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Claire’s lips parted, and she stared up at him, clearly speechless.

“What?” he asked, pulling back.

“Nothing. I’m just…surprised.”

“Why? Because I’m not a total pig?”

She shook her head. “No, not you. Just…men in general, I guess. I can’t tell you the number of dates I’ve been on where the guys haven’t hesitated to flirt with the waitresses.”

Liam paused. Had she meant to call their dinner a date? He supposed he had paid for her.

“So what was the second reason?” she asked.

“Unfortunately, it is far less noble. I just don’t have time for a relationship. My work hours would never allow it.”

Like the slow descent of fog rolling over the Thames, the light faded from Claire’s eyes. She turned away, pulling out her phone. “It’s getting pretty late. We should probably head back now.”

Liam hesitated. He’d clearly offended her. But how? What had he said to upset her? Was it about his job or his lack of time for a girlfriend?

Instead of pursuing the reasons that were lost to him, Liam followed her back through the market, the magic from the evening gone.

It was probably better for the night to end this way. If the spell Claire had placed over him had continued much longer, he was sure he would have spilled the fact that there was actually a third, more potent reason for throwing that waitress’s number away.

But no good would come from telling her—or even thinking about it himself—that the reason he’d tossed the number away that evening was because every other woman that night had paled in comparison to Claire.

EIGHTEEN

The ride back to Brook Green was long and painful. Claire could think of nothing to say to Liam, blaming her silence on how exhausted she was from all the sightseeing they’d done that day.

She was so desperate to put distance between her and Liam that when they finally arrived back at Tasha’s—the house silent with only the bathroom light glowing at the top of the stairs—she’d delivered a quick departing wave, then darted up to her room.

Quietly, she dressed for bed, slipping beneath her blankets on the mattress without a sound to avoid waking Melody, who didn’t stir in her bed just to the side of Claire’s.

Flashes of car lights illuminated the window as they drove past the house, and Claire watched them for a moment with a deep sigh.

She could only pray Melody was better by tomorrow. It had felt like weeks since they’d spent any time together, although it had only been a single day.

An outrageously long, surprisingly fun, annoyingly confusing day.

She hadn’t expected to be so affected by Liam’s words at the end of the night, but she’d been derailed, her thoughts ending up in some empty, dried-out field in the cavern of her memories. Which was utterly ridiculous, now that she thought about it. After all, she didn’t like the guy beyond his very attractive physique, remember?

But hearing how he prioritized work had brought back unwelcome memories from her past, memories she’d just as soon forget all over again.

Pulling out her phone, she tried to deaden her thoughts by taking part in some mindless scrolling on Instagram now that she was connected to Wi-Fi. After watching a few German Shepherd puppy reels, cake decorating timelapse clips, and gorgeous English garden slides, she pulled up her own photos.

She hadn’t posted since the airport. Maybe she ought to share some images of the flowers at Kew Gardens or perhaps some of her selfies from around London. That should keep her mind off of whomever she was trying to keep her mind off of.

Shifting on the mattress to lay on her side, she started from the end of her day and worked backwards. She swiftly skipped past the images she’d snapped of the Christmas Market and the Tower of London, Liam’s calming voice and delectable accent echoing in her mind.

Yeah, this wasn’t her smartest idea. Maybe she’d just skip to Kew Gardens instead where she only had unpleasant memories of the guy. But as she swiped past one more photo, her eyes locked onto her and Liam standing in front of Big Ben.

Her instinct told her to exit out of the picture. No good would come from staring at the two of them with their arms around each other. And yet, after a quick glance to ensure Melody was still asleep, Claire gave in to temptation and zoomed closer until she and Liam were front and center on her screen.

She’d felt Liam’s discomfort matching her own in that moment on the bridge, and yet, as she traced his face with her eyes, he looked nothing but the perfect picture of relaxation. His arm was draped easily around her, his smile revealed more in his eyes than his lips, and his head tilted ever so slightly toward her.

Her heartbeat quickened as if he stood beside her in that moment, but she bit her lip, forcing herself to come back down to earth.

He’d said that he didn’t have time for a relationship because of his work, that he was too busy with his job to focus on anything else—just like her parents. They hadn’t had time for their own daughter because of their job, and now because of their retirement. What was with people, choosing trivial things like careers and cruises instead of their own family?