“Okay, so what’s up?” Chelsea stretched out each word.
Rachel sighed. “I don’t even know where to begin. I feel like I kind of screwed up.”
“Well, does any of this have to do with that yummy teacher?”
“You are not helping. But yes, it does,” Rachel replied as she started to doodle on an empty, used envelope.
“Details, Rachel! Details!”
“Okay, well, yesterday, I decided to go to breakfast at that little diner I told you about. They have, like, the best coffee, and their waffles are heavenly.”
“Wait, you ate carbs?”
“Yes, but you’re missing the point here. I am setting the scene for you.” Rachel then went into detail about running into Liam and his mother and how Mary had kind of set them both up, and how she ultimately hadn’t minded that, especially when she and Liam had shared that remarkable kiss.
“I’m so having a hard time understanding the dilemma here. You got to lock lips with Liam, who sounds like he knows what’s up. I like him.”
“The problem is that we did share a fantastic day together, and I felt so…I don’t know.”
“You felt like a normal, happy woman who is possibly meeting a really nice but also hot guy, who sounds like he can light your fire just by looking at you. Pretty plain and simple, really,” Chelsea said matter-of-factly.
“Ugh, it’s so frustrating because, yes, he could totally be great boyfriend material. Hell, maybe, even husband material. But the problem is, again, I’m his boss, and I didn’t want anything like this.”
“I know you’ve been fighting wanting to date or do anything that remotely involves a potential relationship. But I don’t understand what you are so scared of,” Chelsea said firmly.
“The whole work ethic issue is a problem, an enormous problem. This could cost me my job, Chelsea. And you know very well why I shy away from dating.” Rachel pressed her pen firmly against the envelope, and her frustrated doodles left hard indentations on the paper.
“Well, if you don’t plan on doing anything about this relationship, then you need to stop the lip-locking, because you’re sending this poor guy mixed signals. End of story. As for why you don’t want to date, come on. It’s been almost two years, Rachel.”
Rachel agreed. That was why she had tried creating an action plan with Liam, keeping distance between them, but then she’d let her guard down and seen how great of guy he was. And she enjoyed the lip-locking. No one had ever kissed her like that. She could only imagine what it would be like if they went further than kissing. Images of nude bodies, twisted sheets, and cuddling seared her mind. She really shouldn’t go there.
Chelsea and Rachel soon got off the topic of Liam as they discussed Chelsea coming to visit Birch Valley at the end of March or during spring break. Chelsea was anxious to see this little hole-in-the-wall town and get a good look at this Liam. After saying good-bye, Rachel tried to convince herself to go back to paying her bills, but she couldn’t concentrate on them. All she could think about was the pressure of Liam’s lips on hers and how much she wanted to feel it again. Oh dear Lord, she was in trouble.
***
Liam
After dinner on Sunday, Daniel and Patrick retreated quickly from the table, leaving Liam to assist with the cleanup.
“Liam, how did breakfast go yesterday?” Mary asked with a mischievous grin as Liam carried a stack of dirty dishes to the sink where she stood rinsing silverware before placing it into the dishwasher. She wouldn’t meet Liam’s eyes.
“Yeah, thanks a lot for that, Mom,” Liam said as he leaned against the counter. “Breakfast itself was awkward, but I did end up showing her around Main Street.”
Mary’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Really? Well, that was awfully sweet of you, son. How did that go?”
“It was okay. She really seems to like our town.”
“So just okay, huh?”
“Yes, Mom,” he said, knowing she was probing for more details. “We had a nice time, and then it started snowing, and she was ready to call it a day.” He didn’t feel the need to go into it any further. He didn’t want to have to explain the kiss, the light touches they’d given each other throughout their walk, or the fact she’d grown distant and cold toward the end. He was still trying to sort it out himself.
“I was thinking of inviting Rachel over the next time Maggie visits. I’m so glad the two of them hit it off. Rachel sure seems like she could use a friend, and, well, to be honest, so does your sister.” Mary’s voice grew quiet as she mentioned her daughter.
