Page 143 of Only Lovers in the Building

Lily whispered, “The first time your eyes met mine, I thought, Damn, he’s hot.”

Ben tossed his head back and laughed. “I get that a lot.”

“Now I think you’re the love of my life, my soulmate,” Lily said. “If not you, then I don’t want one. I’ll happily go without a great love for the rest of my life.”

“In that case, you better cancel your flight home.”

“Give me a sec,” she said, patting her pockets for her phone. “I’ll do it now.”

“It can wait.”

The salt breeze picked up. Ben brushed her hair away from her face. “I love you,” he said. “And I’ve known it from the start.”

“Liar.”

“It’s true. It was love at first sight. The moment you handed me your voucher for complimentary rosé, I was done for.”

“Shut up.”

“You looked so lost, I wanted to take you home, care for you. But I was afraid. After Bella, I didn’t want to make another mistake.”

Lily put a finger to his lips. “I know.”

“I sent you a myriad of mixed signals,” he said.

“A flurry of red flags!” she cried.

“Forgive me?”

“Depends. Do you love me?”

“So much.”

Her eager golden retriever heart lurched forward. She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. Breathing in his familiar scent, she whispered, “I love you, too.”

Ben pulled her closer. “I love your heart, your laugh, your wit, your wild imagination, your body, your hair, your scent in the morning . . . everything.”

Lily closed her eyes. The colorful city vanished from her view, but her future lay clear ahead.

Pop Shop

A Pop Culture Podcast

Category: Arts

Rating: 5 stars

July 1: Call Me Sentimental by Lorelei Scott

Season 2 of our popular Summer Love Book Club with authors with Lily Lyon and Ben Romero

Lily: Hello, everyone! Welcome back to the Summer Love Book Club. The same rules apply. Ben and I will be lounging by the pool, sipping cocktails with our friends, and reading romance books all summer. Ben is as grumpy as ever, and I’m still a little ray of sunshine. Together, we’ll comb through the tropes and see how they fare in real life. As always, our reviews are on BookTap. Ben, say hi!

Ben: Hey, everyone! I’ve missed this. Before we start, we should congratulate Lily. She passed the Florida Bar exam and will soon appear in a courtroom near you.

Lily: That’s not the kind of law I practice, but thanks! Could you please introduce our first read of the summer?

Ben: To launch our second season, we chose Call Me Sentimental by Lorelei Scott, a historical romance set in Ireland. Let’s get into it.