Chapter 9
Liam
Iran a hand over my face as I pulled into a parking spot, the gravel lot at Dina’s crunching beneath my tires. After the exchange with Emma, I really had no appetite, but going home was the last thing I wanted to do.
Bridget was still making arrangements for my living situation, so I was stuck at my parents’ house for the time being. Lifting my long legs out of my old truck, I slid to the ground and headed inside for lunch, my thoughts still spinning.
I let out a breath as the hot summer air mixed with the familiar scent of Dina’s diner food loosened my muscles—just a fraction.
“By golly, is that Liam Walker?” a voice called across the room as I stepped through the door.
A head full of short, curly red hair appeared in front of me a moment later. It had been two years since I had seen Dina, but she hadn’t changed, nor had the inside of the restaurant. She still had a wide smile full of yellow teeth, red lips almost as bright as her hair, her signature overalls and flannel, and only a few more wrinkles than the last time I’d seen her.
The restaurant smelled like greasy, fried food which made my stomach rumble, and had a cozy “grandma’s kitchen” feel from the wooden tables and chairs to the couch-like fabric of the booths.
It was lunch time, but there were only a couple people eating at the bar which served homemade pie instead of alcohol.
Dina pinched my cheeks with her too-long nails. “How have you been, honey? Meridel hasn’t been the same without you.” Her eyes narrowed as she studied my face. Why did it sound like she meant Emma when she said Meridel?
Cut it out. You’re imagining things.
“I’m well, Dina. Glad to be back for a while.”
She patted my cheeks. “We’re glad to have you back, sweetie.” She paused, giving me a look. “Some of us more than others. And don’t worry, none of us believe a word those stinky papers have said about you.” Dina grinned and gestured to the table by the front window. “Have a seat. I’ll bring you your favorite.”
I guessed everyone had heard about my reputation.
I suppressed a sigh and gave her a smile before plopping down in the stiff wooden chair. It felt like I’d barely taken a breath when a Cherry Coke and a barbeque bacon burger and seasoned fries—the best meal on the menu in my opinion—were set in front of me. Dina winked at me and blessedly left me alone to eat in peace. With as nosy as this town was, I was surprised she didn’t take a seat and start grilling me about my time in California.
The first bite was absolute heaven in my mouth. The sweet and tangy barbeque sauce mixed with the smoky bacon and perfectly cooked beef, was broken up by bites of fries dipped in seasoned sour cream and sips of sweet Coke.
I hadn’t realized how much I missed Dina’s food until now.
I missed a lot of things.
“You’re not an easy man to track down,” a familiar voice said, shaking the thoughts from my mind, my head snapping up mid-bite of my burger.
“Bwijet?” I asked around the food in my mouth, confused as to why she was here and how she’d found me.
She let out a fake laugh that I was all too accustomed to. I wasn’t sure she’d ever laughed for real—at least not in my presence. Bridget plopped down in the chair across from me before flagging down one of the waitresses with a frantic gesture in that impatient California way of hers.
The waitress—who I was fairly certain was named Ivy—couldn’t quite hide her scowl as she arrived at the table and took Bridget’s order of a coffee—black—and a salad with a side of lite ranch dressing. Heaven forbid she ate the full-fat version. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.
I was tired of the way women were obsessed with their bodies, as if eating a single crouton would make them blow up like a balloon. It was exhausting watching them peck at their food like dainty little birds, sucking in their stomachs and sitting in such a way that made them look as slim as possible. It was exhausting to me and I wasn’t even a woman.
Emma never worried about those types of things. She—
Why am I thinking about Emma again? Why am I comparing other women to her?
“Where have you been?” Bridget asked, snapping me back to reality.
I took another bite of my burger, making her wait. It would do her good to learn some patience.
“I’ve been here. Where you sent me.”
“You haven’t been answering my calls. I stopped by your family’s house and you weren’t there. When I couldn’t find you, I had to get a room at that awful, stinky motel in the next town.” She must’ve meant Moe’s Motel. It was the only motel for miles around.
“I turned my phone off.” I took another bite. “And my parents’ house is the last place I want to be.”
She gaped at me like she didn’t even know the power button on a cell phone existed. “Why would you do such a thing?”
“You told me to lay low.”
She scoffed. “Lay low, not disappear like a dead man.”
I took a sip of my drink. “Well, maybe you should have been more specific then.”
Bridget rubbed at the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut like she always did when she was annoyed with me. She muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like, “I don’t get paid enough for this.”
