“Your lilies are ready sir,” the florist called out. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
He told her no, paid then headed out. Twenty minutes later, Marlene opened the door and immediately threw her arms around Liam. “Oh I’ve missed you,” she cried, squeezing him tightly. She then looked him over, taking note of his tan, and well-rested appearance. “You look terrific,” she commented. “But did you forget to use sunscreen?” she questioned, raising an eyebrow.
He just smiled, while handing her the flowers. “Lilies, my favorite,” she exclaimed, reaching her hand up to pinch his cheek. “You are so sweet.”
“How are you?” he asked as a sudden aroma of pot roast wafted through the air, causing him to make a beeline for the kitchen. “I’m good,” she replied while following him and placing the flowers on the table. She then poured him a glass of freshly brewed iced tea. “You didn’t have to cook,” he said, lifting the lid of the crockpot and taking a sniff. “But I’m sure glad you did,” he remarked, grinning. “Have a seat and tell me all about your trip,” she said, slicing into a loaf of rustic Italian bread.
“The trip was great.”
“Well, it must have been, cause you look fantastic,” she said. “I got a chance to clear my head and figure some things out,” he said. She nodded in approval as she buttered a couple of slices then handed one to Liam.
“I bought a house in Miami,” he blurted.
“Wow.”
“It’s a smart investment.”
“Are you moving down there?”
He shook his head no. “Just wanted a place to escape to.”
As she scooped the meat and vegetables out of the slow cooker, she boldly asked, “Escape or run away?”
“Is there a difference?” he countered.
She shrugged, “Does this have to do with that shooting incident with that young lady—Remi?”
Liam was still amazed at how in tune his grandmother was to him, however, still preferred to keep her in the dark about his criminal activities. Unfortunately, the Tom fiasco was public knowledge. “Not directly, I guess,” he replied.
She put the food on the table then joined him. As Liam dug in, she cautiously questioned, “How is that young lady?”
He took a bite then simply said, “She’s fine.”
Marlene studied her grandson’s face, and it was evident he was purposely not elaborating, which wasn’t unusual for him. “I watched her television interview about that awful bank heist,” she said then quickly added, “I know I told you this before you left, but I think she’s a lovely young woman.”
Without any hesitation, Liam nodded in agreement.
“You two are still just friends?”
“Yes, we are just friends.”
His tone was adamant, but his demeanor said otherwise. She was about to comment, but Liam quickly interrupted. “Can we just drop this subject?”
Marlene halfheartedly replied, “Sure.”
She might have been placating him for the moment but guessed there was a lot more going on with Liam’s reluctance to discuss Remi. But because she was enjoying just having him there, she shifted the topic, and said, “I want to hear all about this house in Miami.”
When she had finished emailing her mom about the fundraiser and Liam’s return, Remi ventured outside to the balcony, wrapped herself in a velour blanket, and stretched out on a chair. With her feet propped up on the railing, and a newspaper resting on her lap, the cold fresh air was just what she needed. She had planned on working on a recap of the auction, as Olivia left her in charge to update the company website, but instead, she wanted to relax for a little while.
As she flipped the pages, she heard Melanie and Justin arguing inside. Their once honeymoon-esque relationship had completely turned into oil and water. All Remi could do was laugh cause their union didn’t make any sense. Then again, neither did her’s and Liam’s, their friendship that is. She closed her eyes while tipping her head back, and smiled widely. Unbeknownst to her, Liam had returned from his grandmother’s and stepped out on to his balcony just in time to witness Remi’s impromptu smile. Curious as to what caused it, he asked, “Penny for your thoughts.”
“Cost ya’ more than a penny,” she tossed back.
He grinned. “Are you going to tell me what you were thinking about?”
“My, you’re a nosy one today,” she quipped.
He shrugged but obviously not conceding; he just kept looking at her waiting for an answer.
