Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Tori takes the glass of whiskey into the bathroom and pours it down the drain. She grabs a towel to wipe the puke off her sneakers.
At least after throwing up, her mom agreed to go to bed. Tori encouraged her to lie on her side, then tucked some pillows behind her back. Some nights were worse than others. Tonight her mom was mostly agreeable, though she was still muttering about Tori bringing the law here.
She heads out into the living room to find Wayne looking wide-eyed and nervous, sitting in the corner of the same faded couch she grew up with. Liam is there too, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
He looks narrow-eyed and formidable.
"Do you think you could at least stop her from drinking so much?" Tori says to Wayne with frustration. "What's gotten into her lately, anyway?"
He shrugs. "You know your mom. She does what she wants. I’ve been trying to help her." His voice sounds earnest, but Tori knows he’s not helping at all. He reaches for the beer bottle on the side table and takes a swig as if he's made some kind of point.
There’s something about him that worries her more than her mom’s other boyfriends. She suspects he’s not quite the harmless loser he pretends to be.
"This is the third time in a week she's been drunk like that."
Wayne shrugs. "I don't know why you're making such a fuss. Your mom likes to have a few drinks and relax. So what? That's not a crime." His eyes skitter over to Liam. Wayne seems on edge. It doesn't help that Liam's glaring at him like he wishes it were a crime.
"Donna called me again," Tori says. "One of these nights, she's going to call the police instead."
"That nosy bitch." Wayne sits up straight, clearly agitated, and reaches for his cigarettes. "She needs to mind her own damn business."
"Not when you guys are out there at midnight screaming at each other. You're lucky nobody else called them."
He takes one from the pack and lights it. "Hell, why are you blaming me? You saw it with your own eyes. I was trying to get Lori to come back inside."
"How about you stop her from drinking so much in the first place? Ever think of that?" It infuriates Tori. What does her mom see in this guy? For starters, he's too young. He's only in his early forties, while her mom is fifty-seven—though she lies and tells everyone she's younger.
Tori glances around the dingy house she grew up in and is embarrassed that Liam’s here. It hasn't aged well. Not that it was ever much to look at. They've painted the walls a couple times, but most of the furniture is the same stuff from years ago. He probably already knew she grew up like this, but imagining it is one thing, whereas seeing it is another.
Her eyes land on a black lacquer box on the coffee table that wasn't there last time she was here. The top is inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
"What's that?" she asks, moving over to pick up the box. She opens it. It's empty except for a few pieces of lint.
Wayne smiles with pride. "I gave it to your mom for her birthday."
Tori has to admit she's surprised. It’s classy and tasteful. She can't imagine Wayne picking out a gift like this. He seems more the type to buy margarita mix and stick a bow on it.
"Where did you get it?" she asks. The box looks expensive.
"I saw it at a pawnshop."
She closes the lid and puts it back on the table. "It's nice."
"Your mom deserves nice things, and I'm just the man to give them to her." He takes a drag from his cigarette. "I want to take care of her."
Over the years, Tori's heard a lot of men say they want to take care of her mom. Not one of them was ever telling the truth.
"Just stop her from drinking so much. That's the best thing you can do."
Wayne glances at Liam. "It's getting late. You and your, uh, FBI friend here probably want to get going."
Tori smiles to herself. She's enjoying how much Liam’s freaking Wayne out. She sits on the couch arm. "Listen, I don't want to get another phone call at midnight, understand? And don't give Donna a hard time either. Be glad she hasn't called the cops on you two."
At that moment Liam sucks in his breath. He refolds his arms in front of his chest in a way that says he'd love to get the police involved .
Wayne shifts uncomfortably. He clears his throat, though it sounds more like a squeak.
Tori has to bite her cheek to keep from laughing. This is fun. Having Liam here is like having her own personal guard dog. She doesn't like upsetting her mom, but watching Wayne squirm is better than a carnival ride.
