Chapter Thirteen

Lily

After our swim, North drives us back to my house and as we approach, I call dibs on the first shower, which I know is silly because it's my house. I rush through the shower, but when I get back downstairs, I find they have already packed up for the day.

"You look nice," North says, causing both Harlen and Eli to spin around.

"Do you have a hot date?" Harlen jokes.

"Actually, I'm going to dinner with Charles after I judge today's cook-off."

Harlen's face drops. "Oh."

I sigh. "I want to give him closure, and if I'm being honest, I need it as well. There was a time I loved him, and while he treated me poorly, I need to close that chapter of my life. Now I'm happy here and want to make a life for myself, but I have no idea what I will do when my money runs out. I also don't care either—I know I'll figure it out."

"That sounds fair," North says. "It's always good to have closure."

"Thank you," I say, not that I was asking for their permission. "I really want to explore what this is between us. We have so much to talk about, but it's only fair that I close off my last relationship completely before starting anything new."

Harlen's jaw clenches. "I hate knowing he ever touched you, and it pisses me off how I feel this way. On the outside, I'm this fun-loving guy, but inside, I'm so damn jealous and possessive."

Eli snorts. "That's an understatement."

"Charles is my past. He never made me feel what any of you have, even if I didn't know it was really you. But I don't know how this will work or even if it can be a long-term thing."

"Why don't you come over when you're done with Charles, and we can talk?"

"I would like that, but I don't know where you live."

Eli snorts. "We live on the top floor of the old hospital."

My mouth falls open—that explains so much. "You were not even meant to be part of the haunted house, were you?"

Guilt washes over Eli's face as he shakes his head. "I wasn't supposed to be on that night, but I saw you walking up the path and had to go downstairs to get a closer look. Harlen told me he met you when you came into town and how pretty you were. I wanted to see you for myself."

"Why did you chase me that night?"

He smirks. "Because you wanted me to."

North takes my hand. "How about I drive you to the town square, and then we will go home and wait for you?"

I agree and North leads me outside, while Harlen races to the truck and opens the passenger door, then helps me in. While he adjusts my seat belt, Harlen jokes about getting a room at the inn next to Charles's so he can rail me into the wall as payback for how he treated me. I remind him Charles pulling up today and seeing three hot men in my yard shirtless was all the payback I needed.

The town square is bustling with people. North drops me near the diner, and they all wave me off as I cross the street and find the judges' table.

"Lily, you made it," Mrs. Morgan says. "Here, take a seat beside Tom. The other judges are Mary Sue—the pastor's wife—and Leila, a teacher at the high school."

"Hi," I say with a small wave as I take the seat between Tom and Leila. Thankfully, Tom's grandmother holds his attention.

"I haven't introduced myself yet, and I've been meaning to say hello. It's not often we have new people move into town; I think I was one of the last." Leila leans in closer. "And between you and me, I'm not sure I fit in here all that much. I really need a normal friend. "

I chuckle. "Girl, I feel that. Everyone seems too nice, if that's even possible."

"Right? I just want someone I can drink wine with on a Friday night, complain about the teenagers I teach, and have a good laugh."

Leila looks a few years older than me, but I think I might have just found a new friend. We swap social media information as Mrs. Morgan puts some plates down in front of us. The plates are numbered, so we don't know who has cooked what dish. Tonight there is a range of mains, sides, and desserts. We start with the sides, taking a small bite of each one and judging out of ten. Once those plates are cleared, we move to the mains, then the desserts. I may have to rethink dinner at this rate—I'm so full and don't think I could eat another bite.

Mrs. Morgan stacks containers into a bag and places them in front of me. "Here, take these and feed those men of yours," she whispers with a wink. I open my mouth to tell her they are not my men, but think better of it. It's no one's business what we are, and I'm sure they will appreciate the food.

Once we are done for the evening, Leila and I talk for a little while longer and organize to catch up next Friday for a girls' night. Then, with more pep in my step, I head toward the inn. While I still dread this conversation, I know it needs to happen. I can finally close this chapter of my life and move on.

When I walk into the reception area, a woman looks up from the computer. "Hi, welcome to the Firefly Inn. Do you have a reservation? "

"No, I'm here to see a friend, Charles Williamson. He's expecting me."

She smiles and nods. "Yes, he mentioned he'd have a guest tonight. He is room twelve. If you take the stairs, the doors are numbered."

"Thank you so much."

I leave her to get back to work and climb the stairs, finding his room easily enough and knocking on the door. Charles answers, and I take in the change of clothes. It's ridiculous how well put together he looks even when his button-down shirt is open at the front.

"Come in." He steps aside, holding his arm open. I walk past him, still clutching my bag of food for the guys, and take in the quaint little room. It's nothing flashy like he is used to, but I think it's cute and cozy.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asks, and I shake my head, deciding dinner with him definitely will not be happening.

"I won't be staying long. I have plans with friends tonight."

