‘Never mind,’ she said with a shiver. ‘I have to go. I’ll speak to you tomorrow.’
Paul nodded. ‘I’ll wait for your call.’ And he walked away from Lily and Nick.
Lily turned to Nick. ‘Let’s go for a walk.’
They walked in silence for a while, the sounds of the village fading behind them. The moon hung low and full in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the landscape. It was beautiful, peaceful – everything London wasn’t, she reminded herself.
‘So,’ Nick finally said as they reached the riverbank. ‘London, huh?’
Lily let out a shaky laugh. ‘Yeah. I don’t know. I mean it feels too good to be true. Why now? It feels like déjà vu. It also feels like a test,’ she said.
‘It’s an amazing opportunity, Lily. You should do it.’
She looked up at him, searching his face. ‘But what about us? What about Gran? My teaching job? I can’t just leave all that behind.’
Nick took her hands in his, his touch warm and comforting. ‘Lily, listen to me. I love you. I want you to be happy. If that means going to London and doing some auditions, that’s what you should do. Just try it. You don’t know what might happen.’
‘But what about you?’ Lily pressed. ‘You said you’d follow me anywhere, but I can’t ask you to uproot your life for me.’
‘You’re not asking. I’m offering,’ Nick said firmly. ‘I can find nursing work anywhere. And as for Gran… well, we both know she’d be furious if you turned down an opportunity like this because of her.’
Lily laughed softly, knowing he was right. She could almost hear Gran’s voice:Don’t you dare use me as an excuse, Lily Baxter!
‘But what if I don’t want to go?’ Lily whispered, voicing the thought that had been nagging at her since Paul approached her. ‘What if I’m happy here, teaching and doing community theatre?’
Nick cupped her face gently. ‘Then that’s okay too. But Lily, I need you to be sure. I don’t ever want you to resent staying here, to wonder “what if”. If you don’t at least audition, you might always regret it.’
Lily leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. He was right, of course. Even if she ultimately decided to stay in Appleton Green, she owed it to herself to at least try.
‘Okay,’ she said softly. ‘I’ll call him tomorrow.’
Nick smiled, pulling her into a tight embrace. ‘That’s my girl. And hey, who knows? Maybe you’ll hate London and come running back to little old Appleton Green.’
Lily laughed, burying her face in his chest. ‘Maybe. Or maybe you’ll fall in love with the big city and never want to leave.’
‘As long as I’m with you, I don’t care where we are,’ Nick said, his voice sincere.
They stood there for a long moment, holding each other under the moonlight. Lily felt a sense of peace.
‘We should head back,’ Lily said eventually, reluctantly pulling away. ‘The others will be wondering where we are.’
As they walked back towards the village, hand in hand, Lily’s mind was already racing with plans. She’d need to talk to Mr McBride at the school, arrange for someone to cover her classes. And Gran… how was she going to tell Gran?
‘Stop,’ Nick said suddenly, tugging on her hand.
‘What?’ Lily asked, shocked out of her thoughts.
‘You’re already miles away, planning and worrying,’ Nick said, a fond smile on his face. ‘We have time for all that tomorrow. Tonight, let’s just celebrate your amazing show. Deal?’
Lily smiled, feeling the stress leave her shoulders. ‘Deal.’
They entered The Crumpetty Tree to a chorus of cheers. The entire cast and crew were there, along with what looked like half the town. Jasper rushed over, pressing a glass of champagne into Lily’s hand.
‘There you are, my dear! We were about to send out a search party,’ he shouted. ‘Come, come, we’re about to toast our marvellous Eliza!’
As Lily was swept into the crowd, taking congratulations and answering questions about her performance, she felt a surge of affection for these people. They had become her family over the past few months, helping her through ups and downs.
Could she really leave everything behind?
