Thirty
The sky opened in front of him, shots of pink and red across a yellowing sky. Liam sat in a wicker chair, staring at the flames of the fire, his shoes dusted with sand.
The water was calm and the music was dampened, as though he’d filled his ears with cotton. His brain was muffled, too, ideas and sounds bouncing without landing.
He let out a sigh.
“Liam.”
He glanced up. The moon shined like a beacon over her. “Mackenzie.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to check in with you sooner,” she said, walking closer. “Is everything okay?”
He returned to the flames. “I think so, yes.”
“Are you having fun?”
He looked up, locking onto her eyes. “How do you know Cameron?”
She took a seat next to him. “Cameron Walters?”
He blinked. “How do you know him?”
She sat back and shrugged. “He was working with Bailey Jo and offered me a job as a saleswoman.”
Liam scoffed. “Is that what you were doing with him back there? Negotiating terms of employment?”
“I’m sorry,” she snapped. “Was I supposed to ask your permission first?”
“Don’t be coy with me, Mackenzie.”
“I’m not being coy. He told me about you.”
“About me?” Liam stood, first walking away from the fire, then turning back. “Did he have nice things to say?”
“Not really,” Mackenzie said. She bit her lip. “He said you were dangerous.”
A laugh burst out of him. “ I’m dangerous? And you believed him?”
She sighed, pushing herself off the chair and standing, the red gown dancing off her curves like an impossible painting. “He said he was engaged to your sister.”
“That’s true.” Liam scanned her eyes. Her lips. There was no sign of what she was thinking. “Did he tell you how it ended?”
She looked back at him. “Did you threaten him, Liam?”
“What?” He rolled his eyes. “Of course I did. He left her at the altar.”
She looked down, away. Something sparkled in her hair, throwing dazzling flashes every time she moved. “Why did he leave her at the altar?”
“I don’t know. Because he’s an animal. Because he was trying to use her and use our family.”
“Your family? Why?”
He sighed. “If you’re so close with him, why don’t you ask him? Ask him about his last business opportunity.”
“I’m asking you.” Her tongue grazed her lips and she sighed. “Your family…are they involved in anything illegal?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
He narrowed his eyes. What could Cameron possibly have been on about? The worst his family had had to deal with was drunken passengers.
“Do you know about a time they’ve smuggled anything?” she asked.
The fire crackled, a branch collapsing into a pile of hot ash, floating up in a plume.
He stared at her, the heat of the flames on his face. “No.”
“He told me”—she cleared her throat—“that your family are smugglers.”
He looked up, past her, into the orange sun. “And you believed him.”
“I don’t know what to believe, Liam! Why don’t you give me your side of the story?”
“There’s no story, Mackenzie.” He snapped his head back at her. “Everything I told you was the truth. My parents operate boating tours for tourists.” Above him, the cloudless sky hung dark blue. “My sister had a terrible, botched engagement to a man who used her and left her. I didn’t think to mention it to you because I didn’t think in my wildest dreams he’d show up here.”
Mackenzie clasped her hands together. The corner of her mouth flinched.
“And I didn’t think,” he added, lowering his voice, “you’d be foolish enough to trust him.”
“I can’t read your mind, Liam. How was I supposed to know –”
“You were supposed to think , Mackenzie!” His voice boomed in the small cove, bouncing off the rocks and trees and chairs. “I never thought you, of all people, would be blinded by a smooth-talking salesman and a high-paying job.”
“I need a job, you know. Not everyone can travel the world painting hillsides.”
“Is that what he was offering you? A job? Because it looked like he was interested in something else. You have no idea what you’re getting into.”
Her face contorted, her nose and forehead scrunched. “Spare me, Liam. I can take care of myself.”
He could take the hint. She’d clearly made up her mind.
“Then I wish you all the best.”
He brushed past her and into the night.