“If you must know, I was smiling as I was listening to Mel and Justin arguing for the umpteenth time,” she said only telling a half-truth. He laughed and was just about to comment when Melanie emerged. “Men,” she harshly lambasted before spotting Liam. “Well, well, if it isn’t Mr. Matthews,” she said, instantly falling into a flirtatious mode.
“Hi, Melanie.”
She eyed him up. “Nice tan.”
He snickered while Remi just laughed, who then asked where Justin was. “He’s in the kitchen.”
“What are you guys fighting about this time?” asked Remi.
“He just informed me that he has to go to Detroit for work and might not be back in time for the wedding.”
“You can always be my date,” Remi said, trying to make her feel better.
“Wedding?” questioned Liam.
“Abby’s,” replied Remi.
“Oh, that’s right, when is that?”
“Next Saturday,” Melanie interjected just as Justin was calling out for her to come back inside. “Ugh,” she uttered then looked at Liam, “Glad you’re back.”
She then faced Remi so Liam couldn’t see and winked at her.
Liam waited a minute then asked, “You don’t have a date?”
“Nope, but since I’m in it, it’s just as well so my date wouldn’t be bored while I’m off doing bridesmaid stuff.”
He sensed that she wasn’t telling the whole truth, so he prodded, “Is that really the reason why?”
Liam still had an impeccable knack for reading her just about better than anybody. “If you want the truth, I couldn’t get a date.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Sadly, I am,” she said, her eyes veering down.
“I find it extremely hard to believe that you couldn’t get a date,” he said.
“Well, you see, apparently shooting a man can make one quite unappealing and kind of a turn-off.”
Liam wryly grinned. “Not for all guys.”
She just laughed.
“You still have time to find one,” he said. She nodded. “I had thought about asking Chris to go, but he’s still with that Nina woman and didn’t think she’d care for that, even though it would be strictly platonic.”
“He’d probably go if you asked.”
“Maybe,” she said, her voice sounding sad which prompted him to ask, “Are you okay?”
She stood up and walked to the edge to be directly across from him.
“If something is bothering you, you know you can tell me,” he said in that oh-so-eloquent way she found both annoying yet amazingly appealing at the same time.
“Thanks, but I’m all right,” she said as she picked up the newspaper and stepped towards to the sliding glass door. “I have to get inside; I have to write a recap of the auction.”
He opted not to say anything then retreated inside as well to work on a design. Knowing Simon was going to hire him back regardless, he still felt he should have something new to give him. Just as he unrolled the blueprint out onto the table, the intercom buzzed. “Pizza man!” Chris shouted. Liam laughed as he allowed him up. When he opened the door, Chris declared, “Man have I missed you!”
He set the pizza box on the counter along with a six-pack of Corona then bear-hugged Liam. “Nice to be missed,” he said, as he moved his blueprint back into the cylinder. They both sat down at the table, where Liam instantly popped off the cap to a beer and began chugging it. “Have you seen Remi yet?” asked Chris.
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“I saw her last night and just talked to her a little while ago.”
“And?”
“And she seems good,” he replied nonchalantly.
According to Chris, that was too lame of an answer and unacceptable. He needed more. “How was it seeing her again?”
Liam took another swig then sighed. “It was nice.”
“Nice?”
Liam laughed. “Yes.”
Chris probed, “She looks great, right?”
“She always looks great,” replied Liam.
That surprising admission pleased Chris. “I wasn’t sure you noticed.”
Liam just shook his head, already annoyed. “How are things with you?” he asked.
“Don’t change the subject,” blasted Chris. Agitated and not wanting to have this conversation, Liam announced, “Okay, I will say the following then we are dropping this.”
Chris smiled with a slightly devilish gleam in his eye.
“Yes, Remi looks terrific, and last night I went to the fundraiser to see her. I gave her a ride home, and yes she spent the night here but before you jump to any conclusions, I slept on the couch, and a little while ago we both happened to be out on our respective balconies and talked for a few minutes,” he said. “Does that suffice?”
