Page 51
“How long have you worked there?” she asked next.
“About eight years.”
“And how long have they been promising the promotion?”
“The last three.”
She turned on him with a raised brow. “Three years? That is so long to just hold that over your head. No wonder you’re so upset.” She paused. “I take it you haven’t told your mom yet.”
He winced. “No, so if you wouldn’t mind…”
But Claire was already shaking her head. “Oh, don’t even worry about it. I won’t say a word.”
He nodded his gratitude. “I’ll tell her soon. I just…don’t want to disappoint her.”
Claire stared up at him, her brow pursed before she shook her head and looked away.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“No, come on.”
She took a slow sip of her hot chocolate. “I just…I mean, I know I don’t know you or your mom very well at all. But from the short time I have spent with her, I already know that there’s nothing you could do that would disappoint her.” Then she turned her blue eyes on him. “She loves you.”
There was a hint of sadness in her tone, but she looked away too quickly for Liam to be sure.
He knew Claire was right, though. His mum did love him. And yet… “Unfortunately, I can disappoint her. As is evident by my absence over the last few Christmases.”
Claire looked up at him with a curious gaze. “Can I ask why you did stay away? Was it just work, or…”
Yes, there was a big or. But he didn’t need to open up that can of worms. “A lot of it was due to my work schedule, but it just keeps getting worse. After I didn’t get the promotion, I decided to come home so at least I wouldn’t be failing in every regard in my life.”
He stopped, averting his gaze in embarrassment. He hadn’t meant to share so much.
“So you don’t like how busy your job makes you, then?” she asked, her eyes delving into his.
Did this question mean something to her? “No,” he answered truthfully. “Before, I loved it. But now, I travel so often that I hardly have time to do what I actually enjoy.”
“Which is…”
She waited in silence, and Liam hesitated for only a moment. He’d already opened up about everything else that evening. Why not his passions next?
“I enjoy wildlife and landscape photography,” he said with a flippant raise of his shoulder. “I’m only an amateur photographer, but I’ve always been interested in taking photos of the animals and scenery around the UK.”
“That sounds amazing,” Claire said, her smile brightening.
Either she really thought so, or she was an excellent liar.
“I always thought so, too,” Liam said. Her enthusiasm, whether real or not, picked up his heart. “I first got a job at Peregrine Productions because they produced a lot of wildlife documentaries, so I got to film and photograph the animals. Now, the company has grown so big, they’re mostly hired out to film exercise equipment and health food videos.”
Claire raised a lip to reveal that her disappointment matched his own. “So you haven’t been able to take any photographs lately?”
He held his tongue, not wanting to share too much about his photography feed on Instagram. “I dabble here and there, but nothing too serious. I don’t really have the time. That was actually one of the reasons I’d wanted the promotion. As an executive producer, I wouldn’t be required to travel as often, so I’d have more time for what I actually enjoy.” He shook his head, realizing he was whinging again. “Anyway, that’s life, isn’t it? Disappointments happen.”
Claire looked away, her lips half-curved. “I dunno.”
“What do you mean?”