“How is Maggie doing? I talked to her last week, and she seemed okay.”
“She’s fine, I suppose. But something seemed a tad off when we spoke the other day. She was telling me how much Michael has been working, and then she said he’s been begging for them to have another child.”
“She doesn’t want more kids? I’m surprised they don’t have more. Melanie is already six,” Liam said thoughtfully.
“Well, I think it’s a little more complicated than that, Liam. Of course she would love to have more children, but I think she would also like Michael to be in their lives. He’s hardly around now as it is for Melanie. So Maggie isn’t so sure bringing another baby into the mix is what they need right now.”
“I guess you’re right. I bet Melanie would love a playmate, though. She would make such a great big sister.” Liam adored Melanie and hoped if he were to ever have a daughter that she would be as sweet, bright, and loving as that little girl.
“I know she would. But being a mom is a hard job. When I had you kids, I had your father around to help. Granted, he worked, but it was just up the road, and he always found time to be here, especially for important things, like when you guys played little league or when Maggie took ballet. Michael, unfortunately, isn’t able to quite pull himself away as easily. He misses a lot, apparently,” Mary explained as she continued rinsing the dishes with warm, soapy water and placing them neatly into the dishwasher.
“Well, someday, when I become a father, I hope to be a lot like Dad, and you’re right, he was there for everything. Still is,” Liam commented, remembering all the events in his life that his father had been a part of. Pat and Grandpa Paddy had helped shape him into the man he was today.
“I hope you start considering the idea of settling down soon. I could use a grandchild from you,” Mary teased.
“You’re more likely to get one from Maggie and Michael. I need to meet someone first, Mom. Isn’t that usually how it works?”
Mary splashed a little of the soapy water onto Liam. “Well, I could think of a possible prospect. Or, son, there is always the mail-order bride option.”
“Good grief. But going back to Maggie, I think it would be cool if they had another kid. I know Michael would love it, and maybe he’d try harder to be there for his family if they did.”
“I know Michael wants to be there. I see how much he adores both Maggie and Melanie, and maybe, in a little while, after he makes partner, they can have another baby,” Mary said.
Seeing that the cleanup was mostly finished, Liam bent down and gave his mother a peck on the cheek. “Thanks for dinner, Mom. I better be heading home.”
Liam said good-bye to the rest of his family and saw Patrick getting ready to load his sons into his car. “You want some help with those kiddos?” he asked.
“Sure, thanks,” Patrick said, handing Liam one of the sleeping twins. Each man then headed outside, cradling a heavy toddler.
After they buckled each child into their car seat, Patrick turned to Liam and thanked him.
“So Mom says you had breakfast with Rachel. How did that go?” he then asked, leaning against his car.
“God, you too?” Liam laughed. “Mom just hit me up for details when I got stuck helping with dishes. It went okay, but yeah, Mom completely ditched me yesterday after she invited Rachel to join us.”
“Well, I’m sure she meant no harm. Plus, Rachel’s not bad-looking. I cou
ld think of a lot worse people to share breakfast with.”
“Yeah, but we had this meeting on Friday, and suffice to say, we don’t see eye to eye,” Liam explained.
Patrick nodded. “Yeah, but you have to admit there’s some chemistry between you and Rachel for sure.”
“I feel like there might be some. Yesterday, we went around to all the shops on Main Street and had a great time. I’m starting to really like her, and she seems like she’s into me too. But then, it’s so weird, she starts pulling away and getting all distant.”
“So what I’m hearing is that nothing official is going on between you,” Patrick said.
“Why, are you interested?” Liam teased.
Patrick rolled his eyes and shook his head, “No. I mean, she’s pretty enough and seems very sweet, but when you two are in the room, it’s filled with tension. It’s like you both are doing this little dance, and honestly, we’re all a little surprised you guys haven’t gotten together yet.”
