Just like Eliza had, if I’m honest. Or she’d ask Murray.Please, Mum, just askMurray.
The flat smelled faintly of coffee, turpentine, and peanut butter, and a canvas rested against the wall, still tacky. I wishedpainting would take my mind off him as much as I kept telling myself it should.
Liam brought me a coffee when he came over here that time…
Liam always said he wanted to see my paintings… and I never showed himthem.
“I have to say,” James said, “you’ve really brought something out in Baz.”
The portrait was turning out better than I’d expected, at least. Not a bad attempt for such rusty fingers. Baz had a young John Cusack energy you didn’t expect from an Uber driver-slash-urban planner. It made him interesting to paint.
“Managed not to makehimlook fat, haven’t you?” Eliza muttered.
I threw the tea towel at her.
“Andy, I need to talk to you about something,” James said.
Eliza zipped one side of her case and looked up.
He hesitated.
“It’s okay,” I said. “She can hear.”
“Liam’s wrapping up in London,” he said. “Bonnie’s handling the UK side from now on. He’ll only be involved remotely going forward.”
An instant twist in my gut. It happened every time anyone mentioned his name.
What I’d thrownaway.
“What?”
“He’s going back to New York, hon.”
Eliza froze, one hand on the zip.
“Is he… already gone?” I asked.
I still burned with shame when I thought of the HR letter and how badly I must have hurt him.
But I thought I’d have more time to reconnect withhim.
“No. He’s got an industry event this evening. After that, he’s on a flight.”
I picked at the paint on my finger. It had dried into a thin, blue film.
“You were always scared that if you tried, you mightfail.”
Was that really who I was? Too scared to go after what I wanted? I’d already quit my job and started painting again, and that had terrified me.
But the idea of facing how much I’d hurt Liam scared me even more.Would he think I was just like all the others who only saw his power and influence, instead of the man inside?
I didn’t care about any of that. I just cared… about him.
What if I did reach out, and he rejected me? If I saw disappointment in his eyes—
I didn’t know if I could handlethat.
“If you were thinking of talking to him,” James said, “it would have to be tonight.”
