Page 94 of Only Lovers in the Building

But today she missed her mother. Charlize Lyon loved weddings and would have very much appreciated the personalized touches that Roxanna had added to hers, right down to the cups and swizzle sticks that would fill the recycling bin at the end of the night. Only, if her mother had attended this wedding, she would’ve spent the evening reminding Lily that she’d missed her chance with Darren. Once Charlize learned of Darren’s marriage, Lily would never know peace.

Lily got a fresh drink at the bar and returned to home base. Ben joined her moments later. He looked at her as if searching for signs of damage. “Sorry about that,” he said. “I should have warned you about my cousins.”

“Did you skip the tailgate because of me?” she asked.

“Oh definitely,” he said, without missing a beat.

“Why?” she cried. “You think I’m too delicate to pregame? Is that it?”

“That’s it, Lily. Bull’s-eye.”

She gasped. “What do you take me for?”

“For exactly who you are.”

“That’s not fair. I can pregame with the best of them.”

“I was doing you a favor. My cousins are a lot of things, but discreet is not one of them.”

“Then, why let them think I’m your girlfriend?”

“Never complain. Never explain.”

“Where have I heard that before?”

“It’s more fun this way. They assume I’m dating anyone they spot me with. You could’ve been my landlord or dental hygienist. It wouldn’t have mattered. I like to keep them guessing. If you mind, I’ll set them straight.”

“No,” she said. Nothing wrong with a bit of lighthearted fun. “It’s fine. I like your cousins.”

“That’s good to know, because Anita is planning our wedding right now.”

“Lovely! Are you going to propose tonight?”

“Not unless you need my help to secure an inheritance of some kind. A marriage of convenience?”

“You got it,” she said. No Regency romance would be complete without one. “Anyway, if you do propose, promise you’ll do it in a hot-air balloon. It’s my dream.”

“You can throw the man overboard if you don’t like the ring?” he asked.

“I’ll supply the ring. My mother has a collection of family heirlooms. Any one of them will do the trick. I just like the drama.”

Lily rattled the ice in her cup. The drinks were criminally watered down, even for a lightweight like herself.

“Have you ever been proposed to?” he asked.

The question startled her. “If I had a proposal story, don’t you think you’d have heard it by now? I’ve shared everything else. There are no great secrets left for you to discover. Oh, and by the way, I’m scared of heights. You’ll never catch me drifting past the sun in a basket. Propose to me on solid ground.”

He laughed. “Is that the hurdle? Logistics?”

“I wonder if marriage is in the cards for me,” Lily said. “I’m devoted to my career. Destined to live a life of solitude. That’s just how it goes.”

“I’m the artist with a sporadic income no sensible woman would ever marry,” he said, playing along.

Good thing she wasn’t sensible. “Have you ever come close to proposing to anyone?”

He turned away, squinting at the setting sun, then he slipped on dark glasses. Before her eyes, he transformed into the mysterious man of the night they’d first met. What was he hiding? Suddenly, Lily was desperate to know. Ben had a past, great love affairs and failed ones, but had he ever wanted to devote his life to another person? If the answer was yes, it would devastate her. There would be no hiding it. She might take off running to the far end of the terrace, gasping for air. Like Sierra, she might howl in frustration into the void. She wasn’t a competitive person, but this time she wanted to be first.

His answer was blunt. “No.”