by Loren
Gene shivered, and Liam reached over to pull the corner of the covers around them. Gene scooted over, putting her head on his chest, so they were wrapped up together like a cocoon in the covers. She could feel his heartbeat against the back of her head and hear his soft breaths. It was calming, and she wondered if that was the way love was supposed to feel.
“Why did you bring me out here?”
“You seemed stressed the other day and it occurred to me you’re probably stressed out a lot running your own business and trying to figure that ownership thing out. I was hoping to take you out here and let you feel calm.”
That so thoughtful of him. Gene, instead of waxing poetic or saying something sappy, patted him on the chest. “You did good.”
Even though the night was calm, Liam seemed tense, like he wanted to say something. Of course, her mind went to the worst case scenario. Maybe he was going to break up with her. Maybe he really did want to kill her out here. If he did, he wouldn’t get away with it. His car was on the cameras at the garage.
“I want to—” Liam said at the same time her phone rang, and she groaned leaning over to pull it from her pocket.
“One second,” she said digging it from her jean pockets. She rarely received calls, so whoever was calling must have thought it was important enough to bother her.
“Whoever it is, they can wait,” Liam said, pushing the phone down, and she shook her head.
“No, it might be the shop.” She raised the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
“Gene. It’s Rick.” Liam frowned as if he could tell it was bad news. “You have to get down here. There’s some kind of leak.” Gene leaned away from Liam, and his eyes lost their passion. A twinge of regret pulled at her gut.
“Leak? What the hell? Where?” She began to panic. Of all the things to happen. Not the shop. It was all she had left. She couldn’t afford a repair plus payroll.
“There’s water everywhere, but it hasn’t reached the office yet.”
“Okay, go get some industrial dryers and try to clean it up,” she hesitated, “I—uh...” Could she leave Liam right now to deal with Lady Parts? Rick was speaking, but the sounds all seemed to muddle together. Liam was there in front of her, gazing past her with a look of disappointment on his face.
She was suddenly brought back to the moment by Rick’s voice, loud and boisterous. “I can’t afford no shit like that!” he exclaimed. She couldn’t either.
Gene stuck her finger into her mouth instead of cursing too. “I understand. Do what you can to hold it back.” She glanced back at Liam, and knew she had to make a choice. “I’m on my way.” Liam was already on his feet and helped her onto hers. She watched as he meticulously packed away the evening he had planned for them. The wicker basket was still full, he hadn’t had a chance to unpack it. She crossed her arms and examined the way he frowned and refused to look her way. There had been a look of expectancy in his eyes earlier, an anxiety or was it hope? “I need to go to Lady Parts.”
“Want me to come with you?” The surprise in his voice made Gene cringe. Had he expected to stay? Had he imagined this would be a quick turn around and she’d be right back?
She didn’t answer him, instead, the tunnel vision was taking over, and she couldn’t stop thinking about where she could get huge dryers at this hour. She wasn’t sure how many she would need or what they would cost, but it was more than she had budgeted for the month. She ran some quick figures in her mind, deducing she could cut her own paycheck this month and it should even out.
“Gene!” Liam said, jolting her from her thoughts.
“What?” Couldn’t he see she was busy thinking about her company’s future?
“You want me to come with you? I could stay and help,” he said, and she shook her head.
“I can take care of myself. I can handle it without you. Thanks though.”
It wasn’t until later she realized how harsh those words had come out. But in the moment, she hadn’t thought about it. In the moment she couldn’t think past getting back to her shop.
He followed her to the driver’s side of her car. “I know you can handle it yourself. I’m just trying to help.”
“Well stop.” She took a deep, calming breath.
“I told you I’d be here for you in whatever way you need. You could take me up on that.”
“Or, I could worry about my shop,” she snapped and opened the door. She had already spent too much time talking. Her store was drowning.
He sighed, the kind of bone-weary sigh that old people make when they’re reminiscing. “No matter what I do it won’t be good enough will it?” He stilled, holding the car door open, and the vibrancy left his eyes. He wasn’t radiating heat and passion any more. Before he was tentative but she could still tell how badly he wanted her. There was no doubt he was making Gene the focus of his attention. But now, Gene could sense the shift in the way he avoided eye contact with her. What was his problem?
She wasn’t sure what to make of Liam and his sudden change in demeanor. He hadn’t done anything to her or for her ... but that was his point, right? Perhaps he was hinting at something? She wasn’t about to let him do anything for her—she had gotten this far alone and there was no room for mistakes. Maybe there wasn’t room for Liam, either. If she allocated space in her heart for him and let him take care of her, only to let her down, she wasn’t sure if she could handle that.
“You haven’t done anything,” she whispered.
“Right, because you haven’t let me,” he said bitterly. “Somewhere in your mind, I’m already guilty of something.”
That wasn’t true. She just didn’t trust him. But those things were one in the same, weren’t they?
“Liam, I can’t do this right now. I need to take care of my shop.”
“I understand,” he said, and she turned the key, starting the engine.
“Will you call me when you get home?” he asked.
“If I remember, I’ll text.”
