Chapter Nine
The way back to the main thoroughfare gave us time to calm down. Liam kept his hands shoved in his pockets though his shoulders relaxed as we drew closer to the noise. Some of my tension drained away as well.
“Having fun, Red?”
One corner of my mouth tipped up. “Yeah, I am.”
His shoulders came down another inch, and his hands swung freely. “Good. Me too. What next?”
The anxiety in my stomach melted away in the wake of his easy smile. “I’m ready to tackle that maze, but I want a snack first.”
After grabbing snacks at the food barn, we headed for the maze.
The employee checking tickets handed us each another bottle of water. “Good luck.”
“Evidently we’re supposed to stay hydrated.” I raised my eyebrows.
At the first fork, a little sign had the number one and a few sentences of the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. It was cute—a good way to know we were on the right track and keep kids engaged.
“All right, which way?” I asked Liam.
He started heading right, the way I’d wanted to go too. “This is pretty a-maze-ing isn’t it?”
I groaned. “You didn’t.”
He chuckled.
One popped in my head, and I couldn’t resist. “That was a pretty corn-y joke, Mister.”
“Ooh, nice.”
We wound our way through the path, the corn higher than Liam’s head by almost a foot. The trail was wide enough for four people, and we hadn’t met anyone doubling back yet, which I took as a good sign.
“Got any more bad jokes? I’m all ears.” Liam nudged me. “Get it? Ears of corn?”
I shook my head, then stopped, pretending to hear something.
He frowned, glancing behind us. “What?”
“I thought I heard something. I hope no one’s stalk-ing us.” I kept a straight face as long as I could.
He smacked his forehead. “Can’t believe I fell for that. Wow.”
We came to sign number two and exchanged proud high fives. This time we went left, but quickly doubled back after hitting a dead end.
“So you and Avery met in college, right?” Liam kicked a clump of dirt that exploded into a tiny cloud of dust.
“Yeah. We were in the same dorm building and a bunch of the same classes. My roommate dropped out after the first semester, so she moved in and the rest is history.”
“She’s pretty great. I’m glad you have her.”
I stayed quiet as we rounded a corner, trying to decide if I should say more. “I’m sure she’s told you that I didn’t grow up in the best situation.” I glanced over, but his face remained neutral. “I never knew my dad, and I got taken away from my birth mom when I was three. Then I got put into the system.”
Flashes of painful memories stabbed at me, trying to break through the barrier I kept them behind. “I jumped from foster home to foster home. Every time I’d get settled, something would happen.” I stared at the dirt. “Other kids called me cursed.”
I’d stopped hoping after a while, stopped even unpacking. Because I’d known it wasn’t worth it.
And I was always right.
“I was living on my own at the age of sixteen, and I went into a pawn shop to sell the only thing I had of value, a gold necklace from my mother. Aunt Thea runs that store.” I cleared my throat, remembering my desperation that day, how hungry I’d been.
“She gave me money for the necklace, but she also gave me a job. And a place to stay with her and Uncle David. They’re family now. I don’t know where I’d be without them.” I walked in silence for a few minutes, gathering my thoughts.
“College was my way to make something of myself, and I ended up with a partial scholarship. Between that and some grant money, I made it through my first year.” I paused, thinking of my best friend. “But I couldn’t have done it without Avery. She’s my family, too.”
He nodded. “I’m sorry things were so rough on you growing up.”
I braced myself for the pity I knew I’d see, but it wasn’t there. His gaze held a mix of empathy, sadness, and maybe admiration.
“It’s amazing how far you’ve come.” He touched his elbow to my arm in a gentle nudge. “Cleats were definitely the right description for you.”
I ducked my head, unsure what to do in the face of his compliment. I cleared my throat. “What about you? Your family?”
“I have two sisters, and I’m the middle one. They’re both married with kids.” A fond smile tipped his lips.
“I bet you’re a fun uncle.” I could just picture him, teasing and playing. The sisters yelling at him not to get the kids all riled. “What about your parents? What do they do? Something in politics, right?”
“You mean you haven’t heard of the great John Davenport?”
The name sounded familiar, but not enough to make me put a name with a face, so I shook my head.
“Dad’s fairly high up, works at the state level now. My mom and Derek’s mom grew up together, both from old money.”
He led us down a narrower path. I silently predicted it’d be a dead end, but kept my mouth shut.
“Each of us kids had a trust fund to use for college or business. I started using mine for college, but that…didn’t work out.” He cleared his throat. “So I began investing, and I’ve been doing well.”
“You don’t have any other job? That’s all you do?” A pinprick of envy ran through me.
He stared at the ground, finding another clump of dirt to kick. “Aside from The High Five, I’m pretty much a silent partner. I’ve been wanting something I could have a more active role in, so when this deal came along, I jumped on it. I’m anxious to see how we can make your vision come to life.”
