Once Upon a Friendship

by Tara Taylor Quinn

  “Why would you do that? It would only keep the gossip growing. Gain more attention. You’d have more reporters watching you. Everywhere you go. Everything you do. Just so they can be the one to see you with yet another woman. To...”

  He got the picture.

  “With my history, they’d easily believe that I’d moved on. I was trying to get them off your back.”

  “Let me worry about my back, Liam. I’ve gotten pretty good at it over the years.”

  “You’re probably not going to like what I have to tell you next,” he said. Might as well disappoint her all at once. And then find some way to do damage control.

  The muscles in her cheeks dropped. “What?”

  “I’ve sold this story.” He told her about June Fryburg asking for an exclusive.

  “Wait, what? What story?”

  “My father. Connelly Investments. The truth. A father’s journey as told through the eyes of his son.”

  “You don’t know the truth.” Was there doubt in her voice?

  “That’s why I was at Connelly Investments today. To get my father to agree to let me help him.” He told her about his idea to present the good sides of Walter Connelly. To tell the truth. In the hope that if an indictment came back, his father would get a fairer trial than if he’d been completely harangued by the media.

  “You thought he’d just confess his guilt and leave you to get him a lighter sentence?”

  Maybe. Something like that. In part. But there was so much more to it. “I’m hoping to preserve his reputation in the event that he doesn’t get prison time and still needs to support himself,” he said.

  She studied him. Nodded. “I think it’s a good idea.”

  Was there no end to the shocks that were hitting him that day? “You do.”

  Sitting back in his chair, looking like a professionally dressed waif siren, she crossed her hands in her lap and said, “While my natural inclination would be to stay silent, I think, in this case, silence would be more like an admission of guilt. The media is going to believe what they choose to believe, and spin whatever fodder they can find to fit their version of the truth. If you put your truth out there, at least people will have a different version to believe if they choose to do so. If nothing else, the media will have a harder time building their case against your father because they’ll have to refute your facts rather than just making stuff up.”

  He liked having an attorney on staff.

  “There’s only one problem to all of this.”

  Maybe he liked having an attorney on staff.

  “What’s that?”

  “Getting your father to agree. Especially after we’ve just agreed that you’ll stay away from him in return for his dropping the trespassing charges.”

  There was that. “So I’ll start the series by telling the truth that I know without his help. I can talk about where he came from and how he built his empire. He did that with hard work and integrity, Gabi. I’m certain of that.”

  “There’s another issue you need to be prepared to deal with, Liam. Two of them, actually, if you hope to build any kind of trust in your integrity as a reporter—your father’s gambling and Missy. And, as a result of Missy, Tamara.”

  The sincere concern shining from her eyes pinned him. And had him wanting to kiss her all over again.

  “My father gambled when he was young,” he told her. “It’s not something we ever talked about.”

  “But it’s why you took up the sport in college...”

  “Yes.”

  “I can write about what my mother told me about the situation, how she told me and why,” he said now, saying out loud some of what he’d already clarified in his mind regarding the article, or series of articles, he’d proposed. “That way if his current gambling comes to light, we’ve already, in a sense, dealt with it.”

  “But you won’t bring his current gambling to light.”

  “Of course not. How would that help Dad?”

  She nodded. Didn’t let him in on her thoughts.

  So he moved on. “I’m not sure what to do about Missy and Tamara. It’s not my story to tell. And I have no intention of doing anything that will bring any harm or discomfort to that kid.”

  His sister. His little sister. Every time he thought about her it was like discovering the best present under the Christmas tree was for him.

  “You’re right, it’s not your story to tell, but you might not be able to do anything about a disruption to Tamara’s life. The FBI knows about Missy’s offshore account. It’s only a matter of time before someone else finds out. Look how easily that account led us to Tamara. Others are bound to get there eventually.

  “And while I know your father kept a low profile whenever he was with them in Florida, it’s still possible that someone might recognize him with his photos being plastered all over the media.”

  She was right, of course. Always. It was maddening. And comforting.

  “I suggest you call them,” Gabi said, still drowning in his oversize office chair. “Decide between the three of you how you’re going to handle that part of it.”

  Lips shut, he nodded again. Glad to have her advice. To know that she was going to be there. That he could trust her...

  “We have to talk about it, Gabi.” He looked her straight in the eye. Because if they didn’t, that kiss was going to grow a wall between them.

  This time it was her gaze that disconnected. Turned to the side. Slightly off center. So he couldn’t find her. “No. We don’t.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  She stood. Arms crossed, she left him alone in the office and returned to the dining table where her things waited for her. By the time he caught up to her she had her purse over her shoulder. “I’m not talking about this, Liam.”

  He hadn’t even said what this was. But they both knew. That kiss had already grown so big it had smothered them out of the room.

  “I’m sorry.” He didn’t think it was the right thing to say. But it stilled her departing movements.

