55 - It's Your Call

Juggling the take-out containers from the restaurant, Lilah struggled to get her room key in the card reader slot without spilling the drink she’d brought for Tony.  Her own bottle of water was tucked under her arm, threatening to slide out and go thumping to the floor.  With her luck and lack of grace, his burger and her club sandwich would hit the ground before she could get…

Aha!

The little light blinked green and she got the handle pushed down with her elbow and threw her hip into the door before it could slam shut again. 

Progress!

She was just about to wonder where Tony was and why he didn’t help her when she heard his voice. 

“Yeah, this is Tony.  Who’s this?”

Frowning, Lilah slowly inched her left leg to ease the door further open and dragged her right carefully along behind it.  It was her ultimate goal to enter the room without being sprawled in an ungraceful split with their supper raining down on her in a hailstorm of fries and Jack Daniels.

His head turned as she finally got into the room and unloaded her arms onto the desk top. 

“Uh, yeah, sure I know who you are Joanna.  Lilah’s friend.” 

Oh. My.  God.  I left my phone and he must have answered it.

It wasn’t like she could complain since she’d done the same thing earlier, but Lilah’s stomach sank when Tony’s eyes connected with hers, eyebrows lifted in question.  He knew who Jo was, but not much more.  Worse yet, what was Joanna saying to him?

“Gimme,” she mouthed, the fingers at the end of her outstretched palm flapping like crazy. 

“Lilah just came in.  Uh huh.  Nice talking to you, too.”

Snatching the phone away before he’d barely had a chance to offer it, Lilah spun away, giving him her back.  “Jo?  What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.  I wanted to talk to you.  Is that allowed?  Or are you too busy giving yourself to a strange man to be bothered with your real life?”

Her shoulders sagged at her friend’s patronizing tone, partly with the relief that there was no tragedy at home.  The other part was the disheartening realization it was going to be one of ‘those’ calls and she was going to have to take it with Tony standing only feet away.

“I’m never too busy to talk to you,” she assured her friend, which was true.  The timing just made it more of a challenge than usual to be perky and enthusiastic.  “How are things at home?”

To her relief, Joanna chatted amiably enough for the next fifteen minutes or so, while Lilah picked at her fries.  There was news about Joanna’s family and things going on around town.  She assured Lilah that her husband Steve had gone over and checked on her apartment a couple of times, and that there was apparently a stray cat hanging around, who enjoyed sunning itself on the hood of Lilah’s car.  According to Joanna, the pristine paint job now bore the artistic paw prints of a big orange tabby cat. 

Sighing, as Tony slipped into the bathroom, Lilah tried not to stress over the gorgeous vehicle sitting in her driveway.  It was less than six months old.  She should have put a car cover on it before she left.  That was a stupid oversight on her part, and her only defense was that she wasn’t used to owning expensive, brand new cars.

“Joanna, do you think Steve would mind getting a cover for my car?  I should’ve thought of it before I left, but I’ll pay him back.”

“I’ll have him take care of it tomorrow,” she promised and then, after a brief pause she unexpectedly switched gears.  “So…  have you fallen in love with him yet?  Tony?”

“Joanna!  What kind of question is that?”

“A legitimate one.  Knowing you, you were already halfway there before you stepped foot on the plane.  Is he worth the trouble?  Is he worth giving up two months of your life and abandoning your friends and family?”

How was she supposed to answer that?  Tell her best friend that the days spent with him were worth every penny spent, every minute spent planning, every argument, every guilt trip?  That was the God’s honest truth, but it stood a good chance of hurting her friend’s feelings.  She had no interest in doing that, so Lilah checked to make sure Tony was still in the bathroom and chose a more ambiguous response.  

“I’m enjoying the trip, and he’s a nice guy.”

“Stop being diplomatic Lilah Jane Bennett and tell me the truth.  If I had to guess, I’d say you DO think you’re in love with him.” 

When two people had been as close as she and Jo for  so long…  Covering up the truth wasn’t the easiest thing to do. 

“Jo, it’s ridiculous to think something like that after such a short time.” 

That’s completely true.  Doesn’t mean I’m not ridiculous, but it’s a true statement anyway.

“Whatever, Lilah.  I know you.  Just because he’s nice to doesn’t mean he’s gonna love you back.”

No.  He’s not.  That’s already been established.  But he’s gonna make Europe the most pleasantly memorable time of my life.

“It’s a here and now thing.  That isn’t even an option.”

“Well, at the risk of being a bitch, good.  A man who travels the world isn’t gonna be there when you need him.  You’d still be alone anyway.  Except for me, of course.  I’m always here for you.”

This call had gone from a pleasant chat to a little less than that.  When Tony came back into the room, she decided it was a good time to wrap things up. 

“Okay, Joanna, I need to go.  My sandwich is gettin’ cold.”

“Oh.  Alright.”  She sounded disappointed to sever the connection, Lilah thought, and that suspicion was confirmed when her natural tone of voice slipped into something cattier.  “Enjoy your international booty call.” 

