A/N: Just so you know it's going to take a while before we get to the Liley. Sorry guys but I like things slow ;]
R&R please!
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Fate
Shiny. That was the only word to describe the Orchard Publishing office. Shiny reception desk, shiny tiled floor, shiny coffee table and shiny picture frames on the walls. She stood out painfully in her black pencil skirt and white edged blazer. Should of worn sequins…She tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair and caught the receptionist eye. She was shiny too. Shiny black bobbed hair; shiny red nails that tapped at the keyboard mercilessly and a shiny name badge that declared her to be Vivian. The phone chirped and she answered in a heartbeat. She stood and smiled at Lilly. Even her teeth were shiny.
"Miss Truscott, Ms Ince is ready for you now."
Lilly stood and self-consciously smoothed her skirt down. Her heels clicked and the noise reverberated around the room. She paused at the door, breathing deeply, one hand outstretched. Vivian smiled at her encouragingly and Lilly opened the door.
"Ah! Good afternoon Miss Truscott. Please take a seat!" Ms Ince smiled broadly as Lilly took her seat. It was much more comfortable than the one outside. She smiled nervously and clasped her hands on her lap.
"It's nice to finally meet you Ms Ince."
"Yes, it's always nice to put a name to the face isn't it? I often wonder what my clients look like before I meet them. It's a sort of game I suppose." She peered at Lilly from behind her huge (shiny!) desk. "I thought I was getting rather good at it. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they write. You, however, write with more depth and personality than someone of twice your years and experience."
"Well, I've been told I have an old soul a few times actually." The two exchanged a smile and Lilly felt herself warming to the older woman.
"It's refreshing, that's part of the reason I was so intrigued by your work. May I ask why the change in careers? From what I hear you're an excellent director."
Lilly blushed at the compliment. "Well while I was at university I found that although I had an aptitude for directing and making films I enjoyed writing them a lot more." Lilly paused and the other woman nodded her encouragement. "For my final piece I write a short film and although I also directed it was the story that had caught the attention of the examiners. They contacted the board at the NYC film festival and they screened it. After that I walked straight into a job here in New York and managed to write and direct two other films. I've been working as a director and struggling to break into the literary world ever since."
"And here you are…" Ms Ince beamed at her as she pushed a wad of paper across the desk. "Here is the contract. Basically it outlines that we have sole publishing rights to your work. Feel free to read it at your leisure but it's exactly the same as the one I e-mailed you on Monday after our phone call. Just one small change in on page 7." Lilly flicked to the page and found a post-it note halfway down. "All it means is that, if you decide to make your work into a series we get to offer you a contract first."
Lilly smiled and shuffled the pages together neatly. "Well that sounds fine with me. Where do I sign?"
It took a few minutes to sign and date the appropriate documents and for Ms Ince to write Lilly's cheque. They shook hands and the older woman smiled.
"It's been a pleasure to meet you; I wish you all the luck in the world." She handed Lilly the cheque and chuckled as the blondes eyes widened. "That's just the first instalment; you get another after the printing starts and then more once sales begin."
Lilly resembled a goldfish.
"Thank you, so SO much." She pumped the woman's hand a few more times before leaving the office and closing the door behind her. In a daze she wandered towards the front desk.
"I'm glad it went well Miss Truscott." Vivian grinned from behind her desk as Lilly laughed.
"Thank you. Have a nice day!" Lilly didn't hear the receptionist reply as she left the building. The fresh air hit her hard and a grin split her face. She couldn't help but jump around and punch the air like a lunatic. The receptionist watched her through the big glass doors and laughed. She liked the blonde girl, she had character. Outside, Lilly stopped leaping around and straightened her clothes before heading to the nearest bank to deposit her cheque. The ink was barely dry and she was surprised it hadn't worn off under the intensity of her gaze. Her first paycheque from writing, this was too good to be true.
"$800,000… thank you Orchard!" She grabbed her phone and scrolled down her contact list. Mel C… Mikey… Nat… Nikki! She pressed call and put it to her ear. It answered on the 4th ring.
"Hellooo."
"Hey guess who?"
"Erm… Santa Claus? Ooh no! That really hot guy from R&D?"
"No, much better that them… ME!"
"Haha yeah, I thought that guys voice was a bit deeper and sexier."
"Hey you saying my voice isn't sexy?" Lilly pouted down the phone despite the fact her friend couldn't see her.
"Stop pouting."
"I'm not!" Lilly laughed, the girl knew her too well.
"Pfft! Yeah, sure. Whatever. Why are you so happy?"
"I got the contract!" Lilly had to pull the phone away from her ear. She held it at arms length but she could still hear the tinny, excited shouts from the other end. She waited until it was relatively quieter before putting it back to her ear. "So, I'm thinking R&D to celebrate. I think it's cool and pricey enough for the occasion."
"Yeah, you know I love their $7 cocktail pitchers!"
"I know it, the bar staff know it and so do the ladies toilets."
"Shush I'm not THAT bad."
