Page 9 of Two Weeks in Tahoe

Liam pauses, looking me up and down with one eyebrow raised, taking in my fuzzy socks, pajamas, and the cookie still in my hand. I don’t even remember bringing it with me to the door.

“What? I can’t help in my pajamas?” I lift my arms up, giving him a clear view of me in all my glory.

“Please don’t,” he replies with that smirk of his, shaking his head. “We’ve clearly interrupted your night, which I already feel bad about, and you’re in no position to come out into this freezing cold in your current state.

“Well, you can make your apology out to Lord Davies.” I quip back.

Liam stops, looking at me in utter confusion. I can’t help but laugh. “Huh?”

“A character from a book I’m reading. I had a date with him tonight. You can apologize to him for making me late.”

Liam stands at the bottom of my steps, snow all around him, gaping at me. It takes him a moment, but finally he smiles and shakes his head to himself. “What a lucky guy,” he says in a dry tone, which makes it hard to tell if he’s joking or not. But then I see that mouth of his curl up again.

“What are you guys looking for anyway?” Big J has had his head down this whole time, focused hard on his task.

“It’s his small diecast truck. It’s light blue,” Liam says. Then he fixes me with a serious, almost sad look. “It means a lot to him.”

I shove my fuzzy feet into my boots and step onto the porch, kicking at some fresh snow as I search for any sign of the toy.

I notice Liam watching me for a moment, but I don’t spare him a glance. I’m on a mission to find that kid’s toy now, and I can’t be distracted. He resumes searching near Jackson, who has barely said a peep this entire time, too focused on his task.

“How’s your butt?” Liam asks after a few minutes of silent searching.

I whip my head toward him, mouth open, eyebrows knitted together. “What?”

He lets out a sexy, gravelly laugh. “From your fall earlier.”

I blush. “Oh. It’s fine. I might wake up a bit sore tomorrow, though.”

“Hope not,” he says with a sly smile before resuming his search.

After a few minutes, I realize I never put on my coat, and the frigid air has started to make me shiver. I step back inside the cabin to grab it, tracking in a little snow, then cross my arms to warm up as I head back out.

Liam eyes me appreciatively, then looks down at the little boy, his expression solemn. I notice Liam is starting to shiver too, and the little boy, though determined, is starting to slow down.

“Hey bud,” Liam says to his nephew, “we might need to call it for tonight.”

The kid slumps his shoulders in defeat, and my heart aches at the look of disappointment on his face. “I’ll keep an eye out for it, okay?” I say to him, trying to sound hopeful.

“Okay. Thank you,” he says, voice dripping with defeat as he stares at the ground.

“Sorry for interrupting your night. But thank you for helping,” Liam says to me with a sad smile. “Can I leave my number?” His question throws me off, and I stare blankly for a moment.

“In case you find the truck, I mean…”

“Oh, right. Yes, of course.” I’m certain I sound flustered. I hide my face as I reach into the pocket of my pajamas, pull out my phone, unlock it, and hand it to him so he can input his number. I feel a thrill knowing that line of communication is open between us now.

This toy must mean a lot to Jackson for Liam to bring him out in the snow after dark to look for it. Jackson’s cheeks are crimson and chapped from the few minutes spent searching out here, and he still looks like he doesn’t want to give up. I hope they find it soon. Liam hands me my phone back with a smile, and I return the look as I take the phone back.

They hop in a grey pickup truck and head off into the dark, snowy night. How I didn’t hear that thing pull up earlier is beyond me.

7

Layla

Ten years ago

Liam and I somehow never exchanged numbers that night by the firepit. I suppose we were too caught up in the moment to think about it, assuming we’d see each other plenty of times over the next week.

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