Spotlight (23 page)

Nate held the cab door open for Lily. As she climbed across the seat, she realized just how exhausted she was. Nate slid in behind her, and she sighed before closing her eyes and leaning her head on his broad shoulder. He reached out and patted her right knee, leaving his hand there as they moved through the city streets.

Lily rested comfortably, lulled by the rhythm of the car, until Nate gently shook her knee.

“We’re back at your hotel,” he whispered in her ear.

She gathered her things while he paid the cab fare. He was staying at the same hotel as Daniel, but insisted he see Lily safely to her room. He offered his arm once again as she got out of the cab, and she kept it even as they rode the elevator to the twenty-fourth floor.

“Well, this is me,” she said, stopping in front of her door.

Nate sighed. “Okay. I hope you’ve had a good time.”

“Of course I have. I can’t thank you enough for this experience.”

Nate couldn’t stop his grin. “Good. I’m glad. And thank you for helping me out tonight. It was much more fun with you there.”

Lily smiled. “Good night, Nate,” she said before reaching up to kiss his cheek.

As she pulled away, their gazes locked and energy surged between them. Before she could blink, Nate grabbed her around her waist and put his lips to hers.

His kiss wasn’t gentle or timid, but it wasn’t one of those push-her-up-against-the-door kisses either. It was sweet. It was “I don’t know what I’m doing.” It was “I can’t help myself,” and “I shouldn’t want you, but I think I might.” And Lily couldn’t help but wonder if it also was a promise of things to come.

“Wow,” she said as Nate broke the kiss and placed his forehead against hers. The quiet passion in his lips had made her knees go weak.

“I agree,” he said, the corners of his mouth turning up in a grin.

He leaned back and took her hand. “I’d like to see you again before you leave. Have brunch with me tomorrow morning?”

Lily couldn’t contain her smile. “I’d love to.”

“Great! It’s a date. I’ll be here at eleven.”

“A date?” Lily asked, her eyebrow quirked.

“Yes . . . a date,” he confirmed, his voice full of amusement.

Lily’s smile widened. “I’ll see you later.”

“Until then, Lily.” He kissed the back of her hand before letting it go and turning to walk to the elevator.

Lily didn’t wait to see if he looked back before slipping into her room and closing the door. Locking it, she leaned her forehead against the cool wood, which did nothing to stop the happy, jumbled thoughts racing through her head.

Chapter Fifteen

Lily’s sleep was both restful and restless. She slept well, but her mind seemed to remain in a frenzied state. Her dreams were vivid images of tangoes and camera flashes. She woke up full of nervous energy.

She decided on a soak in the large tub to calm her racing thoughts. The warm, vanilla-scented bubbles seemed to revive her body while relaxing her mind. She came to the conclusion that she needed to just . . . let it be. She didn’t need to have all the answers right now. She could figure out what Anthony meant when he welcomed her to the family and what Nate meant with his possessive dance later. For now, she would concentrate on the way her lips still tingled from the memory of Nate’s heated kiss, and on their upcoming date.

Since she would be traveling back home that afternoon, she opted for a casual look for brunch. Her cozy black cable knit turtleneck sweater, jeans, and black equestrian boots made her feel comfortable. She pulled her hair into a high ponytail and swept on some pale pink blush, eye shadow, and lip gloss, along with a touch of mascara. At 10:55 a.m., she grabbed her things and headed toward the lobby.

Nate smiled when he spotted her as the elevator doors opened. Her own excitement radiated through her.

“Good morning,” he said as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. “You look lovely.”

“Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself,” she responded with a wink. It was true. She’d never seen Nate in jeans, but they looked good on his long, lean form. His charcoal gray button-down shirt was untucked, and a white undershirt peaked through where his top two buttons were unfastened. His black wool pea coat and casual black shoes completed the effortless look.

“I thought we’d go to this bistro I know. They serve a fantastic brunch.”

“That sounds great. I’m starving!”

