by York, Zoe
“It’s a pretty kid-friendly bar, particularly across the dinner hour.”
“I had chicken breasts, broccoli and butternut squash to make for dinner tonight. I wasn’t going to bring over pizza. And now you’re going out for wings.”
“Liam, are you pouting?” She couldn’t keep the teasing out of her voice. So much for not flirting. “I’m sure it’ll save for another day. We don’t have any plans tomorrow.”
“Excellent, it’s a date.”
“Stop it.”
“What time are going to Danny’s?”
Oh, no. “You can’t come with us.”
“It’s a public place.”
“That’s weird!”
“Drinking beer in a bar is weird?”
“Liam!”
There was a long pause before he responded. “I can’t promise that I won’t show up. What if I get thirsty?”
“Drive into Essex and buy a two-four.”
“I don’t want a full case, I just want a pint. Maybe served by the pretty brunette who works there.”
Evie saw that coming a mile away, and still felt a stab of jealousy. Like Mari would even look at Liam twice now that the entire town probably knew he was the cause of Evie’s bump. The entire town knows… “Liam, are you trying to protect me, somehow?”
“If you get any more flack—well, if there is any flack, we should wear it equally.”
“There shouldn’t be. This is none of anyone’s business.”
He laughed. “Sunshine, I’ve only been here a few months, and I already understand that’s not how this town operates.”
“Fine.” She sighed. “We’ll be there from five to seven.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“That makes one of us.”
If he hadn’t said he’d be there, she wouldn’t have changed. Three times. She would have worn her now standard uniform of yoga pants and flowy top or a maxi dress. Just looking at her limited selection of other options made Evie wince. It wouldn’t be long before she’d have to shell out for maternity clothes. She made a mental note to post a wanted ad on craigslist, and drive into Essex to visit the used clothing stores. And not the fancy consignment shop, either. She was only going to be wearing these things for five months. Her budget was strictly Goodwill.
In the end, she pulled on a pair of jeans, looping an elastic band through the button hole and over the button—a brilliant idea she read on her Mommy board—and tugged a fitted black t-shirt over top. She looked at herself critically in the mirror.
“You look fine, let’s go!” Connor piped up from the doorway.
“Looking forward to seeing Megan?”
He shrugged. “Looking forward to eating wings.” At her askance look, he sheepishly added, “and seeing Megan.”
“That’s better. Also, eating out is a big treat, right? Watch your tone, and be appreciative.”
“I am!” He swallowed his protest when she frowned, instead opting to turn on the charm. “You look nice.”
“Thank you. Liam’s going to be there, too.” She said it casually, to test the waters, and was relieved when he shrugged.
“You should put a scarf around your neck. Or your waist! And maybe some earrings.” He leaned into the hallway. “Max! Do you have your socks on yet?”
Evie did a double-take at her mini clone. Only nine, and oh so grown up. But he was right. She grabbed a pair of sparkly chandelier earrings and a matching purple scarf. She’d decide how to wear it on the way. She followed him into the living room, where Max was sitting on the couch, playing with Lego. His socks were sitting on the throw pillow next to him.
He felt her as much as saw her, a wrap of positive energy that enveloped him as he stepped into Danny’s. He’d been to the bar a couple of times before, once with Ted, once for a lunch meeting with Ty West. Somehow Evie, her family and friends had transformed the bar into a family eatery with their simple presence. They were holding court at a few tables pushed together in the front window. Liam had to turn around to see them from the recessed entrance, and when he did, she was watching him. They held each other’s gaze for a moment, then she quietly gestured for an empty chair on the far side of Connor. It was hard not to slip past her first, press his hands onto her shoulders and a kiss to her head. Instead, he lifted his brows in acknowledgment, then shifted his attention to her friends. He’d been at Karen’s going away party, but so had a hundred other people. He imagined they knew all about him. That could go either way. But looking back at him were two friendly, open faces——Karen and Paul weren’t hostile, at any rate.
