Chapter Twelve – Liam
Liam
I knew Aurora was there the second I stepped into Timeless Coffee Shop.
I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I could sense her.
I glanced around and found her sitting at a table in the corner, drinking a coffee and reading a book.
I hadn’t seen or spoken to her in a few days.
She hadn’t taken my calls or responded to my texts.
I had planned to stop by the bookstore after I got some coffee.
Smiling, I approached to see if I could join her. It was a rare day I didn’t have Winnie with me since she was with Jake and Opal today.
“Hey there, stranger! Day off today?” I asked, slipping into the seat opposite her.
When she looked up, it felt like someone had gut-punched me.
She had obviously been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy, with bags under them.
For an instant, fear gripped at my heart.
Was something wrong with Aurora, and she didn’t want to tell me?
“What’s wrong, Aurora?”
She closed her book and glanced around the coffee shop before focusing on me. “I’d rather be alone.”
Surprised, I drew back some. “Is everything okay?”
When she picked her book up again and started reading, I slowly shook my head. “Aurora, please tell me what has you so upset?”
She looked at me from over the book. When she spoke, her voice cracked. “How could you tell her?”
Confused, I asked, “Tell who what?”
She slammed the book shut. “I should have known you meant it. People don’t say things without some truth behind their words, even if they are drunk.”
I leaned in and lowered my voice. “If this is about me talking to Kim about what she did with the picture, I’m working on that problem.”
Her eyes went wide. “This has nothing to do with Hope’s picture!”
“What in the hell are you talking about, then?”
A look of hurt passed over Aurora’s face, and I had never in my life felt the wave of anger that passed through me. Who in the hell did this to her?
A tear slipped free, and she quickly swept it away. “Kim stopped by the bookstore yesterday.”
Confused, I asked, “That doesn’t make what you’re saying any clearer, Aurora.”
The look of hurt turned to anger. “She told me about your little late-night, after-work drinks and how you said Hope said I was trying to replace her. She accused me of doing the same thing, which was why she kept Winnie from seeing me, because she said I was clingy. How could you tell her that? Why would you tell her that? You told me you said it in anger. That you didn’t believe it? ”
“I don’t believe it, Aurora. I don’t even remember telling Kim that.”
My mouth fell open. “You don’t remember having a conversation with her because you got that drunk?”
I felt my face heat. “I didn’t tell her. I know I didn’t tell her, and I didn’t get drunk. I don’t do that anymore. I haven’t in months.”
She slowly shook her head as she gathered up her things. She stood, and I followed. “Let’s discuss this somewhere else. Somewhere a bit more private.”
“There isn’t anything to talk about, Liam.”
She made her way outside and started walking down Main Street.
“Aurora, will you please stop and let me talk with you?”
She came to an abrupt stop, and I nearly ran into her. Turning, she looked up at me. “There is nothing to talk about. Your girlfriend made it very clear to me where I stand, and it was loud and clear.”
I nearly laughed. “My girlfriend? What in the hell are you talking about?”
Her head tilted to the side. “What’s wrong, Liam? You don’t remember sleeping with Kim? She said you rekindled your old relationship, so don’t try to deny it.”
It felt like a hammer hit my chest, and my words sputtered. “Slept with her? I didn’t sleep with Kim.”
“Maybe it was the same night you don’t remember telling her about what happened months ago.” Aurora turned to walk away but stopped. She again faced me and said, “You might want to invest in a nanny camera, Liam. Your sparkling nanny-slash-girlfriend treats your daughter like shit.”
And with that, she turned and stormed down the street. I stood there, my head reeling with everything she said.
A car drove up, and I turned to see Declan in a Moose Village police car. “Liam, is everything okay?”
I slowly shook my head. “I don’t think so, Declan.”
Turning to face him, I asked, “When do you get off work?”
“I’m off right now.”
I took a deep breath and exhaled before asking, “Can you do me a favor?”
He nodded. “Of course I will. Just name it.”
Declan and I sat at the kitchen table, staring at my laptop.
“You don’t think she would have hurt Winnie, do you?” Declan asked.
“I’m not sure what to think anymore. But I wanted someone else here to watch with me because I don’t know what I might see…just in case.”
He nodded.
I started the video, and we watched. Everything seemed normal at first; nothing was out of the ordinary. It was on the second day that my stomach dropped.
“Dats, Perry, da Moose from Rora. It’s my favwit.”
