Spotlight (33 page)

Maggie and Colette spotted the necklace when the friends met for lunch a few days after Nate had flown home. Maggie’s fashion-forward eyes noticed it first.

“Wow, Lil. You’d think you would have mentioned getting a diamond for your birthday,” Maggie deadpanned.

Lily rolled her eyes and laughed. “If it was that kind of diamond, believe me, you would have known by now.”

“I certainly hope so,” Maggie said. “I have a lot of planning to do. Flowers, photographers, menus for the reception . . . and that’s not even including bridal showers.”

Lily’s eyes got wider as Maggie’s tone became even more serious—and frantic.

“We’re not . . . it’s not like . . . I . . . don’t even know what to say to that,” Lily said, trying to keep the panic out of her voice.

“Well, I do,” Colette offered. “Hand me the appropriate outfit and tell me when and where I need to show up. That’s all I need to know.”

Her matter-of-fact attitude caused Lily and Maggie to laugh, but Lily’s laughter remained guarded.

“Okay, you both know Nate and I are nowhere near that step.”

“For now,” Maggie added. “But it’s coming, mark my words. I have a good feeling about this.”

A slow smile spread across Lily’s face at Maggie’s observation. Was that something Lily even wanted? She expected to be terrified at the thought, but instead, it filled her with comfort.

“Maybe one day. But at this point, we live thousands of miles apart, so put those plans on hold, Mags.”

“Have you two talked about the distance issue?” Colette asked.

Lily nodded and then shrugged. “We’ve talked about how much we don’t like it. Of course we’d like to be closer to one another, but he needs to be in LA, or maybe New York. We’re just trying to make the best of it at this point.”

“You sound much calmer about all this,” Colette commented.

“Actually, I am. I know he loves me, and I love him. That’s what’s important.”

“It’s easy to see that he’s serious about you,” Colette said.

Lily couldn’t help but grin at Colette’s observation. “So you guys liked him?”

Both women nodded enthusiastically. “Of course we did. He seems great,” Colette said. “Well-mannered, intelligent, kind—”

“And incredibly handsome,” Maggie cut in, wiggling her eyebrows.

Lily laughed. “I’ll be sure to tell him you said so.”

Later that night, Lily got an e-mail from Devon, asking her to meet him for coffee at the end of the week. He said he wanted to discuss some things with the website, but Lily couldn’t shake the feeling that it was something more.

Curiosity wound its way to the forefront of her thoughts as she pulled into the parking lot fifteen minutes before she and Devon agreed to meet. Deciding that she didn’t need any additional excitement running through her system, she ordered a steaming cup of calming tea and grabbed a table. She had just taken her first sip when Devon walked through the door.

“Hey, Lily! Let me grab a cup of coffee, and I’ll join you.”

“Sure!” Her fingers drummed nervously as he ordered and waited on his drink.

Eventually, he sat down and stirred half-and-half and a packet of Splenda into his coffee.

“Your e-mail seemed serious. Is everything okay?” She didn’t mean to be so blunt, but after thinking about this for three days, she wanted to get right to the point.

Devon smiled. “Better than okay. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Lily’s eyebrows rose in invitation for him to continue.

“The site is doing well. So well, in fact, that I want to make you a full-time offer.”

Lily’s mug abruptly stopped halfway to her mouth as her jaw dropped open. Devon snickered as he raised his own mug to take a drink.

“Seriously?”

Devon took another drink of his coffee. “Seriously. I know you’ve been looking for a job in this field. You’re the strongest writer on our team, and I want you to be a part of it full time.”

“Wow, Devon. Thank you, I’m flattered.”

“Well, don’t thank me yet,” Devon said, eyeing Lily warily.

Lily’s tone was cautious. “Okay . . . I’m listening.”

“The job would require a move.”

Lily’s eyebrows rose again. “Oh. To where?”

Devon sat his coffee on the table. “Los Angeles.”

Lily looked at him with disbelief. “You’re kidding.”

Devon chuckled at her response. “No, I’m not kidding. We’ve grown enough to open a small office in Los Angeles to house all our writers out there. We’ll do the same thing in New York. But for now, I want you to join the Los Angeles staff as a senior writer.”

Lily sat back in her chair as his words began to sink in.

“The pay won’t be great, but it will be enough for you to live comfortably, and we’ll help with relocation expenses. As a senior writer, you’ll be expected to help coordinate and make assignments for the rest of the staff, in addition to covering junkets, premieres, and other events yourself. Many days will be nine-to-five, but you will have night and weekend work, too, and you can adjust your schedule during the week to make up for that. Oh, and I’d like for you to take the lead on our social media, too.”

A million thoughts ran through Lily’s mind, but she kept coming back to one.

Los Angeles
.
It’s a chance to be closer to Nate
.

Lily cleared her throat. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

“I know. The office isn’t scheduled to open for a few months, so take your time and think it over, but just know that I would love for you to do this.”

Lily nodded as her thoughts continued to race.

“Okay, I need to go, but I’ll talk to you soon,” Devon said, grabbing his coffee. “Let me know if you have any questions.”

“I will. And thank you. I’ll give your offer some serious thought and be in touch soon.”