"I'll be checking in on my mom tomorrow night, and she better be sober," Tori says in a stern voice. She already knows that's an impossibility, but can't resist messing with Wayne.
He nods with enthusiasm, obviously willing to agree to anything at this point. "I'll make sure she doesn't touch a drop."
Tori glances over at the kitchen and is tempted to empty out all the liquor in the house, but it won't make any difference. Her mom will just buy more. She'll buy alcohol before food if it comes down to it, and Tori doesn't want that.
"I guess we'll go now," she says to Liam.
"Good idea." Wayne stubs his cigarette out and seems eager for them to leave. "I'll keep an eye on your mom, don't you worry."
She picks her purse up from where she put it on the chair. Right before they step outside the door, Liam stops. Tori looks at him questioningly. He doesn't say anything, just gives Wayne a long stony glare.
From over on the couch, Wayne’s eyes widen. He blinks a few times and seems terrified.
By the time they're back in the truck, Tori is giggling out of control. She can't help herself. "That was incredible. You were amazing!"
"I couldn't resist."
"I thought he was going to cry," she says, still laughing.
He smiles, but she can tell there's something behind it.
"What is it?"
He shakes his head. "Your mom needs help. And that Wayne guy isn't the answer. "
"You think I don't know that? She's needed help for a long time but refuses to get any."
He starts the engine. "I'm almost certain that guy has done time. What's his last name?"
"I don't know. Johnson or Jackson maybe?" Tori sighs with frustration. "My mom's boyfriends are all cut from the same cloth."
They head back toward her house with Liam following the route that brought them there. She can't stop reliving the last hour in her mind. That scared look on Wayne's face fills her with glee.
"I thought he was going to pee his pants when I told them you were in the FBI."
Liam chuckles. "I thought your mom was going to chase me off with a garden rake."
"You're lucky she didn't."
He raises a brow and glances at her. "So you were raised to distrust the law, huh?"
"What makes you say that?"
"I saw how you acted with the officer at the impound lot earlier." He seems to remember something. "And with the detectives we spoke with after Mable was stolen. You seemed uncomfortable."
"It's not that I distrust them, but I was raised that we take care of our own problems. We don't get the law involved." Something occurs to her. "I'll bet you were raised the exact opposite, huh?"
"Basically." He glances at her again. "But then my family is different from yours."
She can only imagine how different.
Despite the fun of messing with Wayne, she cringes at what Liam saw tonight. The darker parts of her life. Except for Blair, who’d been Tori’s best friend long before she married Road, no one outside of her family knows what her mom is really like. In truth, even Blair and Road don't have the full picture, because she rarely calls them to help. She doesn't want to bring all those troubles into their happy marriage. She and Road have a younger sister, but Kiki—or Kathy, as she goes by now—is married and lives out of state. She wants nothing to do with their mom.
So Tori deals with it alone. Like always.
It isn't long before they're pulling up to her driveway. It's well past midnight. She thinks about her date with Dr. Adrian tomorrow. He hasn't texted her yet about what time they're going to the Arts Festival. She hopes he hasn't lost her number, or there hasn't been some kind of emergency.
Liam turns his engine off.
"It's too late to invite you inside," she says quickly.
"I know. I'm just walking you to your door."
They both get out of the truck. It's quiet out. Even the neighbors who usually party on Saturday have turned their music off.
Once they reach her porch, she turns and faces him. "Well, here we are. I appreciate everything you did for me tonight."
"I was glad to help." The corner of his mouth turns up. "Even if I was only there to muscle Wayne."
At the mention of muscles, her eyes travel to his shoulders and chest, which are, let's face it, pleasingly muscled. She imagines running her hands over them and quickly pushes the thought away before it leads to other thoughts.
Liam looks like he wants to say more, but there's a buzzing noise in his front pocket. He reaches inside for his phone. "Sorry, but I need to check this. I'm running a surveillance on someone."
"Really?" She leans forward, curious.
He stares at the text message. "Never mind. It's nothing."
