Page 28 of Two Weeks in Tahoe

“That’s nice.”

He nods and takes his coat off as I show him to the furnace. He rolls up the sleeves of his grey henley and gets to work, investigating the problem. His tan, tattooed forearms catch my attention again and I can’t help but think about them wrapped around my body. I wonder what those strong arms are capable of.

I shiver from the cold, and Liam happens to catch it. “Have you been freezing all morning? You should have texted me sooner.”

“I just started noticing it when you messaged me. I don’t think it’s been out for long.”

He nods, looking thoughtful.

“This is just like a book I read recently,” I ramble as he pokes around more. “The girl and guy get snowed in at her cabin and then their heating system breaks, and they have to stay close for warmth…”

“And then they fall in love and live happily ever after?”

“No, they actually freeze to death at the end.”

Liam abruptly stops what he’s doing and looks at me, his mouth agape. “What!”

I laugh, tilting my head back. “I’m kidding. Of course they lived happily ever after.”

He shakes his head in disbelief.

“Sorry, my sense of humor can be dark sometimes...”

He laughs. “You’re just full of surprises.”

“Hopefully that’s a good thing…”

“Definitely,” he says, smiling back at me.

He sighs and stands up, dusting his knees off and setting his tool down. “So do you want the good news or the bad news?”

My shoulders sink. “Aw man. Lay it on me.”

He quirks his brow.

I cross my arms and lift my eyebrows at him. He seems far too entertained by this.

“Okay, the bad news is that this furnace is broken, and it needs a specific part. Or maybe a new unit altogether. Neither of which I have. I’m assuming you contacted the owner?”

“Yeah. No answer yet.” I lightly bite down on my bottom lip, which he definitely notices. “What’s the good news?”

“The good news is, you get to come hangout with me for the day,” he says confidently.

I look at him, tilting my head and searching for a response. He continues. “Have you eaten breakfast?”

19

Liam

I’m getting myself in way too deep with a woman who is only here for a few weeks. But I don’t care. Later, I’m going to figure out once and for all if she remembers me. But it really doesn’t matter at this point. I’m invested now either way.

Layla and I spent the morning at my favorite breakfast spot, where we stuffed ourselves and she told me several times it was the best brunch she’s ever had. We laughed and talked about all kinds of things, but still that one spring night was never brought up.

I’m not mad about it. Perhaps a little bummed, but I’m sure I’ve made out with a few girls in my younger years that I wouldn’t recognize now, even if they slapped me in the face. Not that I’d deserve it. At least, I don’t think I would. I’m a one-woman kind of man and I try to treat people in general with respect.

I had one long-term girlfriend, and that ended years ago. We met in college and dated for about two years, but she wanted to see the world and have adventures after she graduated, and I wanted to have my adventures back here. I’m not a hermit or anything, I’ll take vacations when forced. I just love it here and can’t imagine living anywhere else. Of course, the accident happened not long after that, and now I like feeling settled here for Jackson’s sake, too. I’ve had a few nights of mutual pleasure with different women here and there, of course, but none of them ever made me want something more serious.

For the most part, though, it’s been pretty dry around here. Carly from the restaurant, who is the nicest person, asked me out maybe a year ago. I knew she had a thing for me, and I’ve always tried to be polite, but I also tried to avoid any alone time with her, fearing that might happen. It simply wasn’t there for me. No sparks. She took it well, though. I think she’s with some new golden retriever guy now.

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