Page 130 of Only Lovers in the Building

“What else did Ben say?” Lily asked.

Roxanna had her back to her, inventorying her mommy paraphernalia. “Nothing much.”

Ben returned with her spritz, but Lily’s celebratory mood had fallen flat. He took Oscar from Roxanna and offered to carry him to her car. With his cheek pressed against Ben’s chest, the baby instantly relaxed. Roxanna wasn’t swayed by this. She gave Lily a brief hug. “I better go before he screams his head off. This better not be our goodbye!”

“It won’t be,” Lily said.

“Anyway, you’ve got to come back to visit us. Maybe next summer?”

“Sure,” Lily said. Though, she knew full well that if she left Miami with her heart in her hands, she’d never return.

Chapter Thirty-Three

“There’s a book event this afternoon. Want to go?”

They were at their favorite coffee shop on Española Way, at their usual table on the patio, in the shade of a yellow tab tree. They came for the ambience as well as the food. It had the best iced lattes, the espresso drinks that Ben preferred, fresh baked pastries, the friendliest barista, good music, and a quirky cat that rubbed up against Ben’s ankles whenever he placed their orders.

They were regulars at this point, stopping for lunch once or twice a week. They’d worked on their review of Crushed Hearts at this table. After lunch, they often returned to the building for a quick swim then spent the afternoon reading. Ben had committed to stay on at the bar through the end of summer. If he had a shift, Lily would join him there. He’d make her a martini. She’d take her usual seat at the corner and finish her reading for the week, as Ben would’ve already made quick work of their book selection. When he had a chance, he’d come over and discuss a plot twist or share a laugh over a particularly funny scene. They had a running game going, rating the love scenes in tequila shots. A five-shot rating was scorching hot, and only Around Midnight had earned that mark. When their friends came around, they’d order a shot and add their ratings to the list.

If Ben wasn’t working, they’d order in or head out for dinner. Sometimes, Kylie and Noah would join them. Once, Jeremy had tagged along. All five of them had ended up at a dive bar, playing pool until three in the morning.

Lily tallied these experiences: the lunch dates, the evenings at the bar, the dinners, either at Ben’s place or a local restaurant, hanging out with mutual friends, reading the same books, and when tired of reading, watching movies projected onto the blank wall across from his bed. Add to all this their morning-coffee ritual and evening tea followed by a long walk, and what did you get? It was obvious to her. What were they doing, if not cosplaying as a comfortably married couple?

Although the questions ate at her, she said nothing. Instead, she adopted her mother’s pinched tone. “A book event sounds nice. Where at?”

“The Betsy,” he replied.

“Really?”

“Yes. The hotel is known for its engagement in the arts.”

Lily brought a hand to her chest. “The Betsy is where it all went down!”

“What happened there? Was there a crime?”

“It’s where we stayed for our corporate retreat,” she said. “Where I walked out of the banquet, fell apart in the sauna, packed up in a hurry, and quit my job on the fly.”

“Forget it,” he said. “I don’t want you triggered.”

“We have to go.”

“We don’t have to do anything.”

“We have to do this,” she insisted. “I walked out of that hotel in shambles. I want to go back as I am today. Better. Happier. More secure than ever.”

Ben reached for his espresso cup. “Let’s just skip it.”

“I’m going, with or without you,” she said.

“Doubt it,” he said. “It’s by invitation only. The author is a Nobel laureate, and some important people will be there.”

“We’re going. I’ll wear my revenge dress.”

“Listen, Lady Di,” he said, amused. “Have you considered that the people you’re enacting revenge on are no longer there? Unless it was an unusually long retreat, they ought to be gone by now.”

“The walls will remember,” she said solemnly.

“You’re out of your mind,” he said. “But I like that line.”