Chapter 17 #2
Becca was grinning from ear to ear. “I can already hear wedding bells.”
I groaned. “See? That’s why I don’t discuss my private life.”
“Okay, okay. I won’t give you shit.” She watched me intently while she ate the whipped cream off her drink with a little spoon.
“I haven’t seen you date seriously in years. Unless you’re better at keeping your private life quiet than David and me.”
“No, I haven’t. Just…”
“The usual dates that don’t pan out for anything more than some sex?”
“This conversation is uncomfortable,” I replied.
She grinned. “And why is that?”
“The three of us never discuss this.”
She took a large sip from her cup, wiggling her eyebrows. “No, David and I do. We just don’t bring it up to you. You’re so…uptight.”
My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. “I’m not… Okay, I wouldn’t use that word, but I’m not chatty.”
“Liam, everyone has their own way of doing things. I’m not judging, just making an observation.” She slid lower in her armchair, looking very pleased.
I was glad she was more relaxed. Now I just needed to track down David.
“You’re thinking about David, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“Well, your work with me is done. I’ll just ask them to put this in a paper cup, and I’ll go back to the brownstone.”
“Are you sure?”
Nodding, she rose to her feet. “You’re a great friend, Liam. Thanks.”
She made kissing sounds before leaving. I cocked a brow, and she pointed a finger at me. “No, you don’t get to take this joy away from me. I will forever remember this as ‘the day when Liam ordered the same drink as the woman he likes.’”
Better than “the day Albert showed up at the office.”
After she left, I sent David a message, asking where he was.
David: Recovering. I would have kicked your ass today.
Liam: I’m at the bookstore coffee shop. Come here when you feel human again.
David: Yes, boss.
I knew it would take a while until he came, but I wasn’t in the mood to go to the brownstone and get my laptop.
Instead, I called Tess. She answered after five rings.
“Hey!”
“You sound flustered. Were you hurrying from searching your phone again? Was it under a pile of panties…again?”
“Umm…no. I’m trying on bras right now.”
A visual of Tess in a mouthwatering bra popped into my mind. I barely stifled a groan.
“Tess, you’re going to kill me one of these days.”
“No, no, no. Not my goal at all.”
I grinned. “What is your goal?”
“Like I’m just going to tell you.”
“You’re determined to make me work for everything, aren’t you?”
“Well, to be honest, you don’t have to. But it’s so much more fun.” She said that last part in a lower voice.
“Why are you whispering?”
“I don’t want the sales associates to hear me.”
I felt even more relaxed than before. How could just hearing her voice affect me like this?
“I’m at the coffee shop where I took you for breakfast. I ordered your drink.”
I heard her suck in a breath before whispering, “Why?”
“I don’t know,” I replied, but that very second, it became clear why I did it. I missed her. I was searching for the right words to tell her, because I wasn’t used to expressing feelings. I’d been raised that way, and it was fine by me, but I wanted Tess to know.
“I miss you.”
“Oh, wow.”
“And I wanted to taste things from your perspective. I’d much rather taste you.”
“I can’t believe you’re so good at flirting even at ten o’clock in the morning. Especially after getting so little sleep last night. I’m still half asleep, and you’re in top shape. Are you trying to melt the panties off me?”
“No. Only when I’m in the same room.” Last night, we’d both been too tired to make plans, but I wanted to rectify that. “I want to see you, Tess.”
“Today?”
“No, but soon. I have a standing date with my grandmother tonight. I wanted to check in with her anyway.”
“Oh, let me know how she’s feeling. Tell her hello. And that I’m jealous.”
Only Tess could say that in a conversational tone.
“Everything okay with you? You sound a bit different.”
She’d picked up on that? I debated telling her about Albert but decided against it. She’d worry for no reason, and that ass had nothing to do with her or her business. The fucker was my problem.
“Now, as much as I’d like to keep talking to you, handsome guy, I just spotted a teenage girl entering the shop. She looks intimidated, so she’s going to need me to ease her into this. Oh, poor thing, she’s not even going near the bras.”
I couldn’t believe she cared so much for every customer. I’d never met anyone with so much empathy.
“Go charm her, Tess.”
After hanging up, I searched for a place to take Tess tomorrow. I wanted to please her, pick something she’d really like. She completely lit up when she was happy, and I wanted to bring that out in her as often as possible.
On impulse, I texted Skye, asking her if Tess would like anything in particular.
After that, David arrived. His grim expression instantly brought me back to the problem at hand.
I was going to call our lawyer today too, double-check that Albert’s hands were tied by the contract he signed.
I also wanted them to dig into everything and come up with something we could hang over his head in case he really did want to come back.
When I told him that I protect the people I care about, I didn’t mean just Becca and David but all our partners. They put their faith in us, not Albert.
I grimaced just imagining Tess’s disappointment if Albert managed to weasel his way back into the office. I wasn’t going to let her down.