But she saw the screen, and it wasn't nothing. It was a message from someone named Shelby. "That's from your date tonight, isn't it?"
He nods and puts his phone away.
"What does she want?"
"She wanted to tell me she had a great time and to call her."
"Are you going to?"
"I don't know. Is there a reason I shouldn't?"
Her breath catches at the way he's looking at her. Her eyes slide to his shoulders and chest again. Without warning, desire blazes through her like a wildfire. She tries to stamp it out. "If you like her," she says softly, "then you should call her."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Okay." Though she's nervous about what he’s going to ask. She's not sure how strong she is at the moment and prays he doesn't want to come inside. He's standing close enough that his scent is messing with her head. She tries desperately to think of Dr. Adrian's scent, but unfortunately he smells like the antiseptic soap they use at the animal hospital.
"Why did you say no all those years ago?"
"What do you mean?"
"In high school, when I asked you to homecoming. Why did you say no?"
She blinks. It's not the question she was expecting. "I'm not sure." She licks her lips and thinks back to that time, to Liam, who seemed to come from a different planet than her.
"You didn't like me?" he asks.
"No."
"I see." He nods, though he seems disappointed.
"I mean, no, it's not that I didn't like you," she says hastily. She tries to put it into words. "I thought you were cute, but I was only fifteen. I'd never been asked out before, at least not from someone like you. I guess I panicked."
"Someone like me?"
"So… normal."
He takes in her words. "You thought I was cute?"
She nods.
There's a hint of a smile around his mouth. "You were attracted to me?"
Her heart beats faster. "You could say that."
His eyes drop to her mouth.
"Come here," he says pulling her in close.
Her breath trembles. Patches of wildfire have blazed up in her again. She's trying to stomp them out, but there are too many. They seem to be multiplying and having baby wildfires.
"What you said earlier about me is wrong," he whispers. "I do like you."
"You do?" She stares at that sensual mouth, remembers how she wanted to bite his bottom lip. "I thought you didn't."
"I’ve always liked you." And before she knows it, that sensual mouth is on hers.
His kiss isn’t rough like she expects but gentle. She's lulled by it. Lulled by his hard body pressed against hers, by his clean male scent. It's so good.
Without realizing it, she slides her arms around his neck. The kiss grows deeper, their mouths tangling together. A delicious heat slides through her belly with the promise of more pleasure to come. That wildfire spreads everywhere, burning her up, and she lets it.
To hell with everything. To hell with the past. To hell with the future.
To hell with Dr. Adrian.
She gasps and pushes Liam away.
"God, Tori," he breathes. "I think you're amazing."
She tries to get her bearings, to ground herself, to stamp out that fire. "You’re tricking me. That's what this is. A big trick."
His mouth gapes for a second. "What?"
"You want to confuse me."
He’s the one who looks confused. "What do you mean?"
"You’re trying to ruin everything for me and Dr. Adrian."
His eyes meet hers, and there’s sympathy in his gaze. "Tori, there is no you and Dr. Adrian."
"Yes, there is. And you're trying to mess it up. Don't deny it!" She steps away from him. A part of her misses his warmth, how good he feels, but she ignores it. "I have to go inside now. I’m not doing this, whatever this is."
Liam doesn't say anything, only studies her.
"Stop looking at me like that. "
"Like what?"
"All sexy and stuff."
He chuckles and stares up at the sky. "I don't believe this."
"I'm going into the house. I have to think about my future, and you should do the same."
"The only thing I want to think about is you."
She shakes her head. "What about Shelby? You just had a date with someone you like, someone you have lots of things in common with. You and I have nothing in common."
"I don't care. I like how you're different from me." He lets his breath out. "I left my date with Shelby for you," he confesses.
Her eyes widen. "You did what?"
"When you called me, I ended my date to be here for you."
A myriad of emotions twists inside her. She can't decide if she's bothered or secretly pleased. "Are you crazy? What a terrible thing to do."
"You needed my help." He says it matter-of-factly, as if there were no other choice.