Ignoring her, I went back to devouring the rest of my food, dipping the glorious greasy fries into the sour cream. It had been far too long since I’d been able to eat food like this. Sure, I could get a burger anywhere, but Dina’s food was always better. It tasted like home.
The waitress brought Bridget’s salad and coffee and scurried off before my manager could demand anything more. Smart girl.
I watched as Bridget poured—quite literally—a single drop of ranch dressing on her salad, after picking off each and every crouton, of course. She then took one teensy little bite of lettuce before she shoved the plate a few inches away and downed her coffee.
No wonder she was so…testy all the time. She barely ate and lived on a diet of black coffee and stress. I’d be miserable company, too, if I lived like that.
“So,” she began. “First things first. I secured a townhouse for you, so you have your own place now. Don’t need the paparazzi getting word of you staying in a hotel or something. They might start some new crafty rumors then.”
Well, at least I’d be able to stop staying in that empty house with too many memories I’d rather not relive at the moment.
At my grunt of acknowledgement, she continued. “Second, I figured out a way to improve your image.”
I cocked my head. “Excuse me?”
She waited, blinking at me like I was duller than a box of rocks.
“I thought that was the purpose of coming back to Meridel. Get out of the spotlight and let things calm down.” I regurgitated the words she had spoken in Cali and then washed down the bitter taste filling my mouth with another sip of pop.
“Yes, well, thus far it hasn’t had the intended effect. Now there are even worse rumors circulating about why you’ve disappeared which I’ll spare you from, and the fact that you’ve been entirely absent on social media hasn’t helped your case. We need something else. Another reason you’ve left California and why you’ve been off the radar.”
“I thought you said this would fix things.”
Maybe it was mean of me to respond that way, but this was part of her job—helping my public image. It was her idea for me to come home, not mine. If I’d known I’d have to do something else, I probably would’ve stayed in California and taken my chances.
The bell tinkled over the front door before I heard Dina herself cry, “Oh, my goodness, it’s a day of miracles! Is that Emma Beck returning to us at last?”
Every muscle in my body locked up, and my head snapped over my shoulder. Sure enough, there was Emma, wearing a yellow sun dress with white sneakers, her damp hair in two curly buns at the nape of her neck.
I didn’t think I’d ever thought the words before, but I couldn’t help thinking that Emma looked beautiful.
Where did that come from? We’ve been best friends forever, and I’ve never once been attracted to her. I just missed her, that’s all.
Emma smiled at Dina with that bright smile of hers. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it until I saw it grace her face. She didn’t see me yet, and I briefly thought about sneaking out of the restaurant so my presence didn’t make that smile disappear.
“Who’s that?” Bridget asked, crashing a heavy bucket of cold reality over my head.
My heart lurched in my chest. I didn’t want my manager anywhere near Emma. Sure, Emma could hold her own no problem, but I didn’t want to risk my best friend getting dragged into one of Bridget’s schemes. Emma deserved better than that.
“Just some girl that lives in town,” I lied, the words bitter on my tongue. I filled my mouth with another bite to prevent myself from blurting something I couldn’t take back.
She arched a perfect brow. “Looks like more than just some girl by the look on your face.”
I breathed through my nose, trying to calm myself as I wiped my mouth with a napkin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
And then, all the way across the room, I heard Dina’s voice say, “I’m just happy as a peach! Who would’ve thought that both Emma and Liam would return to Meridel at the same time!” She paused to wag a finger in my direction. “It’s like Christmas Day, only without the dreadful snow!”
Emma’s shoulders instantly went to her ears, her hands clenching at her sides, but she didn’t turn.
“That’s um, great, Dina,” she stuttered out, keeping her back to the rest of the room.
The old Emma would’ve dropped what she was doing, stolen some of my fries, and spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with me. Have I really hurt her that much?
“I’m just going to take my food to go,” she said, but Dina acted as if she hadn’t heard her, her short curly hair bouncing as she moved behind the counter.
“Everyone was so sad when both you and Liam moved away, and it’s so nice to see the two of you back here again. Just like old times.” She clapped her hands together in excitement.
Dina, you might as well have stabbed Emma in the stomach with how tense your words are making her.
“Right, like old times.” Emma’s words were quiet, but I still heard them all the same. Heard the sadness and regret layered deep inside them.
“Who is that?” Bridget asked me again. Her sharp eyes were narrowed on Emma, and I found myself wishing they had never crossed paths. Once Bridget got an idea, nothing would stop her.
“No one,” I retorted, though inside I was pleading. She’s my best friend. Please stay away from her.
“Sounds like you two know each other?” she asked, still studying Emma’s tall figure across the room.
I could only shrug as every word I ever knew fled from my brain.
