Lily’s phone chimed on the counter, startling her. Another text from Nick.
Slight change for tonight’s party. It’s 70s themed now. Do you have something to wear?
The theme sounds fun, she responded. I’ll pull something together.
“Who’s Nick?” Iris asked, glancing at Lily’s phone.
Lily stuffed her phone in her back pocket before Iris could see more. “He’s my neighbor. What did you say about Violet’s bachelorette? Miami?”
“Yes.” Iris was smiling. “So Nick the neighbor is taking you to a party?”
“Why are you so nosy?!”
Iris smirked like that was a compliment. “Wait, do you have a date tonight?”
“No. We’re just going to a party together. It’s not a date.”
“Hmm. Interesting.” Then Iris busied herself with fixing one of Lily’s arrangements. If Violet had just discovered that Lily was texting a new guy and had plans to go out with him that night, she would have pushed for details until Lily revealed every bit of information down to his shoe size. But Iris was subtler. She didn’t press. She waited for you to come to her.
And as the silence stretched on, Lily realized she was dying to finally tell someone about what had transpired between her and Nick in Violet’s kitchen. So much so that she forgot that this was a story she probably shouldn’t share with one of her sisters.
“We kissed, though,” she blurted.
Iris’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Yes! And it was literally the best kiss of my life. He has the best, most wonderful lips. Oh my God.”
“Lily! What?! When did this happen?”
“A couple days ago,” Lily said, lowering her voice as Benjamin passed by, smiling at them over a large bouquet. “But we’re just hanging out now. Friends maybe.”
Iris frowned. “Why just friends?”
“Neither of us are looking for anything romantic.”
She definitely wasn’t going to explain that she and Nick had an agreement and he was helping her find a date to the wedding. Or how she’d originally asked him to be her date and he’d turned her down. She already regretted telling Iris that they’d kissed. Ugh, why couldn’t she just have kept her mouth shut?
It didn’t matter much anyway, though. Because Iris pulled out her phone and looked up the LinkedIn profile of a man named Brandon Johnson. She showed his profile picture to Lily, and he looked Professional? with his sleek, fitted blazer and dazzling smile.
“Well, if nothing is going on between you and Nick the neighbor,” Iris said, “I meant to tell you that I met this guy at an event a couple weeks ago. He works for Morgan Stanley, and he—”
“No.” Lily stood and began moving the completed arrangements from the counter to the worktable in the center of the room.
“But I want to help with that wedding-date bet you have going with Violet.”
“And you,” Lily said, coming back to the counter. She frowned at Iris. “The bet is with both of you. I don’t want you to try and set me up anymore either.”
“Okay, okay.” Iris held up her hands. “I won’t bring Brandon up again.”
“Or anyone else.”
“Or anyone else,” she repeated.
“Thank you.”
Lily’s phone buzzed in her back pocket, interrupting their conversation. Nick had finally replied to her.
Groovy.
Then another text: Because it’s the 70s.
And another: I don’t say groovy on a regular basis.
Finally: I’ll stop texting you now.
Lily laughed and sent back the disco-dancing-man emoji.
“He’s sure got you cheesing pretty hard to not be a date,” Iris said, eyeing Lily.
Lily waved Iris off. So what if Nick made her smile? He was going to be the only person she knew at this party. It was an upside that she might enjoy his company. There wasn’t much more to it than that.
It was one thing for Nick to make Lily smile, but he didn’t need to make her drool.
They stood on the steps of his friend’s brownstone in Prospect Heights in Brooklyn, waiting for someone to answer the door, and Lily couldn’t stop ogling him.
He wore a gold lamé button-up that he’d buttoned only halfway and dark denim bell-bottoms. His partially visible brown chest was strong and smooth. No matter how many times Lily tried to keep eye contact with him, her gaze inevitably drifted down to his pecs.
And they were matching. Lily borrowed the gold halter jumpsuit that Violet had worn to her engagement party. Lily hadn’t realized how deep the neckline plunged, almost reaching her belly button. It wasn’t something she’d usually wear, but she wanted to be on theme, and this was the only ’70s-esque item she’d found in Violet’s closet. She channeled ’70s icon Donna Summer and left her hair out thick and curly. She finished off the look with a pair of Violet’s platform pumps. Thank God for sisters who wore the same clothing and shoe size. At any moment, Lily could tip over and break her ankle, but at least she would do so looking undeniably sexy.