Before long, they were caught up in a conversation about Toronto and Wardham, big city versus sleepy village. Karen was studying in the city for a year, and Paul was almost as new to their little town as Liam. Every so often, he caught Evie watching him with a strange look on her face, and when Max tipped over his water and Evie headed to the bar for a replacement, he seized the opportunity to join her.
“You okay?” He murmured the question under his breath as they waited for Mari to make her way down to their end of the bar.
“Mmm-hmmm. It’s nice to have another adult around the table.”
“Glad I’m of some use.” He chuckled. “You had a funny look on your face back there at the table, when I was saying how much I like Wardham.”
She sighed. “Sorry. It’s just…” She waved around the simple establishment. “This is a completely different world for you. You don’t miss your former life?”
“Working like crazy and paying a ridiculous mortgage on a condo I barely saw? Nope, not even a little bit.”
She flushed. “I meant the rest of your life.”
“Evie, I didn’t have anything else in my life. The last two years have been non-stop school work. Before that, it was working like a loon to save up for school.”
The pink spots on her cheeks got darker as a frown gathered between her eyes and around her mouth. “Really?”
“I dated a bit. Very sporadically.”
“Annabeth Scott?” She asked the name quickly, then pinched her lips shut. “Nevermind.”
“Hey, where did you…yes, sometimes with Annabeth. She’s a family friend.” Who he’d seen three times in the last five years, and had never been intimate with. “Just a friend, if that.”
“I don’t think I understand your world, Liam.”
“I didn’t realize my world was different than your world, Evie.” The pissy response was out before he could reign it in. Before he could think about how long she’d been stewing on whatever it was she thought she knew about him.
“Then you haven’t thought about it enough. Maybe I’m right to be worried that you’re just playing at all of this.”
Before he could respond, Mari popped up in front of them. “What can I get you guys?”
Evie pushed Max’s empty glass across the bar. “Lemon water for Max, please, and I’ll take an iced green tea.”
Liam leaned over and brushed his mouth against Evie’s ear, ignoring how she tensed at his approach. “That’s a pretty big city drink there, Evie.”
She glanced up at him with a glare. “Don’t make light of this.”
“I’m honestly not. I just don’t know what this is.”
“This,” she hissed. “Is me being blasted in the face with the reality that I don’t know shit fuck all about you.” And she spun around, heading back to her table without her drinks. Liam waited until Mari returned, then he asked for another pint of beer.
So much for not caring about Liam’s life in Toronto. Damnit. Evie puffed out her cheeks in a pathetic attempt to relax, then pasted on a smile as she returned to the group.
“Mommy, you forgot my water.”
“Liam’ll bring it, honey,” she murmured. And he would. It was her style to yell and grump and storm away. Liam would batten down the hatches and ride it out, but he wouldn’t have a tantrum of his own. Good grief. She was the immature one. The realization pained her.
She listened with half an ea
r as Karen, Megan and Connor talked about a movie adaptation of a book they’d all enjoyed. Paul tilted his head at her in a silent question, but she shook her head. It was nothing. Just a hormonal overreaction.
Liam soon rejoined them, carrying three glasses with ease.
“You’ve got that trick down pat, man,” Paul said as Liam sat down.
He glanced over at Evie, holding her gaze as he answered. “I bartended my way through school.”
“I thought I’d heard you can’t work while doing an MBA?” Paul leaned forward, bracing his forearms on the table. Evie watched as Karen lazily reached out and stroked her boyfriend’s arm, dancing her fingers through the light brown hair there. As they shared a private look. If they hadn’t had such a long journey to happiness, it would be sickeningly sweet. Instead, it was just…sweet. Achingly so, and Evie pushed away the pang of envy.
“You can’t work full-time, that’s true. And if my former company found out that I was working Saturday nights, they might have grumbled because I took a leave of absence, but you gotta do what you gotta do.” He nodded to Karen. “It’s a big commitment, right?”