He took her hand to lead the way and didn’t let go as they walked three blocks to the restaurant.

They each immediately ordered cappuccinos, needing the caffeine. Nate chose the eggs Benedict with roasted potatoes, while Lily opted for an omelet with mushrooms, spinach, and onions.

Nate leaned back in his chair. “I talked with Daniel this morning. He wanted me to tell you goodbye for him and that he’ll talk to you soon.”

She smiled. “Please tell him thank you again for me. I’m sure he’ll have fun on the promotional tour.”

“Well, he’s not looking forward to being away from home for so long. But it’ll be good for the fans in other countries.”

“What about you? Are you looking forward to it?”

“Yes and no. It’s exciting to travel to other countries. But it’s a lot of work. So much goes into these events—I don’t ever have time to explore the places we go.”

Lily thought she caught a wave of regret cross his expression.

“That’s got to be frustrating—to be somewhere you’d like to visit but not truly be able to see any of it,” she observed.

“It is,” he agreed. “There are some places that I want to go back to—to truly see them.”

Lily nodded in understanding. “I’m sure there are. You’re lucky to have the opportunity to see them at all, though.”

“Yes, I’m very lucky. And I don’t want you to think I’m complaining. Every job has its disappointments, but I’m grateful to be doing something I enjoy and to work with my best friend.”

“Does that ever cause a problem?”

“Sometimes,” Nate admitted. “But because we’re friends, we’re able to work it out. Events like last night will sometimes cause tension.”

“Daniel mentioned something about you usually being as tense as him at those kinds of things.”

Nate laughed. “He’s right. It was great to have you there as a buffer last night.”

“Me? But I didn’t do anything.”

“Of course you did. It helped Daniel to have someone else there whom he knows and trusts. And you obviously helped me out, press-wise. But more important, it was kind of nice to share the load with someone.”

“Well, I have to admit, it was one of the best nights I’ve spent in a long time.”

She wondered if Nate could tell that she was talking about more than just the premiere.

Nate let out a slow breath. “I’m sorry for kissing you like that. Wait . . . I’m not sorry for kissing you . . . but I shouldn’t have just . . . you know . . . done it.”

Lily wasn’t used to Nate being so flustered. She placed her fork against her plate and looked up from her meal, regarding him with a serious expression.

“Nate, did you mean it last night when you said this is a date?”

He glanced at her with a concerned expression. “Yes, of course.”

“Then don’t be sorry for kissing me like that. I’m not.”

Nate tried to hide his grin as he raised his mug for another sip of his cappuccino, but Lily caught it and winked at him.

Suddenly, all the typical first-date tension disappeared. It wasn’t as though they’d known each other forever, but they were able to concentrate on getting to know each other without awkwardness as they continued to enjoy their meal.

“So is this what you pictured doing as your career?” Lily asked.

Nate let out a sarcastic laugh. “Not at all. I was groomed to take over the family business.”

Lily could tell by the way he said “family business” that it was not a happy topic for him.

“I suppose focusing on marketing was my form of rebellion,” he continued. “My father runs a highly successful brokerage firm in Manhattan, and he wanted me to join him. I conceded and went to Dartmouth because I knew it was a good school. And marketing was close enough to finance to appease him since it has a business focus, while being enough of a stretch to keep me from feeling stifled.”

“Sounds like there was a lot of pressure on you,” Lily commented.

“You have no idea. My father is an intimidating man. But I just couldn’t picture myself living like him.”

“Well, now that you’re in it, do you enjoy marketing?”

“Yeah, I do. More than I thought I would,” Nate responded. “I think it’s rewarding to promote a product—if you can call Daniel that—you truly care about and want to succeed.”

Lily brows furrowed in a slight frown. “Is that the way you see Daniel?”

“Daniel himself? Absolutely not. Daniel’s career? Absolutely.”

“Hmm. I suppose I can see the difference.”

“There is one, as far as I’m concerned. I don’t know if I’m like most marketing professionals, but I can separate the two easily. My job is promote Daniel’s work—his films and TV appearances—not the person and certainly not his personal life.”

