Page 26 of For My Finale

B lossom leaned back on the couch, stretching her arms above her head with a satisfied sigh. Dinner was done, the dishes were cleared, and she had Lilah right where she wanted her, in her cottage, alone, with no distractions.

Lilah was lounging beside her, looking entirely too smug and gorgeous for Blossom’s peace of mind. So she did something about it.

She climbed over Lilah, straddling her thighs, threading fingers through Lilah’s hair, reveling in the way it curled around her knuckles.

Lilah’s hands settled on Blossom’s waist. Blossom dipped her head, brushing her lips against Lilah’s in a soft, teasing kiss.

Then another. And another. Lilah let out a quiet sound, a pleased hum that sent heat curling through Blossom’s stomach.

She felt Lilah’s fingers tighten around her waist, her grip shifting.

And then Lilah groaned and pulled back, resting her forehead against Blossom’s. “We have places to be.”

“No, we don’t,” Blossom murmured, leaning in again. “There’s no rehearsal tonight.” She kissed Lilah’s jaw, then the corner of her mouth. “Nowhere to go. Nothing to do.” Another kiss, deeper this time, coaxing and inviting.

Lilah sucked in a sharp breath, her fingers twitching on Blossom’s waist like she was fighting every instinct to pull her closer.

Then, very reluctantly, she gripped Blossom’s hips and shifted her back just enough that their eyes met.

“Trust me, sweetheart, I want nothing more than to do exactly this,” she said, voice husky.

“But we really do have somewhere to be.”

Blossom narrowed her eyes. “Where?”

Lilah smirked, a dimple appearing on her cheek. “It’s a secret.”

“Well… what should I wear?”

Lilah considered this. “Something nice.”

“That’s not helpful.”

Lilah grinned. “I trust your taste.”

Blossom sighed dramatically and climbed off Lilah’s lap, but not before pressing a final, lingering kiss to her lips. “Fine. But if this turns out to be something ridiculous, I’m going to make you regret it.”

Lilah laughed, leaning back against the couch as Blossom disappeared upstairs.

As Blossom changed, she couldn’t help but feel a tiny shred of anxiety.

Something nice, Lilah had said. A secret.

This wasn’t going to be some fancy party, was it?

Lilah had quit all that, said she was done.

But what if she wasn’t? Blossom couldn’t face that sort of thing, red carpets and fake smiles and cameras flashing.

When she came downstairs, she was in a deep green dress that was simple and sweet. She folded her arms and gave Lilah a serious look. “If this is some kind of publicity thing, then you need to tell me,” she said. “I don’t do red carpets, Lilah.”

Lilah, who’d been about to say something flirtatious from the look in her eyes, burst out laughing. She stood up and walked over, cupping Blossom’s face, her thumbs brushing her cheeks. “Blossom, love, I would never do that to you.”

Blossom searched her face for a second, seeing it both familiar and new. Lilah was grinning, and slowly Blossom relaxed.

“Okay,” she said. “But I swear, if this turns out to be some fancy celebrity nonsense…”

“It won’t be,” Lilah promised, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Now, come on, we’re going to be late. ”

She took Blossom’s hand and led her outside, the cool evening air wrapping around them as they started walking toward the village.

Blossom cast Lilah a sideways glance. “You’re still not going to tell me what’s happening?”

Lilah squeezed her hand. “Nope.”

Blossom huffed, but let it go, curiosity warring with anticipation.

She let herself be led through the village streets, Lilah at her side, her heart drumming with curiosity. And it wasn’t until they were almost there that she saw that the cafe was lit up, the windows glowing with cozy comfort.

Lilah had to practically drag her in.

The cafe was full of people. Her people.

Ives was there, standing near the counter with a drink in her hand.

Arty, Gloria, Mrs. Wilkins, Daisy, even George.

Streamers had been strung up, and someone had draped fairy lights around the walls.

The smell of home-cooked food filled the air, and the whole room was buzzing with an infectious energy.

Blossom stared around in awe. The entire village was here.

On a small table close to the coffee machine there was a blackboard propped up, with the words ‘Save Blossom’s Cafe’ written in big, swirling letters. Beneath it, there was a picture of a QR code and a small explanation about crowdfunding. Blossom blinked at it, overwhelmed.

“I…” Her voice caught, and she turned to Lilah, whose face was alight with excitement. “You did this?”

“Surprise,” grinned Lilah. “You look like you need a drink.” She went off toward where Arty was tending a pop-up bar.

Before Blossom could even begin to process everything, Ives appeared at her side and gently took her elbow, leading her toward the counter. “Come on, let’s talk for a second.”

Blossom let herself be guided, still trying to wrap her head around what was happening. “Ives, I…”

Ives held up a hand, cutting her off. “Before you say anything, just listen. This was all Lilah’s doing.

