by Marie Scully
He looks at me. “No one knows how she died but my father and me. And now you. He paid some people off and passed it off as an accident.” He says this as if he doesn’t care but the pain in his eyes tells a different story.
“Why did you tell me?” I whisper.
“Like I said, you tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine. You have no idea how long I wanted to tell someone. It was her birthday the night of Ben’s party. That’s never the best night for me.” His eyes move over the crowd below as if wanting to escape and take back what he admitted. “There’s something about you. I can’t seem to figure it out.”
We sit in silence for a moment in our thoughts. At the top I break the silence. “Ask me again.”
Liam looks confused. “Ask you what?”
Taking a breath, I decide to go for it. “Ask me if I want to go out with you.”
His lips part with surprise; it takes him a moment to comprehend what I’m saying. “Danny, will go out with me?”
“Yes, Liam, I’ll go out on a date with you.” His grin and excitement are addictive. He leans forward, cups my head in his hand and teases me with a light kiss before moving back.
“Is that it?” I breathe out, realizing that I wanted more. He smiles as if he was anticipating my response. Leaning forward agonizingly slowly, he kisses me again—deeper this time. As with our first kiss, it feels as if I’m on fire. I want more than what we can have at this moment at the top of the Ferris wheel. My mind starts to race with thoughts of the future and the date, but I quickly settle them, wanting to be fully in the moment with Liam.
“I can hear your mind racing,” he whispers against my lips, pulling away briefly.
“Kiss me again and keep me in this moment—I don’t want to be anywhere else.” With my words out, lips meet once more and I allow myself to just feel.
❖
I quietly close my bedroom door, hoping to sneak out before Ben catches me and asks where I’m going. I’m not sure how he’ll take me going on a date with Liam. It’s been a week since I agreed to go out with Liam, and we’ve been texting back and forth since. I was trying to get out without Ben noticing.
But luck was once more not on my side. “Where are you going dressed like that and acting like a thief in the night?” Ben teases.
I jump at his voice.
“Damn,” I mumble. I turn to face him and look down at myself. I had on a red dress with spaghetti straps that sits a little above my knee. I wasn’t even sure it would fit, but it ended up fitting like a glove. A small black purse from Walmart hangs from my shoulder. Ben is leaning against his bedroom door with a smirk.
“I’m meeting some people for dinner,” I say—the first lie of the day. My hand moves nervously behind my back.
“Who’s picking you up?” he asks, already knowing the answer.
“Anyone ever tell you you’re nosy?” I point out and step to the side, closer to stairs.
“Surprisingly, yes.” I hear feet running up the stairs and turn to face Jimmy. His mouth drops open in shock as he sees me. You’d think I was wearing a clown outfit from their reactions.
“Danny, you look different, and you’re wearing make-up. Are you and Ben going out?” Jimmy gushes, mouth wide open. I start laughing and turn to see Ben’s reaction. The shock on his face makes me laugh harder, and my sides start to hurt.
Taking pity on Ben I try to stop laughing and bite out, “No, your brother and I are only friends.”
Jimmy looks at Ben and says, “Yeah, you’re not cool enough to get a girl like her anyways.” He nods in full confidence.
“Hey,” Ben yells out. Jimmy takes off with Ben on his heels down the stairs. “I’m going to get you for that.” But there’s laughter in his voice.
I start down the stairs when I hear the doorbell. Oh shit. I need to get to the door before Jimmy and Ben. I move as quickly as my heels will allow. But once I reach the bottom of the stairs, I see Ben and Jimmy wrestling for the doorknob. Ben holds Jimmy back as he opens the door, revealing Liam.
Ben looks back at me and shakes his head, saying, “Liam, shocked to see you here.” But his continued smirking tells me he’s not surprised.
Liam meets my eyes and desire shines in them. It makes me shiver. Just as fast as it was there, it’s gone as Liam looks at Ben and says, “What can I say, I was in the neighborhood. Plus, Danny was kind enough to agree to join me for dinner. The least I could do was pick her up.” He looks back at me. “You look great, Danny.”
A blush forms under my make-up. Thankfully I’ve put enough on that it should hide the red forming. He holds his hand out towards me, and I take a deep breath and step off the last stair. Just dinner, I tell myself again as I put my hand in his. It’s warm and welcoming, and my hand fits perfectly in his. Just dinner. He tugs me out the door into the night.
Bens says, “Well, you crazy kids, don’t stay out all night.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I say. The sad thing is Ben probably cares more about me than my true father. I’ve grown used to going where I want when I want and not having one worry when I got home or if I came home, but I like the feeling that someone would at least notice if I didn’t show up in the morning.
Ben shuts the door and Liam and I are left alone on the porch.
“You ready?” he asks.
“Yes. Where are we going?” Though I try to keep the nerves out of my voice, I know I fail miserably.
“Oh, it’s a surprise,” he says with a twinkle in his eye
Chapter Fifteen
Danny
“Tell me more about how you got involved with horses?” Liam asks on the drive. My mind races for the best way to explain my history without giving much away.
