One side of Liam’s mouth turns up in something resembling a smile. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. If Thea goes, I’ll see about taking time off work once Rex is out of school so he can be my sole focus.”
Silence falls, and Liam appears lost in thought. I offer to get our breakfast, and head for the counter to order. I linger after I pay, chatting with Regina and casting surreptitious glances at Thea, who’s slowly making her way through her own breakfast. When another customer approaches, Regina says she’ll bring our order when it’s ready.
On my way back to the table, Liam’s body language is noticeably more open. A pair of colorful flyers lies on the table and he’s perusing one with a small smile on his face.
“Someone was distributing these, so I grabbed two,” he says as I take my seat. “It’s an updated list of all the upcoming holiday events in town. They’ve resurrected all of Rex’s old favorites and added a bunch of new things too.” He points to an illustrated image of a couple dancing. “The Snow Ball is next weekend. It’s an all ages dance at the community center. You can wear whatever you want, although people usually use it as an excuse to dress up, sometimes even in costumes. Thea was Elsa fromFrozenlast year. She tried to convince Rex to dress up like Olaf the snowman, but he has this hilarious powder blue suit he loves to wear. It’s probably too small this year, not that that’ll stop him from cramming himself into it.”
I chuckle at the image, and Liam laughs along with me. It’s good to see him smiling again. He tucks the flyers away when Regina delivers our breakfast. She chats with us for a minute and then returns to her post behind the counter.
“Will you be my date to the Snow Ball?” Liam’s eyes are trained on the ketchup he’s squeezing next to his home fries. “Or my…well…you know what I mean. Whatever the equivalent of a date is for whatever we are.”
Flustered Liam is adorable. “What about Rex?”
“Let the kid find his own date, I asked you first.”
I stifle a laugh. “In that case, yes. I’d love to be your date.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
As is the case with so many other things in Honeywell Hollow, The Snow Ball is like something out of a From the Heart movie. The events room in the community center is full of glittering snow-themed decorations and twinkling white and blue lights. When Liam, Rex, and I step into the room, I feel like I’ve entered a living, breathing snow globe scene. The Honeywell holiday enthusiasm must be contagious because I don’t even try to hide my delight.
“You’re truly becoming one of us,” Liam says, bumping my shoulder with his.
I smile at him without responding. There’s no denying the spark and connection between us, but I can’t encourage him when he makes comments like that. I won’t deny I’m falling for this town—and certain townspeople—but this is only my temporary home.
Rex, who’s situated between us, holding each of our hands, suddenly releases us and bolts away. Liam was right about his nephew cramming himself into his powder blue suit. The cuffs barely come to his wrists, the jacket won’t button, and the trousers end a few inches above his ankles—showing off a pair of dinosaur- and snowflake-patterned socks—but the kid looks adorable and happy. Or at least hedidlook happy until a moment ago.
The reason for his dismay and abrupt departure approaches us slowly. Thea looks more clear-eyed than she did the other day in Sweet Escapes. Her dark hair is pulled back in an elaborate braid, and she’s wearing a midnight-blue dress. Her hands are clenched in a white-knuckled grip on the matching shawl around her shoulders.
“He’ll come around,” Liam says quietly, gripping his sister’s arm. She’s gazing across the room at Rex, who has joined a group of kids his age at the refreshments table.
Liam and I went with Thea for moral support last week when she broke the news to Rex about going away for a few weeks. He didn’t take it well, not that any of us expected him to. She told us she was coming tonight as a last-ditch effort to spend time with Rex before leaving for the rehab center in Toronto.
“You look beautiful,” I tell her.
She turns her attention to me and smiles faintly. “Thanks. So do you.” She waves a hand at my sparkly pale blue dress. I didn’t exactly pack for a fancy occasion when I came to Honeywell, so Mae suggested I raid the dress aisle at the local thrift store. I chose this dress because it reminded me of a prom dress I wore in a movie nearly twenty years ago.
“And so do you, big brother,” Thea adds, lifting her chin in Liam’s direction and scanning his dark suit. “Let me guess, Rexy picked out your tie?”
Liam chuckles as he smoothes his light blue tie covered in glittering snowflakes. “He said I needed to keep with the theme of the Snow Ball.”
Thea’s smile wobbles as her eyes move between the two of us before seeking out Rex again. “You all match,” she says quietly. “Like a happy little family unit.”
“Thea.” Liam closes the distance between them and wraps an arm around her shoulders.
“It’s okay,” she says quickly, swiping at her face. “Really. He’ll need you both while I’m away. He has every right to be pissed at me, but it’s better for him to be mad at me now than to mourn me later. We’ve been through that, so we know first hand.” She rests her head on Liam’s shoulder and closes her eyes briefly. “I couldn’t bring myself to leave if I wasn’t one hundred percent sure he’d be loved and taken care of. I know you two will do that, along with Nathan and the Murphys. And he’ll be thrilled to have Fiona home for the next week. I could kiss her for her perfect timing, even though I’ll miss her visit.”
The Murphys’ daughter is flying in tonight to spend a week with her family since she’ll be leading a tour group over Christmas. Nathan got ‘stuck’—his words—with picking her up from the airport in Toronto. Thea planned her departure around that so she wouldn’t have to find another way to the city.
He’ll be fine, I promise,” Liam says. “We’ll take great care of him. He might not understand now, but he will someday, and he’ll thank you for having the courage to rebuild your life.”
Thea’s eyes shine with tears as she presses her lips together and bobs her head. “I’m going to go get some punch and something to eat. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
Liam blows out a weary sigh as he watches his sister walk away. “I hate this,” he says without looking at me. “It tears me apart watching her go through this and feeling so helpless. It’s a repeat of our mom all over again.”
Unsure what to say, I slide my hand into his. His fingers close around mine and the barest hint of a smile ghosts across his mouth. I gaze at his profile, wishing I knew what to do or say to ease the tension in his body and smooth the worry lines on his face. If this were a movie, my character would know the perfect thing to say. I’m just me, though, and I’ve never dealt with anything like this, so I’m at a loss.
Liam waves at someone across the room. His smile is artificial at first, but quickly morphs into a genuine one paired with a soft laugh. I follow his line of sight to see Rex across the room, shimmying to the music while waving at his uncle with both hands.
