Chapter 21
Charity
You’re Gonna Make Me Love You – Sandi Sheldon
Stretching lazily, I could feel my smile all over my body. Like it was spreading slowly from my lips to every joint and muscle as the early morning sun beamed through the drapes, filling the room with the warmth of possibility.
My mind instantly went to Liam in the room next door, wondering how he was feeling, whether unburdening himself had made him feel lighter. Worrying that maybe he regretted it and today he'd be back to being closed off. We’d made so much progress in our fragile, fledgling relationship.
Although ‘relationship’ felt like a big word.
Friendship might have been more appropriate, but somehow…
it seemed like more. What was the word for it anyway, that place between friendship and a relationship?
Not a situationship because there was nothing physical involved.
A kiss in the heat of the moment didn't count. Did it?
It had been an incredible kiss, though, and now that I knew he hadn't rejected me, it felt even more special. Just listening to him talk about his past made everything clearer. It explained so much about him and why he was closed off.
All I could hope was that he was still feeling positive about the future. The idea that the positivity might not hold, made my stomach flip, because now that I'd seen the lighter side of Liam, it would be a shame to go back to the dark.
Just as I was tying off the braid in my hair, there was a knock at the door. A double, closed-fist thud that echoed through the quiet room. My heart skipped, knowing it was Liam, and there was a bounce in my step as I moved to the door.
“Morning.” Giving him my best smile, I stood aside to let him in, hopeful that yesterday's breakthrough would hold.
“Thanks.” Liam lifted his hand in greeting along with a small smile, the scent of his cologne and hotel soap following him into the room.
When he moved past me without further conversation, dread washed over me that we were back to square one.
Then he turned and smiled, and it brought warmth and light into the room like sunshine breaking through storm clouds.
“The bartender from yesterday just called,” he said, his tone on the edge of excitement. “He heard from one of the girls where Lola is working.”
“Thank God. I got a text from my dad this morning asking about my 'business trip.' I still haven't told them Faith is missing.” I sighed when Liam raised an eyebrow. “I know I should, but they've been through enough heartbreak with her already. So that's good news about Lola, right?”
“Yeah, and he said she was seen there yesterday.” He reached out and took the end of my braid between his fingers, the calloused pad of his thumb brushing against the blond strands. “I like this. It suits you. Tally wears her hair in a braid.”
“Th-thanks.” I twisted my hooped earring, feeling heat bloom across my cheeks. “I don't have my curling iron with me, so my hair is—”
“Pretty,” he said, throat bobbing a swallow, his voice rougher than usual. “Anyway, we should go to the bar she's working at as soon as we've had some breakfast.”
“How early do they open?” I blinked, realizing things were so damn different in the city than our little town.
“They don't close.” Breathing out slowly, he shook his head. “It doesn't sound like a great place, Charity. I'm sorry.”
“Don't be sorry.” I shrugged. “It wasn't like I expected her to be working in a fine dining restaurant or anything.” My stomach rolled at the thought of how far from fine dining the bar probably was.
“It's a step forward, Sunshine, think of it as that.”
There was that name again. Sunshine. It made me feel warm, like the sun was in the room beating down on me, spreading through my chest like golden honey.
“I will,” I whispered.
“Good. Now let's grab some breakfast and then see if we can find your sister.”
“It's not as bad as I was expecting,” I told Liam as we looked through the windshield at the bar. The Dallas heat was building despite the early hour, making the air shimmer above the pavement.
“The picture online must be an old one.” He leaned in closer, his shoulder rubbing against mine. The hairs on my arms stood on end. The familiar scent of his cologne mixed with the lingering smell of hotel coffee on his breath. “This place looks pretty nice.”
We looked at each other and both shrugged, my lips on the edge of a smile. “You think maybe she could be working here with her friend?” I asked hopefully.
“We'll soon find out.”
Just as Liam was about to open his door, his phone buzzed with a text. He glanced at it and let out an exasperated sigh.
“What’s wrong? No more bodies on the site I hope?”
Shaking his head, he groaned. “If only it was that simple. No, it’s Cole. He’s been sending updates about Denver's mood for the last twenty-four hours.”
“Denver? The place?”
