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“Would you like to come to my place for dinner? I promise I’m better at cooking than I used to be.”
He chuckled, and the sound warmed all of the hidden recesses of my soul. “You couldn’t have gotten much worse, but yeah, I’d like that.”
“Great.” I was so pleased, I didn’t even grump at him about the potshot at my cooking skills.
The drive home seemed to take less time than it had to go in the opposite direction—perhaps because I was trying to decide what to cook for Liam. While I was much better than I used to be, I was also far from perfect, so it was best to take anything fancy or time consuming off the table. I tried to recall what was in the cupboards at the cottage. By the time we arrived, I’d thought up a menu.
“Come on in,” I said, grateful I’d done a quick cleanup before leaving that morning. I was generally pretty tidy, but Blair and Tyler had spent much of yesterday in my living area and still hadn’t got the hang of leaving rooms as they’d found them. I glanced at the other cottage, relieved to see that the windows were dark. The boys must be out somewhere. Hopefully they wouldn’t turn up and give me a hard time about inviting Liam back after our hike.
“You can sit over there while I cook,” I told him, waving toward the sofa.
“Nuh-uh.” He rubbed his palms together. “I’m not sitting around while you do all the work. Just tell me how I can help.”
“If you’re sure.” I wasn’t going to turn down assistance. I went to the fridge and pulled out a carton of baby tomatoes. “Chop these.”
“Yes, chef.” His wink made my tummy flip.
While he cut the tomatoes, I boiled water on the stove and measured out a portion of pasta. I added the pasta to the water and retrieved the container of pesto sauce from the fridge along with a bag of mozzarella chunks.
“What now?” Liam asked, finishing with the tomatoes.
“Can you do the same with the olives?” I handed him a jar. “I’m going to grill a few strips of capsicum.”
We worked well together over the next fifteen minutes, and when we were done, we had a Greek-style pasta salad. I served the meal onto two plates and packed the rest away for tomorrow. We sat side by side on the sofa while we ate.
“This is really good,” Liam said, and the comment filled me with pride. I’d had to learn to cook so I could feed the family, but there was still a certain buzz I got from someone enjoying food I’d made—or, in this case, food we’d made together. It had come out well.
“Thanks. Have you told your family about my parents?”
His fork clattered against the porcelain. Apparently the question had taken him by surprise. “I’ve told Mum, so I assume Dad knows as well. Asher too, since we see each other every day. I haven’t mentioned it to anyone else, but it’s possible they all know by now. Mum is the worst gossip in town. I hope that’s okay. We never discussed whether it was private.”
“You can tell anyone you like.” Maybe it would stop them hating me so much. “I told Grace, so there’s a good chance she said something to Nate.”
“Yeah, those two share everything.”
I pursed my lips. In my opinion, there were a few things they hadn’t shared. I could have sworn Grace had feelings for Nate, but that was none of my business, so I kept my mouth shut.
“I’m sorry I was such an asshole when you first arrived in town,” he said after a moment of quiet. “It can’t have been easy for you to come back, and now that I know what happened to your parents… I feel terrible about how I reacted.”
“Don’t.” I smiled so he’d know I meant it. “I hurt you. Whatever my reasons were, that fact doesn’t change. I just hope the past won’t get in the way of the future.”
Liam put his plate on the coffee table and reached over to take my hand. “It won’t. We have a lot to work through, I can’t deny that, but I don’t intend to lose you again.”
I squeezed his hand, the back of my throat tightening with emotion. “Neither do I.”
I set my plate aside and scooted closer. He draped his arm around my shoulders, and I rested my cheek on his chest. I loved the scent of him. Fresh mountain air, a little sweat, and a delicious undertone that was all Liam. I closed my eyes and let the comfort of being near him wrap around me. It was on the tip of my tongue to invite him to stay the night. I didn’t want to say goodbye. But our relationship was starting from scratch. It wouldn’t be wise to run too fast into something. We needed to learn to walk again first.
ChapterThirty-Four
KENNEDY
On Monday morning,I rose early and walked the length of Centennial Street past the still-closed shops and Taste of Destiny,where people were lining up for their coffee fix. When I reached the end of the commercial part of town, I looped around the block and made my way back home. I wandered up the path, enjoying the signs of life in the garden, then stopped abruptly, stumbling to catch myself before I tripped and hit the ground.
Written across the cottage door in bright red lettering was a single word.
Whore.
My hand flew to my mouth, and I choked out a sob.
