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Well that was just great. “What did he say?”

Melody showed Claire the text.

Liam: Sure. Sounds fun.

Well, he sounded less than enthused.

Before Claire could even react, Melody looped her arm through hers and pulled her ahead. “We are going to have the best time. You will love Dean. He’s sooo dreamy.”

Ah, excellent. Claire couldn’t wait to meet Dreamy Dean and spend another evening trying not to fall even harder for Liam.

One thing was for certain, she was going to make it perfectly clear to Liam that tonight was not a date. She’d hate for him to think she was like the waitress from last night—flirting with a guy who was unavailable.

Even if that was exactly what she wanted to do.

TWENTY

Liam shuffled toward the east side of Hyde Park, the large gate to Winter Wonderland looming above in all its flashy, Christmassy glory. Normally, the pop-up fun fair boasted thrills for all ages, including rides, street vendors, circus performances, and ice sculptures.

But having fun at the fair was conditional on the people one went with and, of course, the ability to withstand pressing crowds.

Unfortunately for Liam, neither factor was in his favor that afternoon. Honestly, if it weren’t for Claire going, there was no chance he’d have ever considered coming at all.

“Liam! Over here!”

Liam followed the sound of his cousin’s voice, finding her as she wildly waved her arms overhead. Dean Wilson stood by her side with his typical smirk, and Claire looked on with a shifting stance. Her eyes were on Liam until he met her gaze, then she promptly looked away.

His heart quickened at the mere sight of her, but he told it to settle down. There was no room for any of that nonsense today. He was there for one reason and one reason alone—to save her from Melody and Dean’s absurdity.

“Took you long enough,” Melody said as they met up near the front line. “We’ve been waiting for, like, an hour.”

“Sorry about that,” Liam said half-heartedly. “The Tube was busier than normal.”

“How’ve you been, Liam?” Dean said, reaching forward to shake Liam’s hand. His brown hair was slicked back with a faded buzz at the sides. “It’s been a while.”

Liam returned his handshake, then tucked his fingers back into his pockets. The temperature had dropped significantly from the day before due to the clouds cloaking the sun with dark gray blankets. “I’ve been fine, thanks. And yourself?”

“Much better now that I have your beautiful cousin on my arm,” Dean responded, his dark eyes all over Melody. Then he glanced to Claire. “And, of course, meeting this gorgeous bird has been an utter delight, as well.”

Liam gauged Claire’s response carefully, pleased when her smile revealed discomfort more than anything. It was no wonder. Dean was ridiculous.

It went without saying that Liam had never liked the guy. Where Liam had finished school, Dean had dropped out. Where Liam had worked hard to make a living and stand on his own two feet, Dean was still living with his parents and couldn’t keep a job if his life depended on it. But none of those things mattered as much as how Dean treated the women in his life. He was always dating multiple girls at a time and spoke about them like they were possessions to be collected instead of actual people with hearts and souls of their own.

Unfortunately, Liam’s parents had been friends with Dean’s since college, so they had been forced to be civil for years.

Melody tugged on Dean’s arm, pulling him toward the entrance where the queue stretched back a few meters. “Alright, I’m done waiting. Come on, we already purchased the ticket for you, Liam. Let’s go already!”

Dean laughed, following her at once as Claire and Liam fell in step behind them. Claire once again averted her gaze from Liam, seeming inordinately focused on the sign they neared, Santa holding a list on one side and a woman ice skating on the other.

Wanting to begin his rescue of Claire sooner rather than later, he leaned toward her. “Were you really waiting for long?”

She still wouldn’t meet his gaze. “No. It was only a few minutes.”

Her answer was stinted, and he couldn’t help but wonder if it was his presence or Melody’s behavior that was preventing her from being the normal, chatty woman from the day before.

Melody laughed ahead of them in the queue, turning around to face Liam and Claire. “Oh my gosh, you guys. You have to hear Dean’s story about the Airbnb they just rented. Go on, Dean. Tell them. It’s seriously the funniest thing you’ll ever hear.”

The story turned out to be one of the dullest in Liam’s life, but he smiled politely through the retelling. Claire did, as well, but he couldn’t decipher if it was genuine or not.