Later that evening, once Lee arrived home from work and Rosemary had returned from Buxton, Lilly used the opportunity to prepare for dinner at the saloon. As she had promised, she let Violet pick out the dress she would wear. Thankfully, her younger sister had decided on a royal purple dress and not some sort of plaid combination. Lilly also let Violet brush her hair out, if only to guarantee that she would continue to have a liaison between herself and her parents. Soon, Rosemary walked into Lilly's room and smiled when she saw her daughters. Despite a seven and a half year age difference, Lilly and Violet had a bond unlike any other she had seen. Rosemary knocked on the door and the two girls looked over towards their mother, "Violet, dinner is almost ready, so why don't you go wash up?"
"Okay," Violet hopped off of her step-stool and placed the brush on Lilly's vanity table. Lilly stood and Rosemary held back tears, "Mom, don't get all sentimental."
"You look beautiful, Lilly," smiled Rosemary, "I can't believe my first baby is all grown-up now."
"Oh Mom," Lilly hugged Rosemary, "You know I'll always be your little Lilly Bug."
"Well, William is waiting downstairs. Thankfully Aaron saved him from your father," smirked Rosemary and Lilly giggled.
Once the mother and daughter were in the living room, William and Aaron were both sitting on the settee, Lee pacing between the living and dining areas. William turned when he heard footsteps and he was overtaken with shock when he saw Lilly, "Wow, Lilly, you look…"
"I know," Lilly waved her hand towards him.
Rosemary hugged Lilly and then William, "Have a good time you two," she smiled eagerly.
Lee finally came over and looked William square in the eye, "Have her home by nine, William, understand?"
"I will, Uncle Lee, I promise," assured William.
"Okay then," said Lee, though you could still see the rigidness in his body, "I'll let you two go then."
"Bye Daddy," smiled Lilly sweetly.
"Have a good time, Princess," Lee embraced her and Lilly left with William.
Lee blew out a breath and Rosemary instructed to her son, "Aaron, go wash up for dinner." he nodded and disappeared upstairs. Rosemary turned to her husband and smiled, "Aren't they just the cutest?" she giggled.
"No, they're not!" said Lee, "Our little girl is going on her first date!"
"Honey, for the umpteenth time…"
"They're just friends," Lee completed Rosemary's sentence for her, "But do friends get greeted at the door? Do friends escort each other to restaurants? Do friends promise to take care of their companion?" asked Lee, pacing the room again.
"If they're polite they do," answered Rosemary confidently.
"Rosemary, don't you remember me coming to your place? Don't you remember me escorting you to Abigail's or the saloon?" Lee panicked.
"LEE!" Rosemary shouted to get her husband's attention. She grabbed his hands and squeezed them, "Lilly is a responsible young woman and you've known William since he was born. Even if this was a date, which it's not, he wouldn't do anything to hurt her."
Lee sighed, "Yeah, you're right," the couple heard someone clear their throat and turned towards the stairs. Violet was standing in front of them, arms across her chest, "Princess, how long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough," answered Violet.
"Remember our deal," Rosemary raised her eyebrows at her daughter.
"Mmhm," Violet nodded.
"Good, now go get your brother and come eat dinner."
Once William and Lilly arrived at the saloon, they were seated immediately and William poured the tea for both of them. They both stayed silent for several moments before the quiet got to Lilly, "So, do you have any idea what your first assignment will be?"
William placed his teacup in the saucer and shook his head, "No. I'm hoping it's close to Hope Valley, but it could end up being in Nova Scotia. Who knows?"
Lilly giggled, "Well that's part of the adventure of being a Mountie. Remember all of the stories your Dad would tell us when we were kids?"
"Were? He still would if given the chance. You know how much Dad loves to talk about his Mountie experiences," he smiled.
Lilly rolled her eyes, "Kind of like Mom does about her Broadway days."
"Speaking of Broadway, I'm surprised you haven't decided to go the acting route. Remember when you didn't get the part of Mary in the Christmas pageant? When I was eight and you were seven?"
Lilly glared at William, "Don't remind me. My severely hormonal but didn't realize she was pregnant yet mother almost killed yours. Thankfully, Uncle Jack has some sort of way of being able to calm her. The only other person besides Dad for some reason," their food arrived and the pair began to eat their dinner, "I thought about pursuing acting, but then I decided against it. The biggest theater scenes are in Toronto, Montreal, of course, New York City and I decided I really didn't want to leave home right now. Not with my friends and family here and not with Violet being so young still. I mean, she's only ten."
"You don't have any more family in Montreal?" asked William.
Lilly shook her head, "No, Mom's parents are gone; most of the great aunts and great uncles still live in France."
"Well, it's admirable you stayed in Hope Valley to help raise Violet. But then again, it's not all surprising because I've never seen a woman who loves children more than you, well, maybe my Mom. Also surprising given the fact that Aunt Rosemary hates children."
"She doesn't hate children!" Lilly mocked jokingly.
"No sorry. She loves you and your siblings, she likes me and my sisters, and she tolerates everyone else's children. Accurate assessment?" asked William. Lilly smiled and nodded. Once they were finished their meal, Lilly went to get the money out of her clutch when William stopped her, "It's okay, Lilly, I've got it covered."
"Look at you being all polite," Lilly pointed a finger at him.
Once the meal was paid, William began to walk Lilly back home, "I had a really nice time with you tonight," he commented.
"I did too. I think we should do it again sometime," she smiled.
They arrived at their houses on the edge of town and William escorted Lilly to the front door of the Coulter residence, "Well, I'll probably see you tomorrow."
Lilly nodded, "I have to work, but I don't have to start until lunch."
William and Lilly stood still for a few moments before William lightly kissed her, "Well, have a good night, Lilly."
"You too," she grinned from ear to ear, blushing. She entered her house where her mother was still waiting up for her, "Hi Mom."
Rosemary looked up from her book, "Hi sweetheart."
Lilly looked around the room, "Where's Dad?"
"He's in his office working on a finance report with Aaron," Rosie informed.
"All of those numbers. I don't know how Dad or Aaron stand it," Lilly waved her hand around again.
Rosie chuckled, but understood perfectly how Lilly felt, "Violet is up waiting for you," she motioned towards the stairs.
"Why?" asked Lilly in confusion.
"She wants you to read her a bedtime story," Rosemary commented.
"Alright," said Lilly.
"So?" asked Rosie curiously.
"So what?" asked Lilly.
"How was it?" asked Rosemary.
Lilly sat down next to her mother and said, "We talked, we ate, we came home. But he did kiss me," she blushed again.
"Oh that's so sweet! Ever the gentlemen," smiled Rosemary enthusiastically, "I can remember where I was when I first kissed your father …" Rosemary trailed off, her face falling.
"What?" asked Lilly.
Rosemary shook her head, "Nothing Lilly Bug. You should really get going. Violet is already staying up past her bedtime waiting for you."
"Okay. Good night Mom," Lilly kissed Rosie.
"Good night," said Rosemary. She watched her daughter retreat up the stairs before she said to herself, "Oh dear, it was a date!"