Charles rolls his eyes. "The same ‘friends'"—he uses his fingers to make air quotes—"that were at your house earlier?"

I can't help my sigh. I knew this was going to happen. "Yes, Charles, those same friends. I came here as a courtesy to you, to offer us both closure. I loved you, and you broke my heart, but what we had is over. I have moved on and plan to make a life here."

"You really want to stay in this backward town? And do what? Have you thought about that yet? What plans for the future do you have?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know, but I will figure it out. Right now, I'm enjoying getting to know my family history, making new friends, and living my life."

"You need to come home. I have allowed this little tantrum, and now it's gotten out of hand. We have Thanksgiving plans with my parents and Christmas plans with your mother."

I scoff at him. "No, you have Thanksgiving plans with your parents, and I have Christmas plans with my mother. This is not a damn tantrum, Charles. I didn't expect you to want the same things I did, but you were not even willing to sit down and talk about it, to compromise and find things you were okay with. If you want to have vanilla sex the rest of your life, you can, but I don't want that. I want more, and?—"

"So, you're fucking them, that's what this is about. Do they make you feel like a dirty whore, slap you around a little, and force themselves on you?"

Hysterical laughter peels out of me. "You know what? Fuck you, Charles. I'm not a whore just because I want to try new things. Sex should be fun and not a damn chore, which we booked in for every Wednesday night. I'm done with this conversation, and done with you . Leave town and never come back."

"We are not done, Lily," he seethes as I re-adjust my grip on the bag of leftovers, then storm toward the door. Turning back as I twist the handle, I smirk at him .

"We are done. If you cared about me, you would have had an adult conversation with me before you told your friends—you owed me that much. Yet now everyone knows my deepest fantasies, some I may never even be comfortable trying. You never loved me. I was a trophy for you to mold into the image you had for your life. One day you will find a girl who fits that image, and I wish you nothing but the best in life. You are a good man, and always treated me well, until you didn't. But I really hope you learn something from this and grow as a human being."

"Lily, please. I will do better," he begs as I open the door.

My eyes bulge when I see who is standing on the other side. "Eli," I whisper. "What are you doing here?"

"I was worried he would hurt you. I had to make sure."

Stepping into the hall, I pull the door shut and close my connection to Charles for good. Then I place my hand gently on Eli's chest. "Charles would never hurt me physically, though emotionally is another story."

"That's what I was worried about. But if he touched you, I would bury him."

"Come on, Brutus, let's go feed the others. I have leftovers from the cook-off."

Eli groans, and I let my hand fall away from his chest. I link it with his, and he looks down at our clasped hands as if it's an alien concept to him. Then his focus shifts to the aromatic bag in my other hand.

"Harlen's going to hump your leg if you bring him food. "

I chuckle as we walk down the hall. "You know, I think I could be okay with that."

"Have I told you how perfect you are for us?"

"I do recall being told my pussy is perfect."

Eli snorts as we descend the stairs and then leave the inn behind. We head toward the town square again, because I need to stop and get some lady products from the grocery store, but he drops my hand as we get close. I reach for it again, and he stops abruptly.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"You don't want them to think we're together, I'm the town leper, they?—"

"I don't care what they think. I like you, Eli, and if I want to walk through town, holding your hand, I will. Unless you don't want people to think you're with me. Then I am okay with that."

His face contorts as if my words hurt him. "Lily, I would shout it from rooftops if we were together. You're new here and I don't want you involved in the rumors which will spread like wildfire. Everyone already has an opinion on us and our lifestyle, then adding you to that mix will be front-page news."

"Do I look okay?" I ask, and he nods, confused.

"You look beautiful, but you always do."

"Good, then I'm ready for my front-page photo. Let's give this town something to gossip about. But they don't all hate you, Eli. Mrs. Morgan specifically gave me this food to feed my male friends and winked at me. I think she secretly likes you all."

Eli laughs and takes my hand, lifting it to press a kiss to my knuckles. We walk hand in hand through the town square. We even stop at the grocery store, where he takes the bag of food and still holds my hand while I pick up tampons. Honestly, I expected him to get weird about it, since Charles would always grab what he needed while I got my feminine products. The only time Eli lets go of my hand is to get chocolate from the shelf—he insists I should have all the things I need when I get my period. I try to tell him I can't eat my way through junk food, but he won't listen unless I give him a legit reason, one that doesn't have to do with gaining weight. He's already managed to crush my main argument. In the past, Charles had an image to uphold, so I watched what I ate, and while I didn't starve myself, I would always question if I needed that extra bite, and there were definitely no blocks of chocolate.

Eyes follow us through the store, and some people even stop and stare. Eli's size alone would be enough to make me stare. I know it makes him feel uncomfortable, and he is doing this for me, but screw this town. Eli has lived here most of his life, and whatever they think of his lifestyle, he should be able to walk through this town without being stared at like a damn zoo attraction.