I spent the entire day together. It was, as Lucas would
say, a lovely day. He told me the next day he was going hiking in the mountains
with Randall to see some of North Carolina’s beauty. I, on the other hand, had
a wedding to plan.

“Meagan, I’m telling you we had the best day. We sat in the swing
for an hour. He held my hand while we walked in the park. He even bought me ice
cream. I think he likes me.”

“Really, why do you say that?”

I plopped down on a barstool in the kitchen. “Well, just little
things like he plays with my hair sometimes when he talks. But I don’t think he
realizes it, though he may just do it out of nervousness. But then why does he
even get nervous around me? He tells me that I’m beautiful a lot. But then
again, maybe he says that to a lot of girls. No, I definitely think he likes
me.”

She laughed at my rambling, grabbing the milk carton from the
fridge and taking a swig. “And how do you feel about him?”

“Umm, I’m not totally sure. I like him, but I’ve never felt this
way before, so I really can’t compare it. I just wish he were more secure of
himself. I would like to help him get over that, but I’m not sure exactly how.”

“Well considering how the media covers his every move, then
criticizes him about it, it kind of makes sense why he would be insecure.” She
grabbed the newspaper and joined me at the bar.

“I guess that could have something to do with it. You know, I’ve
been writing about him in my journal so much that it’s almost full. I’ll need
to get another one soon.”

“Yeah, I know,” she remarked.

“I don’t know what in the world I wrote about before I met him.”

“Just boring stuff, really.”

I suddenly caught on and glared at her. “Meg, have you been
reading my journal again?!”

“Oh, don’t act so surprised. I’ve been reading your journals
since we were nine. But speaking of the media covering his every move, you had
better come here and look at this,” she said, wide-eyed as she handed me the
newspaper she’d been flipping through.

I took the paper from her and froze in horror at what I saw.
There was a picture of Lucas and me holding hands in the park—then another of
us exchanging licks of our ice cream cones. “How did they get these?” I asked
in confusion.

Meagan took the paper from me and began reading. “Well, they know
he’s here now and that he’s seeing a local girl, but they don’t seem to know
your name. That’s good, right?”

“I guess, but it won’t take long before someone recognizes me,
and then they’ll be here at my door.”

Just then my phone rang, sending us both jumping. “Hello….Oh,
Lucas, I thought you were hiking with Randall….You didn’t have to come back
early for my sake….Oh, you saw that?....Yeah, actually we were just looking at
it….Well, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised….Don’t be upset, it’ll be okay….Stop
apologizing. I knew this could happen when I agreed to be with you. I’m a big
girl. I can take care of myself….Of course, I’ll see you soon.” As I snapped
the phone closed, I had a strange feeling of joy at the fact that he was
worrying about me. I also couldn’t wait to see him again. He’d said that he
ended his trip early because he was anxious to see me again. I liked the idea
of that very much and hoped it was true.

In thirty minutes I heard a knock on the door. Meagan let him in
and he took a seat next to me on the sofa. “Are you all right?” He asked,
reaching over and taking my hand in his.

“I think so. I guess I should’ve expected this, and yet it feels
so intrusive. I mean we were just walking in the park for Pete’s sake.”

“Yes, but Lily, this is a part of my life now. I’m just sorry
that I brought this on you.”

“Like I said earlier, big girl.”

“Well, no matter, I’ll feel better if you two know a few things
to keep yourselves safe.”

He spent the next half hour giving us clear instruction on ways
to protect ourselves from the paparazzi and what to do if we find ourselves
surrounded, or being followed. Things like, don’t engage in a conversation with
them, don’t offer information, ignore them when you’re driving, and never pick
your nose in public.  He warned that once they knew who I was it could get
tricky. He said he would protect me as much as he could, but since we couldn’t
be together twenty-four hours a day, he insisted I know these things.

“We decided to order pizza for supper, sitting on the floor in
the den and eating on paper plates and drinking canned sodas.

“So, Lucas,” Meagan began, chewing her gum with her mouth open,
“did Lily mention that she’s a huge
Star Wars
fan? Any guy who wants to
be with her had better like it too.”

“Umm no, she didn’t mention it.” He gave me a curious look. “But
I have to admit, I’m a bit surprised. I thought all
Star Wars
fans were
geeks. At least, that’s the way the media portrays them.”

“Now, Lucas, you of all people should know not to believe what
the media says. Besides, there is nothing geeky about me,” I teased, putting my
hands on my hips and smiling.

“Yes, I will wholeheartedly agree with that,” he said flirtatiously.
“To be honest, I’ve never seen the original
Star Wars
movies, only the
new ones, and I don’t really understand the draw.”