  He took that as a good sign.

  “I had no right to do what I did. I can’t even honestly tell you why I did. I’ve been sitting here trying to figure it out and I just don’t know.”

  Picking up a folder, she held it against her with both arms. “Then let’s just put it down to the stress of the day and forget it ever happened.”

  He wished. “Are you honestly going to tell me that you’re going to forget?”

  She turned her back on him. And then, with a sigh, swung around again. “I can tell you I’m going to try.”

  Something about the look on her face, now that he was close to her, struck him. Several things occurred to him at once.

  If Gabi had no feelings for him other than friendship, she’d be laughing this off. Like the time a bozo friend of his had tried to convince her to make out with him just to show him how it was done. She’d told the guy if he touched her she’d knee him where it counted and then sue him—and proceeded to beat the guy at a game of pool. Later, when they’d all been out together at a party, the guy had apologized to her and they’d all laughed about it.

  Another flash that landed was her reaction to the reporter that morning. She’d defended him as though she’d had ownership in him. As though the guy’s erroneous assumptions affected her personally.

  As everything started to add up, he started to sweat.

  Was it possible that Gabi was falling in love with him, too?

  “You know me, Gabi,” he blurted. “I last six months with a woman. A year, tops. And afterward, things are never the same.”

  “Tell me about it.” She was walking toward the door. Keeping her expression to herself.

  “You and Marie...you’re my real family. I’d rather die than lose that.”


  She stopped but didn’t turn around.

  “I just want you to know...what happened tonight... I won’t do it again.”

  Her bent head felt like a nail in his coffin.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  GABI WANTED TO curl up and die. Or to sleep for a very long time. But she knew Liam. When he charged forward, he wasn’t going to stop until he’d reached his goal.

  She also remembered that he was usually right when he got that way.

  She turned to face him.

  “I don’t want my relationship with you to change,” she said with total honestly. “I don’t know how to be more clear on that.”

  He came closer. Held out a hand to her and then let it drop.

  “We’re good together,” he said. “The three of us. You and Marie and me.”

  For the first time since she’d arrived that evening, she took in a completely easy breath. Held it. And relaxed as she let it go.

  Then she looked into Liam’s blue eyes and wanted...more.

  “Our friendship is my rock.” She laid it on the line for him. And meant every word, in spite of a longing she couldn’t explain. “Romantic involvement... If it didn’t work out, there’d be no way to go back to what we had.”

  Her cheeks burned as she heard the words come out of her mouth. No one had said anything about romantic involvement. They’d kissed. Almost chastely. For a second or two.

  “But...you responded to my kiss. You feel things...between us...too.”

  Her breath left her body at his too. But too much was at stake. “It’ll pass, Liam. It’s just all the change. You moving in here...like Tamara said, we’re practically living together.” Not that the proximity seemed to have had an effect on Marie. Or him with Marie. “And with you being disowned, kicked out of your apartment, losing your job...and me taking on the biggest case of my life. I’ve never represented anyone who even came close to making the front page news before. Plus there was the car vandalism and the threats. And then the fact that with me representing you we’re spending time alone together. And that’s not even taking Tamara into account. That was a really emotional thing for us to share. It’s natural that we’d get a little out of whack.”

  “It’s messy,” he said, sliding his hands into his pockets. So he wasn’t as sure of himself as he wanted her to believe.

  The knowledge brought a bit of comfort to her.

  “So...if we’re both aware of the situation, we’ve talked about it now and we both agree that we don’t want to take it any further...we’re good then. Right?”

  He didn’t answer quickly enough. And her heart started to rush again.

  “I can’t ever be one of your women, Liam. I would never be okay with you looking at other women—wanting them—when you’re with me. And even if you weren’t, I’d probably think you were...”

  He didn’t flinch. “I’d let you down, and you’d get hurt and I’d get hurt and things would change.”

  She nodded. “So we’re good? It happened. We kissed. And it’s done.”

  “We’re good.” He smiled.

  She tried to. “We’ve been through a lot these past few days, Liam, and with me as your attorney, we’re experiencing it together rather than just you experiencing it and me hearing about it later. That’s all this is, you know. They call it proximity.”

  Was she trying to convince him? Or herself?

  “I’m sure that’s all it was.” He crossed his arms, his shoulders more relaxed.

  And as if a dam had been built, preventing her from seeing him as anything but a friend and a client, Gabi suddenly remembered something else. “I meant to tell you, I talked to Gwen Menard today.”

  He chewed on his lower lip like he did when he was starting to focus on something.

  “She said that Matheson’s attorney came forward this morning with a financial report that would rival anything the CIA could have built. He’s been taken through such a wringer by his ex-wife, in her attempt to take him for all he has and keep his children from him, too, that there’s no stone left unturned in his life. He’s no longer a person of interest.”

