He pulled the truck into one of the angled parking spots in front of the pub-style restaurant. “I’m assuming you’ve been here before, since you said you liked the burgers.”
“Yeah, I’ve been a few times with some of the people from work.”
He turned the engine off and opened his door. Ellie opened hers and was getting out when he came around to her side. He put his hand under her elbow to steady her as she scrambled out. His touch sent sparks up her arm...straight to her core.
You’d better be listening, she cautioned her heart. Liam and I are hanging out, nothing more. Unlike Angelo’s, this wasn’t a romantic date place. Since this wasn’t a date, she had no right to feel disappointed. And she certainly had no right to be using or thinking the word romantic in context with anything she and Liam did.
They strolled across the sidewalk to the entrance, his hand hovering over the small of her back, not quite touching. How was she supposed to read the mixed signals he was sending? Maybe it was all her fault for trying to read things into his actions and words that weren’t there. Your fault because you wanted this to be a date and it’s a let’s-hang-out night. She swallowed the sigh that bubbled up.
He turned his head toward her as they made their way toward the restaurant. “Something wrong with Hennen’s?”
Had he picked up on her confusion? She shook her head. “No. It’s fine.”
“Hey, I’m not such a guy that I don’t know what ‘fine’ in that tone of voice means.” He held the glass entry door open.
After stepping inside, she glanced up at him, her eyebrows raised. “And what does ‘fine’ mean?”
The outer door shut, leaving them alone in the restaurant’s vestibule. A small table with a bowl of wrapped mints and stack of takeout menus stood off to one side. Muffled sounds—music, conversations and clinking of dishware—came from beyond the inner door.
“I’m thinking it means there’s something wrong and I’m expected to figure it out.” His light blue eyes darkened.
Lost in those eyes, she had to swallow before she could speak. “And have you figured it out?”
“No, but I have an idea how to fix it.” He took a step toward her, his intense gaze on her lips.
“Oh? You can fix it without even knowing what it is?” All thoughts of why she was even upset flew out of her head. Liam’s sexy and oh-so-kissable lips took up all available space.
“Uh-huh,” he said, and lowered his head. “I was thinking of kissing it and making it all better.”
She noisily sucked in her breath. Were they really going to do this? Here of all places?
“Are you in?” His voice was hoarse, his expression hopeful as his gaze searched hers.
She rose on her tiptoes, placed her hands on either side of his face, pulling him close enough she smelled breath mints. “Does this answer your question?”
He dipped his head until his lips latched onto hers. The kiss was gentle, probing but firm. Her sigh parted her lips and his tongue slipped inside. The kiss she’d been waiting for her entire life was even better than she’d thought possible. It was sexy enough to send heat to her most sensitive areas and yet sweet enough to bring tears to her eyes. Make-A-Wish, eat your heart out.
She wanted it to last forever, but cooled air and noise from the restaurant blasted them as the inner door opened. Someone cleared their throat and Liam pulled away so quickly she swayed. His hands darted out, coming to rest around each side of her waist and lingering for a moment before dropping away.
“Ellie?” a familiar voice inquired.
Liam stepped aside and she came face-to-face with Brody Wilson. She groaned inwardly. As if getting caught kissing in public wasn’t embarrassing enough, it had to be by someone she knew, someone who would tell his fiancée, Mary, who would tell Meg. Trying to salvage the situation, Ellie plastered a smile on her face, which was probably as red as the ketchup on the tables inside.
“This is, uh...a surprise.” She turned toward Liam. “Have you two met?”
Brody juggled a large white paper bag into the other hand, then reached out to shake. “We met very briefly at Meg and Riley’s wedding.”
“Speaking of weddings, you must be the groom.” Liam shook hands. “I met the bride a couple days ago.”
“Yes, Mary mentioned that.” Brody nodded, his assessing gaze darting between them.
“Are Mary and Elliott with you tonight?” Ellie glanced through the glass door to the restaurant.