"Yes you are." A shop widow caught Lilly's eye and she stopped. "Rally the troops; I'll see you at 8.30."
She stowed her phone away and pushed into the little shop. It was cramped, the walls were decorated with art prints and music thudded from a retro hi-fi near the cash desk. The clothes rails were zig-zagged around the shop and Lilly made her way towards the women's section, smiling at the girl behind the desk. She was dressed in tight jeans and a top so shredded it looked like she'd had a fight with a cheese grater. And lost. As she smiled back at Lilly, the blonde realised that the shop was somewhere she would have lost herself in when she was a teenager. It had the perfect mix of skater chic and electro-punk she had loved. She smiled to herself as she pawed through the rail, quickly finding what she had spotted in the window. It was a strappy black dress; it came just to the knee and had a red net underskirt. She looked at the pattern closely. What she had originally thought were white polkadots are actually skulls. She chuckled and checked the label. It's her size. Why the hell shouldn't she? Turning on her heel she makes her way to the cash desk.
"Hi you alright?" The girl takes the dress and scans it.
"Hey pretty good thanks. You?" Lilly smiles at the girl who seems glad to have someone to talk to. Must be boring on your own in a shop all day…
"Well work is bloody boring but at least I'm getting paid!" She laughs and folds the dress carefully. Lilly chuckles as she places the girl's accent. British! "I love this dress, its ace! Kind of funky but smart." She trails off as she puts it in a bag.
"Yeah I love the little skulls; I thought they were polkadots at first." She hands the money over and waits for her receipt.
"Well here's your receipt and your change."
"Thanks, see you."
"No worries, tat tar!"
Lilly hums to herself as she walks away from the little shop. "Tat tar…" How funny. She always did like the Brits; the accent was the second sexiest in the world. In her humble opinion of course! She tries to forget the sexiest, but it's damn hard. Some voices are unforgettable.
She enters her apartment building and stabs the button for the elevator. Clearing her mind takes a few seconds, she's gotten better at it over the years. Nothing will put a downer on today, nothing at all.
Once she is inside her apartment she kicks off her heels and heads to the bedroom to get out of her smart clothes. She hangs her new dress up too and flicks her computer on before heading into the kitchen. She has time to waste and decides to take up some of it cooking dinner. Chicken and pasta? Chicken and rice? Chicken and err… chicken? She throws the pasta into a pan and brings it to the boil. It will take a while so she cranks the stereo up and pours herself a glass of wine. The Veronicas finish and the first few bars of Pink - 'like a pill' - start up. It's one of her mix CD's, Lilly never listens to the radio. The blonde drinks deeply and licks her lips. Fruity. She doesn't care if it's an old song; she belts the words out as she checks her food, finishing her glass in one.
She washes the dishes quickly while her food cools and then sits at the table. It tastes delicious and Lilly thanks her lucky stars for Delia Smith's Easy Peasy cookbook. Good old Delia…She wonders whether it would taste even better if she had company. Lilly looks around the apartment slowly. It's nice, spacious and neat. But it's not very homely, not lived in. Suddenly, she feels very alone at the too big dining table.
She throws her food away, not caring that she threw the plate and cutlery away with it and heads to her computer. She picks up the bottle of wine on her way.
She sinks into the chair in front of the screen and pulls the keyboard closer. Her fingers move on their own and she finds herself browsing houses for sale. But not in New York. She types Tennessee into the area tab and scrolls through the search results. She knows it's a little sudden but at the minute it's all she can think of. Seven results down she freezes, mouse hovering above the link. "3 bedroom ranch house; fully restored. In need of some TLC." Her heart thuds loudly in her chest as she clicks and watches as the page loads. Slowly the picture materializes and Lilly laughs incredulously. It's THE house. Sprawling on the front lawn it's just as she remembers; weathered, charismatic and utterly perfect. She doesn't need to check the address but does so anyway; 1408 Otter Lane, Beech Creek, TN. She sits back in shock, clutching her wine to her chest and gazes at the pixelated screen. She is tempted to shut the computer off but knows that would be ridiculous. Lilly has never been one to over think things, she always does what feels right. Some called it foolish but Lilly thought they were the fools. Everything happens for a reason and you've just got to have the guts to go for it. If she had played safe and not taken each opportunity as it arose she wouldn't be here now. She'd have ended up a teacher, bored out of her skull and drowning in English papers. "You've got to grab life by the balls…" she muttered to herself. Her dad had told her this when she was eleven and though she had disregarded everything else the man had ever told her, he was right that time. She finished her wine and set the glass down on the desk. Her third, one more and the bottle would be empty. She chuckled as she typed the number in her phone. It started to ring. She hoped she didn't sound drunk. She had little time to fret as her call was answered.
"Hello Rocky Top Real Estate, how can I help ya?" The Southern twang was strong and Lilly felt a comfortable pang in her chest. It made her smile.
"Hello, my name's Lilly Truscott and I'm interested in a property I've seen advertised on your website."