The dead end appeared, just as I’d known it would. I smirked, and he noticed.
“What? You knew?”
I shrugged. “I had a hunch.”
He pressed his lips together then grunted. “Fine. You lead.”
I led us back the way we came, taking the opposite choice at the intersection, then a right turn at the next, and soon we came to sign number three. I raised my chin in triumph.
He chuckled. “All right, you win.” When we stopped to have a drink of water, I itched my nose, and Liam laughed. “You’ve got a smudge now. Hang on.”
Sure enough, there was dirt on my finger. Where’d that come from?
He reached over, running his thumb along my cheek. “Um, that just made it worse.” He tipped his water bottle upside down, getting his thumb wet. Stepping closer, he ran it over my cheekbone once more. “There.”
The air charged between us as his hand lingered. His gaze drifted to my mouth, and my tongue darted out to wet my lips. Liam closed the distance between us, his nose nearly brushing mine.
Then a bunch of joyful yelling came from down the path, startling us. We jumped apart. A group of teenagers rounded the corner, noisy and jostling for the lead. We watched them go, almost standing in the corn as we waited for the stream to end. Finally the last one went by, and it was just us again.
But the moment was gone. I glanced at Liam, wanting another chance, feeling empty that we’d missed it.
Liam’s words were wistful. “Are we following the herd?”
When I nodded, he held out his hand. It felt like a consolation prize, but I took it anyway. We walked along, not saying much.
This whole day felt like we’d spent it winding through a maze of firsts, navigating this date and the crazy feelings I’d never expected to find lurking under the surface. The searing electricity that jolted between us, the needy ache gathering low in my stomach, the steadily increasing desire growing inside me.
I remembered the day of the escape room fiasco. I’d hated the way Liam had treated his girlfriend. They hadn’t meshed well, had almost made us lose, then Liam and I fought afterward. Which made Josh and I fight. His words echoed in me, that Liam and I just needed to have sex and get it over with.
At the time, the words repulsed me. Now I couldn’t get the idea out of my head, and this was just the first date. Desire shot through me as I studied Liam’s handsome profile.
Joined by our hands, we wound our way through the field, gradually picking up our conversation. He asked me which classes I enjoyed the most. Then we talked about strategy for the bar. We found sign number eight, and I thought I remembered seeing there were only ten in total.
“We have to be getting close.”
Liam pulled out his phone. “Well, it’s been an hour, so that’s about right.”
I hoped so because I had to pee, and I wasn’t about to squat in a row of corn. His hand left mine, needing it to open his water bottle. I wiped my damp palm on my skirt and decided to take a drink too.
It was my turn to ask something, and I blurted the first thing that came to mind. “So, you’re a Packers fan?”
He stopped so fast, I nearly ran into him. “You know my team?”
“What?”
“You don’t even like football.” His grin widened.
“Just because I don’t like it, doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about it. My uncle’s a Packers fan too. You two are going to get along great.” I nearly clamped a hand over my mouth.
Liam’s smile reached from ear to ear. “Gina, you want me to meet your family? I’m flattered.” He placed his hand on his chest as if he were overcome by my words.
“Shut up.”
“I think that’s moving a little fast though. I mean, this is only our first date.” He winked, whistling a cheery tune as we walked.
I couldn’t even stay mad, not with him looking so happy about it. He entertained me with a few stories of him and Derek growing up, some involving Rhonda and their childhood friend Piper. Soon, we reached the exit. Another glance at his phone showed it had only been fifteen more minutes.
“Wow, we made pretty good time.” His eyebrows shot up, obviously impressed. “You weren’t kidding about your innate sense of direction. That was awesome.”
Just like that, tears pricked the back of my eyes. I had to slow my steps because I couldn’t see. Blinking rapidly, I took deep breaths, not wanting to lose it just outside of the corn maze.
“Hey, Gina, you all right?” His warm hand brushed my elbow, turning me to face him.
I swallowed, hoping I could speak. “You didn’t get mad at me. Not once.”
“Mad?” The furrow appeared on his forehead. “Why would I get mad?”
My shoulders bobbed as I surveyed the rows of corn swaying in the light breeze. “Josh always did. Whenever we tried something like this and we went down the wrong path while he was leading, he’d get annoyed. Especially if I didn’t make a wrong turn.” I stared at the trampled grass beneath my feet. “Sometimes, I’d go the wrong way on purpose, just so he’d feel better.” A weight settled on my chest as my words hung between us.
Then Liam’s arms came around me, crushing me to him. “Oh, Red, don’t you ever do that to me. Always show me how right you are. Go the right way, rub it in my face, and do your victory dance. I promise I can handle it.”
My stiff body relaxed at his candor, and I melted against him, resting my head on his firm chest. I slid my hands up his back, returning the hug. And I felt another piece of me click into its rightful place.