“No. They’re at home.” He held up the bag. “I stopped to grab burgers on my way back from checking in on Kevin Thompson.”
“Checking on Kevin?” Ellie touched Brody’s arm. “Did something happen?”
Kevin Thompson was a local youth who could have headed down the wrong path if not for Loon Lake’s caring residents. Ellie knew Riley and Meg had encouraged Kevin to stay in school, and Brody and Mary had boosted his self-confidence by having him interact with the kids at their summer camp for children in foster care.
The camp had been Mary’s dream. When she and Brody became a couple, they’d started a nonprofit and made her dream a reality. Their farm on the edge of town was the perfect spot.
Brody nodded. “Yeah, he sprained his wrist yesterday.”
“Oh, no. Wasn’t he your helper for the carnival preparations?”
Brody sighed. “With Riley working on their house and picking up overtime hours, I hate to ask him, but I may have to if we’re going to be ready on time.”
Liam quirked an eyebrow at her. “What’s this about a carnival?”
“I help out with a childhood cancer survivor group,” Ellie said. “We counsel survivors and those going through treatment. Plus, every year we put on a carnival as a fun activity for the kids.” She enjoyed giving back to a group that had been so helpful when she’d needed it. “We have as much fun as the kids and it’s important for them to see they can get through sometimes grueling treatments and enjoy life.”
“What sort of help do you need?” Liam asked Brody.
Brody stroked his chin with his free hand. “Mostly muscle and someone to assemble wooden booths. You good with a hammer?”
Liam bobbed his head once. “Sure. I’d be happy to help out.”
The inner door opened and Brody stepped aside to let a couple pass through. “Ellie, why don’t I give you a call later and we can make arrangements.”
“That sounds good. You might want to get home before those burgers get cold or you’ll be in trouble with Mary.”
“Yeah, we don’t want that.” Brody laughed and winked.
* * *
Liam’s hand found the small of Ellie’s back as if magnetized. He licked his lips at the cherry taste that lingered on them. What had he been thinking, kissing her like that in public? Yeah, no thinking involved. Ellie’s presence tended to scramble his thought process.
A hostess inside the restaurant greeted them and led them to a booth.
“Thank you for offering to help out with the carnival,” Ellie said as she slid into the seat. “You’re here working with Riley and now spending off-time working some more. Hardly seems fair.”
He sat across from her. “Are you going to be there?”
“Yeah. I always help out,” she said, and picked up the colorful menu.
Normally he’d run a mile from reminders of the disease that claimed his ma. Just thinking about cancer made his skin crawl, but he could man up and do this. For Ellie. “Then I’m in.”
She gave him a big smile and flipped open the menu. Yeah, that smile was worth giving up a few hours to help some kids. He should regret the kiss but he didn’t, couldn’t regret something that felt so damn good. With that kiss, tonight felt more like a date, despite him being careful not to turn it into one.
He’d decided to keep things casual with Ellie because being in remission was no guarantee t
he cancer couldn’t return. Nothing like wanting his cake and eating it, too, or in this case, wanting his Ellie and none of the burdens of a real relationship. How the hell was he going to make this work?
“Do you want to?”
Ellie’s question brought him back with a jolt. Had he said any of that aloud? “Huh?”
She tsked. “I asked if you wanted to split an appetizer.”
Before he could answer, someone called her name. Two men in EMT uniforms approached their booth. Liam frowned at the way they strutted over to Ellie’s side. The tall one appeared to be around Ellie’s age, while the shorter, dark-skinned one was older.
“Sorry, Ellie, we didn’t mean to interrupt your date,” said the older one.
She glanced over at Liam. “Oh, we’re just—”
“On a date but it’s no problem.” What the hell prompted him to say that? He was still striving for control, for keeping his feelings casual. If they’d run into two of Ellie’s female friends, would he have made the same claim? If he were a better man he’d know the answer. Since he didn’t, that put him in the “not a better man” category.
