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Today’s conversation needed to be more focused, though. Liam had gotten to know a lot about Amelia just from chatting with her, but there was still a lot of biographical information he lacked. He didn’t know where she’d gone to college or what her opinion on pets was, which Liam was pretty sure was information that a married couple should know about each other.
After a quick internet search, he printed out a list of questions he felt they should cover. Then he did his best to focus on his work, counting down the hours until the day was over and his evening with Amelia would begin.
Like the night before, Liam arrived home just as Amelia and Grace were finishing up dinner. Grace was cleaner than yesterday, with a dinner of a PB and J and carrot sticks instead of last night’s messy pasta, but Amelia still asked him to wait while she gave Grace a bath. Liam retreated to his office, where he spent far too long analyzing two competing bids for a consultant. He was distracted by the sound of Amelia and Grace laughing and singing and splashing from the bathroom down the hall. They sounded so happy, like actresses in a movie about childhood.
Or, perhaps, like they really cared about each other.
Another pang swept through Liam. He shouldn’t feel left out, but some part of him did.
The laughter slowly wound down and, after about half an hour of silence, Amelia appeared in the doorway of Liam’s office. She was dressed in what Liam had come to think of as her “mom uniform” — a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Her hair was up in a messy bun on her head, but as she stepped into the office, she removed her hair tie and her long blond hair fell around her shoulders in soft curls.
“Did she fall asleep okay?” Liam asked. He felt a little clumsy and awkward asking about the child, but he truly did want to be sure she was all right.
“Yes. She wanted a few extra stories, but eventually tiredness won out.” Amelia grinned and sank onto the couch where she’d been yesterday. “Are we ready to get down to business?”
“Yes. Shall we order some food first?”
“That would be great. I’ll leave it up to you, since you’re the restaurant expert.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Liam considered. “How about we go for Indian tonight?”
“Perfect. I need a samosa, stat.”
Liam grinned at Amelia’s phrase. “Then we can’t waste any time.” He got out his phone, pulled up the restaurant’s menu, and handed it to Amelia. She bent her head over the screen to read, occasionally scrolling up or down, and Liam took advantage of her focus to get a better look at her.
Amelia really was beautiful. Liam’s past flings, now relegated to distant history, had been primarily with women who wore tons of makeup and dressed in clothes so tight it looked like they’d been painted on. Amelia wasn’t like that at all, especially not in her mom uniform, but she was somehow all the more beautiful for that. She looked real. Her brown eyes were warm, and her blond curls looked like a golden waterfall on her shoulders. Even in her loose clothes, Liam could see the outline of her feminine curves.
Liam knew that it was important to maintain his distance, but he could notice that Amelia was objectively attractive without letting himself get too close to her.
“All right, I picked a few things out.” Amelia handed the phone back. Liam quickly added his go-to butter chicken and garlic naan to the basket, then placed the order.
“The food will be here shortly. How was your day?”
“It was okay. Grace learned a new word, squirrel, but she can’t quite say it correctly, so it always comes out as skiwl. It’s so cute.” Amelia beamed, and Liam saw genuine affection in her eyes. The look warmed his heart. Grace deserved to have someone like Amelia watching out for her. Of course, Amelia would leave eventually, after the ruse was complete, but it was better not to think about that now. “How was your day?”
“Not bad.” Liam sighed. “But also not that interesting.”
“Really?” Amelia looked a little surprised. “You said your work was fascinating.”
“It is. I don’t know. I suppose everyone has off days.” In truth, it had been harder and harder for Liam to work since Amelia had come into his home. He’d spent more hours at the office but had struggled to get as much done.
“I suppose so.”
“Anyway, in preparation for the barbecue, I’ve put together a few questions that I think we should prepare answers for.”
Amelia nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”
“First, where did you go to college?”
“I went right here in San Francisco — SF State. I thought about going a little further away, maybe to the East Coast, but at the last minute I decided I wanted to stay close to my family. I never regretted it, although it does mean I’ve never lived anywhere but here. How about you?”
“I went to college on the East Coast,” Liam said.
“Which one?”
“Harvard.”
“Wow, impressive.” Amelia sat back. “I shouldn’t be surprised, though. You seem very dedicated. Why did you choose Harvard?”