She lets out a shaky breath. "You should go. It's obvious we're both confusing each other. It's not right."
"I'm not confused."
"Yes, you are."
"I'm not."
"You are. But you just don't know it!"
His mouth twitches, but then his expression turns serious. And the way he's looking at her. God . Those dark liquid eyes. "Trust me, I know exactly what I want."
She hesitates, but then stands up straighter with determination. "I’m saving us both," she says. "From each other." She almost puts her hand out but decides she better not touch him. Instead, she digs around for her keys, ignoring those devil eyes.
He doesn't stop her. She senses he's trying to come up with the right thing to say, except there is no right thing. When she finds her keys, she unlocks the door. "Good night. Thanks again for everything."
She hears him sigh and say her name before she closes it.
She's not going to keep making the same mistake over and over again, falling for the wrong guy every time. She's done with that.
This time she's falling for the right one.
The next morning, Tori wakes to the sound of her alarm going off. She's already hit snooze four times and needs to get up. She has her date today, after all.
Grabbing her phone off the nightstand, she checks her messages. Nothing from Dr. Adrian, though there's a text from Liam.
I can't stop thinking about you .
Her thumb hovers over the screen. Should she respond? She's been thinking about him too, though she doesn’t want to. In fact, she had a hard time falling asleep reliving that kiss.
Tori starts typing.
You should stop. This isn't going to happen .
She decides to pretend that kiss was nothing, wildfire or not.
Getting up, she feeds her animals and then takes a shower. By the time she's in her living room combing her wet hair and listening to Europe's "The Final Countdown," she's almost put that kiss out of her mind. Almost.
Except Liam was so nice to her last night. And he didn't seem to judge her after everything he saw with her mom and Wayne. A lot of guys would.
It doesn't matter though. They'd be terrible for each other. Just look at their history. It would be another dead-end relationship, and she's had enough of those.
She stares at her phone again with frustration. "Dammit, where are you, Dr. Adrian?"
It isn't like him to be forgetful. He’s usually very thoughtful and kind. She smiles to herself, remembering how she once got him the wrong coffee drink, and he was so great about it, said it was no problem, that he'd drink it anyway.
Her phone plays Bon Jovi beside her on the couch and she snatches it up, her heart racing.
Only it isn't him. It's Blair.
"I'm waiting to hear from Dr. Adrian," Tori blurts out. "He might text or he might call, so I can't stay on the line long." She knows her phone has call waiting, but she uses it so rarely that half the time she gets flustered and hangs up on everybody.
"Your mom just called us," Blair says. "She was in hysterics, claiming you brought an FBI agent to the house last night to intimidate them."
"What? That's ridiculous."
"I know. That's what Nathan told her." Her brother's real name is Nathan, though no one in her family calls him that except Blair.
Tori rolls her eyes. "The only person I cared about intimidating was Wayne."
"He told her you don't even know anybody in the FBI, and that she needs to cut back on the—wait a minute, what did you say?" Blair sounds confused.
"Wayne's the only one Liam acted intimidating toward. My mom was already asleep by then."
"Liam?"
Tori looks at her wristwatch. It's already eleven o'clock. If she doesn't hear from Dr. Adrian by eleven fifteen, she’ll contact him herself. She has his number in her phone. If he asks why, she'll say she put it there for after-hours emergencies with the animal hospital. Very reasonable.
"Are you talking about Liam from high school?" Blair sounds shocked.
"He sort of helped me last night."
"Since when is that asshole helping you with anything?"
She shifts on the couch and realizes she hasn't told Blair about pet sitting for him. "He's one of my Happy Pet Nanny clients." Tori tells her how Liam hired her to help with his dog, or the dog his ex-girlfriend left him with.
"You're seriously working for that guy? This is unbelievable. You can't find better clients than that?"
She tries to explain about Miss Fancy Pants, how she was abandoned and needs help, but Blair doesn't seem to hear any of it.