“Well, don’t go blabbing this to the rest of the family, but we have kissed a couple of times. I kind of started it, though, but she didn’t pull away or slap me. But it was so strange how different kissing her felt compared to other girls, you know?”
Patrick’s expression grew thoughtful. “You know, it was like that with Beth. Something about her just turned me inside out.” His voice had a tremor in it. Patrick didn’t discuss Beth too often. Even after three years, the pain was still too close to the surface.
“So what do I do?”
“Honestly, I’d say how you feel. I mean, have you told her?” Patrick looked through the rear window of the car to see if the boys were stirring.
“We both have talked about it in a roundabout way. It’s just that with her being my boss and everything, she’s all freaked out by the idea of seeing where it goes. She also said she didn’t move up here to get involved, so I sort of took that as her not being interested.”
“I can see her concern there. Well, I’m sure you guys will figure it out. I better get these boys home now. Good seeing you, and if you ever need to talk, I’m here,” Patrick offered as he opened the driver’s-side door and got in.
“Same goes for you, man, if you ever want to talk.”
Patrick smiled and looked down. “Have a good night, Liam.” He closed the door and started the car.
Liam got into his truck and headed home. The roads were a little slick, and he could see a sheen of ice on them beneath his headlights. Although Liam didn’t care for these cold temperatures, he was also grateful it hadn’t snowed all day.
***
Rachel
When Rachel woke up Monday morning, everything was frozen solid. The snow that fell over the weekend was now hardened and ugly. But the sun had started to peer out from behind the clouds, tempting everyone with its elusive warmth.
Inside, though, chilly air dominated the house. Reluctantly departing from the warmth of her bed, Rachel grabbed a sweater and went to make coffee. As she turned on the faucet to fill her coffeepot, Rachel frowned in confusion when no water came out. She turned the knob again and again. Nothing. She grabbed both the hot and cold knobs and twisted them frantically. Again nothing. Not a single drop.
Rachel sprinted to the bathroom and worked the knobs on the sink and the shower, and again no water appeared. Panic started to set in as she paced for a moment. She had to be at work in an hour and didn’t know what to do or whom to call. Maybe she could catch Karen if she hadn’t left for work yet. Or what about Mary? Maybe if there was an issue with her plumbing, she could send Patrick or Daniel over. Eyeing the clock on her microwave, she decided Mary was probably her best bet.
“Hello?” Mary answered in a cheery voice after picking up on the second ring.
“Good morning, Mary. It’s me, Rachel.”
“Oh, hello, dear. Everything all right? You sound a bit upset.”
“Actually, I don’t know what’s going on. I went to fill my coffeepot this morning, and literally nothing came out. I tried the bathroom sink and the shower, and I just don’t understand why it isn’t working.” Rachel looked at the clock again as her anxiety started to spiral out of control.
“Oh no. I bet your pipes froze last night. It was downright frigid, so I bet that is what happened. I actually cracked mine before I went to bed,” Mary said in her usual kind tone.
“Cracked?”
“Yes, that’s when you turn the handle and leave just a trickle of water running. Keeps the pipes from getting frozen,” Mary explained.
“I see. Well, I had no clue. So now what do I do?” Rachel asked, her patience running thin. The phone beeped, indicating another call was coming through. “Hey, Mary, I have another call on the other line. Can I call you back?”
“Sure, dear.”
Switching to the other line and hanging up with Mary, Rachel let out a huge breath. “Hello?” she answered roughly.
“Hi, Rachel, it’s Liam.”
“Oh, I was just on the phone with your mom. I think my pipes might have frozen,” Rachel groaned.
“That’s why I’m calling. Apparently, you aren’t the only one. The school’s partially froze too, and one of the boilers went out. Karen called and said we’re going to have to cancel class today. I offered to call you.”
“Wow, really? Okay, okay, um, so what do we do?” Rachel tried to contain her racing thoughts. She wasn’t prepared for this. She hadn’t encountered a problem like this back at her old school.
