15. Chapter 15
Since our night together, I haven’t seen Liam for more than a minute or two. He hasn’t come in for meals, and he’s been in the barn non-stop. Even Emma complained about him not being around. I feel better that it’s not just me. Emma told me he’s busy working on something important but she’s pretty secretive about it.
So I’ve decided to take him breakfast out to the barn and figure out what he’s doing. I put the lid on the takeout container of the egg and potato bowl I made with peppers, onions, olives, and feta cheese. I even packed myself one because it looked so good when I made it this morning.
I place them in a hot bag so they don’t get cold on the trek over to the barn.
“Hey, I’m running to the barn.” I say to Emma on my way out the door.
She rolls her eyes, still touchy about the other night. “Ugh. Please. I don’t need to know that you’re going to see my brother, or what you might be doing on any other pieces of furniture.”
“I’m just bringing him breakfast.” I shake my head at her, laughing.
“And I’m still traumatized by him getting his dinner the other night.” She sticks her finger in her mouth, gagging.
“I’ll be back in ten minutes. Hot food is on the island in the chafing dishes. There might even be some freshly made bagels cooling on the rack, and they might be french toast bagels with maple cream cheese in the refrigerator.” I smirk knowing that’s her favorite flavor.
“I’m feeling a little less traumatized.” She runs to the kitchen and I’m free to leave.
For the first time this year, the weather is warming up. We are in the thirties and it feels like a heat wave for coastal Maine this time of year. The sun is even shining for the first time in a week.
It never ceases to amaze me how good the sun can feel on your face on a cold winter day. The crisp air smells like snow, but the warm sunshine on my cheeks feels like I could be on a beach in Aruba. Okay, maybe not quite that warm, but it still gives a little mood boost. I open the doors to the barn and Liam is out to meet me before I can get back to where he’s working .
“Hey, what do I owe the pleasure of seeing your beautiful face?” He walks up to me and places a kiss on my cheek.
I hold up the bag, “I haven’t seen you eat real food in a couple days. So I brought something healthy and nutritious to fill you up.”
“Mmm,” he takes the bag, inhaling the scent coming up. “Smells amazing. What’s in here?”
“An egg and potato bowl with veggies and feta cheese, and a french toast bagel with fresh maple cream cheese.” I follow him to the table that’s sitting just inside the barn.
Before sitting, small carvings of a cabin and pine trees along the table catch my eye. I swear these weren’t here last time I saw this. “Did you do this?”
“No.” His cheeks redden and he answers too quickly.
“Are you sure? I could swear these weren’t carved into the wood the other day when I was in here.” I narrow my eyes at him, looking for any indication he’s lying.
“Nope. Always been there. Just waiting for the guys to help me bring it in.” He unloads the bag of food without looking at me, always a tell tale sign that he wasn’t being one hundred percent honest with me.
“I never saw it get delivered,” I push.
“Guess you missed it. Got delivered a couple weeks ago.”
“Okay, if you say so.” I sit at the chairs around the large table and join Liam in eating.
We eat in silence for a few moments before he speaks again.
“Thank you for bringing me breakfast, I really appreciate it.” He scoops up the last of his egg bowl and I feel bad I didn’t bring him more.
“Did you eat anything the last two days? ”
“Emma brought me a muffin. And Wyatt brought me Rebels before his shift last night per Emma’s instructions.” He digs into the bagel that I brought, scooping on almost the entire container of cream cheese.
“Do you want me to start bringing you picnic baskets?” I laugh at the ferocity of which he’s eating.
“No, I don’t want to make you do more work. Emma makes sure I get fed, and I pay her so she can worry about that. But I won’t object to surprise visits from you if you have the time.” He winks at me.
He throws his trash into the bin and I follow him tossing my trash behind his back. I keep walking to the back of the barn, but he cuts me off and runs back there first. When I catch up he’s tossing a blanket over something.
“What are you doing back here, Liam Keaton?” I cross my arms across my chest.
