Lilah's List (7 page)

She had a chance most people weren't afforded. Two weeks to grab all the life experiences she could. In the recent past when she'd been presented with a choice to either play it safe or take a chance, she'd chosen safe.

Well, her first choice had just been made. Lilah was going to take a risk.

Lilah's List Blog Entry
October 28, 2007

I'm not sure if it's wise to indulge the whims of your youth at the ripe old age of twenty-nine. You see, this is how I ended up with an unusual tattoo in an unusual place.

A
s Tyler stepped through the entrance to Sapa restaurant, he realized he was early. He'd planned to hang back, perhaps arrive fashionably late, but he was actually eager to get the evening under way.

He'd chosen the restaurant knowing that Lilah would appreciate the dramatic lighting combination of hanging lanterns and candles. It could be very romantic.

Tyler blew out his breath, reminding himself that they weren't here for that. Was this a classic case of wanting something he couldn't have? Because this borderline obsession he was developing for Lilah was uncharacteristic.

He walked over to the bar, hoping a stiff drink would put him in the right frame of mind. Before he could place an order, his cell phone rang. His brother's number flashed on the screen.

“Reggie?” he answered.

“Yeah, I've got some bad news, bro.”

Tyler gritted his teeth. “Just don't tell me you're not coming.”

“I can't make it. This is the only night I can meet up with Max in the studio.”

“Reggie—”

“I know what you're going to say, but aren't you the one always preaching that my music has to come first? Well, that's what I'm doing. I need to lay down a dance track if I want the DJs to spin ‘Love Triangle' in the clubs.”

Unfortunately, Tyler couldn't argue with that. Which made him want to all the more. “Why can't you just—”

“I'm going to have to catch you later, man. Studio time isn't free.”

Tyler clicked his phone closed, unsure what to do with the frustrated energy coiling inside him. For the second time now, Reggie had put him in a position of not being able to deliver on his word.

Why did Lilah want to date a guy like that anyway? If they got together for real, it would just be more of the same. On the other hand,
he
would never—

Whoa. His thoughts were headed down the wrong track again. Lilah wanted a date with Reggie. He was the one she'd had a crush on in high school….

Never mind that Reggie would never be able to appreciate a woman like her. Not the way Tyler could.

That sentiment was reinforced as he watched Lilah walk through the door before Angie. Under her brown leather jacket, she wore a velvety-black V-neck sweater that begged to be touched, and a pair of hip-hugging black jeans and low-heeled black suede boots. Her hair flowed in curls from a high ponytail and her cheeks were rosy from the October chill.

She looked cute. And sweet. And in that moment, Tyler felt a longing like he'd never felt before. What was it that was pulling him to her despite his better judgment? There was definitely something between them, and it was more than their impromptu make-out session the night before.

He'd felt it when she was in high school. It hadn't been romantic then. But it had been nice to talk to someone who didn't want something from him. Even though he was in college, she'd been able to grasp the complex social issues he'd wrestled with at the time.

Tyler had been going through a brooding phase where all the political injustices of the world weighed heavily on his young mind. It had been part of his nature, at the time, to debate everything, but she'd held her own in their discussions.

Now, years later, he couldn't remember anyone that had been as easy to connect with.

Lilah spotted him right away, walking over and catching him in a one-armed hug. “There you are. This place is gorgeous.”

Angie came up on his other side and did the same. Tyler was sandwiched between two beautiful women, and he no longer minded that Reggie wasn't coming.

But he had to get the dirty work out of the way. “I have bad news, ladies. Reggie's not going to be able to make it tonight. He couldn't get away from the studio after all.”

Tyler waited to hear a sigh of disappointment, but Lilah just shrugged it off, looking strangely relieved. “Oh well, I guess it's just the three of us then. Do you think you can handle two women on your own?”

Before Tyler could respond, the hostess motioned for them to follow her to their table. Tyler trailed behind the women feeling his sense of anticipation rising.

Lilah was giving off a confident vibe that was a far cry from the guarded woman he'd met last night. Although she'd loosened up considerably after a couple of appletinis, she'd remained a bit melancholy. Tonight she was all smiles and sass as she slid into their booth.

Tyler situated himself across from the two women and picked up his menu to force his eyes away from Lilah. It was important not to rush things after last night.

“I have to tell you, Lilah,” Angie said, studying her friend. “That psychic must have worked some kind of mojo on you after all because you've been a bundle of energy ever since.”

“Psychic?” Tyler asked.

“Yup,” Lilah answered. “Number 21 on The List—visit a fortune-teller.”

“How did it go? Did she tell you anything useful?”

“It sounded like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo to me,” Angie said.

“She didn't put a spell on me or anything. I actually decided to take
your
advice, Angie. I have an amazing opportunity to do some things I've always wanted to do. I have to stop worrying about the consequences, and just go for it.”

Tyler smiled at Lilah. So he hadn't been imagining it. She really was shining from the inside out. “So, besides the psychic, what else did you girls do today?”

“From The List, just the psychic,” Lilah said.

“Yeah, but afterward Lilah treated us both to manicures and pedicures.” Both women held out their hands to be admired.

“Very nice,” Tyler said dutifully.

“Meeting with your brother was supposed to be the other item I checked off today. That would have been a big one, so I guess I need to pick out another big thing to do instead.”

Angie pulled out The List and spread it out in the middle of the table. “How about going to a karaoke bar? I think there's one on the lower west side.”

Lilah stared at The List, shaking her head. “No, I need something bigger. I think I've got to bite the bullet on the tattoo.”

