24. Zoey #2
“What kind of something?”
“You’ll see.”
“That’s not reassuring.”
He glanced at me briefly, then returned his attention to the road. “You’ll like it.”
“That’s also not reassuring.”
We drove another thirty seconds in silence before a new thought occurred to me.
I turned toward him. “Are you taking me up a mountain to murder me?”
Liam smiled wryly. “No.”
“That was a very quick answer.”
“It’s an easy question.”
“You didn’t even think about it.”
“I don’t need time to consider whether I’m planning to murder you.”
“That sounds defensive.”
He exhaled through his nose. “I’m not taking you up a mountain to murder you.”
“Okay but that does raise a follow up concern.”
“What concern?”
“You are taking me up a mountain.”
Liam’s mouth twitched again. “Yes.”
I nodded slowly. “That is exactly how every true-crime podcast begins.”
He shook his head slightly. “I promise you’re safe.”
“That is exactly what a murderer would say.”
Liam finally looked over at me. His expression held that quiet patience he seemed to reserve exclusively for me. I cracked a tiny grin so he could see I was mostly kidding.
“If I wanted to murder you,” he said calmly, “I wouldn’t plan to do it during a public evening outing that begins with dinner reservations.”
I pursed my lips. “That is a solid logistical point.”
“Thank you.”
“But it does not eliminate the possibility.”
“I’m not going to murder you, Zoey.”
“Okay.” I paused. “Kidnapping remains on the table.”
He laughed then, and the sound seemed to surprise him as much as it did me.
We drove another minute before he checked the clock again, and his posture straightened.
“Good,” he said under his breath.
“Good what?”
“Timing.”
“Timing for what?”
“You’ll see.”
The road curved upward and the trees began to thicken on either side.
I watched the winding road ahead of us for a moment before looking back at him.
“You know,” I said thoughtfully, “if this is a murder situation, I do appreciate the scenic route.”
Liam shook his head again. “You’re going to like this.”
“That remains to be seen.”
But despite myself, curiosity had begun to creep in, and judging by the small smile Liam was trying not to show, he knew it.
The road narrowed as we climbed.
Trees pressed closer to the sidewalk and the view behind us began to open through gaps in the branches. The truck engine settled into a steady rhythm as Liam guided us through the last curve.
Then the road leveled out and widened into a small parking area. Liam pulled into a spot and shut off the engine. He got out of the truck and walked around the front to open my door.
He held out a hand to help me down.
I took it.
The evening air was cooler up here.
I looked around the mostly empty overlook.
Stone walls ran along the edge of the mountain, old and sturdy, drawing the line between solid ground and the open drop beyond.
Past them, the sky was beginning to change, the last of the daylight thinning into something softer and more deliberate.
The whole place had the unsettling energy of somewhere a person might either have a life-changing realization or end up in a true-crime documentary.
I glanced back at Liam. “Is this where you murder me?”
He gave me a long look. “No.” His hand closed gently around mine. “Come on.”
We walked together toward the overlook.
The path curved slightly around a low stone monument before opening toward the edge of the mountain. The trees thinned as we approached the wall, and the horizon began to stretch wider with every step.
I could see water in the distance.
Lake George spread below us in long blue ribbons between dark ridges of forest.
Above the lake, the sky was changing slowly, the gold thinning into orange, then darkening into deep rose as the light settled lower. We stopped at the stone railing, the rough surface cool under my hand.
Liam checked his watch.
“You are extremely committed to whatever schedule you are running,” I said.
“Almost…”
“Almost what?”
He took my hand and guided me a few more steps along the overlook path. We rounded a small bend in the stone wall.
Liam looked up at the sky, then at the lake, “Now.”
I followed his gaze, and my breath caught in my throat.
The sun was just touching the horizon, turning the entire lake a molten gold.
The water reflected the sky in wide glowing bands that stretched between the dark mountains.
Clouds above the horizon caught the light and turned deep orange and crimson, pouring color across the entire sky.
