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Chapter Twenty-Two

Nancy

T he sky was pink outside Liam’s window when I woke.

The bed beside me was empty. I flopped back onto the pillow and studied the room.

A photo of a younger Liam was hung on the wall across the room.

He had a big carefree grin, and his arm around the shoulder of a handsome older woman with a smile like his.

I took a shower in Liam’s big bathroom. Muscles I didn’t know I had were pleasurably sore. When I came down the stairs, bacon was sizzling on a skillet, a teakettle was whistling, and Liam was spooning pancake batter onto a griddle. It smelled delicious.

Liam looked over his shoulder. “What tea would you like? I’ve got Darjeeling, or this great Nepali stuff.”

“No coffee?” I stared at him in blank dismay. I hadn’t thought to bring my own.

“Not in this house,” he said.

“You are kidding me. This will not do.” I plugged my phone into a countertop outlet to recharge. “There’s got to be an espresso bar somewhere in Latham.”

“I wouldn’t know,” he said. “Do you like your bacon crisp or chewy?”

“Right in the middle of the range, please. Could I use your landline? I want to give my sisters your home number.”

“Be my guest.” He scribbled a number on a scrap of paper and slid it across the bar to me with a smile. “There you go.”

I forked wet food into a bowl for Moxie as Vivi’s phone rang and rang. She finally picked up, though her voice was sleepy. “Yeah?”

“Get a pen, Viv. I have to give you a phone number.”

“Omigod. Is it the number of that big, tall green-eyed drink of water? Hey, Nell! Wake up! Nancy got laid!”

“Get the pen, Viv,” I repeated through my teeth.

Vivi hummed as she copied down the number I dictated. “Okay, it’s on Nell’s fridge, plus it’s written on my hand. So? Details, honey, details! Is he, well, as vigorous as he looks when you guys … well, you know?”

“I will not be drawn into any discussion,” I said primly.

“I should think not, since he must be right there with you. Am I right?”

“Bingo. Making pancakes as we speak. And bacon.”

“Whoo-hoo! Sounds tasty. So go upstairs, or outside, or whatever, and I’ll call you back on your mobile phone. You’ve got to tell us everything!”

“I can’t use my phone right now. It’s charging right. That’s why I’m calling with the landline.”

There was a dramatic silence from the other end of the line.

“Your phone isn’t charged?” Vivi repeated. “Hold on. Who is this? And what have you done with my sister?”

“Oh, stop. You’re being ridiculous.”

“Tell us all about it tonight. And I mean every juicy detail. When are you getting back? Let’s hit that great little Indian place down the street from Nell’s and then huddle down all together at her apartment for safety. With a few bottles of wine.”

I hemmed and hawed. “I don’t exactly know when I’ll be coming back. I brought Moxie up here, see, and he’s asked me to stay?—”

“You brought up Moxie? Nell!” Vivi howled “Get this! Nancy’s shacked up!”

“Stop it, Vivi,” I begged. “Don’t jinx this for me.”

“Okay, you big scaredy-cat. But we worry, so call us whenever you get the chance, between sweaty bouts of bed-play. And say hello from the two of us!”

Vivi hung up, and I clutched the receiver with a hand that shook.

Liam’s hand touched my shoulder, making me jump. He took the phone and hung it up. “My sisters say hello,” I offered.

“Great. I say hello right back. Why do you look so worried?”

“Because they’re having this big, happy freak-out about me being up here with you, and it’s making me nervous.”

Liam’s mouth tightened. “Ah.” He was silent for a moment. “So you think that they’ll be crushed when they find out that it’s no big deal.”

My throat started to burn. “I didn’t say that,” I said. “You’re the one who said we were going to hit that wall.”

“So I did,” he said.

I laid my hand upon his chest, feeling the strong, steady throb of his heart. “It’s a very big deal, to me,” I said.

He covered my hand with his own. “Yeah? How big?”

“Huge.”

We came together into a tight embrace, and I pressed my shaking face to his chest. Silently agreeing to let the dangerous moment pass.

An alarming smell a couple minutes later made them look up.

“Oh my God. The pancakes.” Liam lunged for the griddle.

There were plenty of pancakes, so we feasted on pancakes and bacon. I ate twice as much as I usually did, and loved every bite. We cleaned up the kitchen, then looked at each other, embarrassed.

“So, ah, what now?” I asked.

His lips twitched. “You tell me, Nancy.”

The gleam in his eye was hard to resist, but the reality of my work life was breathing down my neck. “I really do need to get some work done,” I told him. “Is there a place I could set up shop where I wouldn’t be in your way?”

“I’ll set up an office for you. I’d give you the spare room, but if you want a phone line, it’ll have to be in the living room. I’ll get the stuff from your car.”

When he’d hauled in and set up all of my office equipment at the desk, he gave me a brief, hard kiss.

“I’ll try to stay out of your way,” he said.