Nate’s response caused Lily’s lips to turn up in a grin. “I’m glad to hear you say that. I feel exactly the same way.”

He offered Lily a smile. “I know.”

“You know, Nate, we’re not all that different. We’re on the same team, just playing different positions.”

Nate’s eyes widened. “I suppose you’re right. I’d never thought of it that way.”

“It’s true,” she said. “We’re both promoting the same product in our own way.”

She hesitated, swirling what was left of the cappuccino in her mug. “You know, I was a little irritated at Daniel’s comment about doing press.”

Nate sighed. “The ‘mundane’ comment?” Lily nodded, still not able to meet his eyes. “Yeah, that was not one of his finer moments.”

“The thing is, I understand what he meant,” she explained. “I get where he’s coming from. I sat in that room and listened as people who should know better asked repetitive, silly questions. But I’m not going to lie, it stung to hear that. Especially having been there.”

“He shouldn’t have said it—for a number of reasons. First, he made my job even more difficult. Second, it’s not true for all press. Third, it just sounds like whining.”

Lily couldn’t help but laugh. “You know, if I didn’t know better, that’s exactly what I would have thought.
‘Oh, listen to Rich Boy complaining!’
Yes, the press there should have done better research beforehand, but that comment was an unfair assessment. Frankly, I could turn that around. I had to sit through interviews I cared nothing about just to get to twenty minutes with the star. He wasn’t the only one who was bored.”

Now it was Nate’s turn to laugh. “Fair point.”

“The thing is, celebrities and media need each other. Celebrities need media to promote their products, and vice versa. Media need celebrities to sell theirs. Not to sound cheesy here, but it’d be easier for everyone if we could all just get along.”

He smiled at her. “You know, not everyone is as perceptive as you are, Lily.”

She blushed at his response, worried she’d offended him. “Sorry. It’s just an important topic to me. I hope you didn’t mind me stepping on my soapbox.”

“Not at all,” he said. “It’s kind of nice to see someone so passionate and insightful about their profession.”

Lily felt her cheeks heat with Nate’s compliment.

“Okay, enough of the serious talk. I want to hear more about you, Lily. Tell me something I don’t know.”

Lily thought for a moment, taking a sip of her cappuccino before responding. “My biggest dream is to someday write a novel. And I love to travel. I grew up in a small suburb of Nashville, and as much as I love it, it’s also inspired me to see what else is out there, you know? I’d love to travel in Europe. If I could pick one place to travel, it would be Rome.”

Nate’s eyebrow rose. “A novel? I have no doubt I’ll see your name on the bestseller’s list,” he said with a grin. “And Rome is lovely. Perhaps we’ll see it together someday.”

Lily’s eyes lit up at the possibility. She wasn’t quite ready to admit just how much she liked him referring to the two of them in the future. “Maybe so.”

“Tell me more about your family. You said you grew up near Nashville?”

“Yes,” she said with a smile. “My family is everything to me. They’re such a big part of who I am. My family still lives there. My mom is the greatest anyone could ask for. I love her dearly—even when she’s driving me crazy. My brother and his wife have three kids. My nephews and niece—Evan, Celeste, and Dillon—are the coolest kids on earth. I adore them. And my best friends—Maggie and Colette—I consider them family, too. I shouldn’t complain, but I wish I had more time to spend with them all.”

“Sounds like you have a great family, Lily. I can tell how much you love them. That’s rarer than you think.”

“You’re not close to your family?”

Nate sighed. “I am in the sense that I see my parents regularly. But we’re not close in the same way you’re close to your family. I was cared for by nannies before going to boarding school. There are times when I think they were more of a mother to me than my own was. It’s not that she doesn’t love me. I know she does. But we’re just not an open, affectionate family. We didn’t do the whole gather-’round-the-dinner-table thing. My parents provided well for me, but they were always reserved with their affections—even with each other.”