by Layla Hagen
I looked up at him, intending to thank him, but was caught off guard by his expression.
“You look very...pleased. Possibly smug. Why?”
Bringing his mouth to my ear, he whispered, “I like that you’ve never been here with anyone before.”
“Did you come here with someone before?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
Liam tilted my chin with his thumb, looking me straight in the eyes. “No. I don’t have some standard charming program, Tess.”
“Hmm...well, you almost had me fooled, what with your perfect panty-melting smile and super flirty lines.”
“You think my smile is panty-melting?”
“Want to check?”
“Don’t tempt me.”
Holy shit, he wasn’t joking.
I grinned, scooting a few inches away from him.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting the temptation out of the way.”
Laughing, he pulled me right back against him so our hips were touching.
“Want to check the basket?” he asked.
I didn’t need asking twice and immediately took it in my lap, inspecting the contents. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning unpacking presents.
We had a selection of cold appetizers, everything from ham and cheese to sweet spreads.
“Oooh, this is peach marmalade. It’s my favorite. Mom used to make this when we were little.”
Liam chuckled, kissing my cheek. “I like how excited you are.”
“Aren’t you? Look how many goodies we’ve got. I can’t believe I didn’t know about this place. How did you find it?”
“I asked Skye.”
I stopped in the act of unpacking the bread. I wasn’t sure what threw me more, that he asked my sister or that he owned up to it so nonchalantly.
We’d been here for all of ten minutes and my heart rate was already speeding up. How was that even possible?
“Well, it worked. I’m impressed.”
I was grinning, and he was grinning right back. I couldn’t believe how easy our interactions were, how open he was about everything.
“So, what shall we start with?” I asked, pointing at all the goodies I’d taken out.
“Your choice, Tess.”
I rubbed my palms in excitement before digging in. I started with a roll of ham and cheese, and Liam followed suit.
“I’m saving this for last,” I said, pointing to the peach jam. “It’s one of my fondest memories from Boston.”
“You used to live there?” he asked.
I nodded. “I was born there and only moved to New York after my parents divorced. Mom went to a farmer’s market every week, and we made peach and strawberry jam every summer. I loved doing that so much. I used to think that when I had kids, I’d have designated weekends for all sorts of jam-cooking—”
I pressed my lips together before I blurted out any more inappropriate things.
“Why did you stop midsentence?”
I looked up from the glass, smiling coyly. “Fifteen years of dating taught me that mentioning kids on a date is a huge no-no.”
Liam tilted forward until his nose nearly touched mine. He was grinning. “I want to listen to everything you want to tell me.”
“Ha! Did you learn nothing from the ‘getting to know each other’ dinner? You most definitely don’t want me to speak without a filter.”
“That’s exactly what I want, Tess.” He touched my cheek with the back of his hand before moving to my lips. “I liked that about you from the beginning. What’s going on through that pretty mind?”
“Lots of things. I just remembered some cute things we used to do as kids.”
“It must have been difficult for your mom, moving with so many kids to New York.”
I nodded, feeling a small knot tighten in my chest.
“Her sister got her a job as a teacher here, so she didn’t have much choice. It was a tough time for the family. We were all disoriented for a while. Mom was trying to be strong, but I could hear her cry sometimes at night. It was just such a huge change from our life in Boston. We lived in a huge house and never had to think about money, and then overnight we were worrying about every penny. I tried to make everything fun for my siblings, to distract them by painting our rooms and sort of making toys and games out of everything.”
“And you? How were you coping?” he asked.
I shrugged, pressing my palm to my chest again. “I was foolishly optimistic. I actually thought my parents would reconcile. I really believed it. Then we found out that he married someone else.”
“Oh shit.”
“Yeah. Luckily, I didn’t have too much time to dwell on that between school, looking after my siblings, and doing odd jobs on the side.”
“I have a hard time believing that.”
“Why?” I asked, startled.
“Because you’re a very sensitive person, very caring. When you came to my office without Skye, you had a million things on your mind and still worried if her son had something serious.”
Okay, so I’d been downplaying that...but how could he tell?
Dad had been the first man who broke my heart, and I wasn’t sure I’d actually given it to anyone ever since. But Liam was getting under my skin in a way no one else had. I felt safe with him.
“I’m a weirdo, I know,” I said.
“No, you’re very caring and sensitive, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
I narrowed my eyes, elbowing him slightly. “What happened to being tough and strict? Thought that was on the list of qualities you looked for in business owners.”
“You’re all that too. No one’s roasted my ass like you did.” He grinned, covering my hand with his on the blanket before skimming two fingers up my forearm. I hadn’t even known that was a sweet spot. I was certain that Liam could turn any inch on my body into a sweet spot.
I scooted a little to the right, putting a few inches between us.
He cocked a brow. “You think these two and a half inches are enough to keep me from kissing you? Touching you?”
Could he read my mind?