“The temptation will be strong, though. Don’t be creeped out if I look in on you, just to make sure I’m not daydreaming. That this is actually happening.”

I tried not to smile. “Don’t freak if I turn my smartphone on, okay? I need to check my messages.”

“Be my guest,” he said magnanimously. “It should be close to charged by now. I’ll be in my workshop if you need me.”

My voice mail was loaded with petulant messages from Peter and Enid. Peter was her first call.

“Well! It’s about damn time!” Peter scolded. “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for twelve hours!”

“Horrors,” I said mildly. “What’s up?”

“No need to be snotty.” Peter sounded hurt. “Enid and I did the opening act at the Bottom Line last night for Brigid McKeon and the Beltane Beldames, remember?”

“Of course. I sweated for months to get you that gig.”

“Oh. I figured you’d forgotten, since you didn’t bother to come. Well, get this. Brigid liked Enid’s voice so much, she wants her to go on tour with the Beldames!”

“Wow,” I said. “That’s really great. Did you tell her to call me?”

“Of course I did, but you’ve been unreachable, so I expect you’ve missed her call. So? It’s not like Enid can say no at this point in her career to Brigid McKeon.”

“True. She shouldn’t,” I said.

“But she can’t throw away her solo career to be a Beldame, either. Enid belongs in front of the band, not singing backup.”

I lost the thread when I glimpsed Liam in the doorway, listening. I waved at him.

“Relax, Peter,” I soothed him. “I’ll talk to Brigid’s manager and get the dates, and see if I can switch Enid’s concert schedule, or maybe agree to just one tour, and use it as a selling point for her own tour.

” I squeaked, startled, as Liam materialized behind me.

He started to kiss my neck, and I batted his head away.

“You’re up there with some guy, right? The graphics are overdue for my album, it’s a week until FolkWorld, it’s a critical moment in mine and Enid’s careers, and all you can think of is your hormones? We’re talking serious money, here!”

“Speaking of money, I advanced you the registration fees for the FolkWorld Conference, remember?”

“Yeah, but we still haven’t gotten paid for those five gigs upstate!”

I wiggled as his hand slid down my belly and into the waistband of my jeans. “But my credit cards are maxed.”

“I can’t believe you’re nagging me like this when we’ve got this huge decision to make,” Peter bitched. “I don’t want to talk to you again until you’re ready to act professional.” He hung up on her.

I let the phone drop. “Damn. Now he’s pissed.”

“Good.” Liam’s hand delved deeper. “I heard the name Peter,” he murmured. “It got me going. I just couldn’t help myself. Let him stew in his own juices.”

“Easy for you to say!”

“What have you got to lose?” he demanded. “The cheap bastard doesn’t even pay you what he owes you, right?”

“Butt out of things that don’t concern you, Liam. I appreciate your help, but do not interrupt my business calls with inappropriate sexual advances.”

“Inappropriate? I’ll show you inappropriate.”

“Not today, you won’t.” She stuck out her chin. “I have stuff to do. Off with you.”

He backed away, hands up in surrender. “Later, then.”

I was riveted by the hot erotic promise in his eyes. “Um. Yeah. Later.”

The day raced by. I spent most of it on the phone rearranging concert dates and dealing with Brigid McKeon’s agency.

Liam was unobtrusive, but I was intensely aware of him, sneaking hungry glances at the grace and power of his every movement.

More than once he caught me peeking. His grin made my heart float up.

Daylight faded. I mocked up the new Mandrake promo brochure that had Eoin’s name on it, entered some new email addresses onto the newsletter sub list, and exited out of my computer. I hesitated for a moment—and then turned off my smartphone too.

It was the professional kiss of death, but right now, I didn’t give a shit. I went to the door that led to his workshop, which was dominated by a large and beautiful dining room table. He’d left the door open.

He was bending over a workbench, sanding some piece too small for me to identify. He looked up, though I was barefoot, and made no sound.

He put the piece down. “You done for the night?”

I nodded. “I just shut down the computer.”

He held out his arms. “So you’re all mine.”

“Yeah.” She wrapped her arms around him and breathed in the fresh smell of wind, rain, and fresh-cut wood that clung to him. “I even turned off the phone.”

Silent laughter vibrated his big frame. “Wow. That’s huge.”

“It is,” I agreed. “Shall we think about dinner?”

“In a bit. First, there’s something I wanted to try. I’ve been thinking about it ever since I met you. It’s been keeping me up at night.”

I kissed the triangle of skin at the vee of his shirt. “What’s that?”

Suddenly, my jeans were tugged down around my hips and knees. He’d sneakily unbuttoned them. My panties soon followed.

I stepped out of them, giggling, and he seized me, hoisting me up onto the edge of the table he was making. The surface was cool and smooth against my bare ass.

I gasped and wiggled as he gently pushed me onto my back, easing my thighs apart. “Hey! What exactly do you have in mind?”

He leaned to kiss my belly and kissed his way lower. “Let me show you.”