Page 95 of The Reno
I tried my best even as the furniture chanted to me.Take us home.Take us home.
“This was a mistake.” Liam shook his head. “You want everything.”
“I want everything.” I mock-gasped. An antique gold cash till sat on top of a wooden table, the huge leaver you’d pull to open up the till still intact. My hands ran over the metal numbers, pressing them down. They still moved. “Oh my”—I clutched my chest—“thiswould look so cool in your restaurant.”
Liam arched an eyebrow. “My restaurant.”
“Yeah.” I waved a hand. “When you get round to it. And finally speak to your brother.”
“If you have anything to do with it, it’s going to look like the jumble sale at Abigail’s school.”
It didn’t escape me that he skirted around the mention of his brother.
I grinned. “You have such little faith in me.”
Liam huffed. “When it comes to this stuff, I have complete faith in you, Red.”
“This stuff?”
“I’ve seen your plans.” He glanced at me. “They are good. I’ve worked with interior designers—some good, some bad. I can tell you’re talented, even if you need a dose of reality now and then. If I do open ‘my restaurant—’”
“Oh—”
Liam held up a finger. “If. I said if.IfI open the restaurant. You’ll be the first person I’ll call.”
“To design it?” I gasped.
“Yep. Only the best.”
The heart flutters were back. He had no idea what those words meant to someone who doubted themselves on a daily basis.
I smiled. “Thanks. Sometimes I think about—” I paused. “I think about doing this—as a job,” I said in a rush. “It’s just a stupid idea, and I probably wouldn’t make any money. Then I’d end up not being able to pay any bills, and then the bank would repossess my house, and I’d end up destitute. Or worse, back living with my mum and Graham.”
The corner of Liam’s lips rose. My face burned.
I turned away. “Forget it—”
“No, no,” Liam said and shifted my shoulders to face him. “Why would you think that?” His gaze searched my face. “Why wouldn’t it be a success?”
My mum’s voice echoed around me.
Don’t take risks. Stop being impulsive. Be sensible, Katherine.
“I wasn’t brought up by people who took risks.” I bit my lip. “And I have a reputation for being… flighty. I’ve had some failed attempts at businesses before. Stupid stuff, really. A jewellery business. Candle making. Then, I thought I wanted to be a childminder. But all of them failed. Or I failed.”
Liam let out a deep breath.
“Just ignore me. I’m oversharing.”
“Hey,” he said, his arms trailing down mine. “You aren’t oversharing. I asked, remember?” He laced his fingers through mine, walking us down the aisle with old wooden benches. “Just because someone else doesn’t like taking risks doesn’t mean youshouldn’t. And those other attempts don’t mean you’ll fail again. And if you do”—he shrugged—“who cares? If you have about a million careers in your lifetime, who cares, as long as you are happy?”
I snorted. “Well, the tax man might be a bit concerned.”
“If it means anything, I think you’d be amazing.” He glanced at me. “You’re incredibly creative and driven. Your brain might be hardwired a bit differently, but I’ve seen the dogged determination when you face your problems.” He smiled, shaking his head ruefully. “I’ve been victimised by it, remember?”
I rolled my eyes, my cheeks blushing at his words.
We stopped near some huge wardrobes that looked straight out of a C. S. Lewis novel.
