Page 22 of Fall for You (Flirting with Forever 4)

I tilt my head to the side, and nod. “Okay, so let’s figure it out.”

“What?”

“Let’s figure out when to go out on the date you were talking about.”

His eyes widen in surprise. “We didn’t talk about it again. I thought maybe you’d forgotten.” He throws his free arm up. “And they told me dating in my thirties would be so damn hard.”

“Who told you that?”

“Just some buddies who happen to be in similar positions. Only they don’t have kids, so I figured I was sunk for sure.”

I can’t hide my smile. “Nah. I can’t say I’ve been deterred by finding out you have a teenager. I was surprised at first, but …”

“You can’t resist me.”

I roll my eyes to the sky. “I haven’t been able to, have I?”

“Nope.” He shoots me a grin full of boyish charm. “Okay. So, I’ll text you later about plans for a date sometime this weekend. Anything I should know about how Olivia’s tutoring is going?” He presses his lips together in silent apology. “Becky will ask me later.”

I hold a hand up and shake my head. “I wouldn’t expect anything different. You can tell her Olivia’s catching up rather quickly.” I bite my lip, not sure what to say about the rest. Olivia had trusted me with it. It’s not anything life-threatening, just some teasing and embarrassment. Where the hell is Zoey when I need her?

“Uh-oh. What’s this?” He gestures to my face, which I realize has scrunched up in hesitant contemplation.

I wince. “I think Olivia’s having some standard high school drama going on. Are you going to be mad if I say I kind of have an idea of what’s going on, but she doesn’t want me to talk to you about it?”

Liam’s eyes bore into mine for a second, and he shifts on his feet, then glances over his shoulder back toward Olivia. When his gaze comes back to mine, he steps closer, and I see him visibly swallow before he asks, “Is she okay?”

I nod. “I think so.”

He runs a hand over his jaw and lets out a deep sigh. “Okay, then. I trust you.”

My eyes open wider as they search his. “I will watch over her as best I can, Liam. Obviously, if the context progresses or worsens, I’ll tell you immediately, but I don’t want to break her trust.” I exhale swiftly. “This doesn’t freak you out?”

He blinks a few times, clearly taking the time to think it through. “If you tell me she’s okay, then I believe you.”

I nod, working my jaw back and forth as we continue to stare at each other.

He takes another step closer, raising the umbrella over me before he tucks me into his side, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, just like he had with Olivia. Together, we make our way down the stairs and to my car.

At the driver’s side, he stops, turning to face me. “I really want to kiss you right now.”

I can’t see Olivia at all from where I’m standing, and as much as I want to go up on tiptoes and plant a kiss on his lips, I don’t think it’s appropriate. I reach for his fr

ee hand, take hold of it, and squeeze. “Talk soon?”

I go directly from school to Mom’s bakery, my windshield wipers on high the whole way. What a nasty, miserable day. I pull up outside and hurry in, unsurprised there are zero customers. No one wants to be out and about on a day like today.

With no one in the shop, I go back to the kitchen where I’m just in time to witness Mom’s wrist give out and a loaf pan full of gooey batter hit the floor.

“Dammit!”

I clench my teeth and rush forward. “You okay?” She shakes her hands in front of her, her mounting frustration with the arthritis in her wrist clear. I put a hand to her back and guide her over to a table where there are a couple of chairs.

She sits in one, her eyes unmoving from the mess on the floor. She takes a few calming breaths before her gaze slowly rises to meet mine. “I already know what you are going to say.”

“Well, you do need the surgery. There’s really no way around it. Working the way you do, it’s just going to get more and more painful. The arthritis isn’t going to go away, and you know baking isn’t going to magically get easier. You use your hands all day long. Besides, you said it was bad in the right hand, but it is starting in the left, too.”

“I’m …” She takes another deep breath. “I’m scared.”

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