“For now,” muttered Chris. “You’re relentless,” said Liam, picking up another bottle before heading into the living room. Chris followed close behind, chirping in Liam’s ear “Would it kill you to admit you missed her.”
Under his breath and in a hushed tone, Liam acknowledged, “I did miss her.”
“What did you say?” a stunned Chris asked. “I don’t think, I quite heard you.”
Liam sighed. “I admit it, okay, I missed her, but it doesn’t mean anything.”
“Thou doth protest too much,” quipped Chris.
Liam scoffed, “I’m not protesting anything.”
“You sure about that?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
For one of the only a few times in his life, he didn’t believe Liam. A rarity indeed because the one thing Liam never did to Chris was lie to him, which made the whole Remi situation all the more fascinating. “Okay, so did you meet any babes in Miami?”
Liam laughed then smugly replied, “There were a few.”
“Lucky bastard.”
“Then, of course, there was Zoe.”
“Yikes!”
“Exactly,” said Liam. “I didn’t need to revisit that hot mess.”
Chris agreed then told him about how things with Nina weren’t that great anymore because she wanted a serious relationship whereas he did not. Liam understood. They then discussed the state of Chris’ finances and how he was currently just bartending at Pete’s Tavern until something more lucrative came along. Liam suddenly got a sneaky suspicion Chris was hinting at possibly pulling a job, but was unsure if he still harbored that desire, so he asked, “Do you need money?”
Chris was quick to surmise. “I take it you have gone 100% legit.”
Liam sighed, “I honestly don’t know.”
He then walked over to the sliding glass door and watched an icy rain begin to pelt the balcony. “Too many people are aware that I was involved in that heist,” Liam said, all the while gazing out the door. “It’s probably best I keep my nose clean.”
Unable to resist, Chris inferred, “I guess Remi would frown upon you donning that black ski mask again.”
“She’s gone above and beyond for me, I can’t put her in that position.”
“And what position would that be exactly?”
“The one where I would take for granted the fact that she didn’t rat me out.”
“Not many like her, that’s for sure,” Chris pointed out, not that Liam needed a reminder. Chris, all of sudden, got quiet, which was highly unusual for him. So, Liam asked again, if he needed money. “A loan maybe,” he said, somewhat embarrassed to utter those words. But Liam always looked out for him, just as if they were brothers. Without any hesitation, Liam retrieved his checkbook and endorsed a check for five thousand dollars. Chris swore he’d pay him back, but Liam insisted that there wasn’t any rush. He couldn’t thank his friend enough for helping him out, but again Liam didn’t need any of that, he just wanted to make sure Chris was okay.
Sitting on her bedroom floor, Remi listened to the freezing rain pound the windows while proofreading the auction recap. She read it over approximately twenty times, and though not entirely positive it was the most creative writing, she was pleased with it. She copied and pasted it into an email for Olivia’s approval. Once sent, she decided to wash the massive heap of clothes that she had brought over from Liam’s. Saturday night in the laundry room, she thought, how pathetic. As she gathered everything into a large basket, she spotted the Cornell t-shirt. “Oh shit,” she uttered, forgetting that she had it. She figured she’d just wash it then somehow slip it back into his drawer without him ever knowing. When she got down to the laundry room, it was empty. Not shocking as most people in the building probably had better things to do. At least with no one else there, she could take her time sorting through the clothes and use two machines, one for lights and one for darks. As each filled up with water, she pulled up a folding chair, sat down, propped her head against the wall, and stretched out her legs. Still feeling the effects from the week leading up to the benefit and the event itself, she was wiped out. Even with a great night’s sleep, she felt draggy all day, especially trying to perfect that recap. Before long with the soft humming of the washing machines and the complete isolation, she nodded off.