“It’s really going to be fine, Rachel. So here’s the plan. Karen has already put the message out to the parents and staff. This has happened before, so it’s not our first time at the rodeo,” Liam soothed.
“Well, it’s my first time. How do we fix this?” she snapped.
“All right, try and calm down. I’ll call my brothers, and we can come over and take a look at your pipes, okay?” Liam’s voice was cool and relaxed, which only annoyed Rachel more.
“I don’t understand why you aren’t a little more worried.”
“Because this kind of stuff happens here. It isn’t a big deal. Yeah, it might be a pain, but it sure isn’t the end of the world.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “How about you go over to my mom’s place? My brothers and I can see what’s going on at your house. We got a crew coming out to the school to work on the problems there.”
Rachel inhaled deeply as she calmed herself. “I don’t want to be a bother to your mom, Liam.”
“She would probably enjoy the company, especially yours.”
“I don’t know,” she said hesitantly.
“I’ll give her a call. I know she’d want you to come over. She might make you learn some more cooking, though. Not sure if you’re up for that,” Liam teased.
Rachel smiled at the thought of getting another lesson in the culinary arts. She’d had such a great time being in Mary’s kitchen. “Okay, I guess that’s fine. But only if I’m not interrupting any plans that she might have.”
“You won’t be, I promise. Well, how about I give you a call back in a little bit. Sound good?”
“That works. Liam, thank you,” she said softly.
“No problem, Rachel,” Liam answered before hanging up.
Rachel couldn’t get over how calm Liam and Mary were acting about this whole thing. She recalled during their outing that Liam had told her that people often referred to this area as God’s country and you had to be made of some pretty tough stuff to survive here. She was starting to wonder if she was up to the challenge.
***
Every pound of Mary O’Brien radiated joy when she opened the door for Rachel to come in.
“I’m so glad Liam had you come over. So sorry about your pipes, but my boys will get you all fixed up, so please don’t worry, dear,” Mary said as she ushered Rachel inside.
“I hate to bother you on such short notice,” Rachel apologized as she hung up her coat.
“Bother me? Honestly, I’m thankful for the company.” Mary swatte
d gently at her.
“Well, I do love spending time with you, so it’s equally a treat for me.”
Mary smiled. “Why don’t we start with a cup of tea.”
As the women migrated to the kitchen, Mary explained what they would be making today. She said she was going to take advantage of having Rachel there so they could do some practice runs for the bake sale.
Rachel pushed up her sleeves and got about wrist deep in dough. As she worked the mixture, letting the cool combination of ingredients squish between her fingers, she felt the stress melt away. This must be why Mary was so calm and collected all the time, she thought.
***
After Liam called Mary to say he and his brothers had fixed Rachel’s pipes, Rachel hugged Mary good-bye and thanked her for a positively lovely day. She left cradling a warm Dutch apple pie she’d helped create and drove home feeling warm and happy. As she turned onto her street, she found Liam’s pickup parked in front of her house.
As she grabbed her purse and stepped out of her car, Rachel noticed her neighbor was outside. “Hello, Sue-Ellen,” she said as she waved at the older woman with her free hand.
“Why hello there, Rachel. I saw the O’Brien boys here earlier. Heard your pipes froze. Sure was colder than heck last night.”
“Yes, I really appreciate the guys helping me out. Looks like Liam is still here.” Rachel nodded toward the truck.
“Yeah, he stopped by here to see if we were all right. Such a nice boy. Always has been such a sweetheart. His brothers left a few minutes before you pulled in,” Sue-Ellen explained. “Well, it isn’t getting any warmer, so I think I will be heading back inside. So nice to run into you, dear.”
Rachel watched Sue-Ellen waddled back to her home before heading to her door. Liam must have heard her coming, because he stepped out before she could grab her key.
“Good, you’re home,” he said with one of his sexy grins.
Heat started to simmer in her belly. It didn’t matter what the man said or did. Everything about Liam stirred her up.
Loving Liam (Cloverleaf #1) Page 17