“I used to spend some time with a family that owned them.” Faces flash in my mind. “The head hand took a liking to me and taught me everything he knew.” More like he took pity on me and knew how badly my father treated me when I was over. Milo found me in the barn after one of the many hurtful things my father had said. I can’t remember what it was now. All the hurtful things have blended into one another. On that day, I needed an escape and ended up in an empty barn crying silent tears. Milo didn’t ask me what was wrong but instead told me to get up and that he needed help with the horses. I spent the rest of the afternoon helping and after that would sneak out as often as I could.
“Honestly, I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed being around them until I started working for Ben’s family.” At least that was entirely truthful.
“I get that. After my mom died, I stopped riding for a few months.” Liam starts to run his fingers over the wheel nervously as if he doesn’t speak of his mom often. “Being on a horse after her death felt wrong, but then the longer I was away from the horses, the worse I felt. Till one day, I couldn’t take it anymore and got back on. Horses have a way of drawing you back in when you least expect.”
Looking forward and not daring to glance at his face, I ask, “You don’t talk about her often, do you?”
His eyes never leave the road as he responds, but his hands continue to slide over the wheel. “You’re right. For some reason, I want to tell you about her. You don’t talk about that ‘family’ that owned the horses often either, do you?”
He has me there. I don’t respond; there’s no need. We both know I don’t. While Liam feels that he can talk to me, I feel the same way about him. This date may not have been my best plan. Liam may be ready to heal his wounds by letting them breathe, but I want to keep mine buried under the Band-Aid. They may be festering underneath, but at least I don’t have to see them and experience all the hurt constantly. At least not consciously.
The rest of the ride goes by in silence until we arrive at our destination.
As we pull up to the large brick building, I can’t hide my surprise. “A dance club,” I observe.
“You surprised?” he asks, turning the engine off.
“Only a little.”
“You were expecting a fancy boring dinner from me?”
he asks.
Yes, if I was honest.
“Only a little.” I grab my purse from the floor and reach to open the door, but Liam is already out of the car and pulling it open for me. As I exit the vehicle, he extends his arm to me, and I slide mine through his.
“Shall we? he asks, looking down at me.
“We shall.” My heels click on the concrete of the parking lot. The closer we get to the entrance, the more the sound of music reaches my ears. Liam opens the door for me again, and we step inside. Colored lights greet us; a live band is onstage, their voices and instruments setting the tone and energy of the room.
The dance floor is filled with large groups of people close to our age. They sway and grind to the music. The bar is huge and reaches from one end of the room to the other with five bartenders moving quickly to fulfill drink requests. There’s an upstairs balcony with tables and chairs. I’m people-watching when Liam nudges my arm and says, “This way.” I grasp his hand as he weaves us through the crowd towards the metal staircase leading to the balcony.
His hand is strong and warm. I can feel the rough edges of his skin from working on a ranch and riding horses his whole life.
Once we reach the top of the stairs, I can see that there are several people seated. Others are moving to the music by the rails. Towards the back, there are three dartboards and a pool table.
Our table is in the far-left corner. Liam pulls the chair out for me before taking his seat. He moves the reserved sign to the back of the table before glancing at me, asking, “What do you think?”
“I…” My response dies as the waitress comes to get our drink order. I order a Bud Light, and Liam gets a whiskey and Coke.
Once the waitress moved on to the next table, I look back at Liam and answer, “It’s a busy place. I would never have known it was here.”
The club is out in the middle of nowhere. It’s the only building in sight. Once we got off the main road and took some turns, the road became gravel.
Liam lets out a deep laugh. “You probably thought I was driving you all this way to kill you. Ben and a bunch of us have been coming here for years. It’s a fun place.”
Our drinks arrive, and it gives us a second to think. I nod towards the dartboards and ask, “You any good?”
“I think I hear a challenge.”
“Not so much. I know I’ll win.” James taught me various dart games and I’ve been known to win some money a time or two.
“That so?” He lifts an eyebrow in mock challenge.
“It is.”
“Okay then. Let’s make it more interesting with a bet.” He reaches his hand towards mine, offering to shake for it. I move to grasp it.
“What’s the bet?” I ask, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice. It’s been a long time since I was able to be competitive at a game—the will to win rushes through my blood.
“Hmm, if I win, you have to agree to me giving you refresher riding lessons. Not that you really need them, but I can use that as my excuse to have you to myself.” Confidence laces his voice as his eyes meet mine.
“When I win, I want to drive your car back. At my speed.”
Some of the confidence leaks from his eyes, the wheels turning in his head.
“You can back out,” I offer. I enjoy watching him consider it for a moment before his pride wins out. Moving his hand with mine, he seals the deal for good.
“Deal.” I watch the gleam grow in his eyes and for a moment I wonder if maybe I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. No, I’ll win this. I know it.
❖
“I think we got all the deep questions out of the way at the fair,” I say, and he lets out a deep laugh. I like this laugh. It’s different than his other laughs, like the ones at group events. Those laughs come out almost forced, planned, but his laugh tonight is smooth and light. “Ask me something.”
“Hm, well, you’re right—we did get everything of importance out of the way the other night. I mean, this date would never have happened if you’d answered mountains.” He nods in fake seriousness.
“Good to know that would have been the breaking point.”