Having a small load of clothes that he hadn’t washed before leaving Miami, Liam ventured to the laundry room. To his surprise, Remi was there. He grinned at the sight of her sleeping. Initially, she appeared serene but then noticed her hands twitching. He deduced that she was either in a deep sleep or a restless one. Not wanting to wake her, he quietly dropped his clothes into an unoccupied washer, but as he began to pour the detergent in, Remi let out a blood-curdling scream. Liam’s protective instinct immediately kicked in as he rushed over to her. Evidently, in the throes of a nightmare, he quickly deliberated about whether to wake her up or not. But as she continued to jerk unconsciously, he kneeled down and delicately touched her hand with his then whispered her name. When the apprehensive touch was unsuccessful, he gently gripped a hold of her arm, which did the trick. Her eyes suddenly opened wide, and the expression on her face was pure fear. She was completely dazed and unsure of where she was, but then Liam asked if she was okay, and she recognized his voice. “Was I sleeping?” she questioned, trying to focus and gain a regular breathing pattern. With his hand still protectively holding her arm, she locked eyes with him. “Yeah,” he replied. “You must have been having a nightmare.”
She nodded then nervously giggled, feeling silly. “I can’t believe I dozed off like that.”
“It happens,” he said, offering up a reassuring smile while removing his hand. “How long was I asleep?” she asked, standing up to stretch. “Don’t know, I just got down here,” he replied. At the same time, her two washers had completed their cycles. So she began pulling out the load of dark clothes, completely forgetting about the Cornell shirt. The moment she removed it, Liam saw it. “Is that—my shirt?” he asked, playfully joking with her. As she cringed and turned five shades of red, Liam enjoyed watching her try to come up with a plausible explanation. “I…uh…had it…because…uh,” she tripped over her words, which made Liam snicker. “I already knew you had it.”
“And you were just going to let me hang myself?”
“Pretty much,” he replied smirking.
“Great,” she uttered, feeling like a dork.
“I don’t care that you had it, but curious as to why?”
She sighed as she continued removing the clothes. Liam helped put them into the dryer but wasn’t letting her off the hook as he again asked about the shirt. After she had turned the dryer on, she leaned up against it and said, “I’m
going, to be honest.”
“Sure you don’t want to lie?” he questioned, being a blatant smart ass.
“Okay, here it goes,” she said, letting out a deep breath. “I snooped.”
He revealed the smuggest grin ever, which kind of pissed her off but on the other hand, he didn’t seem too upset about it. “So, you snooped and stole from me,” he said, giving her a stern look.
“I didn’t steal,” she defended. “I borrowed.”
He did whatever he could not to crack up, as he found her to be quite amusing. “Okay, I can accept that you borrowed, but you’re dodging the fact you snooped.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, lowering her eyes in embarrassment. Standing directly across from where she was, he was about to tell her he wasn’t mad, but she spoke before he could. “Guess you wouldn’t have snooped, right?”
“Are you serious?”
“What?” she asked.
“I’m a jewel thief, bank robber and a fugitive,” he said. “Do you really think I wouldn’t snoop?”
She smiled feeling relieved. “You know I didn’t snoop until last week.”
Liam was stunned to hear that. “It took you almost a month to look?”
A sudden pang of shyness surged when she explained that she hadn’t even actually been inside of his bedroom until recently. “How come?” he questioned, finding their conversation enlightening. “I don’t know, guess it didn’t feel right,” she replied, looking down again, purposely evading his gaze. “But you eventually caved,” he said, grinning.
Staring at the floor, she nodded. He teased, “What’s done is done.”
Wanting desperately to change the subject, she asked, “How was your visit with your grandmother?”
“It was nice,” he replied. “She’s an amazing cook, but I ate way too much,” he said, tapping his belly with his hand. Remi liked that he always spoke so highly of her. An almost child-like quality came out, which she found to be endearing. Especially with him avoiding anything that might resemble a heartfelt emotion. She noticed that he seemed to be in a rare talkative mood. As she remained leaned up against the dryer, she outstretched her arms and ran her fingers along the smooth metal surface of the machine. Her mind had tons of questions she wanted to ask him, but the one that was at the forefront was, “What made you come back?”
UNMASKED: Sequel to Behind the Mask Page 11