It was nearly five-thirty when we made it back to the car. I felt the good kind of tired that comes from hours of being outdoors and wandering in the sunshine.
“You ready to go home?” His words didn’t quite seem final, ending with a hopeful but silent ‘or’.
So I waited.
“Or maybe we could go grab some dinner?” The words came out in a rush, as if he were nervous again.
“What is it about dinner that gets your panties in a wad? I mean, you couldn’t even ask me about it at the bar the other night. Then on the way here, you were nearly shaking when you thought we were going to eat first. And now, the nerves are back.” I sat up to face him. “We’ve eaten lots of meals together. What’s so different about this one?”
He searched my face, and the nervous tension melted away, replaced by a self-deprecating laugh. “I honestly don’t know.”
“As a matter of fact, I’m starving. I’d be happy to go somewhere just the two of us, or if you wanted to get back in time to watch some football, I’m sure Avery has enough food for both of us.”
“I know a great burger joint not far from here.” His gaze roamed over me, thoughtful and provoking. “I think I’ll keep you to myself a while longer.”
For once I didn’t mind someone not sharing. It didn’t take long to get to the restaurant, Eat at Joe’s. When we climbed out of the car, I couldn’t help a chuckle.
“It’s good, I promise.” He made an X over his heart, distracting me with his muscular chest.
It took me a second to respond. “Honestly, it’s a burger. The best burger I’ve ever had wasn’t that much better than the worst one.”
He clutched a hand to his chest, stumbling like I’d shot him. “Woman, that’s blasphemy.” But he winked and held the door open for me.
When we walked in, the waitress broke into a full smile, rushing over to greet him by name. She was older, seventies maybe, with gray streaks in her ashy blonde hair. Faint wrinkles formed around her eyes, kindness etched into each one.
Liam rested his hand on the small of my back. “Sally, this is Gina.” He stared down at me, saying my name like I was important to him.
I was startled by his intensity, but I had to look away to greet Sally. I reached out to shake her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Liam’s been talking up your burgers, and I can’t wait to try one.”
Sally simply beamed, grabbing two menus before leading us over to a booth with a cracked red leather seat. “What do you want to drink?”
The front of the menu had a huge picture of a milk shake, which nearly had me drooling. “I’d love a vanilla shake, please. And a water.”
Liam shook his head. “Vanilla, ugh. Chocolate is the only way to go, and I’ll take one of those.”
I stuck my tongue out at him while Sally chuckled at our antics.
“I’ll be right back with those waters.” She hurried off, giving us a chance to check out the menu.
For a divey diner, they had some interesting choices—not just the usual burger options. There was a whole page dedicated to different styles, even two vegan ones. I was impressed.
And in the mood for bacon.
When Sally came back, I ordered the bacon cheeseburger, no mayo, no tomato.
She glanced at Liam. “You having your usual?”
He nodded, handing her his menu. I gave her mine as well, watching her walk away.
“Usual, huh? You know the waitress, she has your order memorized…” I pretended to think for a minute. “So, do you come here often?” His laughter filled our booth, and I basked in its warmth.
Sally returned with our overflowing shakes, each piled high with whipped cream and a cherry on top. “There you are. Your food should be up shortly.”
“Thank you,” we chorused.
I slid my shake to me, not wanting to spill any. Gingerly, I plucked the cherry off and set it on a napkin, wrinkling my nose.
Liam sighed, sounding affronted. “Don’t tell me you don’t like cherries either.”
“Sorry. Not a fan.” I shrugged in the face of his glare. “More for you?”
“Well, when you put it like that.” He snatched it up, popping it into his mouth. “Delicious.”
Some of the whip cream was stained pink, and I fought the urge to wrinkle my nose, wondering if I should just eat it. I carefully scraped it up. “Want my cherry-tainted whip cream, too?”
He blinked. “Yeah, that just sounded dirty.”
I laughed as he reached for the spoon. When his tongue flicking out to lick off the cream, my laughter died. Entranced, I wondered what else he could do with that tongue.
“Delicious. Thanks for sharing.” He handed me back my spoon, startling me out of my daydreams.
I retreated to the safety of my shake. The first sip was heaven, so thick I could barely get it through the straw. I scooped up more whip cream, this time without the cherry juice, licking it off the spoon.
Liam made a strangled noise, and I glanced over to find his darkened eyes on me. It seemed I wasn’t the only one having dirty thoughts. Our food interrupted any further scandalous behavior. Sally set my mile-high burger in front of me, and an even bigger one in front of Liam.
“You two enjoy.”
“How am I supposed to eat this?” I could barely get my hands around it.
Liam picked his up in his massive hands and chomped down. “Like that,” he mumbled around the mouthful.
“Just because you have a big mouth.” I smooshed mine down as best I could, then took a bite. It was a good burger.