"Ah! Website ey? I told Errol it was a good idea…" This last bit was said more to himself than anything. "So! Which property are we talkin' about here Miss?"
"1408 Otter Lane, Beech Creek."
"1408? You sure?"
"The ranch house..?" Lilly frowned.
"Well yer, it needs some TLC…"
"Oh I know that! That's why I like it." She chuckled.
"OH! Well that's swell! The inside has been completely restored, it just needs decoratin' and the outside just needs sandin' and paintin'. When do ya wanna view it?" She could hear him shuffling paper.
"I don't want to view it." The shuffling stopped but before he could question her she continued. "I want to buy it. What's the highest offer on it?"
"Um well ya'll the first to make an offer Miss." He shuffled some more paper. "It's on the market for $46,000. It comes with land out the back ya see. Runs right down to the creek."
"That's fine, can I organise the payment over the phone?"
"Sure! Let me get the computer goin'…"
Eight o'clock found Lilly locking her front door. She was wearing her new dress, chunky jewellery and a pair of killer ruby red heels. Move over Dorothy, Lilly Truscott has arrived! She made her way downstairs and smiled cheekily at a handsome guy who held the lobby door open for her.
"Thanks." She winked at him and strutted down the street. She felt amazing. There is something to be said for a small fortune in the bank, a new dress and a bottle of red wine.
Arriving at the bar a little after 8.30 she found two dozen of her closest friends taking up the large booth in the corner and a good half the bar. She made her way over to them and they all cheered.
"Here she is! The next Anne Rice!" Nikki flung her arm around Lilly's shoulders.
"Nikki, Anne Rice writes about vampires."
"J.K Rowling then?"
Lilly just laughed and rolled her eyes. Her friends gathered around her offering their congratulations and joking with each other.
"Hey you'd best not write any books about me!" Joel laughed with the others.
"Joel honey, Lilly doesn't write about bent lawyers." A pretty red-head joked.
"Lisa, I'm not a lawyer!" The group laughed heartily and Lilly made her way towards the bar. She found herself standing next to Charlie, a tall dark and handsome guy she worked with. The barmaid came over smiling appreciatively at him.
"Hey can I have a Coors Light and…" He turned to Lilly. "Whatever Blondie's having."
"Oh thanks um, I'll have an Alligator Cooler please." She watched as the barmaid headed towards the spirits.
"So… you're leaving us then?"
"Yeah, I'm going to miss it but it's just not for me anymore y'know?" It wasn't a question but he answered anyway.
"Yeah I know. You're too much of a free spirit." He smiled at her. "I knew you'd leave eventually, I just thought it would be a while yet." The barmaid finished shaking Lilly's cocktail and poured it into a glass Charlie handed her some notes and she gave him his change. He turned to face Lilly. "Here's to you LT." They both took a mouthful and Lilly felt the sour apple schnapps bite her tongue. God that's good.
She found herself spending most of the night taking part in numerous naughty drinking games and dancing to industrial rock music which the bar was famous for. She had just finished grinding with Nikki to Porcelain and the Tramps to the delight of the guys when she decided to tell them. She stood on one of the platforms by the DJ and shouted over to him to lower the volume. He did as she asked, he knew Lilly well enough after four years of her haunting the place with her friends.
"Sorry guys this won't take long!" The other patrons just waved her apology off and turned back to their drinks. Lilly faced her friends. "Ok so you all know that I got the contract with Orchard…" A cheer rose up with some applause." Yeah thanks guys, and you all know that I will be leaving my job at ABC Film." There were a few boo's here, from Charlie and a few other colleagues. She chuckled. "Sorry guys, I'll miss you don't worry. But there's something else… I'm moving to Tennessee."
She was met with a shocked silence and she slowly stepped off the podium. Nikki made it to her first.
"Why Lilly?" She didn't look angry or upset, just curious.
"I just need to Nikki, I feel like its something I'm meant to do." The others seemed to slowly rumble to life, muttering to each other. Lilly pressed on quickly. "I went to Tennessee once, when I was sixteen and I saw this house. I felt at home y'know? I always thought I'd move there at some point, live the simple life. When I got home before I just saw how empty my apartment was and how lonely I felt. I went on the net just to check the houses up for sale and I saw THE house."
"The one from Tennessee?" Nikki leaned closer.
"Yeah! It was like, like-"
"Fate?"
"Yeah! Exactly like fate. I bought it and I'm moving next week." Lilly stared Nikki in the eye. The girl had never stopped Lilly from doing something when she knew it's what she wanted. She could see Lilly wanted this.
"Listen up you lot!" She raised her voice and addressed the group, her eyes never leaving Lilly's. "Looks like our little Lilly's flying the coop, I know we'll all miss her but we love her and we'll support her whatever right? Right?!"
She was met by a roar of cheers and for the second time that night Lilly was pulled into the waiting arms of her friends.
A/N: Congrats if you guessed Lilly would move into the old ranch house. [Even if it was damn predictable lol] Oh btw, Porcelain and the Tramps are awesome. Go listen!