8. Lily

8

LILY

L ily looked around her store with satisfaction. The two kids she’d shown the card game to were happily playing, and near the front of the shop, a little girl was admiring the fancy doll in the big box while her grandmother looked on.

The girl and her grandma came in to visit the doll once or twice a week. Of course, the little girl had no idea that her grandmother had already purchased another copy of that very same doll, and it was probably wrapped up beautifully and tucked away, just waiting for Christmas.

The bells jingled and Lily turned to see a young woman carrying a newborn in a sling.

“I saw your baby wrap through the window,” the girl said. “It’s beautiful. Where did you get it?”

“I sell them here,” Lily told her. “You can check them out, if you want. They’re made by a local seamstress.”

She walked the girl back to the little display of wraps and slings, chatting about how cute her infant was, and how old.

Another family stopped in, and Lily went to help them, glancing down at Flora to be sure she was doing okay. The little one was enraptured looking around the shop at the people and the bright colors. It seemed like the atmosphere of Joyful Toys was the exact amount of stimulation she needed.

Lily felt oddly calmer with her little passenger, too. Things were running so smoothly in the shop today. Normally her best days were when her helper, Stephanie was here. Maybe people were just more cheerful and easygoing when there was a smiling baby in the shop.

Fifteen minutes and a handful of happy customers later, Lily was surprised to see that Levi was back already, with a paper bag in hand.

“You didn’t have to rush,” she told him. “We’re just fine.”

“I brought you some lunch,” he told her. “But I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got a salad, and a cup of soup, and a muffin.”

“That sounds amazing,” Lily said, her mouth watering.

“Thanks again,” the grandma said as she and the little girl headed out, leaving Lily, Flora, and Levi alone in the shop once more.

“And it looks like I have some time to eat now,” Lily said.

“Let me take her,” Levi offered, holding his hands out for Flora.

Lily lifted the baby out of her wrap, planting a kiss on top of her head before she gave her back to Levi. Flora whimpered a little at getting out of her snuggly space, but she hugged onto Levi as soon as he had her fully in his arms.

“There’s my girl,” he said, his deep voice so tender it stirred something in Lily’s heart. “I missed you, you know.”

Flora chattered back to him, trying to tell him about her time in the shop without him, Lily figured.

Somehow, the sight of the big man with the tiny baby in his arms was tugging at her in unexpected ways. But instead of dwelling on it, she turned her attention to the distractions in the paper bag, unpacking a blueberry muffin, a cup of pumpkin soup, and a small chicken Caesar salad, as well as a bottle of spring water.

“Oh, amazing,” she moaned.

She knew she should eat the salad first, but she pulled off a piece of the muffin top and enjoyed the sweetness of the berries bursting and the sugar crystals melting on her tongue. When she looked up, Levi was just gazing at her with a strange expression on his face.

“Did you want a bite?” she asked with her mouth still a little full. “It’s so good.”

“I already ate, thanks to you,” Levi said, shaking his head as if to clear it. “And yes, the Co-op makes the best muffins.”

“Except maybe the ones at the bakery,” Lily remembered. “But the bakery doesn’t have pumpkin soup.”

“I see you know your way around the town’s dining out options,” he said.

She glanced up and saw that his eyes were dancing. He was teasing her.

“Well, when you work late and you live alone, it’s not always fun to cook,” she said, then immediately felt like a complete loser.

“I agree,” he told her. “The guys at the pizza shop actually know my order. It’s probably a sign that I need to change my ways.”

“Well, your life isn’t going to be any easier while you have this little lady,” she said. “But I was thinking just now that maybe you could leave her with me for a few hours during the day every day. That way if you need to meet with a difficult client or go to the courthouse, or just take a breath, you can.”

“Lily, that’s… that’s so generous,” he said after a moment. “But I can’t have you sacrificing your work just to make mine easier. She’s not even your baby.”

“She’s not yours either,” Lily heard herself say. “And she’s no trouble at all. In fact, she’s actually a great little icebreaker. I sold this baby wrap in all three colors to the first new mom who saw me through the window with her.”

“Wow,” Levi said, his eyebrows lifting.

She bit her lip, wondering if he needed more convincing, then decided to take the plunge and tell him the real reason she was drawn to help.

“I don’t talk about it much anymore,” she began carefully, “and most people have probably forgotten about it by now, but I was a really sick little kid.”

His eyes met hers and he nodded once. He remembered .

“Your heart, right?” he asked quietly.

“Yes,” she said. “I had a couple of operations when I was five and six. I’m fine now, thankfully. The only reason I’m bringing it up is that a whole bunch of people helped me survive and get through everything. There were my parents, of course, but also nurses and doctors who went above and beyond, neighbors who brought over home-cooked meals, and strangers who came to the hospital to read stories and dress up as cartoon characters to cheer up all the kids in the ward.”

He nodded, his eyes darting over to the section of the store she had dedicated to her donations.

“Yes,” she said, nodding. “That’s why the project is so important to me. I wanted to give back in some way.”

“That’s so amazing,” he murmured.

“No,” she said. “It’s amazing every time a kid puts a toy in that bin and gets to feel what it’s like to help others. Just like it makes you feel good to help Andrea and Flora.”

He nodded slowly.

“But you don’t have to be the only one to help them,” she told him. “I’m telling you that I want to help too, that I would love to. And I wouldn’t be helping you, I’d be helping Flora, just like you are, if it makes you feel better to think of it that way.”

“I do have Rotary Club meetings every week,” he said, frowning. “I have one tonight, actually.”

“Perfect,” she told him. “I’ll stop by tonight when I close up and take over with her for a few hours. You can stop for groceries or whatever you need when you’re done.”

“That would actually be amazing,” he said.

She smiled as he let her know the times, grabbing her notebook off the counter to jot down all the details.

“Now, there’s one more thing we really need to talk about,” he said sternly. “You let us take a lot of stuff home the other night, and I want to pay for it.”

“I can look up the prices later,” she told him, hoping to brush him off.

“Don’t brush me off,” he said, clearly sensing her intentions.

“I want to at least let you have them at cost,” she tried. “But I just have to look and see what my cost was.”

Thankfully, the bells jingled and Mrs. Davies stepped inside before he could argue with her anymore.

“See you tonight,” he said, shaking his head as if she had won the battle for now.

She watched him go, smiling at the way he had to duck his head slightly to get out the door.

“He’s so tall,” Mrs. Davies said, winking at Lily. “You have to love a tall man.”

Yes , a little voice in her head said suddenly.

But Lily just smiled and nodded. She had no idea where that little voice had come from, and she wasn’t ready to find out. Not that it made much difference anyway. One thing she knew for sure was that no matter how she felt, a man like Levi Williams would never love someone like her.