Chapter 9
Nine
“Brian’s uncle is retiring, and they’re throwing him a party. I’m going shopping for a new outfit. Do you want to come?” Emma asked early Saturday afternoon.
Liv enjoyed a day out shopping almost as much as she loved cooking. And if Emma had called a day or two earlier, she would’ve accepted in a heartbeat. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d spent a day out with a friend shopping. Not to mention, her summer wardrobe could use a little work.
“Wish you had asked sooner. I have plans with Matt today.”
“I had a feeling you’d have plans with him today, but I thought I’d ask anyway. You two have been spending a lot of time together. Is it fair to assume things are going well?”
They’d spent time together ten out of the last fourteen days.
Sometimes he came to her place, and she’d cook dinner for them.
Then afterward, they’d watch a movie or a baseball game.
Over the last two weeks, she’d learned that Matt was almost as big a baseball fan as she was.
Other nights she visited him. To date, though, the closest they’d come to going somewhere public together was the afternoon he stopped in the restaurant before he headed out of town to visit his cousin in Boston.
“Maybe.” Liv flopped back on her bed and watched the blades of the ceiling fan. “I don’t know. It’s not like a relationship between us will ever last.” As much as she enjoyed spending time with Matt, she reminded herself of that fact regularly.
“Why not? If he wasn’t interested, why would he be spending so much time with you?”
“He’s here on vacation. Before the summer ends, he’ll go back to Florida.” She assumed that was where he’d go, anyway, although he most likely had homes in multiple states.
“Did he tell you that?”
He doesn’t have to.
“No, but come on, let’s be realistic, Emma. He isn’t going to move here permanently to be with me. And I’m not interested in a long-distance relationship. Been there, done that.”
“You never know. He’s been visiting town at least once a year for how long now? He might be willing to relocate. And it’s not like he has a desk job to worry about in Florida. Actors and musicians live anywhere they want and travel when they need to be somewhere.”
“Emma, let it go. Neither of us has declared our undying love, and I don’t see it happening. But I’m okay with that.”
More or less.
Was her heart trying to get invested in whatever was between them? Yes. Her brain, though, wisely reminded her that this relationship had an expiration date, much like a gallon of milk, and that she should just enjoy the time they spent together.
“Fine, you win for now,” Emma answered, emphasizing the end of her sentence. “What are the two of you doing today?”
“I wish I knew. Last night, he just said he had a surprise for me today.”
Some people loved surprises, while others hated them. She tended to be a middle-of-the-road kind of person.
“Any idea what it might be?”
She’d spent a lot of time last night when she got home, and then again this morning, trying to guess what Matt’s surprise might be. So far, she hadn’t come up with any good possibilities.
A knock reached Liv in the bedroom before she answered. “Nope, but I think I’m about to find out. Matt’s here.” She wasn’t expecting anyone else today.
“Call me tomorrow and let me know what you guys end up doing.”
“Will do,” Liv said as she crossed into the living room. And if she didn’t, Emma would be calling to find out.
No matter how many times she opened her apartment door and found Matt on the other side, the sight of him standing there left her mentally shaking her head and wondering if she was dreaming.
The Matt Sherbrookes of the world didn’t spend time with people like her.
No, they took gorgeous movie stars and models to charity events and music award ceremonies.
They didn’t eat home-cooked meals and then spend the night watching the Red Sox on a 32-inch television.
And if they did watch a baseball game with a woman, it was while sitting in luxury seats at a ballpark.
“How’s my girl?” Matt asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close.
The feel of his body against hers sent a wave of heat through her, and despite her brain’s constant reminder that this wouldn’t last, her heart got a little more invested every time he held her close.
“Curious.”
It was a far better answer than telling him the truth—that what she really wanted to know was what she should read into his greeting.
“If you’re ready, we can go.”
“Just need some shoes. But how about a clue? It’s hard to pick the right footwear when you don’t know what you’re doing.”
“Wear something you’ll be comfortable walking in.”
