Page 39 of Lily
"He knows better than to mess with me, girly. I'm worried about you. Look around; you don't have to work here."
"It's a good job."
Darla snorted. "It's okay, and I say that having done it for almost thirty years. Go after what you love, Lily. There's more out there than a temperamental boss." Darla's words hit Lily square in the chest and knocked her breath from her. Maybe this was a nudge in the direction she had already been trying to go in?
"Thank you." Lily rushed forward and threw her arms around Darla. "You're the best coworker I could have ever asked for."
Darla squeezed her tight. "I know. I'm great." Lily laughed and turned her face into Darla's shoulder as she tried to blink back the tears that were threatening to fall. She could feel how much Darla cared for her, and suddenly, Lily understood why her job meant so much to her. It hadn't been the steadiness of the job or the regulars that had kept her going, but it had been Darla's constant friendship.
"But so are you. You deserve to get exactly what you want out of life. And somehow, I don't think it's here in this diner."
The woman had gotten her through some dark days, and now here she was once more picking her back up and reminding her of her worth. Lily didn't know what she'd done to deserve such a good friend, but she was eternally thankful for it. "Thank you, Darla. I'm going to go now and think really hard on what you just told me."
"You promise?" Darla gave her a shrewd look and Lily nodded, dabbing at her eyes.
"Cross my heart and hope to die."
Darla nodded approvingly. "Good. Now scram, kid, before you hear what I'm about to do to Donny for that bullshit performance he gave out there. You're too innocent for the words I'm about to use."
Lily laughed, but at the serious look on Darla's face, her laughter ended abruptly. "You're really going to give him hell, aren't you?"
"You don't even know. He's going to wish he hadn't ever been born," Darla told her. Lily backed out of the room and into the parking lot, thankful she was not on the receiving end of Darla's anger.
"Yikes," she whispered when Darla's muffled raised voice hit her ears even with the closed door and the span of the backroom between them.
"Yikes, what?" Sam asked from where he was leaning against the back wall.
"She's about to murder Donny," Lily said, pointing a finger at the closed door.
Sam snorted. "Good, because I was about to do it."
"I saw the look on your face. Thank you for standing down." She took a hesitant step toward him and Sam sighed, reaching out a hand to her.
"You didn't deserve that."
"That's the word on the street."
He laughed at her and pulled her close. "It's already made the block, huh? Good, little man like that needs to be put in his place. You don't belong in there anyway."
She nodded, turning over Darla's words. "That's also a word on the street." What was she going to do? She hadn't completely thought through her list of changes. The next was her living situation, but even with Sam's help, no job would make moving out on her own much harder than it needed to be.
"Why did you turn Ashley down?" Sam asked, surprising her.
"What do you mean?"
"She brought a job your way, one that's much more suited to your talents than serving and what? You just turned it down. Why?"
"Because I don't have the skill for it, or the talent. It's an opera, Sam." They turned the corner, and she caught sight of the scene unfolding in the diner. Donny looked like he was being cornered by Darla and a few regulars. The man had his hands up while Darla was giving him the business, and even from the sidewalk, it was easy to tell that she was yelling, not talking.
Lily felt a little bad for him. But only a little.
"I've heard you sing; you definitely have the range and vocal talent for it," he said, leading her across the street and to his car. "This has more to do with what you think you deserve."
She frowned, Darla's words coming back to her.You deserve to get exactly what you want out of life.
"I don't know what that is," she admitted. She turned to Sam and reached for him. "I'm scared."
"I know, little one. I know," he murmured, letting her lean into him. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I know you're scared, but you have to be brave for me."