After Devon left, Lily sat at the table, sipping her tea, and contemplating how life could change in the course of one conversation.

Her thoughts continued to run through the possibilities, mentally tabulating the pros and cons as she drove home. She had no idea what her decision would be, and she desperately wanted to talk to the one person who would understand just what this offer meant.

Nate.

She wanted to be excited, but in the back of her mind she wondered if he would see this as her following him around like a clingy girlfriend. Lily refused to be one of those girls who made life-altering decisions based on a man—this choice came down to what was best for her career—but she couldn’t deny that being closer to Nate sat at the top of her list of pros.

Lily sank into her cozy couch, took a deep breath, and dialed his number. Her hand played with her necklace while she waited for him to answer.

“Hey, love. Everything okay? It’s early for you to be calling me.”

She let out a sigh at the sound of his voice. “Yeah, everything’s fine. I just had something I wanted to talk to you about, if you have some time.”

“Of course I have time for you.” Lily heard things shuffling on the other end of her phone and then the sound of what she assumed was his office door closing. He paused before continuing, uneasiness creeping into his tone. “Are you sure everything is okay? You sound a little . . . out of sorts.”

“I’m absolutely certain, I promise. I’m just a little stunned right now. Actually, this might be a good thing.”

“Well, in that case, tell me all about it,” he said, relief evident in his voice.

She took another deep breath. “I got an unexpected job offer this afternoon.”

“It’s not unexpected that someone would pick up on your talent.” She could tell by the warmth in his tone that he was smiling. “Is it something you’d be interested in doing?”

“I think so. I’m already doing the job part-time. Devon, my friend who runs FilmInsanity.com, wants me to join his staff full time as a senior writer.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. “Well, that’s something I know you like doing. You’d get to travel around to cover junkets and premieres, right? And we’d get to see each other when you have to fly out to LA.” He sounded cautiously optimistic, easing Lily’s nerves.

“Actually, I hope we’d see each other even more than that.”

“What do you mean, love?”

“Well, Devon is opening a small office in Los Angeles, and that’s where he wants me to work.”

He breathed in sharply. “So, if you take this job, you’d be moving to Los Angeles?”

“Yep. I’d have to relocate to the West Coast within the next few months. So what do you think?”

Nate laughed. “God, I think that would be fantastic. Amazing. Absolutely wonderful. You didn’t think I would be anything other than ecstatic with the possibility, did you, sweet girl?”

Lily laughed herself. “No . . . yes . . . maybe? I mean, I know we’ve known each other for a while and are happy together, but I didn’t want you think that I—literally—moved too fast.”

“Well, you have nothing to worry about. First of all, I happen to like it when you take charge. And second, the thought of getting to see you practically anytime I’d like makes me a very happy man.”

Lily snickered. “Anything to keep you happy, sweetheart.”

“Seriously, though, tell me about the offer.”

For the next several minutes, they discussed the details. Nate assured her that the salary Devon offered would be more than sufficient and that the office building was located in a decent area. She already knew the benefits—health insurance, vacation time, and all those other considerations—were comparable to similar jobs. And travel expenses would still be covered by the company.

Is there any reason not to take this?
Lily wondered.

After talking through the offer, they started playing around with the what-ifs.

“So, if the office is technically in Santa Monica, it would make sense for me to look for a place there, right?” Lily asked.

Nate paused and cleared his throat before responding. “Lily . . . do you . . . um . . . have you thought about moving in with me?”

Lily sighed. “Honestly? The thought has crossed my mind. More than once. But do you think we’re ready for that?”

Nate’s reply was honest. “I don’t know.”

“Me either. Which is why I think it’d probably be best for me to rent a place of my own for now. We should probably
date
before we move in together, don’t you think?”

Nate chuckled at her logic. “Good point. But it’s going to be difficult for me to have you here but not
have you here
, you know? After all, our visits have been domestically blissful.”

“Oh, I know, believe me. Don’t worry, I plan on spending a good amount of time cooking in your kitchen, curling up outside on your sofa, sleeping in your ridiculously comfortable bed, among other activities.”

Lily heard his low hum. “All that sounds incredible. Especially the other activities part.”

Lily laughed. “I’m definitely looking forward to more of that.”

“Me, too, love. I’ve missed having you in my arms. And having you closer would be wonderful.”

“Well, you’re certainly a motivating factor.”

“Any idea whether or not you’re going to accept the job?”

Lily sighed. “Right now, no. I told Devon that he’d given me a lot to think about, and I think I’m still trying to process it all. I definitely need more time before deciding anything. It’s a huge decision, and I don’t want to make it lightly or impulsively. But I will admit that the thought of being closer to you makes me lean in that direction.”

“Well, you know I’d love for you to be closer, but you have my support either way. If this job isn’t right for you and you decide to turn down the offer, we’ll still find ways to be together as much as possible, so don’t worry about that.”

Lily couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you for saying that. It’s exactly what I needed to hear.”

Nate laughed. “Glad to be of service. I wish I didn’t have to go, but duty calls. Can I call you back later?”

“Of course you can. Talk to you then.”

“Later, sweetheart. And don’t stress about this, you’ll know what the right thing to do is.”