The strangled look of pain on his face was enough to make her regret what she had said, but he didn’t reply. Instead, he waited for her to close the door and pulled off without saying goodbye.
She couldn't stop thinking about what he said the entire time she slogged through the inches of water on the concrete slab of her garage. Thankfully there wasn't too much damage to the equipment. If they got everything dry, rust wouldn't set in. Without the dryers, their best options were to squeegee the water out, and that would take hours with only her and Rick. If she had been smart, she would have taken Liam up on his offer to help, but it appeared that her smarts were not with her today.
Damn her stubbornness. She had let her fears and distrust get the best of her. She cringed. Liam hadn’t said goodbye. She had seen the look of desperation on his face. The hurt he felt was there on display in the way his right shoulder slouched as he drove, when his posture was typically energetic and ... alive.
Finally, an end was in sight, and the cleaning was almost completely done. Working in silence gave her time to think and she decided to bite the bullet. At some point, she was going to have to take her friend’s advice and learn how to trust again. So far, Liam hadn't done anything wrong.
She stepped to the side of the garage and began pacing. Should she apologize? Not wanting Rick to overhear her conversation, she walked a few paces further and dialed Liam’s number. He picked up on the first ring.
“Is everything alright?” Gene’s heart constricted when she heard the worry in his voice. Suddenly, him being anywhere but with her seemed too far away. She wanted him here at the garage with her. I’m sorry, she wanted to say.
“Yeah. So far, nothing too major. It looks like we caught it in time. The bathroom pipe burst, so I will have to call someone to fix it tomorrow.”
“I’m glad everything worked out,” he said. There was a pause. Was she supposed to say something? An awkward silence fell between them.
“Um,” I’m sorry, she kept thinking. “Are you in be
d?’
“No. Sitting on the couch.”
“Would you mind coming to pick me up?” She didn’t trust herself to drive back. She was wet and not in a good way. Plus tired which was a bad combination on the road.
She could hear rustling in the background. “I’m on my way.” A burst of relief filled her chest. It almost felt as if she had been holding her breath since she watched him drive off without a word.
Despite her fatigue and their slight skirmish, she smiled. “See you soon,” she said in a whisper. It was very possible that he had already hung up and was on his way, and she was talking to herself. She looked down at her phone, and for the first time since arriving at Lady Parts, she wasn’t thinking about the shop or the water. She wanted Liam and only Liam.
It was time to put on her big girl panties. There was an apology she needed to deliver.
“Thanks for everything, Rick,” she said, putting the squeegee back in the storage closet. “If you hadn’t been here, who knows how much damage would have been done.”
“You can thank my girlfriend for kicking me out,” he said chuckling. “The garage happened to be on the way back to my place and I saw water leaking out.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything. That was none of her business.
“You need a ride home?” he said, and she shook her head no with silent gratitude. She did not want Rick knowing where she lived.
“I’m good. Liam is on the way.”
“Oh, pretty boy,” he cooed with a cynical glower Gene saw even with his face nearly cast in shadow.
She whipped her head toward him in anger. “Don’t call him that again.”
Rick raised his hands in defeat and took a few steps backward. “I got it, Boss.”
She smiled. “Good. Thanks again. I’ll close up and see you tomorrow. For this, you can even come in a little late.”
“Thanks,” he said, walking off to the only other car in the parking lot.
Liam must have been speeding because he arrived about five minutes after Rick left. Gene took a deep breath to calm her nerves as she climbed into his car. There was a conversation she needed to have with him, and she wasn’t sure if she could actually get the words out if he spoke first. He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.
“Let me say this before I lose my nerve.” She took a breath. “You were right. I didn’t trust you before and denied you when I could have used your help. I’m—” she hesitated and her voice softened, “—I’m sorry. I’m not used to trusting men, and after I told you about my past, I got a little jumpy, then the flood didn’t help the situation and—”
Liam cut her off with a brilliant smile. “Well, there are some things about my past I want to tell you. I was hoping maybe tonight I could finally share it with you.”
“It can wait,” she said, reaching over to hold his hand. She was entirely too tired to have a deep conversation or engage in anything that required her full attention or intimacy. What was with this man and wanting to go deep without provocation? She couldn’t do it. Plus, whatever he had to say wouldn’t change how she felt. She had already decided in her heart and mind that this was okay. It was ok to have sex with Liam and trust him to be in her life. It was ok to be falling in love. It was all going to be ok, thanks to friendly encouragement and a positive mindset. “You haven’t done anything to lose my trust Liam and for what it’s worth I don’t think you will. We have time to talk about your past.” Plus it wasn’t going to change how she felt. It couldn’t be that big of a deal or he would have told her already. “I think I know all I need to know for now. You’re a good man, Liam. I’m falling for you.” Her heart was beating so fast she had to take a shuddering breath. “That’s scary for me, but I have to trust you. I need to trust you. In time, you will tell me about your past, and I won’t hold judgment just as you’ve done for me.” She cupped his face with her palm. “Your past doesn’t matter right now. All that matters is this,” she said leaned over to kiss him.
“Let’s get you home,” he said with a smile and she nodded. Her bed was calling.
