Chapter 5
CHAPTER
FIVE
LIAM
“So you’re going to be spending more time here in Charleston,” Eli says to me, lifting his bottle to his mouth. “Wow.” He glances at Holden. “You’ll be the last man standing in New York.”
Holden lifts his glass of whiskey. “It’s okay. I’m too busy working to notice anyway.” Holden is a doctor at Hamilton General in Manhattan. It’s a minor miracle he managed to get time off for Charlie’s christening.
We’re sitting in the basement den of Myles’ house.
The air conditioning is on full blast, thanks to the still-warm evening.
As soon as he’d bought the place Myles had this basement fully remodeled.
Now it has a bar, a full size pool table, plus a mini-cinema complete with a game station, where Brooks and Linc are currently trying to smash the hell out of each other. At least it’s on screen for once.
“What about your investments in New York?” Holden asks. “Who’s going to be looking after those?”
“I’ve got a good team there,” I tell him. “But I’ll be splitting my time between both locations. I just want to make sure these initial investments here in West Virginia go smoothly.”
“He doesn’t trust me,” Myles says, wryly.
“Not true. I trust you. I’m just a little more ruthless than you are.” That’s the strange thing about us. Myles looks like an asshole but inside he has a heart of gold. And when people meet me they think I’m the nicest guy but I don’t have a heart at all.
“Maybe he has other reasons for being in Charleston,” Eli murmurs.
“Like what?” Holden asks, as though I’m not sitting right in front of them.
“Like Ava’s friend.” Eli cocks a brow. “Did you see the way he was looking at her?”
Here we go. “Not interested,” I say dryly. “Don’t try to make something out of nothing,” I tell him.
“She’s pretty,” Eli says, completely ignoring me. “And she has a body to die for.”
“Did you see Linc trying to eat her up?” Holden laughs.
“Linc’s a child.” I’m trying to not get annoyed. Why can’t we just talk about sports?
“I’m not a child,” Linc shouts out. “You’re just an old man.”
Eli sniggers. “He’s kind of got you there.”
“Get outta here.” I stand to grab another beer. I love my brothers to death, but they’re annoying as hell sometimes. “Who wants another game of pool?”
“Not me,” Eli says. “I’m heading to bed soon.”
“Me too.” Myles shrugs. “We have a big day tomorrow.”
I put the beer back in the cooler, unopened. I didn’t need it anyway. Myles is right, tomorrow is important. For him and Ava, but also for me. He’s trusting me to be Charlie’s godfather, I’m not going to let him down.
“Like I said,” Linc mutters. “Old men.” He looks over at us, his oldest four brothers.
There is a gap between Holden, the youngest of the first set of us, and then Linc and Brooks who came later.
But I was only trying to rile him when I called him a kid.
He’s in his twenties, after all, not so young these days.
“You coming?” I ask Holden and Eli. The three of us are sleeping in the guest bungalow. Linc and Brooks are sleeping in the house, along with all our parents and baby sister.
“Be out in a minute,” Eli says, lifting his glass. “Just going to finish this first.”
“Try to not make too much noise when you come in,” I warn him.
“Yeah right.” He grins. “Like you haven’t kept me awake over the years.”
Linc laughs, pausing his game. “Oh Liam, right there,” he calls out, his voice falsetto. I shake my head at him.
“Oh Liam,” Brooks joins in, fluttering his eyelids. “Nobody ever made me feel this good.”
Ignoring their laughter, I walk out of the den and leave them behind. Myles is waiting at the top of the stairs for me, and he looks almost sorry for me when I reach him.
“They’re a lot,” he says, sounding almost sympathetic
“Yep.” I can’t help it if I always make sure the women I sleep with have a good time. Except that one time. I shake off that thought because it was an aberration. It’s important to make it a mutually enjoyable event. Linc and Brooks could learn something from me.
Myles presses his lips together and nods. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“You will. I hope you get some sleep tonight.”
A smile ghosts his lips. “Me too.”
He heads for the sweeping staircase that leads to the second floor and I head for the back door to the path that leads to the bungalow.
The kitchen is dark and quiet – everybody except us brothers went to bed an hour or two ago.
There’s a full moon tonight and it lights my way as I reach the bungalow that’ll be my home for the next few months.
The air is still warm, and the sound of locusts fill the air.
For a moment I feel a sense of peace wash over me.
Maybe that’s another reason why I’m so keen to do business here.