Winnie hugged the moose tightly to her chest.
“That’s cute, Winnie. Let’s set Perry right here while we say our prayers.”
Kim set the moose on the nightstand and proceeded to tuck Winnie in.
“Oh my God,” Declan whispered. “She does murder the moose!”
Turning to look at him, I asked, “What? What do you mean she murders the moose?”
Declan waved me off and kept watching the video.
Winnie grabbed Perry after the prayers were over.
Kim returned to Winnie’s room five minutes later.
Winnie was sound asleep. Slipping Perry out from Winnie’s arms, Kim took a few steps.
She looked down at the nightstand, reached for Hope’s picture and picked it up.
She stared at it for an eerie amount of time before opening the drawer and placing the picture inside.
She slid the door shut and then left the room.
Stopping the video, I slowly shook my head. “Holy shit.”
“Dude, you’ve got a very troubled person watching your kid!”
I faced Declan and said, “You’re a cop! Why are you telling me that? You’re supposed to tell me everything is okay.”
He pointed to the laptop. “Did you just watch the same thing I did? Dude, nothing is okay. That woman stole Perry the Moose, then tried to hide Hope’s picture from Winnie and lied about both things!
Do you have any other cameras in the house?
” Declan asked, jumping up and looking around. “We need to watch them.”
I dropped back against the back of the sofa. “No. I don’t.”
“Okay, well, let’s get back to watching these.”
He grabbed the remote and fast-forwarded until the next time we saw Kim.
“Where’s Rora?” Winnie asked as Kim got her dressed for bed. “It is Ah-rora. Winnie, you’re old enough to pronounce your words right. And Aunty Aurora is just too busy to stop and visit with you.”
My stomach lurched.
“Holy shit,” Declan whispered.
“But I miss Rora,” Winnie said.
“Well, she doesn’t miss you, and now you have me!” Kim said in a cheerful voice. “We’re going to have so much fun together, and I will teach you how to talk the right way. No more of your R sounding like a W. We’ll make you a smart little girl.”
“She’s not even three, that fucking bitch,” I said as I stood, anger pulsing through my entire body.
I grabbed the remote and turned it off. I started to pace.
“I didn’t tell her about what I said to Aurora, about how Hope said she was trying to replace her.
I know I didn’t tell her that, Declan. She also told Aurora I slept with her, and I didn’t.
I wasn’t drunk that night. I had one drink, maybe two, and I’m almost positive she left before I had the second one.
She also said she had to help me to bed, but I woke up on the sofa the next morning. ”
“How else would she have known about what Hope said?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
Declan quickly stood. “Your Ring camera. Do you remember what night it was?”
“Yes, it was the night…well…I remember the day. I met with an investor that night, so it’s in my phone.”
We pulled up that night, and the approximate time I had gotten home. We watched as I walked in, and then the Ring started to record five minutes later, showing Kim leaving and getting into her car.
“She wasn’t even there long enough to have a drink,” I said, confused.
Declan and I looked at each other.
“And you don’t remember anything? You didn’t mention Aurora?”
“No, because I didn’t tell her. Kim said I drank a lot that night and told her about it.
I remember waking up on the sofa and thinking I probably fell asleep there from exhaustion.
But when Kim commented that Hope was thinking Aurora was taking her place, I asked her how she knew about that.
That’s when she said I had drank a lot that night and had told her.
Kim made me think I told her, even though in my gut, I’ve known all along I wasn’t drunk.
And I was fully dressed, so no fucking way I slept with her then, or since then. ”
“Why would she tell Aurora you guys slept together?” Declan asked. “Other than to make Aurora think you were together.”
I pushed my hand through my hair. “She doesn’t want Aurora in my life or Winnie’s, that’s why she did it. What a fucking bitch. I should have fired her right on the spot over the phone the other night.”
Declan shrugged. “Sounds like she’s jealous of Aurora. Of your friendship with her and how Winnie loves her so much.”
“Okay, so that would explain that. But how did Kim know about the whole Hope and Aurora thing?”
When Declan glanced at the bar, he asked, “Do you still have the wine bottle you were drinking from?”
“The wine bottle?”
“Yeah.”
I stood. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Declan. Are you suggesting the woman I hired to watch my daughter drugged me?”
“I’m not…not saying it.”
“She didn’t drug me, but she is one hell of a mind player.”
Then it hit me. I knew precisely where Kim had found out about what Hope had said.
“I got it. I know where she found out.”