“It’s a secret. No one knows but Emma,” he pauses, “And kind of Coop, since it was his idea.”
“No one else knows?”
“Nope.”
“Is it something for fun or for work?” I raise a brow.
“Fun?”
“So it’s not for the inn then?” I inch closer to him.
“Well, yes. No? I don’t know, you’re trying to confuse me so I’ll slip up with your seductive eyes on me.” He furrows his brows and I laugh. “Oh, I do have a secret that I can show you. If you’re interested in changing the topic so I don’t slip up.” A secret always does intrigue me.
“Yes please.”
“Follow me, beautiful. ”
He walks me over to another part of the barn where he has heat lamps set up, and what looks like an old plastic kiddie pool with blankets.
I peer over the edge and see a black cat with five little kittens, as dark as midnight just like her.
“Oh my gosh! Liam! These babies are so sweet! I didn’t know you had a cat!” I all of a sudden start whisper-shouting to not disturb the sleeping babies.
“I don’t. Midnight is a stray, she comes to hang out with me while I work, and the night after we had dinner together, I came in here on my way home and she was giving birth. I set up a bed for her after some googling and she took care of the rest. I just provided warm clean blankets.” He smiles down at the mama and scratches her ears, she leans into his hand and purrs. I can tell they’ve done this a time or two before. She trusts him.
“Big bad wolf, you better watch out. That sweet side is showing again.” I nudge him with my shoulder. “Can I hold one?”
“Google says no. They should be two weeks old before humans touch them. It’s tempting though.” He hasn’t quit loving on Mama Midnight.
“Well, then you can count on me to be back in two weeks for some kitten love.”
“I hope you’ll come back before that.” He pulls me into his side, wrapping his arm around my waist.
“Count on it.” I look up at him, leaning my face to his.
“I hate to say this, but I have to get back to work. Dinner again? ”
“I’m making soup for tonight, what’s your favorite? I’ll make sure to save you some.” I wrap my around his waist, relishing the feeling of being in his arms again.
“How about white chicken chili?” He rests his hands on my ass, and the naturalness of this conversation feels so right. Like we’ve done this our whole life.
“You got it. I’ll be waiting for you.” I stand on my tiptoes and kiss his lips.
The kiss ends all too fast, he must be serious about needing to get back to work. But I walk back out into the sunshine with a smile on my face because I know I’ll see him later and he isn’t pulling away from me.
And there’s kittens. No one can be sad or mad when there are kittens.
When I get back, Emma is in the kitchen, standing by the toaster.
“Are you waiting on another bagel?” I say startling her.
“Who says I ate one already?” She pouts at my accusation.
“The smear of cream cheese on your cheek!” I laugh, pointing to the right side of her face where a line of white cream cheese goes across her cheek.
She puts her hand to her face to feel for the evidence, “Okay fine. So what, I’m having two bagels.” She pulls the bagel from the toaster.
“I wasn’t judging. I have been known to eat two of everything I make.” I shrug and open the refrigerator to make sure I have everything I need to make white chicken chili for Liam.
Emma walks up behind me, reaching over my shoulder to grab the tub of cream cheese. “You were gone for quite some time. ”
“Liam has kittens! Did you know that he had kittens, or even a cat?” I ask her, hoping she feels the same shock I do.
“Oh yeah, he’s a total cat dude. He lets all the strays in and feeds them. He claims it’s because they keep the mice out of the barn, but he snuggles them while he works. He’s been known to let Midnight, the mama cat, snuggle on his shoulders while he works.” She takes a bite of her bagel, “This is fucking amazing. I can’t believe he even let you back there.”
“Oh he was secretive and covered up whatever it was before I could get back there. I think the kittens were to distract me. What is it? Why can’t anyone see?” I pull out the cilantro, the last of what I need to make the chili.
“I’m definitely not telling and going against Liam’s wishes. I want a kitten. And he’s threatened to hide them if I tell anyone. You know how he is, he wants to make sure he can succeed before he tells the world. If he even tells the world. He’d go the rest of his life keeping his entire life under wraps.” She walks over to look at the pile of ingredients.
