“I’ll figure something out.”
“I’ll be okay.” He picked up her hand and kissed the inside of her palm. “Thank you for offering.”
She eyed him quietly, then reached forward and hugged him to her. “I’m here for you, however you need me to be.”
“I know.” He laid his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes. “And I’m here for you.”
Before Teresa called, Nick had been in the process of developing a much more positive outlook on his life. His career was stable. He had Marcus and Caleb, and his friendship with Henry and Yolanda. He had Lily.
And now by seeing his parents again, he couldn’t shake his worry that his efforts to finally create a semidecent life would soon be upended.
24
That following Saturday night, Lily was squished beside Iris on the plush velvet couch of Karamel Kitty’s VIP section at LIV nightclub in Miami, celebrating Violet’s bachelorette.
“I see Karamel Kitty and them getting lit over there!” the DJ said on the mic. He switched to a Karamel Kitty song and the whole club shouted, “Ayyyeee!”
Violet and Karamel Kitty were standing on top of the table, surrounded by Karamel Kitty’s entourage, as she poured Hennessy straight from the bottle into Violet’s mouth.
It had been so interesting to spend the weekend with a celebrity. Karamel Kitty, given name Karina, was sweet and a lot calmer in real life compared to her energetic in-your-face rap persona. She’d rented out the backroom of a restaurant on South Beach for Violet’s bridal shower yesterday and they’d been bombarded with a horde of fans as soon as they got out of the car. Violet was used to this and easily slipped behind Karina and her security. But Lily and Iris got lost in the chaos. Being trapped amid a crowd of Karamel Kitty stans, who were eagerly rapping the lyrics to her newest song, wasn’t something Lily had expected to add to her bingo card for the year.
Tonight, Lily was wearing one of the few club-appropriate outfits she owned: a black leather bandeau top and a matching high-waist black leather miniskirt. She’d borrowed another pair of Violet’s high heels and her feet were killing her, hence the sitting. She should have gone the same route as Iris, who’d paired her loose-fitting, white T-shirt dress with a pair of all-white Stan Smiths. Meanwhile, Violet and Karamel Kitty both donned spandex sleeveless catsuits. Karamel Kitty’s was bubble gum pink （with a lace front, waist-length bubble gum pink wig to match）， while Violet’s was bride-to-be white. Lily and Iris had bought her a glittery veil that kept slipping off her head as she danced.
Violet’s admission that Eddy was barely home and that she’d planned so much of the wedding alone had concerned Lily and Iris, of course. But whenever they brought it up, Violet insisted that she wanted to marry Eddy and that she was happy. She definitely seemed happy tonight.
Lily had gone over Violet’s situation in her mind time and time again. Ultimately, there wasn’t much Lily and Iris could do. It was Violet’s life, and Violet was going to do exactly what she wanted, like always. They could only hope that things worked out between Violet and Eddy. And in the event that they didn’t, Lily and Iris would be there for Violet no matter what.
“I’m getting motherfucking married!” Violet shouted now. She climbed off the table and stumbled over to Lily and Iris, lying across their laps.
Iris brushed Violet’s hair out of her face and smiled down at her. “Are you having fun?”
“Yesshh,” Violet mumbled. “Are you?”
“No, but that’s okay because tonight isn’t about me.”
Violet flashed a lopsided grin. “I want everyone to have fun.” She pointed at Lily. “You need to celebrate too. Your new job!”
“I don’t have a new job yet,” Lily reminded her, laughing.
Her interview with Francesca Ng had gone very well, though. She hadn’t suffered from the things that had plagued her during interviews past: the freezing up or stumbling over her words. She spoke confidently about her love for children’s books and what qualities she would bring to the assistant editor role. Now she was waiting to schedule a second interview with Francesca’s boss, Anna Davidson. She was confident that she’d do well in her interview with Anna as well.
She hoped that she’d get the job, but even if she didn’t, deciding to throw caution to the wind and following up with Francesca a second time had unlocked something in Lily. For the first time in a long time, she was genuinely proud of herself. She had proof that taking risks and going for what she wanted could have good results. Just look at her and Nick.