CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Maggie
We walked into the bookstore and Mrs. Fairfax, the elderly woman who ran the place, was behind the register, organizing some new hardcovers on a shelf. She turned when she heard us come in, then smiled as I approached.
“Maggie! So nice to see you again,” she said.
I smiled and turned to Liam, waiting to introduce him.
“Liam, this is Mrs. Fairfax. She could’ve helped you, too. But I’m greedy and want the free book. Mrs. Fairfax, this is Liam, the chef over at Cagney’s.”
Liam reached over and shook hands with the owner of the small book shop, an almost relieved-looking smile on his face. What was that about?
“Is there anything I can do for you? Your order hasn’t come in yet, dear,” Mrs. Fairfax said.
“I know. I’m just here to help Liam pick out a few books. We won’t be long.”
I turned to ensure he was following me, then made my way towards the non-fiction section.
“What’s all this?” he asked, looking around.
“This is the biography section. True stories about real people, either written by the people themselves, or by a second party. Pick a chef.”
“Anthony Bourdain.”
“Easy,” I said, and pulled a paperback down off the shelf.
No Reservations. He flipped it over and read the back.
“Another,” I said.
“Ruth Reichl. Not really a chef, but a great restaurant critic.”
I spun around, focused on a row of books, and let my finger trail along their spines until I found what I was looking for. Tender at the Bone. Again, I handed it to Liam, who flipped it and read the description. Two minutes and he already had two books.
“You’re good at this,” he said.
I rolled my eyes.
“It doesn’t take any special talent to find books that you tell me you’re interested in.”
“Fine,” he said. “Then recommend something.”
I smiled at the challenge and started wandering through the stacks. He followed a few paces behind, giving me the space and silence required to make such a selection. I finally settled on a copy of Douglas Adams’ Last Chance to See. As I turned to hand it to him, Shane came around the corner.
“Maggie!” he said.
“Shane, so good to see you.”
He reached over and gave me an awkward hug. Awkward both because Liam was standing right there, and awkward because of the way we’d left things at Elena’s that night. I pulled away and turned to Liam, pulling him forward.
“Liam, this is Shane, Shane, Liam—”
“Yeah, actually—” Shane started.
“Yeah, actually, I think we may have met somewhere before. You look familiar, man,” Liam said, glaring at Shane.
Shane let out a short laugh and nodded his head.
“Yeah. Someplace.” Shane turned to me. “Listen, if there’s anything you need—”
“We’re good, thanks. I don’t want to keep you from your work.”
He smiled and walked past us, and I handed the book to Liam, feeling the buzz of my phone in my pocket. I pulled it out, intending to turn it off. My parents.
“Shit. They’ve been calling non-stop. Actually, it’s good you’re here. Would you mind saying hello? They’ve been asking about you.”
Liam reached out and took the phone from my hand, answering the call.
“Hello? Maggie’s phone. Mrs. Grant! So good to hear your voice! No, no, I’ve just been busy at the restaurant. Maggie? Yeah, she’s here. She was just busy with something so I grabbed the phone. Hold on, I’ll pass you over. Okay. You take care, too.”
He smiled as he tossed the phone back to me, clearly pleased with himself. I was grateful. They’d been on my back for weeks about him—Where’s Liam? How come we never speak to Liam? This was the best thing that could’ve happened.
I put the phone to my ear and listened as my mother ran through her weekly news. I wasn’t paying attention and almost missed the last part.
“What?” I said. “Can you repeat that, please?”
“Sure thing, honey. Sunday night. We’ll be there Sunday night and we’ll leave Monday afternoon. We decided to loop back around instead of going directly home. Some stuff on the East Coast we want to explore. We’ll only be with you one night.”
It felt like all the breath had been knocked out of me. Liam was staring at me as he paid for the books with his gift card. Then he took my hand and guided me outside into the fresh air. I was just hanging up the phone as we hit the sidewalk.
“What was that all about?” he asked.
“They’re coming back. Monday.”
A surprised look crossed his face.
“For how long?” he asked.
“Just one night. We can say you’re out of town.”
“They’ll never believe that. It’s the height of the tourist season. Where the hell would I be?”
“Shit.” I wracked my brain, trying to figure out how I was going to spin this, when Liam reached out and took my hands.
“Hey. It’s okay. I’ll stay the night.”
I looked up at him, disbelieving.
“Really?”
He nodded.
“Why would you do that?”
He shrugged.
“I dunno. Got nothing better to do. And we didn’t come this far just to blow it for one night.”
Without a thought, I threw my arms around his waist and hugged him hard. He was stiff at first, surprised, but he quickly recovered, wrapping his arms around me and hugging me back.
Without letting go, I whispered, “I didn’t get my book.”
He laughed softly.
“I’ll give you the rest of the gift card.”
