Page 69 of Tiger Lilies and Tight Ends

I’ve never given much thought to writing a book. While I do enjoy reading every now and then, I was more a math and science person growing up. Literature and grammar were not my thing. So coming up with a concept, plot, outline, and then executing on it to create a whole book still amazes me. She amazes me.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and my heart leaps. Her ears must have been ringing because we’re talking about her.

Lily: Hey, how was your day?

Long, I’m at Jonah’s now. Decided to crash in for dinner.

Lily: I’m sure Vivi is happy.

She was until she got sassy and I messed up her hair.

Lily: You know she’s almost too old for that.

Never.

Jonah is happy I’m here too. He hasn’t said it, but I know it.

Lily: You two and your bromance.

I look up and find both Jonah and Sophie curiously looking at me. I know I have a shit-eating grin on my face, but what can I say? This girl makes me happy.

“That Lily?” Jonah asks as he moves to the oven to peek in and see how the pie is going.

“Yeah, she comes home tomorrow, and Morgan is heading back to Nashville.”

“Home, huh?” he asks. He’s fishing for information, I know he is.

I run my hand through my hair and over my face. I hate that he knows me well enough to be able to read me, but I have nothing to hide from him.

“Feels a lot like it,” I tell them.

“I’m happy for you. I haven’t wanted to pry too much, but you’ve been good lately, and I started to become a little worried.”

Huh?

“Why are you worried?”

“I know you like her, but I also know how you are about trust and your privacy. A lot of pictures are swirling around out there right now.”

“Yeah, but it’ll die down,” I tell them. After all, it’s what I’ve been telling myself.

“Maybe. Or maybe you’ll become the league’s new darling couple. Especially once everyone finds out that Lily Keegan is the same person as Lily Kent.”

I have thought about it. Having a few weekend sightings of us here and there is not a big deal. But if she does go to the signing and her face blows up in the book world like she thinks it will, I don’t know what our life will look like then. Does it make me uncomfortable? Yes. But that’s a me problem and not one I want to deflect onto her.

“I don’t know what will happen. I don’t have any type of grasp on exactly how popular she is in her book world. That’s not an industry I follow.”

“She’s pretty popular,” Sophie confirms, and my stomach sours as nerves settle in.

“Yeah, but is that just online popular? Is that popular in a way where she’s going to be approached in public like we are? Is that ‘Hollywood celebrity’ popular? Is that ‘should I be worried about her safety’ popular? I just don’t know. These are readers. From what she tells me, they aren’t psycho fans, but it’s a supportive community.”

“Oh, the book community is the best. Camille tells me stories all the time about how they rally together, love their influencers, and when they feel someone has been wronged, they build a wall around them. But I do think that once her face is out there, for people who know who she’s dated and who she’s dating now, and you both live in Tampa, she is recognizable. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s approached on the street.”

An uneasiness settles over me, and those nerves sink in a little further.

“Should I be worried?”

“Over what hasn’t happened yet? No. But don’t be oblivious to how her life is going to change, and if the two of you become something more, subsequently yours too.”