Chapter Seven
Operation Small Town, Day 9
“This is how we do ittttt!” I sing, moving my hips to the beat of the music.
Living alone is amazing .
Bless Anne for sending me on this trip.
I pour myself half a glass of rosé and shake my head so that my messy top knot bounces around. I have the occasional cocktail when I’m out to dinner, usually something fruity that I drink for the taste. And the maraschino cherry. Okay, mostly for the maraschino cherry. But since coming to Hudson Hollow and being on my own for the first time ever, I feel emboldened. I want to dance in my underwear and drink too much wine. Because I can.
“I’m kind of buzzed and it’s all because… this is how we do it!” I’m a terrible dancer. There’s a lot of arm and hip jerking, very Chandler Bing-esque. But who cares? No one is here to see it, except maybe the inhabitants of the house across the lake, because I do have all the blinds open.
Just as that thought crosses my mind, the doorbell rings.
I check the clock on the T.V. It’s after nine. I doubt a robber would ring the doorbell, but I’ve never lived in a house by myself before, so maybe it's customary for burglars to see if someone is home before breaking in.
I’m giving this way too much thought.
I put my wine glass down and do my best Risky Business slide to the front door. I’m wearing fuzzy socks and a long sweatshirt, so I may actually resemble Tom Cruise from an external view. I peek out the windows that line the side of the front door and see Liam standing on the porch. He has a V-neck white T-shirt and jeans on and is holding something in his hands. I gasp and his gaze moves to the window where I’m standing. Shit.
I jump back and unlock the door. Before I open it, I tighten my bun and brush my long bangs out of my eyes. I take a deep breath and open the door.
“Hey!” I say, too enthusiastically. Was that my second glass of wine or my third? Pull it together, Bowen.
“Hey,” he says with that smile I’m starting to love. “Having a party?” he asks, his eyebrows gesturing to the music blasting from the house’s stereo.
“Ha! A party of one,” I say nonchalantly. “Unless you’re a robber, then there’s definitely a mob of muscular football players in the back.”
“And what exactly am I coming to rob?” he says, starting to catch on to my currently impaired mental state.
“Well,” I sigh, pressing my hand against my face. “My mouth just says things sometimes, especially after I’ve had several-ish glasses of wine.”
“Several-ish?”
“Yup, it’s a scientific term.” He laughs. “Special delivery?” I ask, noticing the tin foil-covered plate in his hand.
He glances down at it. “Well, my dessert supplier accidentally delivered a double order. Do you like chocolate?”
“Liam Miller, you’re a dream,” I say leaning against the doorframe.
“Huh?”
“Yeah, I mean, you look like, well you ,” I say, waving my hands up and down his body, “and you’ve brought cake. Pretty dreamy,” I say matter-of-factly. Am I flirting with Liam Miller? I think I might be.
“Er… okay, sure…” he says with a sheepish smile. Liam doesn’t seem to know how to react to me right now. The wine is lowering my guard a bit, but his seems to still be firmly in place.
“Anyway, come in—” I say, but stop when I see an uncertain look on his face. “What?” He takes a step toward me and leans his arm against the doorframe above me. My heart stops but the muscles in between my thighs kick into overdrive.
“It’s just… I’m not sure if you’re aware, but you’re not wearing any pants.” He grins.
My jaw drops. I quickly close my lips with a pop and peek down at my legs.
Fuuuuck!
Liam’s eyes give me the once over, his smirk growing wider with every inch that his gaze rakes over me. I feel heat rush to my cheeks as I say, “Well, would you like to come in while I put on some pants, then?” I try to shake some sense into myself, but the wine is making me particularly confident.
“Is putting on pants a condition of me coming in? If so, I’d rather not,” he says. I can’t quite tell if he’s making fun of me or flirting back. I haven’t seen this side of Liam before. I haven’t seen this side of myself before. I feel… playful .
“Ha ha, very funny. I’ll be right back,” I say, scampering into the bedroom. I hear Liam’s laughter and the door closing behind me. When I reach the bedroom, I pull out the first pair of pants I find. I catch sight of myself in the bathroom mirror. I have no makeup on, but that ship has sailed. He might notice if I throw on some eyeliner now. At least my hair has a sexy, disheveled thing going on. I take off my sweatshirt—because it has suddenly gotten very warm in here—and throw on a comfortable bra and my favorite Fall Out Boy T-shirt. It’s gray and loose-fitting, but it’s the best I can come up with in a pinch. I roll my eyes at how much I suddenly care about what Liam thinks of my appearance.
I take a deep breath and make my way into the kitchen. Liam is fiddling with the stereo under the T.V., turning down the volume. His back is turned to me and he is bent down reaching for the speakers. The bottom of his T-shirt pulls up, exposing his lower back. Is the lower back particularly sexy on a man? Not usually, I don’t think, but for some reason, this makes me blush.
“Would you like a glass of wine?” I ask, taking a sip of mine. I need to calm down. My glass is practically shaking as I raise it to my lips. I’m usually not this nervous around men, especially when I’ve had a drink or two. But something about Liam is different. There’s this tension between us that has my body on high alert.
Liam does one of his head-to-toe gazes at me, and for a second, I feel like he’s judging me for my hip-hop boozy dance party.
“Rosé isn’t my drink of choice, if I’m honest,” he says, his voice deep.
“Me either,” I admit, fiddling with the stem of my glass.
“But tonight,” he starts, a curious tone to his voice.