“Sorry,” he said, staring at his phone. “His damn donkey. Apparently, he thinks he’s ‘feeling lonely.' I keep telling him he’s livestock, not a therapy patient.” He shook his head, scrolling through the messages.
“These last four damn messages are about Denver acting 'unusual’.
That donkey probably just wants Cole to leave him alone, but my brother acts like he's running a veterinary hospital.”
I couldn't help but smile at the fondness in his voice despite his grumbling. “Maybe Rose could help? She is an actual vet after all.”
“Not you too,” Liam muttered, but there was warmth in his eyes. “Between you and Cole, I'm going to end up with a donkey psychologist on speed dial. But yeah, I’ll tell him to call someone who actually cares… like a vet.”
“I think you secretly love Denver,” I said, already reaching for my door handle. “I can see it in your eyes.”
“Whatever,” he said, pocketing his phone. “If that’s what you want to think, but right now I’m more interested in finding your sister.”
He was out of the truck before I had a chance to respond. When I stepped down, the heat hit me immediately, along with the sounds of traffic and distant construction work. He was waiting with his hand out. “Come on, let's go.”
Hesitating, I looked up at him and then back down to his hand waiting for mine.
“Take my hand, Charity,” he said. “It won't bite.”
Nodding, I let his long, calloused fingers wrap around mine, the warmth and roughness of his skin instantly making me feel braver. We dodged the traffic—busy for a side road—and got honked at by a guy in a gleaming black pickup. The horn's sharp blast made me jump.
“Dick.” Liam's growl morphed into a deep laugh. “I suppose we were kinda jaywalking.”
There was a lightness in his eyes when he smiled at me, and it made my heart flutter.
We didn’t mention our conversation the night before, but he didn't seem like he regretted it.
The conversation on the drive to the bar had been easy.
Standard things about the weather, if we'd each slept well, how bad the eggs were at breakfast. Nothing about sharing not only a bottle of wine but his inner demons, so that had to be a good sign, right?
The door to the bar was propped open, and we could hear chatter and laughter inside, along with the clink of cutlery against plates.
There was music, too, not loud and throbbing like in the strip joint the day before, but soft and melodic.
Inside the doorway, cleaning fluid and polish were the overriding smells, sharp and clean, but as we walked deeper inside, the rich aroma of coffee and bacon greeted us, making my stomach rumble despite my nervousness.
Liam's fingers tightened around mine as he pulled on my hand. “If she's working here, it's a good thing.”
Nodding, I let him lead me past round tables full of customers eating breakfast. The murmur of quiet conversations surrounded us, punctuated by the occasional laugh or the gentle tap of someone stirring their coffee. There was a mixture of ages, but all of them looked like they'd seen better days.
“I think they're feeding the homeless,” Liam whispered, his mouth close to my ear, his breath warm against my skin.
As much as I thought it was a great thing whoever was responsible was doing, my overriding thought was for my sister. What if we found her there because she was homeless? What if she was desperate for food? My pulse quickened at the thought.
As if he could read my mind, Liam tugged on my hand. “The bartender said Lola worked here, so maybe she got Faith a job here, too.”
Walking across gleaming black and white tiles toward the bar at the back of the room, I looked around but there was no sign of Faith.
“He looks like he might be in charge.” Liam pointed to a tall, heavyset guy with his hair pulled back into a ponytail.
He had a long beard and was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans.
What struck me most was how big his smile was and how deep and booming his laugh was as he chatted with a girl whose hair was in two buns on either side of her head.
His presence seemed to fill the space around him with warmth.
It didn't feel like it was a bad place to be or to work.
When we approached the bar, the man gave us a chin lift and a smile.
“Hey guys, what can I do for you?”
I paused, wondering whether Liam would take the lead, but he remained quiet, giving me a gentle nudge with his elbow.
“I don't know whether you can help or not, but I'm looking for a girl called Lola?”
He lifted a meaty finger to scratch his temple, an eyebrow raised. “And what would you be wanting with Lola?”
“She does work here, then?” Liam asked.
“I'll ask again. What do you want with Lola?” He crossed his arms over his chest, resting his hip against the bar, the wood creaking under his weight.
“My sister left home without telling us where she was going,” I blurted, voice cracking, my throat tight with emotion. “We know she came to stay with her friend. Lola.”
“At least we think she did,” Liam added. “We're kind of just piecing stuff together.”