Page 7 of Persuading Liam

“You okay?” She asks, settling into the chair across from my desk as if she’s about to offer me free therapy. Her expression is open, serious, and caring and all of that makes it hard for me to tell her to fuck off like I would my brothers.

“Yeah, of course,” I lie. Well, it’s not really a lie. There isn’t anything specifically wrong. It’s just a month-long setback. That’s all it is. “Pushed myself a little too hard on my run.”

She shudders as if running is the worst thing she can think of. “I don’t know how you get out there every day. Do you ever take the day off?”

I lift a shoulder. “Christmas morning usually. And any day we climb.”

She laughs but schools her expression when she sees I’m not joking. “Oh. Well, good for you on the commitment part. Anyway, I just wanted to ask about the apartment. I know you were so excited to have your own place.”

And there it is, the question I can’t really avoid. “It’s great,” I say, knowing immediately that my tone rings false. “The movers came Saturday night, everything is in its place. No complaints.”

Gus studies me, her lips pulling to the side as she senses the climbing level of my bullshittery. When she crosses her arms over her chest and narrows her eyes, I know I’m in for it. “Liar. Something clearly went wrong. Spill it. I mean, what’s the big deal?”

I shuffle in my seat and try to grasp a way to explain it. I ran the sentences through my head a thousand times just this morning and I still can’t find a way to make the situation any less unbelievable. “Okay. Fine.” I let the tension out of my shoulders and lean forward on my desk. “I rented the apartment from Mr. Alldridge the moment it came open.”

Gus nods. “Right.”

I run a hand through my hair. “Well, it turns out that Mrs. Alldridge also rented the apartment out and neither of them communicated on it.”

Gus’ mouth falls open and she drops her arms from her chest. “Oh shit. Can they fix it?”

I frown. “We tried to call them, but they are apparently in Mexico for an entire month. So we can’t even ask who signed first or find a way to rectify the situation until they get back.”

“Oh, Liam, I’m so sorry. I know you had your hopes up about this place. What are you guys going to do?”

“We tried to find another place for one of us to live for the month, but everything is filled up and I refuse to move back in with Elliot. I’d be in jail within a day.”

Gus snorts. Outside of the family, she’s the one who’s seen us argue the most, broken up more than one almost fist fight. “You would.”

“So we decided since there are two bedrooms and no other options, we’re going to be roomies for a month.”

“God, I hope he’s nothing like Elliot,” Gus breathes, her faraway eyes imagining things I don’t want to see.

“She.” I correct. “Marley Green. And her cat, Steven.”

Gus’ eyebrows reach her hairline. “She?”

“She,” I repeat, cringing as I watch Gus’ face transform from shock to one that is probably planning how to make us a couple.

“Well, that’s interesting.” Her smile tells me all I need to know about how interesting she thinks it is and I wish I could stop her, but no one, not even my giant bear of a brother can stop her from doing what she wants.

“Not really,” I intone, opening my laptop, hoping that will signal to her that I’m done talking.

It doesn’t. She settles into the chair like we’re at a ladies brunch. “So tell me about her, what’s she like?”

I shrug because I don’t know how to answer her. “She’s nice, I guess.”

“Nice?” She leans forward. “Come on, Liam. You notice everything about everyone all the time. You’ve got to give me more than that. Is she young? Is she single?”

My gut takes a hit I wasn’t expecting at the word single. I hadn’t thought to ask her if she was and though I assumed she wasn’t, I could be wrong. What I really can’t figure out is why thinking of her as taken makes me so irritated. “She’s probably in her mid-thirties, I didn’t ask. I also don’t know if she’s single. I didn’t pry.”

“But you’d know,” she points out. “She’d have said something or would be talking on the phone or texting all the time.”

I just stare at my soon-to-be sister-in-law because she right and I don’t like how that knowledge makes my heart pound. “I suppose.”

“Is she pretty?”

Again, my gut does a weird flip and I try to brush off the question because yes, Marley is pretty. Hell, I’d go out on a limb and call her gorgeous. Curvy, gorgeous green eyes, hair that I want to bury… “I suppose.”

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