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Rosa now came over just to hang out, because I didn’t need her babysitting help as much. To hang out ... and shamelessly stare at Liam, by the looks of it.
I pushed the bowl of pizza dough to the center of the island. “Don’t you have something better to do?” I asked her.
“In a minute I will, I’m sure.” She angled her head. “Besides, now that I’m in my dating phase again, allow me to harmlessly gaze upon someone who is a perfect specimen of what I’d be looking for.”
I snorted. “He is way too young for you, and your dating phase is a train wreck, Rosa.”
She sighed, moving away from the slider. “Because they’re all idiots. The last guy—who seemed nice enough when we met for coffee—asked if I’d consider getting implants. On our second date.”
My nose wrinkled.
Rosa nodded. “He was a plastic surgeon.”
“Ah.” I took a sip of my water, enjoying the quiet of the house while Mira took her afternoon nap. Because I knew as soon as she woke, she’d start making her demands.
“I go see him,” she’d say on her way down the stairs, tucking her stuffed duck under her arm and marching toward the slider.
Liam was now a daily fixture instead of an as-needed presence, and I was desperately trying to get used to that.
“The thing I don’t understand is why kids like him so much,” I told Rosa. “Mira isobsessedwith Liam, and it makes no sense. He’s so rude all the time. I’ve never seen him pick her up. But she always wants to be over there.”
“A problem you can’t solve with a simple equation,” Rosa said absently.
My eyebrows rose in concession. “I suppose not. Maybe that’s why I’m constantly trying to figure it—him—out. I can’t handle it when the rows and columns don’t add up.”
Rosa snagged a piece of cubed watermelon from the bowl in front of her and nibbled thoughtfully. “You don’t think it’s because he’s a big, strong guy like her dad? Now that he’s next door, it’s a pretty convenient substitute.” She held my gaze. “You know I’m not saying that to be thoughtless.”
“I know,” I assured her. “And, no, I don’t think that’s it. A couple of the guys from the team have stopped by with their wives, bringing us food, checking up on us, and even though she knows them, she’s never acted the way she does with Liam.”
Because I couldn’t help myself, I wandered just a bit closer to the slider. He was crouched down, making sure the hose from the vacuum thingy wasn’t getting tangled while it cleaned the bottom of the pool.
All week, I’d caught glimpses of him working on the pool. The yard. The landscaping. Trimming tree branches and pulling weeds. Mowing the grass and spreading new mulch in the flower beds.
When he wasn’t at the facilities, Liam was constantly doing something.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen him relax.
Most mornings, I’d just be finishing my coffee when he returned to the house after a run, his shirt soaked in sweat and his chest heaving.
Not that I’d noticed.
But I couldn’t deny the warmth that bubbled under my chest when I saw how well he was taking care of the house. How he was making it look like a home again.
“Talk to him much this week?” Rosa asked.
“Not really. Just in passing when Mira goes over, and when she does, it’s always about her.”
“I still can’t believe you’re passing her back and forth between the houses like this. Wouldn’t it be easier to just be under one roof?”
Oh, sure.Somuch easier.
Living next door to Liam was hard enough.
“If that man were my roommate, I’d end up in jail.”
Rosa laughed.
“I’m serious,” I told her. “He’s the most aggravating person I’ve ever met in my life. I’mnice, Rosa. I’m nice to everyone. But the second I’m in the same room as him, it’s like I’m a different person.”
