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“Great. Meet me at The Crown Plaza downtown? They have a gorgeous bar. Say, 5 PM?”
“Works for me. See you then!”
I end the call smiling. A night out with my sister is exactly what I need to unwind and focus on the positives in my life, like my great interview and my book launch, instead of the negatives, like my hideous love life.
Or complete and utter lack thereof.
“Woah, you look great,” Lillian greets me as I walk up to her at the hotel bar and give her a big hug.
“That’s the magic of professional hair and makeup,” I reply with a shrug. “Maisie’s team gave me the full makeover this morning, and I haven’t had a chance to mess it up yet.”
“Nah, it’s not that,” Lillian says, eyeing me inquisitively. “I mean the clothes are part of it, yeah. You didn’t used to wear things that are so form-fitting…” Her voice trails off as she looks me over from head to toe. “And the leather jacket is way cooler than the sweatshirts you usually schlump around in,” she adds with a giggle.
“Hey!” I swat at her playfully. “Soooo glad you’re back, sis!”
“Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t help myself. But seriously, Lacy, you look amazing. It’s not just the look. You seem more confident, or something.”
“Hm, well I’ll take that as a compliment,” I say musingly, wondering what Lillian is seeing in me that’s giving her this impression. “Anyway, how areyou?” I ask as I slip onto the bar stool next to her. Lillian already has a big glass of red wine in front of her, and I signal to the bartender to bring me the same. “You look very fresh yourself considering you must be jet lagged.”
“Ugh, thanks, I feel wrecked though. This trip was so last-minute. It’s been pretty hectic. But when the opportunity came up, I jumped on it,” she says with her characteristic easygoing shrug.
“I’m glad you did,” I say with an impulsive squeeze of her hand. “Now, tell meeverything. Work? Life? Love? Spill!”
For the next hour, Lillian catches me up on all the ins and outs of her life. Even though we talk regularly, it’s different getting the latest details in person. It feels more intimate and honest, more real. Lillian’s professional life is clearly going great. But her personal life, much like mine, seems to be in shambles.
“Now, what aboutyou?” Lillian asks after concluding her life update, which had her talking a mile-a-minute for nearly an hour straight.
“I mean, there isn’t much to tell,” I reply as I take a quick sip of wine. “You know the latest. My book is coming out. I had that interview with Maisie. And that’s about it.”
“And the Rose Manor project is done?”
“Yup. Good riddance. I can’t wait for dad to sell it.”
“Woah, you were a little more sentimental about it when I talked to you at the very beginning of the whole thing!” Lillian says, eyeing me curiously. “Was it that big of a pain in the ass?”
“Well, the project itself wasn’t the pain in the ass…” My voice trails off as I think about how much I want to tell Lillian about Ben.
“Then, why are you talking about Rose Manor like you’re ready to burn the place to the ground?” Lillian asks, raising an eyebrow at me knowingly.
Damn sisters, they can see right through you!
“Well, Ben was there too, like I told you. He was using it as some kind of escape. I guess fame and fortune got to be too much for him,” I say with an eye roll.
“So, was he getting in the way while you were trying to get things done?” Lillian asks earnestly. Clearly, she doesn’t even suspect that Ben and I might have had a romantic spark. I could get away without telling her anything. After all, she’s been in Europe. She could have easily missed the media hubbub. But, after all that’s happened in the last 24 hours, I feel an urgent need to confess, to talk to someone who truly knows me and gets me. I feel the need to pour my goddamn heart out, honestly.
“Well, at first, yeah. But then he turned out to be really helpful. And we made a deal, he would help me with my media prep, and I would help him with his songwriting.”
“Sounds fair. Did it work?”
“I guess so. It’s just that, uh, we kinda. I don’t know. We—”
“Hooked up?!” Lillian screeches, her eyes wide. “I knew it! I knew you always had a crush on him!”
“Shhh,” I hush Lillian nervously, looking over my shoulder in paranoia.
“Geez, Lacy, what’s with the secrecy?”
“How did you know?!” I ask, incredulous, staring at her in shock.
