“Victor retired.”
Thatgot my attention. “Really?”
Liam nodded. “Last month.”
“How…”
I’d been about to ask how the fuck I missed that, but Liam only smiled sympathetically.
“You’ve had your own shit going on,” he said softly.
“Still,” I protested weakly. “I’m part owner of the company. I should know when a long-time employee decides to retire.”
“Well, you know Vic,” Liam continued. “Didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.”
“Did he even giveyoua heads up?”
Liam shook his head. “Nope. Just walked up to me on his last day, stuck out his hand, and said, ‘It’s been nice working with you, kid. Good luck.’”
“Damn, that’s cold,” I said with a chuckle. Then again, Vic wasn’t the friendliest man. In fact, my sisters and I had been terrified of him when we were younger. He reminded me of the old next door neighbor in the firstHome Alonemovie. But unlike that guy, Vic wasactuallymean. He used to chase us around with pruning shears when we dared run through the vineyards as kids, and no amount of scolding from my parents could get him to stop.
But he also knew his stuff, which is why my father never firedhim because of his antics. Personally, I wasn’t sad to see him go. Not when Liam was far…younger.
And, okay, a lot better looking. No grizzled beard, leathery skin, and ratty old shirts to be found with Liam Danvers. Simply…flannels, a well-maintained beard, tan skin, and a whole lot of muscles.
Fuck, and don’t even get me started on the tattoos.
Liam’s eyes narrowed on me a bit as I lost myself to those thoughts, so I gave my head a little shake and smiled brightly, mentally urging him to let it go.
If there was one thing I knew about Liam, it was that he, unlike the bulk of the other men around here, generally stayed out of other people’s business. He kept to himself, which was something I greatly appreciated.
I had four sisters and two parents who were constantly pestering me about how I was doing in the wake of my breakup with Alfie. The last thing I needed was Liam joining the fray.
That was why I appreciated days like this so much, when he gave me a task and left me to it.
And on that note, I awkwardly pointed at the plant I’d been working on, half-filled with mulch, and said, “I’m just gonna…”
Liam cleared his throat, his hand coming up to scratch at the back of his neck. I quickly averted my gaze to avoid watching his biceps bunch deliciously beneath his shirt.
Fuck, I needed to get it together—or spend some quality time with my vibrator. Going for so long without sex was turning me into a real horndog.
But this bout of celibacy had also been incredibly healing. With Alfie, sex had always been transactional, where he wastaking, taking, taking, and I was giving, giving, giving. Finding out he’d been cheating on me with multiple women only made me feel as though I’d lost more than what he’d already stolen from me. My trust was broken, self-esteem shattered, and this time alone had done wonders in helping me find myself again.
I just wished I could’ve done it without my family breathing down my neck, wondering when the “old me” was coming back.
In truth, I didn’t think I’d ever be wholly that girl I was before Alfie again. He’d run off, into the arms of someone else, with pieces of me still stuck to his hands like the mulch on my gloves. And I didn’t evenwantthem back. Those were pieces of me that belonged to him because he’d created them. Nurtured me, took me from a little seedling to a withered old plant that, in those early days after the breakup, hadn’t been sure how to survive without him. But being here, doing something I loved—helping my family and getting my hands dirty in the process—settled me in a way I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
I must have been really lost in my thoughts because Liam startled me when he asked, “You okay over there?”
I canted my head to the side, my brows pinching together. “Yes?”
Liam chuckled. “You just let out the loudest sigh I’ve ever heard from another human.”
“Really? I’m sorry.” I swore softly. “I didn’t realize—”
“It’s okay,” he said, gently cutting me off. “I think we’ve all been there, and you’ve been through a lot lately.”
I grimaced but said, “Being here helps.”