“White chicken chili,” I state.
“What’s a girl gotta do around here to get her favorites?” She pouts.
“Stay here and run interference when Alexander gets back.” I pull out the pot I need from the cabinet.
“He is fine. I would absolutely do that.” She winks at me, “But I guess you’re stuck with Liam, even if you did go on a date with Alexander the other day.”
“It wasn’t a date. He wanted to go snowshoeing and needed someone to show him around. Besides, I have no idea how to read him. He gives off a sketchy vibe a majority of the time. I know him. I know that I know him. And he won’t give any indication that we know each other.”
“How do you know him?” She’s gone back to her bagel on the other side of the island.
“I don’t know, that’s why I want him to admit that I do, so he can tell me how. I tried to ask him, but all he wanted to talk about was the inn, and Balsam Cliffs.”
This piques her interest. “What was he asking?”
“Just about the area, history of the inn, Liam, and housing. Oh, and if I miss having everything I could ever need right at my fingertips like in New York City.”
Emma is frowning at me.
“Why are you frowning?”
“No reason. That’s just weird. Now I agree with you. Could he be here stalking you? Maybe that’s why he looks familiar and you don’t know where from.” She gives me a knowing look.
“I think you need to lay off the true crime podcasts from the front desk.” I laugh.
“Hey. You never know. Why else would he be so interested in Balsam Cliffs and Liam?”
“I think he wants to move here, or maybe they’re making him relocate for work? He didn’t seem happy about being here. But he was interested.”
I start chopping all the vegetables I’ll need.
“Who knows. I gotta go back to the front desk. I have a check-in coming soon. And I have to work there since someone tainted my office.” She sticks her tongue out at me.
“Sorry, not sorry!” I shout after she leaves the kitchen .
My chili is prepped and simmering on low on the stove. And now I have about an hour of free time before I have to make cornbread.
Before I can make any decision on what to do, my mother’s name flashes across my phone. I’ve successfully been avoiding her but she’s been calling nonstop for a few days so I guess I should answer.
I swipe my finger across the screen to accept the call, “Hi, Mom.”
“Oh good, you finally answered.” No greeting. No happiness to actually hear from me.
“Sorry. It’s been pretty busy around here.” I sigh and sink into my favorite chair.
At least I can make myself comfortable for this conversation. Whatever it is, she needs something. I can tell by the tone in her voice.
“Right. Well listen, this weekend, Larry and I need you home. His first re-election gala will be held at our home. Your attendance is required, not requested.”
I rub my temple, the headache from talking to my mother already coming on.
“Mom. I can’t just leave. This is the weekend before the Valentine’s Day dance that I’m organizing with Gran. We have a lot to do. Plus the inn relies on me for food.” Partially true.
“Honey, you can’t put work over everything else in your life. Your family needs you home. The dance has survived years without you.”
I’m not going to win this argument.
“The inn can’t. I’m the only chef. ”
“Please, honey, I miss you so much. It’s been ages since I’ve seen you and you never call me anymore.” There it is. The guilt trips.
“Fine Mom. I will figure it out. Text me the details and I’ll make something work.”
“Oh excellent, I will send that right now.” My phone vibrates in my hand and sure enough I have the details. “I must get going. I’ll see you soon!”
She hangs up before I can even say goodbye. She misses me, my ass. Larry needs me to keep up his happy family appearance for elections.
I need to go talk to Emma and let her know that I won’t be here but we can put together some prepped breakfasts like waffles and pastries that I can make batter or items to be wrapped for her to put out that weekend.
Then I need to talk to Gran to let her know I won’t be here for last minute planning, but now, as Alexander puts it, I have everything at my fingertips for last minute decor shopping. Maybe I can get Gran to come to the inn this weekend to make some food for guests.
Ugh. This is not what I want to be doing.
I lay my head back against the chair, and relax, I let my eyes close for just a second. Just a quick cat nap sounds good.