She got everyone together, organized everything, even convinced the most stubborn villagers to contribute.

You wouldn’t believe how much she’s been running around behind the scenes over the last forty-eight hours. ”

Blossom swallowed the lump in her throat. “I never asked for this.”

“No,” Ives agreed. “But you needed it, and you deserve it.” She nodded toward the board. “You should get enough to give you a decent start on this bookshop cafe idea, which Lilah told me all about and, I think is brilliant, by the way.”

“Coming around to the idea of Lilah, then?” Blossom couldn’t help but ask.

A smile twitched at the corner of Ives’s lips. “Maybe she’s alright.”

Blossom let her eyes drift over the cafe again, soaking in the warmth of the people who’d shown up for her.

For her dream. It was almost too much to take in.

She turned back to Ives, and without another word, she pulled her into a tight hug.

Ives grumbled something about being sentimental, but still hugged her back.

When she finally broke away, Blossom went in search of Lilah. She found her in the small backroom of the cafe, pulling out a new crate of tonic bottles. Without hesitating, she stepped forward and turned Lilah around.

“You did all of this for me.”

Lilah smiled. “You needed a push. And, well, I like seeing you happy.”

“I’m going to do it,” Blossom said, fully decided now. “I’m going to see this project through. It’s big and it’s scary and it’s a change, but you’ve taught me that I can do this. This is going to be the best bookshop cafe in Bankton.”

“The only one,” said Lilah, laughing. “Why not make it the best in the county? Or the world?”

“I’ll settle for the best in the county for now,” Blossom said, smiling back at her. “And thank you doesn’t seem like enough.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll think of something,” Lilah said, cocking an eyebrow and giving Blossom a lascivious look.

Blossom stepped in, put her arms around Lilah’s neck, and kissed her soundly.

There was the sound of someone clearing their throat from behind them.

Lilah snatched back, her face white as snow. Blossom turned to see Daisy rolling her eyes.

“For heaven’s sake, half the village already knows,” Daisy said, putting her hands on her hips. “It’s not as though you can keep a secret for long around here.”

“But…” Lilah began.

“But nothing, you’ve nothing to worry about,” Daisy said. “It’s not as though we’re going to be calling People magazine, whatever you might think. We all know your business, but it’ll stay in the village. Now where’s that tonic? Gloria’s about to garrote someone for a G and T.”

Lilah groaned. “Oh, God.”

Blossom laughed and wrapped an arm around Lilah’s waist. “Hey, at least we don’t have to be so careful anymore.”

“You should remember that the cafe has big windows,” Daisy said, hefting the crate into her arms. “You nearly gave poor George a heart attack the other day. He doesn’t watch anything spicier than Songs of Praise.” And she shuffled out carrying the tonic water.

THE PARTY WAS winding down, laughter and music fading into the warm evening air. Daisy slung an arm around Arty’s shoulder and grinned at Blossom. “You two lovebirds get out of here, we’ve got the clean up covered.”

Blossom didn’t argue. She felt light, exhilarated, happy that things were finally going her way. She spotted Lilah standing by the counter, looking oddly preoccupied, and moved toward her instinctively. She slipped her arm through Lilah’s, pressing her close.

“Come on, you mysterious woman,” Blossom whispered. “Take me home, I’ve got some thanking to do. ”

Lilah’s lips curved into a smile. “I’d almost forgotten about that,” she said.

Blossom led her toward the big cafe door, opening it and letting Lilah go out first.

The moment they stepped outside, a blinding light exploded in front of them.

For a stunned second, Blossom thought it was lightning. But then came the voices, loud and urgent, cutting through the stillness of the night.

“Lilah! Lilah Paxton! Over here!”

“Lilah, why did you run?”

“What brought you to Bankton, Lilah?”

Blossom flinched as another round of flashes burst in front of them. Cameras. Dozens of them. The shouting grew louder, overlapping, relentless.

Lilah moved fast. Her arm tightened around Blossom, pulling her closer, her other hand instinctively reaching up to shield Blossom’s face from the cameras. “Keep your head down,” Lilah murmured, voice tight. “Just walk.”

Blossom obeyed, her heart hammering, letting Lilah guide her as they pushed forward. The journalists swarmed closer, shoving a microphone toward them, blocking their path until Lilah shoved them aside.

“Lilah, are you coming back?”

“Who’s your friend?”

“Is this the new girlfriend, Lilah?”

Lilah kept her head low, jaw clenched, her grip firm as she navigated them both through the chaos. Blossom’s breath was coming in quick, shallow bursts, and she didn’t know if it was panic or fury tightening her chest.

They moved fast, breaking through the crowd and turning the corner onto the village path. They didn’t stop moving until they were well away, until the night was quiet again. Lilah finally slowed. Her face was taut.

“They found you,” Blossom said, voice barely above a whisper.

“Yeah,” was all Lilah said.