14
Gene hummed to herself as she cooked breakfast. She paused briefly with the spatula in her hand, dancing to a song in her head. She laughed at herself as she stirred her eggs to the rhythm of her offbeat tune. She felt elated. Relieved. She had finally let go of the trust issues, she and Liam were on the same page, and she could only see good things happening for them in the future. She felt invincible.
She never would have believed a month ago she could feel such peace but she did. So much had happened and yet, she felt like time had slowed down. After the flood, she found some things had water damage and she had to close one additional day to have the pipe repaired but the insurance covered the damages and gave her enough to pay her employees for the one day they were off. Essentially, paid leave, which was nice. Then there was Liam.
He was the one who insisted she try to sleep in. Even though she was off on Sundays, she usually woke up just as early and lounged around. She had taken his advice and melatonin and managed to sleep in a full eight hours. Gene couldn’t remember the last time she felt this rested. She was energized and hoping Liam would come over at some point. Maybe he would surprise her and join her for breakfast. She cracked a few more eggs just in case and whisked them together quickly with a fork before setting them aside. Liam’s eggs. She thought about how he liked to eat his eggs with a sigh. It would be so easy to get used to this.
Any thought of Liam made her blood hot with ecstasy. She could feel the dreamy smile on her face but did nothing to stop it. This was love. She reveled in the thought. Ginger had been right. She hadn’t been sure of him and had been understandably cautious, but he had worked his way into her heart little by little. She giggled to herself thinking of the other place he worked his way into. Regularly. Why had she resisted so hard in the beginning? She rolled her eyes at the memory of her pushing him away time and time again but his persistence paid off.
Throughout the month, he had made each weekend a chance to show her things she had never experienced, even though she’d lived in Charlotte for four years already. They’d visited an indoor skydiving place, the zoo, a comedy club, and a weird escape room. She couldn’t wait to see what he’d show her this weekend. She poured his eggs into the pan and secretly hoped she would hear his knock at the door. Perhaps they could just skip breakfast altogether, and she could feast on him instead.
When the knock didn’t come, she sat with her pancakes, eggs and bacon, wondering as she ate if she should walk some over to him. Knowing he would be by later that day kept her in her seat. She didn’t want to seem desperate. Even though all of it was new to her sometimes she was still shy about expressing her feelings. Though leave it to Liam, he would work that out of her too like he had a lot of things.
She’d just finished washing her dishes when a knock sounded. She shuffled to the door in her house shoes and sweatpants.
“Hello?” she said. The woman on her porch looked a lot like porcelain, fragile and pale. Her eyes, big and brown, took up most of her face. But instead of making her look like a cartoon character, she looked vulnerable and innocent.
“Can I help you?” Gene said, unsure who she was and yet wanting to help the woman who looked lost and uncertain.
“Um. Yes, I was looking for Liam,” she said, pulling her jacket tighter across her chest.
“And why would you be looking for him here?” Gene said, putting her hand on the door, blocking the woman from seeing into the house.
“Isn’t this 620 Deer View Lane?”
“No,” Gene said, trying to rein in any feelings she might have had. “You’ve got the wrong one,” she said, pointing to the nonexistent letters beside her door. The numbers were gone, but the faint shadow, where the letters once were, was still present on the brick, clear enough to read the numbers six-two-two. “He’s the one over there,” she said pointing it to the left.
“Oh,” she said taking ano
ther step back to leave. “Well thank you,” she said with a tight smile.
“May I ask who’s looking for him?” Gene said, stepping out onto the porch.
“Sure. I’m Laura,” she said, stepping off the last step of Gene’s porch before adding, “his wife.”
Gene stumbled over her door threshold, just barely keeping from falling over. It felt like all the air left her chest.
Wife. Liam had a wife? Surely this was a joke.
“Are you alright?” The woman said, pausing as she crossed the grass.
“Just fine,” Gene said through clenched teeth. “He’s just there.” She pointed, as if she hadn’t been clear the first time when she pointed to the house next door.
She watched the blonde walk down her driveway and up the adjacent paved cement. Knowing she shouldn’t be nosy didn’t keep her from standing on the porch to watch Liam’s reaction to his wife at the door. She wanted to believe it was a mistake. Were there other Liam’s that lived in the neighborhood? She wished she had accepted the invitation to join the neighborhood watch.
Wife.
He hadn’t mentioned anything about marriage. Maybe she should have asked. But she shouldn’t have to ask. And how could he do that to her, knowing how she felt about cheating. Was she his mistress? The idea of that made her sick. She didn’t want to be anyone’s mistress.
Laura knocked, and the door opened. Although Gene couldn’t see Liam inside the house, she could see they were talking. Her brain tried to rationalize what she was watching. So far nothing said Liam knew that woman until he stepped onto the porch and hugged her. And it was no ordinary hug. It was the kind of hug that conveyed intimacy and trust. He more than knew her. He had loved her.
Her brain tried to reconcile the two people: the Liam on the porch and the Liam she thought she knew. He had laid in her bed, begging her to trust him. To be honest and she had, opening a place inside of her that she had thought was welded closed. She would have been willing to bet that place was dead but he had refused to leave it. He resuscitated it.