“Stop,” Lilah pleaded softly, very much aware that Tony could hear everything she said.  Not five feet separated the spot where she stood by the window and his seat on the bed.  “It’s been a nice visit.  Don’t turn it into something ugly.”

“Reality is ugly sometimes, Lilah Jane.  You and I know that as well as anybody.”

“You’re right, we do.  That’s why I don’t understand makin’ that way if it doesn’t have to be.”

Joanna’s hesitation gave Lilah false hope that her friend was going to agree, but that hope was dashed with the distant, “I’ll let you go then.  Call me sometime if you can find the time.”

Sighing, Lilah gave up.  “I’ll talk to you soon.  Love you, Jo.”

“Mhm.”

When the line went dead, she tucked the phone into her jeans pocket and crossed her arms, blindly staring out the window.

She loved Joanna with all her heart.  They were like sisters, but Jo just couldn’t understand her need to be here.  Her need for…  this moment in time.  And that lack of understanding, along with a healthy dose of frustration, was what fed the catty woman living inside her usually amiable friend.

It may have helped if Lilah had told her about the ‘life saving’ incident at Churchill Downs, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.  The whole thing sounded dreamy-eyed and far-fetched and a bunch of other fairy tale-esque words that would have Jo rolling her eyes. 

Lilah Jane, she loves you.  She might understand.

She might.  But it wasn’t likely. 

Well, if you’re determined to believe the worst of her, at least put it aside for now and enjoy your moment.  Don’t waste it broodin’ that people don’t understand you. 

“So that was Joanna.”

Tony’s casual remark pierced the fog in Lilah’s head was in and she turned to him with an absent smile.  “Yes.  That’s Joanna.”

“She was very…”  That cocked eyebrow she found so fascinating lifted with amusement.  “Polite.”

If she hadn’t already fancied herself in love with Anthony Bongiovi, that single remark would have cinched the deal.  In her mind, the tiny handful of words was a blatant proof that he got Lilah.  He may not want to, but he did. 

“Yes,” she agreed, letting genuine warmth seep into her smile.  “She’s very mannerly, not to mention likable, pleasant and sweet.  People love her.  I suppose that’s one of the benefits to actually having a personality.”

Don’t go there, Lilah Jane.  Put away the streamers and hats, because nobody’s comin’ to your pity party.  You do just fine for a retarded hyena.

“You say that like those traits are foreign to you.”

“Me?” She played his observation off with a light chuckle.  “I’m better with things than people, but I assume that still means I have a personality.  It’s just different than some folks.”

He shook his head with a scowl.  “Has anybody ever told you that you’re a dumbass?”

That sunshine filled balloon of love that had been flying high above her head deflated in an instant, as though an entire team of happiness snipers had appeared from nowhere with guns blazing to take it down.  Her love balloon wasn’t the only victim either.  The merciless bastards had executed the flock of cheery bluebirds that had been fluttering around her head and heart.  They hit the ground one at a time in a cacophony of sickening thuds. 

I think that pretty effectively proved that you are a dumbass.  Seein’ as he wasn’t witness to that bout of idiotic imagery, wonder what makes him think so?

“Yes,” she admitted slowly, eyes sliding from his face to the generically pretty landscape painting on the wall above his left shoulder.  “But it usually takes somebody longer than a couple of weeks to figure it out.”

“Bluegrass…”  Even when he stood in front of her, Tony had to turn her head to make her look at him.  “You’re probably one of the sweetest people I know.”

“Sweet?” Lilah snorted, uncomfortably pulling away only to have him grab her chin again.  Lilah was forced to look directly into a pair of navy blue eyes that were intent upon stripping her naked.  Naked or not, she knew the truth about herself.  “You’ve lost your mind.  I’m sarcastic, not sweet.”

“You are sarcastic, but that mile-wide streak of sarcasm is why I like you so much.”

He thinks you’re sweet.  He likes your sarcasm.

Paramedics with crash carts rushed in to resuscitate the bluebirds.  One hit with the cardiac shock paddles and the little guys were up and flying again.  A little crazily at first, wobbling into to one another and banging heads, but they eventually evened out.  One of them even swooped in to pick up her deflated love balloon and started patching it with duct tape. 

“Just because he’s nice doesn’t mean he’s going to love you back.” Joanna’s voice echoed in her head when the balloon started lifting from the ground. 

Shut up, Jo, and let me enjoy my hard-earned moment of bliss.

Lilah bit the inside corner of her bottom lip and blinked up at Tony.  “Jersey…  I think it’s time for you to have your dessert.  Isn’t it?”

He had never looked more handsome to her than in that moment, and the picture of his wolfish grin was one she would carry in her mind for years to come. 

“It’s definitely time for a taste of something sweet.”

And, as his tongue slid between her lips, Lilah melted into his arms like a warm Hershey bar.