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“The investor, Stanley, invited us over for a barbecue with his family in about a week and a half. And he’s very interested in you and Grace. During a short conversation today, he asked a lot of questions that I struggled to answer — about you, how we met, that kind of thing. We’ll need to sit down and get our stories straight. I need your help, Amelia.”
I need your help, Amelia. The words rang in her mind, making her heart flutter.
“Of course I’ll help.” Amelia nodded. “It’s what we agreed on. Do you have time this evening?”
“I do. Now that Grace is in bed, I thought we could order some takeout and get to know each other better. What do you say?”
The idea of eating takeout and getting to know Liam felt intimate, like when they’d put their arms around each other during the photoshoot. Amelia worried that getting to know her employer and fake husband better would make things more difficult in the long run, but she wasn’t about to say so.
“That sounds good to me. What kind of takeout?”
“I know a great Thai place just down the street.”
“Perfect.”
Liam got out his phone to place the order and, as they perused the menu together, Amelia felt almost like a real married couple picking out dinner after their child had gone to sleep. But only a moment later, the illusion was shattered when Liam placed the order, put away his phone, and looked up at Amelia with those intense blue eyes.
“So, tell me about yourself.”
Despite herself, Amelia burst into laughter at that. Liam stared at her like she had grown a second head, and Amelia managed to pull herself together.
“I’m sorry. It just sounds so formal, like yet another job interview. But I’m pretty sure I’ve already gotten this job.”
Liam chuckled too. “You have. All right, let’s try to make it a bit more casual.”
“Then let me ask the questions first.” Amelia felt a new boldness come over her. She knew almost nothing about Liam, so this might present a rare opportunity to get her questions answered at last. She needed to start carefully, though, with a softball of a question. “What are your hobbies?”
Liam looked surprised. “Hobbies? I mean, I run and go to the gym. I work. Sometimes, as part of work, I go golfing or enjoy a nice dinner.”
“I don’t think those are hobbies.” Amelia tilted her head at him. “I mean, what do you do for fun?”
“Fun is overrated.” Liam sat back and crossed his arms. “I love my job, and I work hard. That’s enjoyable for me — and it’s much more productive than, I don’t know, knitting or stamp collecting.”
“Knitting and stamp collecting?” Amelia giggled again. “Those wouldn’t be your hobbies anyway, I don’t think, since you aren’t an eighty-year-old grandmother.”
Liam raised that eyebrow again. “Thank you for noticing. What do you do for fun, then, if you’re such an expert on it?”
“Honestly, I used to be like you. I worked at a start-up and poured so much of my time and energy into my work that there wasn’t much left for anything else. After I left, I had more time, so I started spending time with my nieces and nephews, reading more, doing yoga… It’s been nice.”
“What was your old job?” Liam asked. He sounded genuinely curious. “What did you do?”
“I worked in HR at a start-up called Shondyn, which was focused on management consulting.”
“And why did you leave?”
Amelia sighed. “It wasn’t by choice. Shondyn was purchased by a larger company, and the new buyers laid off all the staff. It turned out that they were just buying us out to prevent competition. Our CEO knew that, but he sold anyway because it meant a lot of cash on the table for him. Even though it meant that we all lost our jobs.”
“I’m so sorry.” Liam shook his head slowly. “I can’t believe any CEO would sacrifice his employees just for a quick payout. I would never do something like that.”
“I believe you.” Amelia did believe him, although perhaps not for the reason he had in mind. She was sure that Liam would never sell Lilypad, but not just because it would hurt his employees. He was clearly way too dedicated to his job to ever let it go, even for a good deal.
“Do you want to go back to HR later?” Liam asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe?” Amelia shrugged. “I know I’ll eventually want to work again — this job doesn’t really count — but I dedicated so much of my life to Shondyn that my personal life suffered. I missed a lot of time with my nieces and nephews while they were growing up. I fell out of touch with a lot of my friends. I didn’t take care of myself the way I should have. I’ll work again, but I want to be very selective about the kind of job I take.”
“Do you really feel that way?” Liam asked. “That work made you miss out on a lot?”
“I do.”