Every ridge and forested hill rolled away into the distance, fading into layers of purple and blue.
The lake curved through it all in a long shining path.
“Oh,” I said softly, awestruck at the beauty. Then I sighed. “Well, what a way to go.”
Liam made a sound beside me.
I turned toward him. “You really picked a beautiful spot for murder.”
But he wasn’t looking at the sunset. He was looking at me.
Completely focused.
My stomach did something very strange.
“You’re missing it,” I said.
His expression didn’t change. “I’m not.”
I didn’t know what to do with that, so I stepped closer and kissed him, just a soft press of my mouth against his.
When I pulled back, I said quietly, “Thank you.”
He smiled, and we turned back to the view. Neither of us spoke as the sun slipped slowly below the mountains. The sky deepened into darker reds and purples as the gold faded from the lake.
The wind moved softly across the overlook.
And we stood there together, hand in hand, watching the day end.
Dinner was loud and warm and full of too many small moments to keep track of.
Liam had ordered an enormous entrée that looked capable of feeding a family of six.
He listened to everything I said with that intense attention of his, occasionally asking questions that proved he had been absorbing details I barely remembered sharing.
At one point, he moved my water closer to me without interrupting the story I was telling.
It was extremely inconvenient behavior when I was trying really hard to remain emotionally reasonable about this man.
When we were done, Liam held the door open for me, and we stepped onto the sidewalk. The village had settled into the comfortable hum of a summer night.
“There’s an ice cream place just down the block,” he said. “Small place. Family owned. They make everything fresh every morning.”
I looked up at him. “Is that a sales pitch?”
“It’s the best ice cream around.”
“Well,” I said, “I never say no to ice cream.”
He smiled slightly.
“But can we drive?”
Liam blinked.
I pointed at my heels. “My feet are staging a formal protest.”
“Oh,” he said slowly. “I hope this doesn’t come across as creepy.”
That was a fascinating opening. “Proceed.”
“When I saw you were wearing heels,” he said carefully, “I grabbed your sandals on my way out of the restroom before we left the apartment.”
I stared at him.
He reached down and pulled one boot slightly forward, then took out one of my sandals.
My brain stopped working.
Before I could respond, he reached into the other boot and pulled out the second one.
“I put one in each boot,” he explained, holding them out to me as I continued staring.
“I remembered you complaining about your heels the other night during the… unfortunate incident.”
The unfortunate incident. The phrase nearly made me laugh, but my brain was still stuck on the sandals.
“You brought my shoes,” I said slowly.
“I thought you might want them.”
“You carried my shoes.”
“Yes.”
“Inside your boots.”
“Yes.”
I genuinely had no idea what to say. Because that was…
Incredibly thoughtful. Extremely Liam.
And very inconvenient for my long-term emotional stability.
“You’re ridiculous,” I said finally.
His face fell slightly. “You don’t want them.”
“Oh no,” I said quickly, already stepping out of the heels. “I want them very much.”
The relief in my feet was immediate and dramatic as I slipped into the sandals.
I closed my eyes briefly. “Sweet mercy.”
Liam chuckled as he scooped up my heels and walked over to the truck, setting them in the back. “Better?”
“Infinitely.”
He offered his hand. “Ready for ice cream?”
I intertwined my fingers with his. “Lead the way.”
The air had cooled, and faint sounds carried across the lake. A few porch lights glowed in the distance, and somewhere down the block someone laughed loudly.
Above us the sky stretched wide and clear, a myriad of stars scattered across it.
I tilted my head back to look. “Wow. You don’t see them this clearly in Albany.”
“No,” he said softly. “I’m sure you don’t.”
We kept walking, his hand large and warm around mine. My thumb brushed against the side of his hand without me entirely meaning to do it.
He tightened his grip slightly.
Ugh. I was absolutely catching feelings. It was becoming increasingly difficult to deny.
It probably should have been alarming, but as I walked down a quiet Adirondack street in my comfy sandals with Liam Beltane holding my hand under a sky full of stars, it mostly just felt…
Really good.