“We’re not staying, just picking up our supper, and noticed you in here while we were waiting,” said the younger guy.
“I’m glad you came to say hi,” Ellie said. “This is my friend Liam. Liam, this is Mike and Colton. As you can plainly see by their uniforms, they’re EMTs. It just so happens Liam is a firefighter.”
Liam shook hands with both men, applying a bit of pressure with the younger one, Colton, whose intense gaze had been on Ellie since they’d come over to the table. Yeah, more juvenile than a better man would behave, that’s for sure.
“We missed you at the softball game last weekend,” Colton said to Ellie, but gave Liam the once-over as he said it, as if Liam had prevented Ellie from playing.
Ellie rested her elbows on the table, lightly clasping her hands together. “Sorry I missed it. Did you win?”
“No. We got clobbered.” Colton shook his head and scowled. “That’s why we need you.”
Mike backhanded his partner on the arm. “Looks like our order’s up.”
Colton nodded but didn’t take his eyes off Ellie. “The cops challenged us to another game to raise money for a K-9 unit. You in?”
“Sure.” Ellie smiled and nodded. “Give me a call when you get a time and place.”
Liam bit down on the urge to tell the guy to get lost already. If Colton was interested, why hadn’t he taken her to the new patio at Angelo’s? Pot? Kettle. You brought her here instead of trying to get reservations at Angelo’s.
“Some of the guys were talking about getting a bowling night together.” Colton mimed holding a phone. “I’ll give you call.”
“Hey, man, you can’t pick her up while she’s on a date with someone else,” Mike said, and attempted to pull his partner away from the table.
“Sheesh, I wasn’t picking her up, just asking if she was interested in bowling. It’s for charity,” he grumbled, but turned back and grinned at Ellie. “See ya, Els.”
Els? What the...? Liam ground his back teeth as the two EMTs walked away. “He was definitely trying to pick you up.”
Ellie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. Colton called a couple months ago asking if I had the number of the new X-ray tech.”
So this Colton was a player? Well, he could go play in someone else’s sandbox. He and Ellie were...what? Hanging out to get Meg off their case did not a relationship make.
“Believe me, he was hitting on you,” Liam insisted.
She glanced over at the two men leaving the restaurant.
“Maybe it didn’t work out with the X-ray tech,” Liam muttered, and shook the menu open with a snap.
“Maybe.” She shrugged and set her menu down.
Did she have feelings for this Colton? He pretended to be interested in the menu’s offerings. “That Mike guy—”
“Stop right there. You’re not going to try to tell me he was hitting on me.” She heaved a deep sigh. “Mike’s happily married. He has a beautiful wife and two sweet daughters, all of whom he adores.”
Before he could say anything more about either EMT, a petite waitress with a short blond bob and an eyebrow piercing came over to the table.
“Hi, I’m Ashley, and I’ll be your server tonight,” she said, and rested her hand on the table near his.
“I’ll have a bacon cheeseburger and onion rings,” Ellie told the waitress.
Ashley nodded and scribbled on her pad without taking her eyes off him. He echoed Ellie’s order because he’d been too busy fending off her would-be suitor to read the menu.
“Now who is getting hit on?” Ellie said in a dry tone as she watched the perky blonde sashay across the room.
“Who? The waitress? She looks barely old enough to be serving drinks.” He sipped his water. “And we were talking about you. Colton was definitely hitting on you.”
She made a derisive sound blowing her breath through her lips. “I find that hard to believe.”
He shook his head. Did she not know the effect she had on guys? That megawatt smile that made her eyes sparkle created a pull, one he couldn’t deny. So why wouldn’t any other guy feel the same? “What? Why would you say that?”
“Because guys don’t see me like that. All they see is a shortstop for their softball team or a bowler for charity.”
“I don’t know who put that idea in your head, but it’s simply not true. And I’m a guy, so I should know.” Damn. Why did he say that? If she liked this Colton dude, saying things like that might give her ideas.