Neither of us had let go.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Liam
I couldn’t believe my luck. If I’d tried, I wouldn’t have been able to plan it better. When I saw that skinny fuck in the bookstore, and then realized it was the same dude she’d been dancing with at Elena’s, I figured my chances were shot. But she’d blown him off, and the day had gone well. Until the phone call.
But in the end, that phone call was everything. It was my ticket back in. I was standing at the stove, checking on the demi-glace to make sure it was reducing properly, shaking my head in disbelief.
“And how do you plan to play this?” Adam asked.
By this point, no one was even being discreet anymore. My social life had become the staff project. Everyone had a fucking comment or suggestion. It was driving me nuts, but I tried to take it in stride. Toni and her big mouth. But I couldn’t be mad at her. I was too crazy about her.
“I’m not worried. We’ve spent the night together before. The woman can’t resist me,” I said. “Correction, we can’t resist each other.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” Toni said, dipping her finger in the sauce. “Back up, Chef. You are not going to touch her. Sauce is perfect, you’re a genius.”
“What do you mean, I’m not going to touch her? That’s my fucking secret weapon.”
She shook her head while the rest of the staff looked on in disbelief.
“Chef. You’re trying to show her you’re not that guy. You need to win her heart, not her pussy. Remember what Adam said—make her come to you. It’s got to be her idea,” Toni said.
I glanced over at Adam and he nodded.
“So what do you suggest?” I asked the room.
The dishwasher poked his head up from his station in the corner and offered, “Just be honest. Tell her how you feel.”
I stood there, stunned. That wasn’t covered in any of the romance novels. I looked around to get a consensus, and everyone was nodding in agreement.
“Toni?” I asked.
“Yeah. It makes sense.”
Just then, the first server walked in with an order and we all got back to our stations, revving up for the night.
*
First thing Monday
morning, I called Maggie.
“Hey, I had an idea. Why don’t we meet at the grocery store and we’ll pick up some stuff for dinner? I’ll cook for your folks and we’ll make a fun evening of it.”
There was silence for a moment and I wondered if I’d made a bad call. Had we reached this level of friendship yet? Was I overplaying my hand? And when the hell did I start overthinking shit like this?
“Never mind, it was just an idea—”
“No,” she interjected. “It’s a great idea. Let’s meet in an hour.”
I smiled, said goodbye, and hung up the phone. Then I jumped in the shower.
*
She was waiting for me by the front entrance of Lester’s General Store, the only real grocery store in town. It had a surprisingly good produce section and whenever I couldn’t make it up to the farm I stopped in. Lester also ran a great butcher shop. Over the years, the residents in Mountain Valley had changed and now they wanted better food, so he adapted. At least that’s what he told me.
Maggie looked stunning, as always. She had such an easy beauty to her. She never did anything, never wore anything special—she just exuded warmth, and that made her beautiful. I couldn’t imagine what she’d looked like all dressed up, going somewhere formal. I caught myself hoping I’d get a chance one day to find out.
Never had a woman affected me like this before. I liked women, I had a healthy respect for them, and normally, an insatiable appetite as well. But I hadn’t even thought about sex with anyone else since I’d met her. And when I was spending time with her, I wasn’t even trying to work out ways to get her into bed. She made me laugh. She made me think. She—
Oh, fuck.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Maggie
I didn’t know how to feel about this plan when Liam called me. I was grateful that he was doing me the favour, but I wasn’t exactly keen on spending any additional time with him. Once I’d decided he wasn’t right for me, I had no interest in being in such close proximity to something I’d never have. Sure, the past few times we’d seen each other had been enjoyable. Fun, even. I’d seen a side of him I’d never seen before, and that was nice. But that’s all it was. Nice.
But in the end, grocery shopping with Liam turned out to be an adventure. I shouldn’t have been surprised. He told me so much about the different fruits and vegetables as we strolled the produce section. The properties of each, how he prepared them, what dishes he used them in. We had a similar experience at the butcher counter, where he explained the different cuts of beef, and how to know which pieces demanded to be roasted, braised, or grilled.
It was a fascinating escape into his world, and I loved watching him light up as he talked about food. It was clear how passionate he was on the topic. He dragged me into the spice section, showing me his favourites and letting me in on some of his chef secrets.
“How do you know when bread is ready?” I asked.
“Knock on the bottom. Should sound hollow.”
I nodded, eager for more.
“And how do you know how long to cook one of those massive cuts of meat?”
“Depends on the cut and desired level of doneness. It’s an x number of minutes per pound equation.”
“Amazing,” I muttered.
He grabbed my hand and dragged me to the dairy counter, where he had me try a variety of different cheeses. It seemed when you were a top chef and you shopped in the local stores, they were more than willing to let you sample. It was like my own private Saturday morning at Costco.
By the time we hit the checkout line, we were both in a great mood, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. The dread I’d been feeling about the impending evening was quickly being replaced by anticipation.
*
By the time we got back to my place, it was already five o’clock. Liam got set up in the kitchen, then called me in to play sous-chef.
