Page 47 of Tangled

“I wore my stretchy pants just for this meal, Mama. I hope you made enough. Calories don’t count tonight.”

“There’s plenty. So Liv, get back to your story,” my mom prompts.

“Oh! Is Liv talking about what happened last night?”

I shake my head at her. Perry, Amy, Clara and I are all close, but Clara and I definitely talk the most, and she’s the biggest cheerleader rooting for Kane and me.

“Yes, I was before you barged in.”

Clara reaches for the veggies and dip my mom set out on the counter, chomping down on a carrot smothered in ranch. “Okay, please continue then. I’m dying to know what happened.”

I let out a long sigh, but then that smile overtakes my face again. “You guys… Kane took me completely by surprise. I was talking to this evil witch of a woman that we work with, and he comes over and pulls me away from her. He led me to this porch swing on one side of the house, away from everyone else, and then started drilling me with all of these random questions, which completely threw me for a loop. When I asked him what he was doing, he got all awkward, which was charmingly adorable. And then… he told me he wants to get to know me. Date me. I… I still can’t believe it.”

“Eeeekkk! Oh my God, Liv! Yes!” Clara squeals and my mom and I both start laughing as I feel my cheeks get hot again.

“Well, is that what you want?” My mom chimes in.

I nod. “Yeah, I do. I mean, I never thought that dating him would be an option, given how we met and then finding out that we work together. But… he was so transparent last night. He really put himself out there and was honest, and it made me feel hopeful. I can’t remember the last time I felt that way…”

And that’s the truth. Even though things are new, there’s something about Kane that has kept me intrigued since that first night. And after getting to know him better last night, I’m even more interested.

“This is crazy. You move back home after catching your ex banging his secretary, have mind-blowing sex with the hot lumberjack, find out you work with him, and then now you’re dating him. Why can’t things happen like this in my life?” Clara whines while I chuckle at her synopsis of my life in the past few weeks.

“Well, Liv. I’m happy for you and I can’t wait to meet this man,” my mom admits as I hand her the dough to drop in the gravy.

“Give me a little while before I throw him to the wolves, okay, Mom? You, I’m not too worried about. But you know Dad and Cooper… they’ll drill him and chase him away.”

Even though my brother is younger than me, he’s always been massive, like my Dad. And any boy I dated in high school was terrified of both of them. It’s a miracle I could keep any boy around for any length of time. My dating life didn’t really take flight until I left for college. And the only guy they ever met after high school was Trevor, and well… we all know how that ended up.

“Speaking of your Dad and Cooper,” Mom says as she looks over my shoulder, just as my father and brother walk in from outside.

“Just finished chopping some wood, hun. We should be good for a few weeks now,” my dad tells my mom, as Cooper trails behind. “There’s my girl! How is it you’ve been home for weeks now and I’ve only seen you once?” My dad greets me with a kiss on my forehead and a bear hug.

“Life has been crazy, Dad. It’s difficult moving home and starting a new job in less than a week.”

“Well, at least I know I’ll see you every Sunday now, right?” He winks as Cooper comes around him and gives me a hug.

“You look better than when I saw you last, sis,” he tells me before turning around and noticing Clara, who hasn’t said a word since Cooper walked in. Clara looks stunned, her eyes bugging out of her head at the sight of my brother.

“Cooper Walsh? Is that you?” She finally speaks, faking innocence, but I caught the surprise on her face. “Gosh, you sure have grown up, haven’t you?” She teases while reaching out to give him a hug, her hands lingering on his biceps a little too long for my comfort.

“Hey, Clara. Long time no see,” he looks down at her, his dark hair falling forward on his face. The two of them hold each other’s gazes for a minute before I clear my throat to interrupt.

“Clara, can you help us set the table?” I ask, as Clara spins around to face me, realizing I saw her perusal of my brother.

“Oh, yeah, sure,” she stutters, looking flushed. Clara never ceases to appreciate a good-looking man. And even though Cooper is my brother, I can admit he’s handsome. But the way she’s reacting to him is far from normal for her.

I side-eye my brother, catching him staring at Clara’s ass before shoving him out of the kitchen.

“Hey!”

“I saw that,” I whisper through gritted teeth. “Go sit in the living room and wait for dinner.”

Cooper chuckles and shrugs, before grabbing two sodas from the fridge for him and my dad and making his way to the couch.

Once dinner is ready, the five of us sit down and dive in. I can’t help the moans that escape my mouth as I devour my mom’s cooking. It’s been so long since I’ve enjoyed it—just another benefit of being home again.

“So, how’s work going, Liv?” My dad asks around a mouthful of food.

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