"Please tell me you're not getting involved with him," Blair says. "Not after what he did to you. I know it was high school, but people don't change that much."
"He was helping me, that's all. I haven't even told you what happened yet. They found Mable."
Blair shrieks. "You're kidding!"
Tori explains about the impound lot last night, the way someone torched the inside of her minivan.
"Poor Mable," Blair says. "I'm so sorry. Are you having her towed to Brody's garage?"
"No, not yet." She tells Blair about the police keeping Mable as part of an investigation.
"That's crazy. Seriously?"
The phone suddenly buzzes in Tori's hand. "Oh my God, I think I'm getting a text. It must be Dr. Adrian. I have to go!"
Blair shouts at her to call her back before they hang up.
Tori's heart pounds as she opens her messages and right away sees there's a new one. It’s from Dr. Adrian. Finally.
Hi, Tori, I’m really sorry for the late message. We're headed to the Arts Festival at noon. Do you want to meet us there?
Relief washes through her. She knew he wouldn't let her down.
I'm so glad to hear from you! I don't have a car right now. My minivan was stolen. Could I get a ride? She adds three car emojis and two smiley faces.
Tori’s surprised he doesn't remember what happened with Mable. She thought the whole office knew someone stole her van.
No problem. Send me your address .
She texts him back, excitement racing through her, then rushes to the bathroom to finish getting ready. After blow-drying her hair and putting makeup on, she stands in front of her closet for five minutes trying to decide what to wear.
It's sunny out, so she chooses cropped jeans, jeweled pink flip-flops, and a gauzy top that you can faintly see her purple bra through. She wishes she knew what a veterinarian's girlfriend was expected to wear.
At five minutes after twelve, Dr. Adrian texts that he's in the driveway, which is a disappointment. Tori had hoped to introduce him to her dogs. When she looks out the front window and sees a dark green Jeep, she's disappointed again. Where's his midnight blue Tesla?
Walking toward the car, she sees a woman behind the wheel, while Dr. Adrian's in the passenger seat. Tori waves, and he waves in return. It’s obvious that Tori is expected to sit in the back.
The interior has a strong new car smell, a scent so many people love but she personally hates. There's some kind of soft jazz playing on the radio. She hates soft jazz too.
"This is my sister, Gina," Dr. Adrian says, introducing them.
"Hi," Tori says with a smile. "It's great to meet you."
"Same here." Gina's eyes touch hers in the rearview mirror. She has darker hair than her brother, and her eyes aren’t as striking a shade of blue.
"Thanks for picking me up."
Gina murmurs an affirmation.
They pull out of the driveway and head toward Seattle Center. As they drive, Tori tries hard to join in the conversation, except Gina and Dr. Adrian discuss people and events she knows nothing about. There's mention of some dinner party they went to recently.
"I'd like to have that recipe," Gina says to her brother. "Could you ask Ned for me? Those vegan appetizers were so good."
Tori leans forward. "I'm a vegan too. I'm not sure if you remember that about me. "
Dr. Adrian glances back at her with a grin. "Of course I remember. It's great we have something like that in common."
Gina interrupts. "When do you think you'll see Ned? I'd like to serve them for brunch next Sunday."
"I'll see him at tennis soon."
Tori leans forward again. "I didn't know you played tennis, Doc—I mean, Adrian."
"I do." He turns to look at her again. "Do you play?"
"No, but I've always wanted to learn." She gives him a flirty smile. "Do you know anyone who can teach me?"
He seems to be giving it some thought. "I think my tennis club has some excellent teachers. Let me pick up a flyer for you next time I’m there."
"Um, sure." She studies the back of his clueless blond head as he turns toward the front again.
His sister is already talking about some other friend of theirs.
Tori leans back in the seat with frustration. It's bad enough that she doesn't get to ride in the Tesla, but the new car smell is giving her a headache, while the radio seems to be playing the same horrible jazz song over and over. She almost wishes she'd brought earplugs.
This is turning into the longest car ride of her life.