“This is ridiculous,” I said. “I mean, I can cook, but I can’t chop like you want me to chop these.”
I was staring helplessly at a pile of carrots that he expected me to cut in these perfect diagonal ovals. He’d demonstrated for me earlier, but I’d been distracted by the way his muscles moved as he brought the knife down. It was unsettling having him back in my kitchen. I didn’t think having him around would affect me like this, but as soon as he stepped into my house, my body turned on. I put down the knife and went to open a bottle of wine.
“I gave you a knife demo last time I was here. Haven’t you been practicing?” he asked, a chastising tone in his voice.
I poured myself a glass and took a sip before pouring one for him. I passed it over, but he just took it and set it on the counter.
“Come here,” he said.
I walked over to him, anticipation heavy with each step. I could smell him and it was driving me crazy. He took my wrist, then guided me to the counter, getting behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist.
“Just like this,” he said, picking up the knife and showing me how it’s done.
I allowed myself a fraction of a second to melt into his chest. He stiffened, and I instantly regretted it. I stood up straighter, but his arm came around my waist, pulling me closer once more. I turned my head to look at him, and we just stood there, gazing into each other’s eyes. Desire enveloped us. I saw it in his eyes, and I knew mine reflected the same. He dropped the knife on the counter and took my chin in his hand.
Then the doorbell rang.
We both jumped apart as if caught in some illicit act. My heart was beating so fast I thought it would rip out of my chest.
“My parents,” I muttered.
“Yeah,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “Of course.”
I backed away from him until I hit the counter, then turned and went to answer the door. My parents barreled in, laden with shopping bags and the overpowering scent of pine air freshener. Way too much time in the RV.
“Maggie, so good to see you, sweetheart!” My mother pulled me in for a hug while my father slapped me on the back and went straight towards Liam.
“Liam, I told Maggie to have you call. You’ll never believe this incredible spice mix I found at this roadside stand. Unreal.”
My dad and Liam retreated to the kitchen to talk shop and finish prepping dinner. I stood by the door with my mother while she sorted out her multitude of shopping bags. There was another knock on the door and it cracked open, Justin sticking his head inside.
“Saw the RV and figured it was safe to assume you were here,” he said, giving my mother a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Hey,” I said. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
I went over and hugged him.
“Justin? Is that you?” my father called from the kitchen, even though they were in direct line of sight.
My brother gave my shoulder and squeeze and shot me a quizzical look before nodding his chin towards Liam. Later, I mouthed. He nodded once then went over to say hi to dad. Since Justin and Liam were now available, my mom and I decided to take a walk while the men finished making dinner.
The weather was lovely, a perfect July day. Having stopped for a few minutes to take a breather, it was hard to believe how much I’d packed into the past few hours.
“I’ve got to tell you, Maggie, I’m surprised at how much I like Liam,” my mother said, breaking the silence.
“What’s that supposed to mean? That no decent man would be attracted to me?”
“No, it’s just, well, the tattoos, the overall look—for someone who has steered clear of dating for a while, he seemed an odd choice. I was worried maybe you were just rebelling. But the more I get to know him, the more I like him. You did good, sweetheart. I’m happy you’re happy.”
“I am happy, but that doesn’t mean he’s the one, Mom. We’re having a great time together, but things do change.” I figured it best to prepare her.
“Oh, no. I can see it in the way you two look at each other. He’s crazy about you. Ju
st as crazy as you are about him.”
We walked, our footsteps crunching on the pine-strewn path through the woods by the coach house. The trail was one of my favourite parts of living here. Anytime I needed to get back in touch with myself, refocus my energy, I had this glorious trail through the woods literally outside my front door. It offered a different sanctuary than the jigsaw puzzles.
“We’ve been having a bit of trouble lately,” I ventured.
I’m not sure why I said it. I guess I was longing for that mother-daughter bonding moment where she would give me all sorts of great advice. She gave me a sympathetic look and took my hand.
“I told you, dear. He’s a good man. Just do what makes him happy.”
So much for that.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Liam
I was determined to do everything right. I repeated the steps in my head like I was memorizing a recipe. A spoonful of affection, a cup of chivalry, a dash of romance. I worked my way through dinner prep in a bubble, only coming out occasionally to give instructions to Justin or his father.
When Maggie got back from her walk with her mom, I was ready. I met her at the door with a glass of her favourite red wine and kissed the top of her forehead. She blinked, surprised, and thanked me before taking a sip. I felt her eyes on my back as I returned to the kitchen. Once there, I watched discreetly as she walked into the dining room and saw the table.
“Oh, wow. You did this?” she asked, looking at me.
I’d found her nicest dishes and set the table, taking care of everything so she’d just be able to relax and enjoy dinner. I had carefully moved the puzzle to the very edge and boxed the loose pieces without ruining her system. I smiled and pulled a chair out for her. Again, she looked at me in surprise. Five points.
A Dash of Romance Page 10