“Tonight, I’m enjoying my vacation,” I say, a satisfied grin on my face. I can just barely make out the small lift of a smile on the corner of his mouth.
“Very well,” he says. I grab a glass and pour out the remainder of the bottle.
Okay, I’ve definitely had three glasses.
I exhale as I hand him the glass, our fingers brushing for the briefest of moments. I bite my lip and move to the window, where I stare up at the moon. It’s brilliantly white tonight, casting a warm glow on the black lake below.
“A bit different from the view in the city, huh?” Liam says. I turn around to find him resting his elbow on the counter, his long legs stretched out in front of him.
“A lot different,” I say, taking another glance out the window. “My aunt—we’re very close—she travels a lot. She would always tell me that no matter how far away she was, we were always seeing the same moon,” I explain, smiling at the memory. “As I got older, I would tease her for that, because she totally stole it from a Nicholas Sparks book.”
“Or The Outsiders ,” Liam adds.
“ The Outsiders ?” I repeat, trying to understand what he is saying. I’m embarrassed by the second it takes me to catch up. “Oh, I loved that book! I read it in middle school.”
“Me too,” Liam says, a smug grin on his face. “You should ask your aunt if she can see the sunset real good from the west side and see if she gets that reference.”
I smile widely. Liam Miller just referenced The Outsiders . Holy shit. I don’t know what to make of this man.
For a moment, neither of us says anything, and we just stay where we are, watching each other. I don’t know what is going on in Liam’s head. Does he really dislike me for being from the city? I think about explaining to him that I’m from a small town too, and maybe that would make him trust me a bit more. But on the other hand, I am proud of where I am in my life. And I don’t like that he questions me because of it.
But, I think, there’s also a part of him that is genuinely curious about me. If he decided not to like me because I’m some sort of uptown girl, then he wouldn’t have apologized for the other day. And he certainly wouldn’t be here right now, bringing me cake.
I find the most awkward way to break the silence by blurting, “So… cake?”
Liam’s shoulders jump a little bit at my outburst. I shuffle over to the plate he laid on the counter and unwrap it. I’m immediately bombarded by the smell of decadent chocolate frosting. “Oh my God,” I say, tilting my head back and closing my eyes. “That smells so good.”
When I turn my focus to finding a knife to cut it, I notice that Liam’s eyes are glued to me. I’m so glad I lost the sweatshirt because his gaze is like a heat lamp on my back.
“Do you want some?” I ask, thinking that maybe I should have waited until he left to dive into this. Shoveling cake in my mouth probably isn’t the most attractive thing. Then again, it would be rude not to have a piece.
Liam shakes his head. “I’m on frosting overload today. I’ve got five more cakes just like it back at the café and a few in my car to give to my sister tomorrow.”
“Oh, I met her actually, in the store the other day. Jillian, right?”
“Jill. I’m not surprised you’ve met,” he chuckles. “She can’t resist accosting any new person she meets. But she means well. Most of the time.”
“And your nephew, Robbie. We bonded in the produce aisle.” Liam lets out an understanding laugh.
“He has personal boundary issues sometimes,” Liam explains fondly.
“Seems kind of common around here,” I say, immediately regretting it. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way, I swear,” I rush to explain. “It’s just very different from what I’m used to. Maybe I’ve been living in the city too long, but if someone snuck up on me in Whole Foods, I’d probably deck them.”
“Deck them, eh?” He smirks. “The city sounds like a very violent place.”
“It can be a fearful place sometimes, I guess,” I say, putting my fork down. “But the people do have good hearts. You’ve heard the adage, I’m sure, us New Yorkers stick together, and all that.”
He studies me for a moment, perhaps thinking the same thing I am. We are so different, despite living mere hours apart. Liam sees this town as a family, he literally puts food on their tables. And then there’s me. The city girl who, according to him, only looks out for herself.
“Anyway, Robbie is sweet, despite his intense staring,” he says, breaking the silence. I smile weakly at his comment. “He’s got a twin sister too, Mia. I might dote on her a bit too much.” I melt just a little over this. I’m about to reply when a dog barks outside.
“That’s Blue. He probably saw me come over here and wants his dinner,” Liam says, standing up. “He gets cranky when I go places without him.”
“Even at the restaurant?”
Liam looks around as if someone could hear our conversation. “Well, don’t tell anyone, but most days, he’s hanging around my office.”
“It’s a small town, I’m sure everyone knows your secret,” I say.
“At least no one’s turned me into the Health Department yet.”
“Well, he sounds hangry. You should probably get over there,” I say. “Thanks so much for the cake.”
Liam makes his way toward the door. “My pleasure. Thanks for the wine.” He stops and flashes me a grin. “And enjoy your party.”
As soon as the door shuts behind him, I consider what the hero of Ruby’s new series would look like. Something like tonight’s events would be a great way to get the two main characters to bond. I grab my notebook and start jotting down notes about a potential love interest. How might the hero and heroine meet? What would his job be? Would he be blonde, like Liam? Muscular or lean? Maybe the hero could be the town librarian because Lord knows Hudson Hollow’s library is beautiful enough for the whole book to be set there.
I spend the next hour hashing out some plot points and writing a very sloppy outline. When I’m exhausted and almost out of ink, I’m proud of everything I’ve come up with, and I know Anne will be pleased too. For all the work I’ve done, the secret writer in me can’t help but wish I could write this book myself.