Angie squealed with delight.

“Wow.” Tyler raised his brows. For some reason he hadn't been expecting that. “So what's it going to be? The classic lower back tattoo you girls seem to love? Or maybe a sexy ankle tattoo?”

She sighed. “I don't know yet. I think I may need a few appletinis first.”

“Oh no, my dear,” Angie said. “You are cut off. After last night, nothing stronger than diet soda for you.”

“Look who thinks she's my mother now.” Lilah rolled her eyes and leaned toward Tyler. “I don't actually want a tattoo anymore, but it's on The List, so I'm committed to doing it. All I know is, I'd better get it over with before I chicken out.”

Tyler imagined Lilah stretched out at the tattoo shop, her jeans pulled low, exposing that golden skin at the base of her spine. “This sounds like a very important, not to mention permanent, decision. I think I'd better come along as a consultant.”

“Really? You want to watch?” she asked.

“You bet.”

“Okay, I could use the extra moral support.”

“Let me see this list.” Tyler reached for the sheet of paper that was still sitting on the table in front of Angie. “Maybe there are other things I can help with.”

As Tyler scanned through The List, he couldn't resist glancing up at Lilah. He saw a blush tinge her cheeks as she realized what he was probably reading.

A new resolve solidified in his mind. Lilah would be his.

He'd spent a lifetime putting his brother first. Why couldn't he have just this one thing for himself? If Lilah proved resistant to his seduction, he'd bow out. But he owed it to himself to see if there could be something real between them.

Reggie had already passed up his chance with her, and it wasn't as though he'd been pursuing her. So why would he care?

Besides, it seemed Lilah would be in need of a man to complete her list, and Tyler was more than willing to apply for the job.

Tyler and Angie helped Lilah out of the cab as she gingerly tried to stand alone. “That was the most traumatizing experience of my life.”

Lilah knew she was being a tad melodramatic but, to her surprise, she was still feeling quite a bit of pain.

“Stop whining, you crybaby. It wasn't that bad,” Angie said, pulling her through the diner door Tyler held for them.

Lilah gasped. “Says the woman who has no tattoos of her own. That may very well be the worst pain of my life. Well…besides a toothache…and menstrual cramps and—”

“Then maybe you shouldn't have gotten it in such a sensitive area. I still think a shoulder would have been more practical.”

“And have people see it every time I wear a sleeveless blouse? I don't think so.”

“People are still going to see it whenever you lie on the beach. And since you love to tan that fair skin of yours, if you lie on your back, it's in full view for all the world to see.”

Lilah was grateful that Tyler was politely ignoring the ludicrous banter that had been going on between them since they left the tattoo shop. While they had continued their debate in the cab, he had given the driver directions to an all-night diner. This, so Lilah could order the pancakes she'd been promised for being a good girl and holding still for the nice tattooist.

The out-of-the-way diner wasn't jam-packed at nearly midnight. There was a line, but it was moving quickly.

“The important thing—” Lilah announced “—is that now I can cross getting a tattoo off my list. I can tell my grandchildren it was a byproduct of my reckless youth.”

Angie snorted. “Oh yeah, they'll really think reckless when they see that thing.”

“Okay, maybe not reckless. But you were the one who said it needed to be meaningful. Something that would help me remember this adventure.”

“And that tattoo reminds you of this adventure how?”

“It symbolizes happiness—exuberance, effervescence, ebullience even.”

“Well, if it's such a symbol of joy for you, then you should have gotten it someplace where
you
could actually see it.”

“I can see it.”

“Not without a mirror or some interesting contortions.”

Lilah looked to Tyler for help, but he still wasn't paying them any mind. Now, he was quietly asking the hostess for a table for three.

As Lilah slid into the booth beside Angie, she groaned. “It feels so good to get off my feet.”

Angie released an exasperated sigh, and as Lilah met Tyler's gaze, he gave her a look of barely contained laughter.

“I must say, this has been quite an experience. I'm so glad you ladies let me tag along.”

“No problem, I needed the extra help holding her down.”

Lilah poked her friend in the arm. “Once again, I didn't see you lining up to join me in that chair. I think Betty Boop would have been cute on your ankle.”

“Nope, this is your adventure, not mine,” she answered without lifting her head from the menu. “But if I ever did get a tattoo, I'd get something much more exciting than—”

“All right, ladies, that's enough. Do you two always bicker like this?” Tyler asked.

Lilah exchanged a look with Angie, and then they answered him in unison. “We're not bickering.”

Tyler stared at the two of them for a moment then picked up his menu in surrender. “My mistake.”

Lilah and Angie laughed.

Lilah didn't know what to make of Tyler's easy acceptance of her banter with Angie. Chuck would have been chiding them to be quiet long ago. He hated when they yammered on, claiming their chatter gave him headaches. Tyler didn't seem the least bit annoyed. Instead he seemed…genuinely pleased to be in their company.

“But seriously,” Angie said. “The smiley face is cute.”

“Thank you,” Lilah said, lifting her chin. “And I still think the bottom of my heel is an ideal place for it. No chance of
that
skin sagging with age.”

“Sagging with age—that sounds like my cue,” the gray-haired waitress said in her heavy Jamaican accent. “Welcome to Diamond Diner. My name is Belle, and I'll be your server tonight. Can I take your orders?”

They each rattled off their selections as Belle stood listening. After Lilah ordered her much-anticipated short stack of buttermilk pancakes, she couldn't resist asking, “Belle, aren't you going to write that down?”