Because this city lets me breathe in a way that New York doesn’t.
It’s full of foliage and insects and reminds me that life isn’t all about chasing the next dollar.
Then I laugh and shake my head at myself because that’s exactly what life’s about. Maybe I should have drunk one less beer.
SOPHIE
Charlie is wide awake as I cradle him in my arms at the front of the church the next day. His wide blue eyes stare up at me, as though I have the answer to everything, and warmth rushes through me, because I want to protect him like I’ve never wanted to protect anything else.
I finish reciting the words the pastor tells me and then I pass Charlie to Liam. His whole demeanor softens as he takes his nephew. I’m starting to suspect some of the emotion of the ceremony may have cracked through his cocky exterior.
It doesn’t stop me from hoping Charlie yaks on his shirt.
It’s the pastor’s turn next. He takes Charlie and dumps a handful of cold water on his head. Understandably, Charlie starts to wail. The pastor quickly hands him back to Ava, who kisses Charlie’s head and hushes him softly.
And then it’s over. Liam and I are officially godparents. The organ starts up, filling the stale air of the church with discordant music, and we all step down from the dais and join Ava and Myles’ guests in the aisle.
It’s a short walk from the church back to Myles and Ava’s house where they’re throwing a party, but there are cars for those who can’t walk in the heat. Ava and Myles take one with Charlie, and their parents take another, urging my dad to join them, so he gives me a wave.
“Are you walking back to Ava’s?” Lauren asks me. She’s going to take a car because she wants to make sure the cake is ready. Whereas I want some air. Even hot, Charleston air.
“Yeah,” I tell her. “I’ll see you there.” I step out of the church and shake the pastor’s hand, thanking him for a lovely ceremony.
And then I pull off my sandals because there’s no way I can walk in these heels. They look gorgeous but I’ll end up breaking an ankle. Looping the straps in my fingers, I take a left at the end of the church path, following the crowd of people heading along Virginia Street.
“You know shoes aren’t supposed to hurt,” a male voice says. I glance to my left and see Liam there. He’s towering over me since I’m barefoot.
“What?” I frown.
“They were specifically invented to protect feet,” he continues.
I roll my eyes. “Thank you, Einstein.”
He shrugs. “You see any guys take off their shoes because they’re in so much pain?” he asks me, glancing down at my bare feet.
“Well no…”
He lifts a brow as though I just proved his case.
“But these shoes are pretty,” I tell him. “It would make my heart hurt not to wear them.”
He glances at the sandals in my hand. “Mhmm.”
“And they make my legs look good.”
“Your legs already look good.”
I blink because that sounded like a compliment. “I’m sorry?” I ask him, but he has that mask like expression on again.
And then he completely changes the subject.
“So what did you get him?” he asks me.
“What did I get who?”
“Charlie. For a christening gift.”
I’d forgotten about that. “You’ll see,” I tell him.
“You can tell me now. I’ve already bought my gift.” He looks pretty smug about it, too.
A feeling of horror washes over me. What if he’s somehow gotten the same thing I have? “What is it?” I ask.
He looks at me from the corner of his eyes. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”
“What are we, six?” I shake my head. “I’m not that interested anyway.”
Liam sighs as though he’s just trying to appease me. “I got a bespoke tree house for their yard. It’s not something he can really enjoy until he’s a bit bigger, but I thought he’ll grow into it. It’s got a ladder to climb up into it and a slide to get out.” Liam shrugs.
“That’s a beautiful gift,” I say.
He blinks as though surprised. “Is it? I was worried it’s a bit too… I don’t know old.”
“Old would be buying him his first car,” I tell him.
Liam snorts. “Thought about it.”
“I bet you did.” A smile flits across my lips because that would be so Liam. And I take a minute to marvel that we’re actually having a conversation without any snark involved. This would be a first since that fateful night.
“So now you can tell me what you bought,” he says as we turn the corner onto Virginia Street.
I shrug. “I bought a mural by a local artist. She’ll work with Ava to get exactly what she wants and then paint it on the wall of Charlie’s nursery.
I was lucky to get her, she’s a friend of a friend of a friend.
Highly sought after. And I know Ava doesn’t love Charlie’s nursery yet, so hopefully this will get her there. ”
He opens his mouth to say something, but then a hand slaps his back and Linc joins us, out of breath because he’s been running to catch up to us.
