Friends--And Then Some by Debbie Macomber

cement walkway snapped Lily out of her daydream.
    “Lily!” Jake burst in the front door and grabbed her by the waist. His handsome face was flushed, and his emerald eyes sparked with excitement.
    “I just heard back from
The New Yorker
. They want my story!”
    “Oh, Jake!” She threw her arms around his neck and gleefully tossed back her head, squealing with delight.
    Jake lifted her from the carpet and whirled her around until they were both dizzy.
    “Plus, they’re actually paying me,” he added. He set her back on the carpet but kept his arms around her. Nor did her hands leave his shoulders as she smiled up at him, her eyes filled with warmth and happiness.
    “I knew it would sell,” she told him. “I knew it.”
    Jake felt he had to either let go of Lily or pull her to him and kiss her senseless. Reluctantly, he chose the former and turned to Gram, who was sitting in her old rocker, swaying.
    “Nzuri sana,”
Gram cried, resorting to the happy Swahili phrase to express her congratulations.
    Jake bent down and kissed the older woman soundly on the cheek. “We’re celebrating. All three of us. A night on the town, dinner, dancing. No more beer and television for us.”
    Lily’s heart sank all the way to her knees. “When?”
    “Right now.” Jake paused, seeming to notice her dress for the first time, and sobered. “You’re going somewhere.” There was no question in his voice. He knew. The joy bubbling inside him quickly went flat.
    “To the opera with—”
    “—Rick,” he finished for her. He rammed both hands into his pants pockets and gestured outwardly with his elbows. “Listen, that’s not a problem. We’ll do it another time.”
    “I don’t want to do it another time.”
    “It works out this way sometimes,” Jake said. “Don’t worry about it.” He headed out the door.
    “Gram?” Lily turned frustrated, unhappy eyes to her grandmother and cried,
    “What should I do?”
    “That’s up to you, girl,” Gram answered obliquely.
    “Jake—” Lily rushed out the door after Jake. “Wait up.” The screen slammed and Lily hurried down the porch stairs.
    Jake paused in front of his cab, keys in hand. “What?”
    “Don’t go,” she pleaded.
    “From the look of you, Rick will be here any minute.”
    “Yes, but I want to go with you.”
    “For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve talked of wanting to attend an opera. You’re going. We’ll celebrate another time.”
    “But I want to be with you.”
    “No.”
    Lily battled with herself. She couldn’t wait. Jake deserved this celebration. This sale was a victory, a triumph. Ever so briefly, Jake had held her with an exhilaration that would fade in time. She wanted to be with him tonight more than anything—more than seeing an opera or sharing almond-saffron soup with Rick.
    “Please, please come back in three hours,” she pleaded, holding his hand. “I’ll be waiting for you.” Because she couldn’t stop herself, Lily stood on tiptoes and planted a warm, heartfelt kiss on the side of his mouth.

Chapter Six
    “Are you sure you’re going to be all right?” Rick asked with such tender concern Lily thought she might cry.
    In response, she pressed her palms against her stomach and leaned her head against the headrest in the luxury car. “I’m sure it’s nothing serious.”
    “I should have known you weren’t feeling well.” Rick’s gentle voice was tinged with self-derisive anger. “You haven’t been yourself all evening.”
    Because Lily had felt guilty all evening!
    “You’ve been so quiet.”
    It wasn’t like her to deceive anyone.
    “I only wish you’d said something earlier.”
    She couldn’t. When she had asked Rick to take her home because she wasn’t well, Lily had felt as if there were a neon light identifying her as a scheming liar flashing across her forehead.
    When Rick parked the Mercedes in front of Gram’s, Lily automatically looked around for Jake’s cab. She saw no sign of it and