Dina gave Emma a hug before handing her a bag of food. Just as Emma scurried to the door, still refusing to look my way, Bridget spoke.
“Excuse me, Emma?”
No no no. My stomach crashed into the ugly carpet beneath me. I hid my face behind my hand, pretending to rub my forehead, as if that would do anything at all.
“What are you doing?” I hissed, leaning over the table.
Bridget ignored me. “Emma? Come over here, please.”
I closed my eyes. I couldn’t believe this was happening. What scheme did she have up her sleeve this time? The burger I had eaten churned in my stomach.
“What. Are. You. Doing?” I asked again through clenched teeth.
She glared at me. “Fixing your problem.” Then the brightest smile appeared on her face as she turned to face a reluctant Emma, who stood a few feet away, her face pale as if she were looking at a ghost.
“Hi, Emma.” The excitement in Bridget’s voice was a bit much, even for me. I was sure Emma saw right through her. “I’m Bridget Masters, Liam’s manager.” She held out a hand, and Emma just stared at it like it was a rabid animal about to bite her. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
Liar. I’ve never mentioned Emma to you. Not once.
Bridget wasn’t fazed as she lowered her hand back to her lap. “Would you like to join us?”
Emma’s eyes widened, and I felt the need to come to her rescue.
“She’s clearly on her way out,” I said through gritted teeth, wishing Bridget would get the hint to leave her alone.
“Nonsense,” Bridget replied. “Emma can eat her food here before it’s cold.” She turned frigid blue eyes on Emma. “Right?”
“You don’t have to,” I said to Emma. Her eyes pierced into mine for a second before she straightened her shoulders.
“I have a few minutes, I guess.” She plopped down into the chair next to me and started digging out her food. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve guessed she was going out of her way to be extra noisy with the paper bag so that Bridget wouldn’t be able to speak.
That’s my girl.
Err, not my girl. My best friend. It was just like her to do something like that. That was all.
Get out of your head, Liam. This is Emma. Just Emma.
Except Just Emma was now somehow both different and the same, and the differences were enough to have me leaning closer, as if I needed to be ready at a moment’s notice to protect her from a physical assault.
Bridget’s words could often feel like one.
Emma took a bite of her four-cheese grilled cheese—one of her favorites.
My manager studied her with eager eyes, as if my best friend were the largest diamond in the world, and she was going to steal it.
“So, Emma, what do you do for work?” Bridget asked.
Was this what it would take to finally get Emma to tell me what she’d been up to? My manager snooping around?
Emma fiddled with her hands in her lap. Enough for me to know that some part of what she was about to say was a lie.
“I, uh, work in weather. Forecasting, chasing tornadoes, you know, exciting stuff.”
Bridget’s eyes went wide in horror, and she gasped. “Chasing tornadoes? Why on earth would you ever do such a thing?”
Emma huffed a laugh. “I don’t know. It gets boring around here, I guess.”
Lie. That wasn’t why she did it at all. She was intentionally giving Bridget very little to go off. That’s my girl.
Gah! Stop it, Liam! She’s not yours!
Bridget cleared her throat. “Well, that’s very…special.”
Emma met my gaze then, and I swore there was amusement flickering in her eyes.
Bridget folded her hands together on the table, looking first at me and then at Emma. I swear I could see the gears turning in her mind, churning over something that I was sure I would hate.
“I have a proposal for the two of you.” She smirked then as if something about the words were funny.
I sighed. I knew when my manager was hard-core scheming.
Emma’s mouth froze midchew, glancing first at her, then at me.
“Whatever it is, leave Emma out of it,” I said, fisting my hands beneath the table. “She has nothing to do with any of this.”
Bridget cocked her head. “That would be a little hard seeing as this needs two people.”
Emma’s eyes darted between us as we argued back and forth.
“And what exactly is this?” I bit out between clenched teeth.
Bridget waved a hand in dismissal. “This is the solution to your problematic reputation. This will get the negative tabloids off your back and hopefully things will take a positive spin for once.”
Emma coughed, reached out and took a sip of my Coke, just like old times. My heart gave a strange lurch in my chest. My manager’s eyes narrowed, and the victorious scheming look returned to her face.
I didn’t like that look. Not at all.
“Leave Emma out of this,” I warned.
I didn’t want Emma in this life. I didn’t want to risk her sweet soul getting eaten alive by the viciousness of the people in the music industry. I couldn’t bear the thought.
Bridget crossed her arms, sitting back in her chair. That smug smile was back on her face. Her next words had my body feeling like I had plunged into an ice bath.
“But who else would you marry, Liam?”