“I called your name when you left the church. Didn’t you hear me?” Linc asks Liam. Then he looks at me. “Hi Sophie. You look fucking edible in that dress.”
“Thank you,” I say, stepping to the right so he can walk next to Liam. “You look pretty good yourself.” He does, too. He and Brooks are a little taller and less muscled than their older brothers. Their hair is lighter, too. But all in all the Salinger brothers are annoyingly gorgeous.
Even when they’re frowning like Liam is now.
“I meant to ask you,” Linc says to me. “Do you have a ride home tonight? I’d be happy to drive you if you haven’t.”
I smile at him. “Thank you, but my friend Lauren is driving me home.”
“Another time then.”
“That sounds lovely.” My cheeks redden a little because I’m not used to somebody blatantly flirting with me. Especially somebody who’s years younger than I am. It’s not as though I’m interested, but still.
“Did I tell you I’ve been watching your forecasts?” he asks me. “Every morning before I go to work.”
“You do?” I ask him. “How? You don’t get WVFY where you live, do you?”
“Nope, but I can live stream it on the internet.” He shrugs. “I like to know what the weather’s going to be like for Myles and Ava.”
Liam makes a noise that sounds a little like he’s suffocating.
“What?” Linc asks him, his voice lifting. “I just like to picture them happy.”
“Sure you do.” Liam shakes his head. “What are you doing here anyway? Weren’t you supposed to be greeting people as they arrive at the house?” he asks his little brother.
“Weren’t you supposed to be, too?” Linc says back.
“I need the fresh air,” Liam says sharply.
“So do I,” Linc tells him.
“Excuse us for one moment, Sophie,” Liam says, grabbing Linc’s arm to stop him from walking. I shrug and carry on. The ground is getting hot and my bare feet are getting dirty and all I want to do is clean them off at Ava’s house before I down a glass of champagne.
My mouth waters at the thought of it, right as Linc strides up to me. “Gotta go,” he says. His face is neutral but there’s something flashing in his eyes. “I’ll catch you later, Sophie.”
“Sure.”
He speeds off and then a shadow comes over me. I know it’s Liam without having to look.
“Try to not flirt with the children,” he says.
My mouth drops open. “Did you seriously just say that?” The man is infuriating.
“I’m just trying to help,” he says lightly.
“Who I flirt with has nothing to do with you,” I tell him.
“You’re my sister-in-law’s best friend. I’m just trying to look after you. Lincoln’s not what you need.”
“And what do I need?” I ask him. “Since you’re an expert on the subject.”
I feel his eyes on my face, but there’s no way I’m going to look at him right now. I’m annoyed and upset and there’s no way I want him to know he’s affected me.
“A man. Somebody who can give you the fairytale. The happy ever after. Not a kid like Linc.”
I start to laugh. “What? Have I stepped onto a Disney set? What makes you think I want the fairytale?”
“Because it’s written all over you. You scream long-term-commitment.” His voice is annoyingly even.
“And you scream STDs,” I huff back.
There’s another coughing sound. Is he laughing? It sounded like he laughed, but I still don’t dare look. We’re only a hundred yards from Ava’s house now. I seriously consider doing a sprint finish.
“I’m very careful about my sexual health, Sophie. I always use precautions and I get tested every three months.”
“It’s okay,” I tell him, rolling my eyes. “We already had this talk.”
I finally bring myself to look at him, and get a grim sense of satisfaction from the way the smile dissolves from his lips.
“Look,” I say, before he can think of a smart comeback. “Can you just stop interfering in my love life, please? First the guy on vacation and now this.”
“The guy on vacation was married. I did you a favor.”
Ugh, he’s right but I won’t admit it to him. The memory of it is mortifying.
“I would have found out myself and walked away,” I tell him.
“I don’t need your help and I don’t want it, okay?
” I don’t know why I let him get to me every time.
I’m annoyed at myself for thinking we could finally have a conversation without wanting to tear out each other’s throats.
Even more annoyed for thinking it was nice.
“You promised me this wouldn’t get awkward and it has.
” I sound emotional and I hate it. “That’s not fair. ”
He looks at me for a moment, his brows knitting. Then he rubs his chin with the heel of his hand. “Okay,” he says. “I hear you loud and clear.”
Well that’s good. We finish the walk in silence, and I’ve never been happier to be swallowed up by my group of friends and family, as they hug me and compliment my dress and tell me how well I did at the church.
And Liam walks into the house alone.