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“Go on.” She waved her hands in his direction. “I know you’ve got a million things to say. Out with it.”

He didn’t move, his face unreadable as he finally spoke. “Big fan of hard rock?”

She didn’t know what she’d expected him to say, but his response—for one reason or another—quelled her embarrassment enough for the humor of the situation to finally burst through her disgrace.

She let out a chuckle, then more laughter rolled forward like the waves of the sea until she pressed her cold hands against her cheeks to cool down. “Ugh,” she breathed, dabbing at the laughter-induced tears from her eyes. “What a total disaster.”

She glanced up at Liam, and her heart tripped.

There it was, that smile. Liam’s entire face had shifted, softened from his usual glower or serious expression to one of utter delight.

His eyebrows had raised, and smile lines appeared at the edges of his eyes, giving him a boyish look. More than anything, though, she was captured by the brilliant smile that stretched across his lips in the most gorgeous way she’d ever seen. She hadn’t thought the man could be any more attractive than he already was, but that smile had just proven her wrong. Dead wrong.

Alright. So this guy wasn’t that bad. Even if he didn’t appreciate flowers like he should.

“For what it’s worth,” he said, “that’s a fine song choice for a ringtone.”

Why did his approval raise her spirits? “I set it for when Melody calls.”

His smile grew. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a song more appropriate for her.”

She laughed. “Just not appropriate for an abbey.”

She could have sworn she’d heard him laugh, but only his eyes smiled now.

Tearing her gaze away from him—which was basically the hardest thing she’d ever had to do in her life—she stared down at her phone with condemning eyes.

“I guess I better call her back. Maybe she’s feeling better and wants us to come get her.”

A flash of disappointment echoed in her chest, but Claire swiftly shoved it away in confusion. Melody always made everything a thousand times more fun with her enthusiasm. Why would Claire not want her to join them?

Her return phone call went straight to voicemail, and Claire paused. Maybe she was on the other line.

Next, she pulled up her messages and sent a quick text.

Claire: Hey, are you okay? Sorry I missed your call. We were inside Westminster Abbey. Do you need anything? Want us to come back?

As soon as she sent the message, however, her phone buzzed again as she received a voicemail.

“Oh, this is from her,” Claire said, lifting it up to listen.

Instead of any words, silence sounded, then a great snore tore through the speakers.

She sniffed out a laugh. “Ah, lovely.”

Liam looked at her with a question in his eyes.

She gave him the phone to listen himself, and he put it to his ear, a half-smile on his lips forming when he heard the snoring, too. “Yeah, there’s no mistaking that snore, is there?”

She took her phone back, turning it off and tucking it into her pocket. “She must have been playing on her phone, then fell asleep with it unlocked.”

Liam shrugged, seeming to accept Claire’s guess. “We can still head back if you’d like. Or we could get a bite to eat first. See if she responds by then.”

Claire hesitated. They really should be getting back, especially since her list of sights was all but accomplished. Then again, Melody had expressly told them to stay out for as long as they wanted—that she couldn’t tolerate any food. And Claire was starving, as it was nearing half past one.

“Yeah, let’s eat some lunch first,” she said, setting aside her looming guilt. “Melody will probably be up soon, then she can let us know how she is.”

Together, they moved down the pathway away from the abbey until Big Ben became visible once again through the spindly branches of the trees.