“Well, no, but it was worth a try. You’re looking at me like you’re having devilish intentions.”
“Of course I do. But I’m keeping those for later.”
He skimmed his fingers up my forearm again. Heat shot through me as I caught my breath. He did it one more time, slowly trailing them down to my wrist.
“So what are you doing right now?” I whispered.
“I can’t be next to you and not touch you. I’m barely keeping from kissing you, and that’s just because I know I’d make a spectacle in front of everyone.”
Laughing, I moved even farther away, placing the basket between us. I wanted to point out that the rows of pampas grass protected us, but who knew what he might do.
“There, that should do it,” I said playfully. “Don’t you dare seduce me before I’ve tasted everything in this basket.”
“Or what?” he asked as I reached inside.
“I’m not sure. I’ll think about a particularly cruel revenge.”
I picked out a small jar of chili jam and immediately spread it on a slice of bread.
“Wow, this is delicious,” I said after a bite. “I’ve never had this before. Thanks so much for bringing me here.”
When he said nothing, I looked up at him and was startled to find his eyes pinned on me.
“What?” I asked somewhat shyly.
“I’m just trying to figure you out, Tess. That’s all.”
“What do you have so far?”
“Many notes.” He tapped his temple.
“Good ones?” I asked eagerly.
“Of course.”
“Tell me.”
“On one condition.” He lay down on the swing, patting the spot next to him.
I grinned, swallowing my remaining mouthful before scooting back next to him.
“Lie down here. We certainly have enough space.”
He moved a bit, and then I laid my head on his chest, draping a leg over his. Heat speared me at every point of contact.
“What happened to distance?” he asked. I laughed at how confused he sounded.
“Well, the distance thing was so you wouldn’t be tempted. You can’t really touch me too much the way we’re lying down. I have one of your arms completely trapped. I, on the other hand, have free rein.”
I had not meant that as a challenge. But did he take it as one? Hell yes.
He shifted smoothly and quickly from beneath me, and before I even had time to say something, he rolled me over and completely covered my body with his. He wasn’t crushing me, so he probably held his weight on his knees and forearms, which were at the sides of my shoulders.
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
“I have no idea.”
“I thought you didn’t want to make a spectacle.”
No one could see, and we both knew it.
“I’m not.” He feathered his lips over mine but didn’t kiss me. “You just make me act on impulse.”
He still didn’t kiss me. Instead, he drew the tip of his nose up my cheek and temple before tracing the same path with his mouth.
I grinned, lifting my head until our lips were almost touching. “I approve.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Liam
Over the next three weeks, I worked closely with Skye and Tess on their website and the marketing campaign. The radio clips were a priority. They were nothing special, just what was needed to convey their location and the website. Being direct to the consumer with that information was important.
From the day the radios started blasting their ads, we could track a hefty increase in online orders. We also revamped their Google and Facebook advertising. Usually, I was splitting my time among all the other companies we were working with, but when we signed on someone new, I liked to give them 100 percent of my time. In this case, I was giving them 200 percent—to Tess, at least. We spent a fair share of nights at her place, and I was liking it a lot. Waking up next to her? That had been the best part of today.
From there, it all went downhill. On the way to the brownstone, I got a call from our lawyer, Barney. I contacted him right after Albert showed up at the office.
“Tell me you have good news,” I said.
“I have shit news.”
“Okay, shoot.”
I slowed my pace, venturing into a quieter side street.
“I asked around a bit. A friend of a friend knows his lawyer, and...well, turns out Albert actually wants to sell his shares.”
“Fuck!” I leaned against the metal fence of a brownstone, running a hand through my hair. “He can’t sell without our agreement, though. It’s in the contract.”
None of us could sell our shares without all the partners agreeing. It was a way to ensure that we only ever sold to a party everyone considered a good fit.
“No, but you also can’t deny the sale forever.”
“Does he have a buyer yet?”
“Not that I know of, but that doesn’t mean much.”
I unhitched myself from the railing and began pacing around the pavement, almost stepping into a pile of dog shit.
“I’ll talk to Becca and David. The best way to move forward is if we buy his shares. Him selling to some randomly chosen party is not going to happen. It would be a dick move to all our mentees. They trusted the three of us with decision power, not a stranger.”
When I said mentees, I actually meant Tess. I cared about all our mentees, of course, but she was more important to me than any of the others.
“I’ll look at your finances, check the cash flow and the key performance indicators.”
He wasn’t just our lawyer but also our consulting CFO.
“Perfect.”
“Look, I can tell you right away that things might get messy.”
I snorted. Yeah, especially because of that fucker. “Can you put our options in a document and meet with us as soon as possible?”
“Sure. I’m on it.”
“Thanks, Barney.”
I headed to the brownstone afterward, trying to recall the wording in our contract regarding a sale. Honestly, I never paid too much attention to that part of it. When we originally drafted it, we’d all been friends, so it hadn’t mattered. No one thought we’d ever sell. And when we amended the contract so Albert became a silent partner, we made no changes to that part. We barely convinced him to sign the amendment as it was.
