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“The thing is…surgery scares me. I can have it and it can repair the issue, but there’s a good chance it can tear again if I go back to doing the things I do. Plus, there’s a greater risk of developing osteoarthritis in my hip because of this. I mean…I’m only twenty-five and I’m dealing with some potentially career-ending stuff.”
She said it lightly, but he heard the slight tremble in her voice and knew she was genuinely scared.
“I wouldn’t say it’s career-ending, but you may have to modify what you’re doing,” he said and hoped he didn’t sound like an insensitive jerk. “So maybe you can’t be doing leaps and flips, but maybe you could do something a little less strenuous. I don’t know much about dance, but I know there are a ton of different styles. Or maybe you could teach.”
But Lily was already shaking her head. “I had a dance bucket list that I wanted to accomplish before I was thirty, and if I stop now, it’s never going to happen.”
“Yeah, but if you don’t have the surgery, you’re going to have to stop anyway.”
The look she gave him was like he’d kicked a puppy.
And…clearly I am an insensitive jerk…
“How many doctors have you talked to?” he asked.
“Just the one down in Miami. She gave me a list of referrals here in Charlotte and a couple in Chapel Hill and Durham. I’m not sure I want to drive three hours for those, but I might have to.”
“Maybe it won’t come to that. When are you seeing the doctors here?”
“Um…” she didn’t look at him and was pushing her food around on her plate.
“Have you called any of them?”
“Not yet, but I am going to.”
Shaking his head, he laughed quietly. “If your parents were home, would you be waiting?”
She shook her head and finally looked up at him. “No. But if they were home, my mother would have made the appointments for me and gone with me to all of them. And my dad would share his own stories about his football injuries and how he dealt with them.” She sighed as her expression turned sad. “But they’re not here and I’m not going to ruin their vacation by calling them and bogging them down with my tale of woe.”
“Okay, that sounds a little dramatic, don’t you think?” he teased, but Lily didn’t look the least bit amused. “What about your grandfather? Have you talked to him about it?”
“I did when I first got back, but he’s just been really distracted. I guess I need to put my foot down and talk to him at dinner tonight. Maybe I can…” She paused when her phone dinged with an incoming text. “Excuse me for a minute,” she murmured as she swiped her screen.
Noah watched the play of emotion on her face. She went from completely neutral to a full-on smile until she was practically bouncing in her seat.
“Good news?” he asked.
She tapped out a response and put her phone back down. “Definitely good news. Girls’ night out tonight! Finally!”
“I thought you were having dinner with your grandfather?”
“Oh, that’s still on, but we’re meeting at five and we’ll be back home by seven, guaranteed. I’m meeting the girls at eight.” She clapped her hands. “You have no idea how much I’m looking forward to this.”
All he could do was shrug. “I hope you have fun.”
And yeah, that sounded completely lame, but what else was he supposed to say?
Leaning back, Lily continued to smile at him. “Do you ever just go out with the guys? Like a night where you grab something to eat or go to a bar for drinks?”
“Um…”
“I knew it!” she said with a laugh. Shaking her finger at him, she went on. “You should totally do that at least a couple of times a month. It’s so good for your mental health! And…no offense…you definitely look like you could use a night out. You’re very tense.”
If only she knew thatshewas the reason for that, but he wasn’t going to go there.
“I promise I’ll think about it,” he said with a tight smile before taking another bite of his lunch.
“Good,” she replied as she plucked a cucumber slice off her plate and popped it into her mouth. “And don’t do something lame like go to a movie. You need to go out and blow off some steam. It’s been a while since I’ve gone out here in the city, but I’m sure there are some great places to go.” She paused and took a drink. “Any suggestions?”