“Totally. If I wasn’t renting out my house, and mooching off this guy here on the weekends, this year would be really expensive.”
“You can mooch off me anytime, baby.” They kissed, and Megan and Connor made matching grossed out noises before dissolving into giggles. Max joined in belatedly, which led to another round of laughs, this time including the grownups.
The conversation faded as the wings arrived, but Evie could feel Liam’s attention pinned on her as they ate, but soon there was a temporary distraction. Karen’s brother Chase came in, an unwelcome arrival if her friend’s low groan was any indication.
Evie glanced between brother and sister as Chase took a seat at the bar without a glance in their direction. “What’s that all about?”
Paul held up his hand. “Don’t get her started.”
Too late. “That is my spoiled thirty-two year old brother acting like a toddler.”
“Are you guys fighting?”
“Sort of.” Karen lifted her shoulders defensively. “He’s absolutely no fun to be around right now, and I may have told him as much. Multiple times.”
Paul sighed and rubbed the back of his girlfriend’s neck. “His life has been tipped sidewise, with a heap of pain piled on top. Give him a break.”
“The rest of the world is giving him all the breaks he needs. Big sister calls it like she sees it.” Karen winced. “Okay, that’s a bit mean. But he’s just so…”
Evie didn’t need Karen to finish the sentence. Her brother had been in a career-ending car accident in the summer, and from the cane he was heavily leaning on, Evie could tell he still had a long rehabilitation journey ahead of him. From an NHL All-Star to professional patient. It was quite the left turn in his life plan. Evie knew all about how that could throw someone for a loop, and she wasn’t in constant agony. Didn’t have metal rods in her legs or screws in her elbow.
And here she was pissed that Liam had a life before her. Huh.
She normally loved the lemon pepper wings at Danny’s, a wonderful healthy find in the midst of a bunch of breaded and deep fried options, but tonight she wasn’t tasting much. She reached for a celery stick and munched on that instead. When Max started yawning, she took the opportunity to beg off.
She hugged Paul first, then Karen. Her friend squeezed her tight, then whispered in her ear, “You giving him hell?”
Evie laughed weakly. “Maybe. It wasn’t a plan or anything.”
“Does he deserve it?”
“Probably not.”
“Will he take it anyway?”
“Yeah.” She sighed. He would. Even if he fought back, it wouldn’t escalate. That wasn’t his way. “It’s all just…so much, you know?”
“I can imagine.” Karen gave her one more tight squeeze. “Hey, a couple more months and I’m going to do my best to give your little one a playmate.”
Evie sucked in a happy gasp. “Seriously? What about school?”
Karen shrugged. “One of my classmates is more pregnant than you. It’ll work out. And we’re not getting any younger.”
Tell me about it, Evie thought. “Are you guys going to get married first?” Do you judge me for not marrying Liam?
“All in good time. I’m not sure how I feel about a big wedding that my mother would just take over, anyway.”
“You can’t go to Vegas, honey, there’s no way I can leave this one, or afford to take all three of them!”
Karen laughed. “We’re not going to Vegas. Although, yeah, that sounds more our style. But I wouldn’t do that. It’ll be here, just…I’m not sure when. Or how.”
“You should have a surprise wedding.” Evie said. “We should have a code word so I don’t skip it in favour of a nap.”
They both giggled, then Karen rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Okay, it’s a plan.”
“What is?” Paul leaned in, interrupting their private conversation.
“I’ll tell you later.” Karen moved toward Liam and waved off his hand when he offered it, instead wrapping her arms around him. “In Wardham, friends hug goodbye.”
Evie couldn’t tell what Liam said in return, but it made Karen laugh. That made her smile.
There was still a lot to know about Liam, but one thing was for sure. Her friends liked him a lot more than Dale.
Liam pulled out his phone for the umpteenth time. No response from Evie. He’d texted her that night, offering to talk more if she wanted. I’m an open book, Evie, I promise.