When I arrived at the brownstone, I immediately called Becca and David into my office. It was a cold mid-October day—too cold for the rooftop, and we hadn’t brought up the heaters yet. The two of them sat down. I was pacing the room.
“I spoke to Barney about Albert,” I said without easing them into it, then repeated the whole conversation. I always preferred to rip Band-Aids right off.
“That fucker. He’s getting a check without doing anything, and it’s not enough?” Becca was seething. Her short hair was sticking out in every direction. She looked a bit like a hedgehog. It was always a sign that she was pissed.
“Barney said he’ll inspect the contract and look at our cash flow,” I finished.
“Thank fuck, because I get a headache every time I try to read all that law lingo,” David exclaimed. He got up from the beanbag chair and grabbed the stress ball from my desk, flexing it in his hands.
“I propose we buy his shares,” I said.
Becca nodded in agreement. “That’s a good idea. As long as he isn’t a dick and actually wants to sell to us.”
Years ago, we proposed to buy him out, and he refused. Now he wanted out. This had to work.
“We really didn’t need this right now when we just signed on a new mentee,” David said. “I mean, getting into a legal dispute between ourselves is always a bad idea, but now, it’s especially shit.”
He kept flexing the ball in his hand, frowning.
I ran the day’s schedule through my mind and made a spur-of-the-moment decision.
“Want to go for a run?” I asked him.
David turned around abruptly, looking from me to Becca, whose mouth was hanging open.
“You know it’s nine o’clock, right?” he said. “You never want to go running this late.”
“It helps you blow off steam,” I pointed out.
David whistled loudly, tossing the ball on my desk and jamming both hands in his pockets.
“Hey, Becca. Something’s wrong with him. He’s becoming human. It’s scary.”
“Don’t be a dick,” I replied.
“He’s not,” Becca cut in. “Just pointing out a very pleasant change. You don’t change your schedule even when you’re sick, and now you’re willing to skip a meeting to go for a run.”
“I took you out for an unplanned coffee last week,” I pointed out.
Becca snapped her fingers as a slow grin spread on her face. “Wait a second...I think I know what’s turning him human. It’s Tess, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean? What did I miss?” David asked.
Becca got up from the beanbag, smoothing her palms over her black sweater.
“Our Liam here is seeing Tess.”
“And you didn’t tell me anything? That’s a low blow, dude.”
I cocked a brow. “I’m not into locker room talk.”
I was like my grandfather in many ways, not used to expressing much.
“But I am.” He came up to me, patting my shoulder. “And you can tell me all about it while we warm up for our run. That peep show in the bathroom really did the trick, huh?”
“Becca. Help!”
She shook her head. “Don’t put me in the middle of it. You two go for a run while I actually pick up your slack.” With a grin, she added, “But just saying, I’m liking this new version of you. David, we’re going to have to find something else to give him shit about.”
He didn’t miss a beat. “I’m on it.”
; The run worked well for David but not for me. I pushed myself past my usual limit, even though the cold air pierced my lungs and my thighs felt like they were about to explode. Running was addictive, especially in New York, where it was practically a religion.
We stretched again at the end of the run, and David was his usual self, still questioning me about Tess.
I didn’t really blame him. I hadn’t had anything else in my personal life except meaningless dates and sex for the last decade. I just wasn’t used to talking about my personal life, not even with my best friend.
“No talk about Tess anymore. We do have a huge workload waiting for us,” I told him in front of the entrance.
He gave me a shit-eating grin. “No, don’t worry. I’ll just bring her up during coffee breaks.”
I snickered, shaking my head. But right before I stepped in the shower, an idea occurred to me. I made a phone call to the restaurant where I’d taken her, ordering a basket to be delivered to Tess. Pity I wouldn’t be there when she received it to see her reaction, but I wanted her to know how important she was to me, how often I thought about her.
I wanted to make Tess happy. I also had a strong urge to protect her from everything—including Albert.
***
Tess
The great thing about being an entrepreneur was that I could work from anywhere. Today, I’d chosen the new store as headquarters. Well, what would eventually become the new store. Right now, it was still empty, except for the sofa, which had been delivered that morning. I was sitting on it, replying to emails in between feeling up some new fabric samples. We didn’t have internet yet, so I was using my phone as a connection hot spot.
I didn’t just come here for the quiet—I wanted to get used to the vibe of this place.
It still seemed a little surreal that Skye and I were already opening our second store, that everything was going so well for both of us. We had about a trillion things that needed to be done in the next two months, but we were used to the hustle.
Once I decided on my favorite fabrics, I placed an order with the supplier. I got up from the couch and started stretching a little, because my shoulders were stiff. Midway through my stretching routine, I saw a delivery guy dressed in dark-blue in the window display. He waved at me, and I immediately headed to the door, opening it.