  “I can’t say I’m happy to hear that. But I’m not surprised, either. I can’t keep pretending my father’s a man of integrity.”

  “That doesn’t mean he’s a thief, Liam.” It was as though they were back in college. He was in their dorm room, needing something no one else gave him. And she needed to give it to him.

  They were back. Her and Liam. With room for Marie.

  “So, we’re agreed that the way to handle the press is to say nothing to them directly, and I’ll write my articles,” he said. “And you’re going to get with my dad tomorrow and get him to drop the charges.”

  “Correct.” Relief flooded through her. They were good. She could do this. Life was going to be just fine.

  Liam’s hands were back in his pockets. He was frowning. “I have to be honest with you, Gabi. Just in case...well...so we don’t get messed up here...with our...understanding and all.”

  Her heart started to pound. Again. “Okay.”

  “I agree with you completely. I want and need only friendship from you.”

  “I know, Liam. Believe me. That’s what I want, too.” It was. She was certain of that.

  “But when you smiled just then, I thought you looked beautiful.”

  Her entire body flooded with sensation. Warmth. Pride. Something that made her want to smile inside. And dread, too.

  Before she could come up with any kind of response, Liam continued. “You remember when I told you that even when I’m in a committed relationship, and completely into it, I’m still sometimes attracted to other women?”

  Of course she remembered.

  “Well, just so you know, when I’m with you, that hasn’t happened. On the plane. That flight attendant. She was a looker. I tried to feel something. And I couldn’t.”

  Blood pumped through her veins with such force she heard wind in her ears.

  “Don’t worry, it’s only happened a time or two, that I don’t feel things for other women, but it’s not like I’ve been around many since we’ve been spending so much time together. I’m sure it’ll pass, and I’ll be back to my old self, finding everyone hot, but... I had to be honest with you, just in case...”

  “In...case?” The words stuck in her throat. She wanted to run.

  “In case... You just have to understand. What you mean to me...it’s far more than any romantic relationship in the world would ever be worth. I can’t afford to lose that.”

  A butterfly spread its wings inside of her.

  “So...we’re good?” he asked, frowning.

  Gabi nodded. “We’re good,” she said. And hoped to goodness that when she had some time to sit down and process what had just happened she’d still feel that way.

  * * *

  AFTER SPEAKING WITH June Fryburg first thing the next morning and then heading downstairs for a cup of coffee—mostly to make sure that Marie treated him exactly as she always had, which she did—Liam was heading upstairs to start on his article when Grace called out to him.

  She had a toilet that wouldn’t stop running. She’d picked up the part she needed, she just couldn’t get the bolt undone to replace it.

  Because their current budget only allowed for them to call a handyman when things went really wrong, rather than keep someone on staff full-time, he ran upstairs to take a look. They stood there together, staring at her john. He’d pulled off the lid, could see little bubbles in the bottom of the water-filled tank, could pretty much ascertain that they had to do with the running water sound, but he had no idea what was causing them.

  The water was clean. So was the inside of the tank.

  “You’ve never fixed a toilet before, have you?” Grace asked him.
>
  He thought about prevaricating. But looked at her and shook his head. “Nope. Truth be told, this is the first time I’ve ever looked inside one.”

  Just hadn’t been on his to-do list.

  “See this long screw thing here? That controls this float that controls the water level. This whole thing is called a fill valve. It opens this rubber thing to let new water in when you flush. This is what needs to be replaced. You have to unscrew this from under the tank and I just can’t get enough strength out of these hands to get it done.”

  There was a wrench on the floor. A pipe wrench he remembered from his shop class in high school.

  “You’ve changed one of these before?”

  “Yep. Used to be I’d just watch, but since my Bernie died so young...” She shrugged. “Anyway, we have to turn off the water.” She started to reach under the toilet, and Liam reached in front of her.

  “Let me get that.”

  “I can do that part,” she said as he turned the water valve. “I did it last night.”

  She stood back as he straightened up.

  “You flush the toilet to empty the tank. I did that, too, but when I couldn’t get the bolt undone, I had to refill it so I could use it in the night.”

  He flushed. The tank didn’t empty completely. But almost.

  “Here.” Grace handed him a towel. “You’ll need this under the tank. The rest of that will empty through the hole when you remove the bolt.”

  On his knees, and then his back, Liam found the bolt. With very little effort he got it undone. And got sprinkles of water on his face, too. Clean water. Still, the shock of it stopped him for a moment. But with an eighty-year-old woman watching him, he quickly got moving. Following her instructions, which were impressive, he had the fill valve changed and the toilet flushing without error in less than half an hour.

  He’d have to tell Gabrielle. She’d get a kick out of it...

  His thoughts stopped. Why not tell Marie? She’d appreciate it, too. Heck, Gabrielle probably knew how to change a fill valve.