Page 73 of My Book Boyfriend
“No.” She leans back to look up at me but doesn’t stop hugging me. “I didn’t trust you.”
“My grandfather hasn’t approved it yet.”
“Is that okay?” She still doesn’t let go of me.
“I’m not sure I would have trusted me either,” I say.
Lily’s face breaks out in a huge grin. “You tried to save the garden.” She does a little hop of joy.
I run my hand through my hair, frustrated that I haven’t yet saved the garden, as Lily looks at me.
“It’s kind of jarring seeing you as a seventy-year-old.”
“How did you know?”
“Your eyes. And your movements. And just you.”
She shakes her head. “I was afraid you’d recognize me. I’m really sorry. I wanted to trust you. I wanted to date you, and I didn’t want the garden to divide us. I decided that it wasn’t your responsibility to save the garden. It was mine. So when I was given a chance to be here today—long story—I had to come to make my speech to the board in case you were not trying to save the garden.”
“You’re willing to date me now?”
“Yes.”
I smile and kiss her lightly on the lips. “Okay. Then let’s go back in there, and you can persuade Grandpa. But you can’t dump me tomorrow.”
“I’m not going to dump you tomorrow. Even if we don’t succeed. You were right that even if the garden goes, I can probably save the community I created. And I have my family and my friends. I’ll be okay. So do what you have to do to be the CEO.”
“I hope we’re still together when you’re actually seventy. You’re still beautiful to me,” I say. “But how’d you get this job?”
“Bella has a friend who works here. He had an audition, so he was looking for someone to fill in for him, and I volunteered. I signed the confidentiality waiver. I won’t reveal anything. Please don’t punish him.”
“I’m not going to punish him,” I say and grab her hand just as the door opens. And there’s my grandfather.
He stares at our clasped hands.
“Your concern seemed very suspicious,” Grandpa says.
“This is Lily, the woman I’m dating, and the co-director of the Oasis Garden Board,” I say.
Grandpa coughs and bends over slightly, grabbing the wall. “She’s a bit old for you. Of course, she turned you down. What are you thinking?”
“Actually, I disguised myself as an older woman so Rupert wouldn’t recognize me, and I could sneak into the board meeting to make my pitch for the garden,” she says.
“Your Lily is spying on us?” Grandpa asks.
“Apparently,” I say.
“And is she the reason you want to save the garden?” he asks.
“Not the whole reason,” I say. “I wanted to save the garden because it makes good business sense. But I was more willing to take the risk of saying this is the right solution because I don’t want to lose Lily.”
“This is the right solution,” Lily says. “The Oasis Garden is so much more than just plants and flowers in a lot. It’s a community that brings together people from all ages and walks of life to be there for one another. We have families with young kids who get advice from grandparents, older people who can’t make it all the way to the parks, teenagers who hang out there because there are few other free places to hang out. They interact with the older people who mentor them, while the teenagers teach them about how to use their phones. Oasis Garden gets about fifty-thousand visitors. It’s worth saving, and it’s a legacy worth sharing.”
Grandpa nods and turns to Lily. “You remind me of my Rose.”
Yes.
“We could even call it the Rose Evans Oasis Garden,” Lily says.