“What’s your favorite ice cream? Keep in mind this is another breaking-point question.”
“That’s an easy one. Raspberry.” He looks surprised, and I ask, “What?”
“Nothing. I’ve just never heard anyone say that was their favorite. That’s one of my favorites too. Lex makes fun of me all the time and calls it the most random flavor to like.”
I nod—James made fun of me as well. He was a chocolate guy all the way. “It is random, but that’s what’s fun and different about it.”
“Best seat on a flight?”
“I don’t have a whole lot of reference for that one. I’ve only been on one flight,” I admit. He doesn’t say anything, which I’m thankful for; he waits for me to continue. The only flight I was on was for my father’s conference in Florida when I was fifteen. He wanted the whole “family” there as there would be interviews and pictures taken. “Window seat.”
“Completely agree. Ben swears that the aisle is best, but the window you have more room to nap and watch the clouds.”
“Most irrational fear,” I ask.
“Don’t laugh, but it’s getting pooped on by a bird.”
I start to laugh, but he gives me a look.
“Cough,” I reassure him.
“Uh-huh. When I was a kid, we were having family pictures done, and right before the first one, this bird shits on my shoulder. Of course, the rest of the family laughed, but I had to go change. Honestly, I was in a bad mood because I didn’t want my picture taken. My hair, clothes, everything had to look a certain way, and I wasn’t having it that day. It took another thirty minutes for my mom to find the second perfect outfit. Ten more minutes for it to look ‘perfect.’ Then as soon as I got back outside and took my seat, another bird flies over just as the picture was being taken, and it happened again.”
“You lie,” I gush. I’m picturing the event in my mind. Now I do laugh because I can see young Liam’s face.
“I couldn’t make this up. The pictures are still somewhere at the house. My mom was like, forget it, I’m done—take the pictures. Ever since then, I duck under a tree if I see a bird. I haven’t thought of those pictures in years.” He looks thoughtful for a moment before mumbling to himself, “I’ll have to find them.” I can tell he meant to keep that thought to himself, so I don’t respond.
“Well, mine isn’t as exciting—it’s having someone fall off a ladder on top of me.” He raises an eyebrow at my admission. “I have no clue why but whenever someone up there asks if I’ll come to hold it, I always picture them falling and landing on me.”
“What you’re telling me is in the future, if we have housework, I have to call Ben to hold the ladder?” I know he meant his words kindly, but my mind pictured the scene too fast for my liking.
“Yes, I just wanted to give you a heads-up,” I attempt to joke, but the scene is still in my head.
“You okay?” he asks, reaching for my hand.
“Of course—just thinking.” About how it would be nice to have a future with you. Yeah, I’m not going to say that, and I need to get these thoughts from my mind. Reaching for my drink, I take a large sip. Liam finishes signing the receipt and asks, “You ready to lose?” His competitive nature is showing. Good thing I can be competitive when I want to be. I feel my pulse quicken—I want to win. I need to win. I can practically feel the purr of the car beneath my hands. I haven’t lost a game of darts in three years, and this isn’t the night I’m going to start.
“Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing.” I let some of my smugness come out, and his smile gets larger. The competition has begun.
The only board left is the middle. While Liam retrieves the darts, it gives me time to look at the others playing. I quickly note that the group to the right of us is playing much better than the one to the left.
Liam returns to my si
de, holding the darts to me. I ask, “What game?”
“Ladies’ choice.”
That’s an easy choice. “301,” I say as I lift one of the darts between my fingers. I move my legs into a better position, keeping my eyes on the number eleven outer ring, then close my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before reopening them and throwing the dart at my target. It moves quickly through the air and hits the intended target in seconds. Doubles—just what I need. The game has begun.
I let out a little smirk and feel Liam’s eyes on me. I don’t look at him though—I just keep my eyes on the board. I release the next dart and hold my breath as it glides through the air. It once more hits the mark, and with that, I look at Liam.
I can see he’s impressed. Throwing my last one at the board lands me a triple. I’ll take it. We continue the game. He’s good competition. I can tell he’s not new to darts or 301.
The game is quick, with both of us playing with precision and luck. I can taste the win. I only need to score a double of twelve, and he needs twenty-eight. I have complete faith that he won’t get it this turn.
“Danny, remember what the bet is? If I win, you have to agree to let me give you riding lessons. If you win, you can drive home. If you want an out, speak now,” he says, twisting the dart in his hand.
I take a sip of my drink in mock consideration. “I can already feel the car purring. Better get ready to buckle your seat belt,” I say after swallowing my drink. Liam takes his stance, lifts the dart in his hand, and lets it fly, watching it as it cuts through the air.
Son of a bitch.
Liam looks like he just won the lottery, his eyes still on the winning dart. My eyes are still on the board as well. That was unexpected. The shock of the loss runs through me as I glance between Liam and the board. I know that my winning streak had to come to an end sometime, but I didn’t expect it to be tonight of all nights. It’s not that I don’t enjoy Liam’s company, but this was only supposed to be a one-night thing, just a fun night out, and then tomorrow I would go back to my world and he to his. I’m not looking for a relationship. I’m already in too far with Ben’s friendship.