“Those songs are bad.”
He smiles. “You calling my taste in musicbad?”
“I’m calling it outdated. I can do better now.”
“Can you.” He’s taunting me.
“You’re infuriating.”
“You’ve mentioned before.” He reaches over my body, sending a zip of nervous anticipation through me, and unbuckles my seat belt. We’re almost nose to nose. “Fight with me after we eat, Paige. I justworked a twenty-hour day, and I have a feeling I’m going to need my strength for this.” His eyes flick to my mouth, and then he retreats.
I climb out of the truck and chew on my lip while I read the menu. We order individually, and then we settle onto opposite sides of a dark picnic table while we wait. Liam rests his elbows on its surface and links his hands in front of his mouth, surveying me warily.
“Why are you looking at me like I’m a chessboard?” I ask.
His eyebrow hitches. “I saw that you graduated.”
“Yep. This past spring.”
His eyes dance with something likeI told you so.
“Don’t do that,” I warn.
“Do what?”
“Gloat.”
“I didn’t say a word.”
“You didn’t have to. I can read you.”
“Like a chessboard?”
I roll my eyes and Liam smirks.
“How’s your family?” he redirects.
“Good.” My steely resolve cracks at his mention of them. “Zara’s been working at a publishing house in New York City. She’s gotten two promotions.”
Liam nods. “Maren’s still a hotshot lawyer up there too, right?”
“Yep.” I start counting on my fingers. “Candice got engaged to her longtime girlfriend about a year ago and their wedding is coming up. Folly moved in with me when my roommate moved out—she’s pregnant, by the way; Folly, not the old roommate—but before that, she was in this small fishing town about an hour north of Cabo offering surfing lessons to rich vacationers.”
“That tracks. And your dad?” Liam probes, the words leaving him slowly, like he’s not sure if he should ask. I can’t tell if it’s because his own father is gone, or because he knows my relationship with mine was… inconstant.
“Still abroad, living on a co-op with his French farmer wife. She’s nice. I last visited them two years ago.”
Liam nods, absorbing all of this. “No boyfriend, though.”
“No. I’ve dated a bit, but…”
Liam’s jaw goes tight as he looks away from me. “Yeah,” he gets out. “Me too.”
Is there a word for the process of thawing, followed by the blunt exposure of a cold snap? That’s what this conversation feels like.
“You dated someone for a few months, though,” I say. It was notable to me because it lasted that long. “Brenna?”
Liam nods, still not meeting my eyes. “She deserved someone who was going to love her better than I could.”