She snorted. “I don’t see you putting the moves on me.”
“What if I were to put a move on you?”
“Yeah, right,” she sputtered, and shook her head.
He let it drop, but began calculating how many moves he could make in thirty days.
Chapter Three
Several times during the day on Friday, Liam considered excuses to get out of helping Ellie with her carnival. Last weekend had been the anniversary of his mother’s death from stage 3 breast cancer that had spread. The years had muted the pain, but he wasn’t looking forward to all the reminders because it also reminded him of his friend and mentor, Sean McMahan. During Liam’s year as a probationary firefighter, Sean had taken him under his wing and they’d become close. Cancer had claimed Sean eighteen months after Bridget McBride. And yet he couldn’t—wouldn’t—let Ellie down, so that evening, he accompanied her to the church where they were setting up for the carnival. He’d insisted on giving her a ride when she mentioned meeting him there. Generosity didn’t enter into his offer; ulterior motives did. He wanted to see if she’d planned on coming or going with that EMT Colton, but her eager acceptance of his offer reassured him.
Liam resisted reaching for Ellie’s hand as they descended the stairs to the brightly lit basement. The place buzzed with the sounds of hammering, chatter and laughter. The scent of raw wood and paint permeated the air.
“I promised to paint some of the signs and to help Mary corral some of the younger kids. We’re providing nursery services to our volunteers,” Ellie said with a touch on his arm. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Brody waved Liam over and wasted no time putting him to work constructing a booth for one of the carnival games. Brody gave him a rough sketch of what it was supposed to look like. After helping with Meg and Riley’s renovations, this would be a cinch.
As Liam got busy laying out the precut wood Brody had supplied, a towheaded boy of around ten came to stand next to him. The boy shuffled his feet but didn’t speak.
Liam picked up the first pieces. “Hey, there, I’m Liam. What’s your name?”
“Craig.” The boy glanced at his paint-stained sneakers. “Are you Miss Ellie’s fireman?”
The pencil in Liam’s hand jumped and messe
d up the line he’d been marking. Calm down. He’s a kid asking a question, not making an observational statement. “I’m a fireman.”
The boy’s gaze rested on Liam. “I always wanted to be one.”
Liam’s heart turned over at the look of wistfulness on the boy’s face. Did this kid have cancer? Or was he one of the survivors? The boy’s choice of words hadn’t gone unnoticed. “Have you changed your mind about it?”
Craig shook his head. “Nah. But my mom gets a worried look on her face when I talk about becoming a fireman...like she wants me to pick something else. She’s been like that ever since my cancer.”
“You still have lots of time to decide what you want to be when you grow up.” What the heck was he supposed to tell the kid? Liam glanced around but everyone was busy building or shooing young ones back into one of the side rooms being used as a nursery.
The boy shrugged. “Yeah, the doctors say I’m in remission, but my mom still worries.”
Liam knew how the kid’s mom felt. He worried about losing more people to cancer, including Ellie, but he couldn’t say that to the boy. “Do you think you could help me get this put together? I could use the extra hands.”
Craig’s face lit up as he vigorously nodded his head. “I sure would.”
“Okay.” Liam handed him a peanut butter jar full of nails. “You can hand me the nails when I ask.”
The kid looked disappointed so Liam rushed to explain. “That way, I don’t have to stop and grab one each time. This will go a lot faster with your help. And I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have about firefighting as we work.”
Craig seemed to consider it. “I just wish my mom wouldn’t get that scared look when I talk about being a fireman.”
“Well, you’re still a little young to join. Maybe by the time you’re old enough, your mom will feel better about you becoming a firefighter.”
“I hope so. Does your mom worry?”
Had Bridget McBride worried when he joined the fire department? If she had, she’d kept it hidden. Of course, following in his dad’s footsteps may have made a difference. He honestly didn’t know if she worried because she’d never said so. “She might have.”
His Unexpected Twins Page 3