“Oh-my-God!” I jumped up, went to my movie shelf, and grabbed a
copy of the first original movie. Out of nowhere, Meagan appeared behind me and
pinched me as hard as she could, this time square on the butt.

“Oww!! Meagan, what did you do that for?”

“You said ‘Oh-my-God’ of course.” She shrugged, blowing a big
bubble and popping it loudly.

“Blast! I thought I stopped saying that.”

“I guess not, but it doesn’t bother me too much,” she teased.

“What’s that all about?” Lucas asked in confusion.

“It’s nothing, just something Meagan’s helping me overcome.” I
gave her an evil glare before turning my attention back to Lucas who was
sitting patiently on the sofa, staring at us in amusement. “Lucas, its no
wonder you don’t get the draw if you’ve never seen the original movies. You’ll
love this.” I became excited as I put the movie in the DVD player and went to
the sofa to snuggle up beside him.

“Well, I like this part of it anyway,” he said, snuggling closer
and rapping his arms around me.

“I’ll make some popcorn,” Meagan said, jumping up and heading
into the kitchen.

We took the opportunity to enjoy the few minutes we had alone,
snuggling. It felt nice, and I could definitely see myself getting use to it.

Just as I had that thought, Lucas whispered in my ear, “I could
definitely get use to this.”

I laughed.

“What?”

“You read my mind, literally.”

“Hmm, you smell so good,” he murmured in my ear as he ran his
nose along my jaw and into my hair. The gesture made me tingle. He was
definitely awakening feelings I’d rather stay dormant.

Meagan was back with the popcorn and once I hit play and the
opening theme song began, I was hooked and everything else became a blur, well
almost everything.

On Friday night, Meagan had arranged for us to double date with her
and Randall. We hadn’t heard anymore from the media on the subject of Lucas and
me, but to be safe we decided to have dinner at my house.

Meagan was helping me get dinner on the table when we heard the
knock at the door. She ran eagerly to the door and was getting ready to swing
it open when I stopped her.

“Meagan, you don’t want to appear too eager. Relax. Take a deep
breath,” I demanded. Then I made her count to fifteen. She opened the door,
turning her expression quickly from agitation to glee as she greeted them.

“Hello gentlemen.” She smiled exuberantly.

“Hello ladies,” Randall responded, turning to me. “Lily, thank
you for doing this tonight.”

“Oh, you’re welcome. It was my pleasure.”

“Hello beautiful,” Lucas whispered in my ear as he leaned down
and kissed my cheek. Meagan stuck her tongue out at me behind his back.

“Dinner smells delicious,” Randall commented as we approached the
table.

“Thank you, though I hope it tastes as good as it smells.”

“Don’t let Lily fool you, Randall, she’s an excellent cook, and
just wait until you taste what she’s baked for dessert.”

It blessed me to hear the pride in Meagan’s voice.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he responded.

I thought I heard something in his tone, and I instantly felt
uncomfortable, but no one else seemed to notice, so I guess I just imagined it.

After everyone’s plates were eaten clean, Randall leaned back in
his chair, rubbing his hands on his full belly. “I can’t remember the last time
I had a meal so delicious, and your dessert was so good you could make a
fortune selling it.”

“Thank you, but Paula Dean is the responsible chef. In fact,
she’s responsible for most of my recipes, except the one’s passed down through
my family.” I stood and began clearing the table.

“Well,” Lucas said, approaching me, “whoever is responsible for
the recipe, it was your lovely hands that prepared it, and it was amazing as
usual.” He pulled my right hand free, bringing it up to his lips and kissing it
gently. Every minute I spent with this man, every time he said and did such
things, I was becoming more and more in danger of loving him.

“Thank you, Lucas,” I murmured as we peered longingly into each
other’s eyes. It was a short but beautiful moment, of which no one was aware of
but us.

After dinner, we went into the den and spent the next few hours
telling funny stories and laughing uncontrollably. At one point, I was laughing
so hard I spilt tea on my blouse, causing everyone to laugh harder, including
myself.

“Um, I’m going to go up to my room and change my shirt. Meagan,
why don’t you go to your car and get your guitar so you and Lucas can play for
us.”

“Oh, I forgot I brought it. Good idea, Lily.” She jumped up and
headed for the door.

“Wait,” Lucas called to her. “I brought mine too. It’s in
Randall’s car. I’ll go with you.”

“I’m going to the bathroom,” Randall called to them from the
hallway as they headed out the door.

I ran up to my room, pulling my soiled shirt off over my head and
flinging it across the room. I was eager to get back downstairs and hear Lucas
play. I thumbed through my drawers, settling on a cute pale green tank top with
lace trimming.