“That’s not much of a clue.”
Matt kissed her cheek, then released her. “It’s all you’re getting for now.”
There was a lot she didn’t know about Matt, but she knew him well enough to know she wasn’t getting anything else from him, at least not until he was ready to share.
Downstairs, the door opened before Liv touched the handle, revealing perhaps the last person she would’ve expected to see standing there.
“Sebastian?”
I’m dreaming.
If she were wide awake, Matt Sherbrooke wouldn’t have greeted her by calling her “his girl,” and her ex-boyfriend wouldn’t be standing in front of her.
“Sebastian,” Liv repeated. “I, uh, it’s nice to see you.”
It wasn’t, but it seemed like the appropriate thing to say.
“I stopped by the restaurant to pick up takeout. Maggie told me you weren’t working today, so I thought maybe you were home.”
Liv glanced down at the plastic bags he held. Sebastian was free to get lunch from anywhere, but that didn’t explain why he’d been about to climb the stairs to her apartment.
She sensed Matt behind her even before his arm brushed against hers.
“Sorry, it looks like you have plans,” Sebastian said, his eyes darting toward Matt before settling on her face again.
“Sebastian, this is, um, my friend Matt.” Calling him a friend seemed a safe way to introduce him. “Matt, Sebastian used to live in town.” Unless Matt asked, she wasn’t sharing any other details today.
“You look familiar. Have we met before?” Sebastian asked, extending his hand.
If she weren’t so confused about her ex’s sudden appearance, she would’ve laughed at Sebastian’s question.
Shaking his head, Matt took Sebastian’s hand. “No, but I get that a lot.”
Liv barely contained a smile at the humor in Matt’s voice.
Sebastian wasn’t a fan of Eclipse, but they’d gone to see them in concert once when they were together.
Even if they hadn’t, Matt regularly appeared on magazine covers and on the internet.
She doubted there were many people in the United States who hadn’t seen his face at least once.
“Are you visiting your sister?” she asked him. It wouldn’t explain why he’d decided to visit her, but it would explain why he was back in town.
“I’m staying with her for the weekend, but I’m moving back to town soon. I closed on a house yesterday. I’m having some renovations done on it before I move in.”
The surprises just kept on coming.
“Congratulations. I’m sure your sister is happy you’ll be close again.”
“Since you have plans, I won’t keep you. But let’s get together and catch up soon,” Sebastian said, pushing the door open again and allowing in bright sunshine.
“Um, sure.” Although he was her ex, she had no real hard feelings toward him, and they had known each other a long time.
Neither she nor Matt spoke as they walked outside to his car.
Parked between her VW Bug and Edith’s late-model Corolla, Matt’s car stood out like a rose in a vase full of carnations, and Liv shook her head when he opened the door for her.
Ferraris and those who drove them were far removed from her day-to-day life, and if she knew what was good for her, she’d remember that.
“Since you seemed so surprised to see him, I’m guessing Sebastian isn’t someone you talk to often,” Matt said as he fastened his seat belt and started the engine.
“No, at least not anymore. We went to school together, but today was the first time I’ve talked to him in almost two years. I see his sister occasionally. She still lives in town, but usually she goes to visit him.”
“But he was stopping by to see you?”
Is he jealous?
Almost as soon as the thought popped into her head, she dismissed it. This was Matt Sherbrooke. He had no reason to be jealous of another man.
“Sebastian and I were together for about a year, but that was a long time ago. Before today, I can’t remember the last time I saw him.”
Well, she could, because it was the day they’d officially ended their relationship after trying to do the long-distance thing, but Matt didn’t need that particular detail.
Back at Liv’s apartment, when Sebastian said he’d asked about her whereabouts at the restaurant and then decided to see if she was home, an unfamiliar emotion had overcome Matt.
Liv’s announcement that they had been a couple not only reinforced the feeling but allowed him to give it a name: jealousy.
While he recognized it as irrational, he hated the idea of an ex-boyfriend showing up at Liv’s place out of the blue.