One Year Later #2
Liam continued, ‘The hard bit is over. No more working from the Wendy house, Red.’ He stood behind me, hugging me from behind. Kissing my neck. ‘Now you have your own shop, so everyone knows where they can hire the best fucking interior designer in the Northwest.’
My lips twitched. ‘Maybe in the country.’
Liam smiled. ‘There she is.’
I exhaled a groan. ‘Okay. Let’s do this.’
Liam pushed open the door, and the little bell I installed last week gave a delightfully camp ring. Two of Liam’s floor staff, Mia and Adam, welcomed us holding trays of champagne. Liam had closed the restaurant for the night and insisted on catering the launch event.
‘Thanks, guys,’ I said, accepting a glass of champagne. Nerves bubbled up in my stomach.
Everyone I loved was squeezed into my tiny shop.
Lydia and her girlfriend, Casey, stood by the wall-to-ceiling display of fabric samples.
They had been going out for almost a year once Casey finally got the courage to ask Lydia on a date.
Casey smiled and waved at me, her naturally warm disposition lighting up the room.
Lydia turned and met me with a big smile.
I laughed as she pointed at the champagne and mouthed, Nice.
Ren was standing on the other side, standing alone.
His charcoal trousers and white tee stood out against the burnt orange of my wall of prints.
It was always a surprise to see him off-shift.
He never seemed to take a break from Lily’s.
I wasn’t sure he wanted to. He stood away from Lydia.
He was subtle, but I noticed him stealing glances at her.
Things were still off between them since he’d appeared at my birthday dinner.
They were supposed to be childhood friends, but they were cordial.
Distant. Everyone in Everly Heath seemed to notice it, whispering behind their hands when Lydia and Ren were in the same room.
But whenever I brought it up to Lydia, she changed the subject.
‘There you are, darling.’ Graham and Mum came out from behind some curtains, like some sort of magician’s act. ‘Lovely display in the windows. We had to take a look.’
Mum and Graham looked tanned. Freckles across Graham’s cheeks showed they’d been somewhere warm.
‘How were your travels?’
‘It was a holiday.’ Mum’s lips pursed. I’d been teasing her about it being a trip of a lifetime. ‘A three-week cruise doesn’t constitute itself as travelling.’
I grinned and shrugged. ‘Sounds like it to me.’
Graham’s eyes lit up. ‘It was amazing, Kat. They had performers every night and a casino! I’d never bet before, but I was quite a blackjack fan by the end. And the sand in the Bahamas was white, and the water was like a bath.’
Mum smiled. ‘It was nice to have a break.’
My eyebrows rose. That was a rave review when it came to my mum. Five stars.
Mum touched my forearm and nodded. ‘Everything looks lovely, Kat.’
I couldn’t keep the pride from my smile. ‘Thank you.’
Liam slung his arm around my shoulder. ‘She’s outdone herself. Again.’
‘She has.’ Mum’s face turned up to Liam’s, respect shining there. ‘I hope you both have a lovely evening.’
‘Oh, Kat. I wanted to ask if Peter is coming along. Just I found out about this dig –’
Mum pulled at Graham’s checked shirt. ‘Come on, darling. Let’s leave the lovebirds.’
‘Next time, then!’ Graham laughed, raising his flute.
I laughed, turning to Liam. ‘They seem happy.’
‘I was thinking the same,’ Liam said. ‘And I think your mum likes me now. That’s a relief. Not sure I could face that stare again.’
I nodded. ‘The scary teacher stare. It’s famous.’
‘I can see why.’ Liam shuddered.
I laughed. ‘Who’s the coward now?’
‘Self-preservation, Red. It’s self-preservation.
’ Liam grabbed another champagne flute from one of the trays and took my empty one.
‘Now, go on. Work the room.’ Liam nodded at the crowd behind me.
Several people were watching, most of them friends, but I had some clients in mind I wanted to speak to today.
I knew Pat wanted some rooms redesigned in her house, and Liam’s ex-clients, the Joneses, were also here, and they had thick wallets.
I took a deep breath and stepped forward into the crowd.
*
‘Such a good party, Kat,’ Pat slurred as she teetered towards the door with Auntie Sandra on her arm. ‘Such a fun night.’
‘It was marvellous,’ Sandra agreed. ‘Even Peter seemed in good spirits.’
‘I’m so glad you had a good time,’ I said, trying to suppress my laugh, as the two friends walked in a zigzag.
‘Oh!’ Pat gasped, turning. ‘Did we tell you, Kat? Peter said he’d let Noodle come to the club!’
I laughed. ‘Yes, you did.’ They’d told me three times already.
‘It’s ’cos he was buzzed on champagne. But I’m holding him to it.’ Pat hiccupped.
I opened the door, the bell dinging, and the two friends laughed their way up the street, where I knew my uncle was waiting in his car to drive them home. I turned around to assess the damage but found the room was immaculate.
I frowned. There had been tons of napkins and empty flutes, but they were all gone. Then, Liam appeared from the kitchenette at the back of the shop, rubbing his hands with a tea towel. He grinned when he took me in, throwing the tea towel over his shoulder and leaning against the wall.
‘One hell of a party, Red.’ He smiled.
I exhaled. ‘I’m kind of relieved it’s over. Even if the real work starts tomorrow.’
‘You’re the boss. Give yourself the day off.’ He strode over to where I stood next to the huge custom drawers I’d had installed in the centre of the shop, holding all my samples.
‘Hey,’ Liam said, cradling my head. ‘I’m so proud of you, you know.’
‘Thank you.’ I blushed. Even now, I was shit at accepting praise. ‘My feet are killing me.’
‘Take a load off,’ Liam said as he lifted me up on top of the drawers in one movement, making me squeal.
‘Give a girl some warning, Christ.’
‘Should I give you a warning about this?’ Liam said as he sank to the floor, on his knee, and my stomach swooped, my heart racing.
My hand flew to my mouth as Liam reached into his pocket, pulling out a little velvet box.
‘I know you said we should wait until you opened the shop. But technically, the shop is open, Red.’
Liam opened the box, showing off a marquee solitaire diamond ring. The light from the wall lights bounced off the stone, reflecting off it.
‘Katherine Williams, will you do the honour of my life and make me your husband?’ Liam’s smile was gone now. He was in serious Liam mode, as if he had run through this scenario in his mind countless times before and wanted to take it seriously.
‘Yes,’ I laughed. ‘Yes, I will.’
Liam was off the floor instantly, his arms around me and his hands in my hair.
He tilted my neck back and kissed me, his tongue brushing mine, his teeth grazing my lower lip.
Eventually, we stopped but didn’t pull away from each other, his hands around my neck.
Pure joy gleamed in Liam’s expression as he slid the ring onto my finger.
‘Yours forever,’ he murmured onto my lips. ‘Promise?’
‘I pinkie promise.’ I gave a watery laugh and wrapped his finger around mine.