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Claire eyed him with suspicion. “Your mother put you up to this, didn’t she?”

“Yes, she most certainly did,” Liam responded without a hint of shame.

“What did she promise to give you? A crisp ten-dollar bill?”

He straightened his coat collar. “It’d take more than a tenner to get me to spend an entire day with you.”

Alright. She deserved that. “Then what?”

He gave her a knowing look. “Why do you care so much?”

“I don’t,” she quickly answered, raising her chin. “Besides, I think we can both agree that it would be a disaster if we went together. So. I’ll be going alone. I just have a couple things to do first.”

She brushed past him without awaiting a response and headed to the kitchen. She didn’t want to leave Melody and Tasha alone, but Claire had had food poisoning before, and all she’d wanted was to be left alone, just like Melody.

So Claire would go. She’d just be sure to return sooner to check in on them. And she would not be going with Liam.

After retrieving a few bottles of a fruit drink and a couple packages of Jacob’s Cream Crackers from the cupboard, she returned to the front door where Liam still waited.

“Here,” she said, thrusting one of the bottles and crackers toward him. “Give these to your mom.”

Liam scrambled to hold them against his chest, but she didn’t wait for his response, going straight upstairs to put the rest of the items on the table next to Melody’s bed.

On her way out, she caught sight of Liam entering his mom’s room, so she slipped quietly down the hallway toward the bathroom door, hesitating just a minute before gently knocking against the wood.

“Melody?” she said softly.

Melody groaned in response.

“I’m gonna go. Okay?”

“Yeah,” Melody said. “Have fun, alright?”

Claire nodded, though she knew Melody couldn’t see her. “Just text me the minute you feel better. And don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything.” She pulled out her phone. “I’ll turn up the volume so I can hear it, okay? I’ll be home soon.”

Melody mumbled a sound of affirmation. “I’ll see you later.”

Claire hesitated a moment longer before lumbering down the stairs. This was good, her leaving. Nothing else could be done for the poor souls until nature literally ran its course. She didn’t need to feel guilty for leaving them. At least, that’s what she continued to tell herself.

Slipping on her thick coat, Claire pulled out her hair from beneath it just as Liam descended the steps once again.

“Shall we?” he asked.

Claire’s hands dropped to her sides. “I thought we’d decided on not going together?”

“You decided that.” He placed his hand on the doorknob. “Which presents a problem because I promised my mum, and now my cousin, that I would take you round London to keep you safe.”

She scoffed under her breath. What was it with everyone thinking that she was incapable of traveling anywhere on her own? She’d clearly made it to England just fine, hadn’t she?

Still, she didn’t want to be rude again, especially if it resulted in Tasha no longer getting to spend time with her son because he was so offended by Claire that he left to stay at his own apartment.

But the longer Claire spent with Liam, the more likely it was that one or both of them would say something mean to each other again. Doing their own thing would be better for the both of them.

She glanced to where his fingers still rested on the door handle. “How about I go alone, and we can just say that you went with me?”

Liam studied her in silence.

She hesitated. “Is that a ‘yes’?”