Page 92 of A Forgotten Mistake

“Maybe I’ll be less miserable to you if you feed me,” Matthew says. “Did you get any of what I made?”

“No. I purposefully avoided it out of fear you’d mistakenly think that it means I tolerate you,” Liam says as Matthew scoops up a spoonful and aims it toward Liam’s mouth.

“I would never eat off your spoon, even if you held the elixir of life in your hand,” Liam claims.

“Liam, try it, for me,” I say and watch as Liam eats right off Matthew’s spoon.

“How did you tame that man?” Jesse asks.

Matthew is nearly giddy with joy that Liam submitted to being fed by him. “Did you like it?”

Liam grunts a reply until he notices me eyeing him. “It… was… edible.”

“Fucking hell, it must be really good,” Jesse says as he takes a bite of it and nods. “Thatisgood. Matthew, I didn’t know you could cook.”

“I can’t. This is the only thing I can make. I can show you if you come over to my house for dinner sometime.”

Jesse hesitates. “You… want to show me that you can’t cook by inviting me over? Weirdly… seems less inviting, but I’m game.”

“Well, we already know how Jesse’s going to leave the department,” Liam says.

“Are you saying I’m going to murder him with my cooking?” Matthew asks. “Why are we even friends?”

“I really don’t know,” Liam says. I see him look down at something, and when I look over at it, I realize he’s glancing at the GPS… but for what?

He notices me looking and quickly switches it over to a picture of Lucille, like he has this idea that I’m enough of a sucker to get sidetracked by a single picture of Lucille. As if that would work at all… but this… I’ve never seen this image…

“Is her tongue sticking out?”

“She was drinking water and looking so ridiculous that I knew you’d love it.”

“Send that to me. That’s my new favorite picture of her.”

“Honey,” Mom says. “Maybe don’t scare this one off with your obsession with your cat.”

“This one? Has he scared another one off with her?” Liam asks, appearing quite eager to know.

“I didn’t scare anyone off. My mom was trying to set me up with some guy who had acat allergy… like I’d ever get rid of my Lucille for a man like that. Now Liam would do anything for Lucille, wouldn’t you?”

“Sure would, and we can pretend it’s for the cat and not for you.”

“Sure, sure,” I say. “You’re going to grow to love her.”

He doesn’t seem convinced but smiles anyway.

“Liam, was it?” my grandma asks. “What do you do?”

“I’m a detective as well,” Liam answers.

“You must have gotten your money from your parents, then,” Tom says with a laugh.

The look on Liam’s face tells me that he has something up his sleeve to wipe that smirk right off Tom’s face. I’m well aware that he refuses to share much about his lifeunlessit can cause someone else to feel guilty.

“I did. I received all of my parents’ money after they were murdered. I would give every single cent of it away to have them back… to get to spend Thanksgiving with them like you get to spend with your family,” Liam says. I canseehim eating up the expression on Tom’s face. He clearly needs to get his kicks from somewhere, even if it includes using his dead family.

Everyone at the table looks like they were punched in the gut while I’m fully aware that Liam is loving every minute of it. Matthew and Jesse both know Liam well enough to understand what’s happening here, but Matthew plays into it.

“It’s okay, buddy. I’m here,” he says as he grabs Liam in a hug.

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