Now it was Monday morning, and he wasn’t sure if he would still be invited to dinner on Wednesday. He was almost desperate enough to head across the road and plead his case to her mother, even knowing that would piss off Evie.
Jeez, that would be counter-productive.
“Hey, there, boy.”
Liam rolled his eyes and smothered a grin before he turned around to greet his uncle.
“Take the truck across the road and grab the fertilizer I’ve got stored in Claire’s barn. We’ll need it later this week.” Ted jerked his head in the direction of Evening Lane Farm.
“How about I go muck out some stalls or something, and you do that?” He’d thought about going to see Claire. He wasn’t insane enough to actually do it.
“How about you man up and go see your future mother-in-law about whatever has you looking at your phone every five minutes?”
“If she was actually my future mother-in-law, I’d have no problem manning up.” Liam scrubbed his face with one hand. “Evie’s not talking to me. We sort of had a fight.”
“Sort of? Had?” Ted laughed. “Boy, if your woman is mad at you, you’re definitely having a fight. Present tense.”
“She thinks I’m going to tire of Wardham, of her, and be lured back to the big city by the fancy galas and buckets of money.”
“Won’t you?”
Liam jerked back, as if his uncle had punched him. “No. Hell, no. My baby’s here, I’m here.”
“Babies turn into kids, and kids can be annoying.”
“I’m never leaving her.”
“You having a baby girl?”
“What?”
“You just said you’re never leaving her.” Ted leaned back against the tractor and crossed his arms, a lazy grin crawling across his face. “That’s a hell of a trick, eh?”
“Shut up, old man.” But Liam grinned right back. “You want me to take the truck across the road?”
He should have known Claire would be waiting. He parked in front of her house and hopped out.
“Liam, nice of you to stop by.”
“Mrs. Calhoun.” He dipped his head. “Is there any fertilizer to pick up, or has my uncle sent me here strictly for a talking to?”
She laughed. “Come inside. Coffee?”
He puffed out his cheeks and followed her in to the large farmhouse kitchen. He accepted a steaming mug from her, and waited until she sat
before he took his own seat at the table.
“So, Ted says you’ve been miserable for a couple days.”
He furrowed his brow. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“No, you wouldn’t complain.” She pursed her lips. “I’m not sure that’s as noble a trait as you think it is.”
“I really haven’t been—”
“Something you should know about my daughter,” Claire continued blithely, as if he hadn’t responded. “Is that she’s got her own set of ignoble traits. She’s quick-tempered and tends toward self-doubt.”
“I don’t care about the former, and I’m working on the latter.” Liam set his mug down and leaned forward. “We’ve gone about this in a strange way, Evie and I, but you need to know that I have no reservations about her. I’m in, all the way. She just doesn’t believe it yet.”
“I know. But you’re going about it the wrong way.” She smiled a secret smile as Liam blinked at her, processing what she’d just said.
“You know?”
“Oh, honey, it’s all over your face. If you were teenagers, I’d be afraid you were going to do something stupid and knock her up, but since that’s already happened, I think it’s safe to say that’s not just lust.” He winced, unable to help his childish reaction to Claire talking about him and Evie and sex, and she laughed. “I’m sorry. That’s Laney’s influence on me. My younger daughter has been burning up the phone lines, filling me in on everything that Evie’s trying to keep to herself.”
He cleared his throat. “With all due respect, and I promise you I know it’s a lot…have you considered letting her have her privacy through this?”
Claire made a humming noise in the back of her throat as she looked him up and down. “You might care greatly for Evie, but you still don’t know her as well as I do. I made a mistake with her last relationship, letting her suffer in silence for far too long. And she will, you know. She’ll suffer.”
The thought of Evie struggling on her own pained him more than he realized was possible. He clenched his fist and rocked his knuckles back and forth slowly on the tabletop. “So what do I do?”
“Be there for her. Go to her. Let her push you away, but always go back. Become a constant she can depend on.”