Chapter 1 #2
I’d made a mistake. A huge, colossal mistake. Regret rose up in my chest. I needed something to do with all the electric energy now coursing through my veins, so I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose as I tried to sort through my thoughts.
“You want…” I started, but the words just drifted off. It was like I was physically incapable of saying them out loud. “You want me to be…” I tried again.
“My assistant,” Liam finished for me.
I opened my eyes and slowly brought my hand away from my face. I stared at him with the hope that, in a few seconds, his cocky smile would return and he would declare that this was all a big joke. But that never came. Instead, he just studied me with a genuine expression.
“And I got this job offer because…I work in a library?”
He shrugged. “Hey, I’m a simple guy. Plus, I’m good at spotting talent. And you have talent.” The last sentence he said with a deep announcer voice punctuated by a flourish of his hands.
I sighed. Did I really have room to be picky? I’d blown up my life in Harmony. The last thing I wanted to do was admit that Abigail was right and go back to our apartment. I just wished I’d asked for details before I’d closed my eyes and jumped.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “So what do you need an assistant to help you with?”
Liam studied me for a moment like my question had taken him aback. I raised my eyebrows expectantly in an effort to persuade him to speak. I really hoped he wasn’t a tax lawyer or CPA. I feared my short time working for the library wasn’t going to help with how boring I found those fields to be.
“You really don’t know?” Liam asked, his smile appearing more amused than anything.
“Know what?”
Liam paused, like he was waiting from me to declare that I was joking, before he scoffed and shifted his weight off the wall so he was now standing upright. “Wow. Never in my life...”
“Should I know?” I hurried to ask. If this was part of the job interview, I was off to a horrible start.
He shook his head. “No, you shouldn’t.” He scrubbed his face with his hand before running his fingers through his hair.
I was now thoroughly confused. “So…” I raised my eyebrows and leaned my head forward in an invitation for him to continue.
“I’m in a band.”
That was not even in the ballpark of what I thought he was going to say. “A band?”
He nodded as he shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.
“Like, you practice in your mom’s garage kind of band, or a band band?” I hurried to add, “With concerts and record deals?”
Liam chuckled before he drew his eyebrows together. “You really don’t know who I am?”
My cheeks heated. I wanted to say, yes, of course I knew who he was. That I’d been lying before. But what if he broke out into one of his songs and expected me to sing along with him? I would never live that down.
So I settled on a slight shake of my head.
“Does Fading Atlas ring a bell?” He started to hum what I could only assume was one of his songs.
I listened, racking my brain for any sign of recognition, but nothing came. When I glanced up at him, I didn’t need to say anything. He seemed to have picked up on my confusion from my expression alone.
“Eh, that’s okay.” He waved his hand at me. “You’ll be fine. Listen to a few of our albums and you’ll be set.”
“Fading…” I raised my eyebrows, my cheeks warming as I tried to recall the name.
“Atlas,” he finished for me, his cocky smile returning.
“Atlas,” I repeated before realization of what he was asking suddenly dawned on me. Sure, I could be a librarian because I loved books and reading, but I didn’t know the first thing about being an assistant to a rock star.
“You’ll be just fine,” Liam said as if he read my mind. “Keep me on schedule and get me to events on time. Be the organized brain to my chaos.” He shrugged. “Think you can do that?”
I didn’t want to disappoint him, but I also didn’t want to have to go back to Abigail. I needed time to breathe and decide what I really wanted for myself. So if that meant learning how to organize a rock star’s schedule, I would give it my best shot.
“Okay,” I finally whispered.
Liam quirked an eyebrow. “Okay?”
“Okay,” I said, more resolute this time. “I’ll try my best.” Then I slipped back into my room.
After I showered and dressed, I got Samuel up and changed. He sat propped up on his blanket on the floor, playing with one of his toys as I packed up our few belongings. With everything taken care of, I texted Liam that we were ready to head out, and he showed up a minute later.
Shelby kept our conversation light as we ate breakfast. She kept peering curiously over at Liam, who, if he noticed, didn’t move to address it. It added credibility to his claim of being a celebrity. He was obviously used to being on display.
After breakfast, he followed me in his rental car as I drove back to Abigail’s apartment. I needed to pack a few suitcases since we were headed out to join Liam’s band on tour. Thankfully, Bash was the one who answered the door. Abigail wasn’t home.
Bash stayed in the living room, and Liam lingered near the front door next to a sleeping Samuel while I hurriedly threw our clothes into our luggage. I was pretty certain I was going to forget something, but that’s what stores were for.
I was in the process of wheeling the last suitcase from my room when Bash took a few steps toward me. I could tell that he had something he wanted to say, but he was battling with himself over whether or not he should speak.
There had always been this unspoken understanding between the two of us. Where Abigail would make her opinion known, Bash kept his thoughts quiet. So the fact that he was approaching me caused me to pause.
“You going to be okay?” he asked.
I shifted my weight and nodded. “I think so.”
Bash raised an eyebrow as he flicked his gaze to Liam and then back to me. “You can call me any time, and I’ll come get you—no questions asked.”
I smiled. “I appreciate that.” He wasn’t married to my sister yet, but it seemed as if he’d already taken on the role of big brother.
He hesitated like he was shuffling through his thoughts, so I just reached out and patted his arm. “We’re going to be fine.” I paused. “And I’ll call Abigail eventually.”
His expression softened as my words sunk in. “Good.” He paused. “Just, be safe.”
“I will.”
I carried Samuel while Liam dragged the three suitcases through the apartment complex and out to his rental.
We were leaving my car in Harmony since we were headed to the airport to get on the band’s private jet.
When Liam told me the plan, I’d nearly swallowed my tongue.
What was I getting myself and Samuel into?
Luckily, Isabelle had a better reaction to Liam than Abigail did.
Maybe that had something to do with the fact that Isabelle recognized him.
We had stopped by the library so I could tell my boss about my sudden career change.
I was in the middle of explaining what was going on when Liam approached.
Suddenly, her entire demeanor changed as she grabbed ahold of my arm and began to shake it.
Her laugh was a little high pitched and her cheeks were flushed as Liam reached out to introduce himself.
Isabelle was all stutters and starry eyes as she gushed over Fading Atlas’s most recent album.
When Samuel started to whine in his car seat and Liam headed over to soothe him, Isabelle leaned closer and whispered that she couldn’t believe that I’d kept him a secret.
We left with Isabelle promising that if I ever needed a job at the library in the future, I was always welcome back.
I gave her a thankful smile, but she was busy watching Liam swing Samuel gently back and forth in his seat like the pendulum of a grandfather clock.
I told her that I’d keep her updated on our whereabouts, but I doubted that she was even listening to me.
As I climbed into the front seat of Liam’s car, realization dawned on me. I had just wrapped up my life here in Harmony. Two conversations, and there were no more loose ends. I could successfully walk away. That was how insignificant my time here had been.
Liam placed Samuel in his car seat base and then opened the driver’s door. Once he was buckled and the engine was started, he glanced over at me.
Not sure what to do, I met his gaze with a weak smile.
“Ready?” he asked.
I took in a deep breath before I nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”