Page 61 of Saison for Love

Stanton grunted. Liam wasn’t sure if that was agreement or dissent.

“What time do we close tonight?”

Stanton shrugged. “Midnight. Unless these people clear out earlier. If they do, then close up whenever the place is empty. Your call. I’m going home. McCullough’s already gone.”

“So the kitchen is closed for the night?”

Stanton shrugged again, heading back where he’d come from. Apparently, the answer was obvious.

Liam leaned his elbows on the bar and wished everybody out of the tavern. It took another thirty minutes for his wish to come true.

He loaded a last tray of glasses into the dishwasher as one of the waitresses stepped next to him. “Just wanted to say goodbye and good luck. You’re a great bartender.”

Liam turned to look at her. “You’re quitting?”

“Might as well. The tips are down, thanks to the kitchen. I figured it was time to look for something better.”

Liam sighed. That was true enough. “Okay, well, good luck to you.”

“Thanks.”

He watched her head for the exit, frowning. Maybe it was time for him to give Stanton notice. Only, Stanton would fire him as soon as he did that, based on what had happened with Peaches. Better to wait another week or so, at least try to keep the relationship open for Bec to sell Stanton beer.

Better to not have to tell Ruth he was leaving town.

His conscience gave him a quick kick. He wasn’t exactly hurting Ruth by not owning up. She knew he was looking for another job, and she knew he’d been considering getting out of Antero. But that was different from knowing he was definitely going.

You need to tell her. And soon.

He did. And then he needed to think about when he’d tell Stanton, and when he’d start packing up. And how he could help Bec find a replacement for him. There was no reason for him to stay around Antero much longer.

Except for Ruth. The thought slipped through his mind almost before he was ready. Ruth. Were they that serious? He wasn’t sure. But he couldn’t dismiss the idea that she was important in his life. Important enough to think about when he thought about the move.

It was definitely time to head over to her place. And maybe time to think about what was happening between them a little more seriously.

…

Ruth told herself she was doing the right thing. She also told herself she wasn’t a bad mother. She wasn’t sure either statement was accurate. Leaving her daughter at her brother’s place so that she could have one more night with Liam Dempsey seemed a little sleazy somehow.

Not so sleazy that she wouldn’t do it, of course.

She made a sandwich and poured a glass of iced tea. After a day like this, she probably deserved wine, but she’d wait and share it with Liam.

She started watching for him around eleven thirty, hoping he’d gotten off work early, but he didn’t appear on her front step until midnight. He’d walked over from the tavern, which at least meant the neighbors wouldn’t see his car sitting outside in the morning.

Not that she cared about things like that. Although, yeah, she did care some. She was the Responsible Mom, after all. Her neighbors had probably never seen her with a man, given how few guys she’d dated over the last few years.

Liam looked tired, with dark circles beneath his eyes and deepening crinkles at the corners. If he looks like that, what must I look like? They’d had the same amount of sleep the night before, and he was five years younger.

Back to that again, are you? You know it doesn’t matter. She did, but sometimes it slipped underneath her defenses.

She closed the door behind him. “You want some wine? Or I’ve got beer if you’d rather.”

He smiled at her, some of the tiredness sliding away. “To tell you the truth, I’m kind of sick of beer. I’ve been pushing it all night. Wine sounds good.”

She pulled a corkscrew out of a drawer, then watched him open the bottle. “Tough night?”

He shrugged. “No tougher than usual. I don’t know why Stanton’s letting things go, but it gets a little worse every day.”

“Why doesn’t he do something?”

“Got me. He’s working on his new restaurant. He’s losing the locals at Black Mountain, although the tourists are still around—it’s a great location. I don’t know how long he can keep making a profit. Particularly with that yahoo in the kitchen.”

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