Page 19 of Impossible

Liam laughs before he grabs the menu and begins perusing. “What do you think about a glass of wine?”

“I could go for a glass.”

We settle on our glasses of wine before the waiter comes over. Once he gets to our table, we also put in an order of the bruschetta. The wine and the bread, make for an amazing combination and hit the spot. I ordered the linguini with clam sauce while Liam went for the halibut piccata. While we are waiting for our dinner, Liam grabs Harper to feed her a bottle. I pick at the bruschetta, trying not to eat it all before he’s done with the feeding.

“You think she will fall asleep?” I ask.

“I hope so.” He looks down at her. “Her eyes are getting heavy. I think it may happen.”

“How is work going? I feel like I never really got a chance to ask you.”

“It’s going good. It was hard at first, and I know it’s only been like six weeks, but I feel like I have adjusted to the new routine. The work has been good in keeping my mind off of everything.”

“Good, I’m glad. Oh, I forgot to mention. I called Shirley this morning to let her know I was watching Harper a couple days a week. She told me how she was struggling with coming over your place because of all the reminders of Becca, so I offered to meet her at a park with Harper one day next week. I was going to meet her on her lunch break. I thought a neutral place without so many memories of Becca might be easier. Is that okay with you?”

“Of course, that’s okay. Thank you, Riley. I’m glad you called her. She probably really needed that. I haven’t known how to broach that subject with her. I didn’t want Harper to get big and not know her grandma.”

“I understand. Well, I’ll let you know how it goes.”

Liam nods. He looks down at Harper and pulls the bottle from her mouth. She looks like she’s asleep, so he burps her real quick and slips her into the car seat. We both wait in anticipation to see if she is going to wake up, but after a minute, she’s still asleep.

“Nice work,” I say as I raise my wine glass for a toast.

He clinks it with mine, takes a sip, and leans back in his chair. I see him look around the area, like he is pondering something. When he looks back at me, he sees that I caught him and begins to laugh.

“Sorry, I was just taking everything in. It’s nice back here. Honestly, I can’t believe I’m out and not back at home moping around. Part of me feels guilty, like it’s wrong for me to enjoy life.”

“Come on, you know that isn’t true. This is good for you. Three months isn’t long, but it’s not like it’s been a week. You’re allowed to smile.” I nudge him in the arm.

He smiles at me. “I know. Part of the reason I’m even where I am at right now is you.” I think I must blush at the compliment. It’s strange to be hearing such words come out of Liam’s mouth.

“That’s really nice of you to say.”

“I’m serious, Riley. You stepped in and gave me some peace of mind so I could go back to work. You treated me differently than everyone else. My family was so afraid of my mental state, they wouldn’t grieve with me. They would just come over and take Harper or do chores, never taking the time to just talk to me. You were the first person to actually sit down and pay attention to me. Someone to reminisce with, to smile about Becca with. It’s meant a lot to me.”

“I’m glad I was able to help you. You and Harper have become such a big part of my life in a short amount of time. It’s helped me grieve the loss of Becca too, being around you. I thought it would be harder to be in her home, with her family, but it has made me feel closer to her. Like maybe, I won’t lose everything about her in my life.”

Liam grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Okay, enough depressing talk. Let’s talk about you. How is your summer going so far?”

Our waiter comes out with our dinner and places it in front of us. The presentation of the food is top notch, but the smell is what gets to me. I can smell the aromas of the olive oil, butter, and lemons drifting up from the linguini. Grabbing my fork, I swirl the pasta around before taking a bite. I close my eyes to appreciate the flavors. When I open them, Liam is staring at me with an amused expression.

“What?” I ask, a tad self-conscious.

He smirks at me. “You alright over there? It looks like you are having a moment with your dinner.”

Iwashaving a moment with this pasta.Anyway, my summer has been good. I mean, I can’t believe it is already halfway over. It flies by so fast. I have only gone to the beach once. Which reminds me, I was thinking of bringing Harper to the beach sometime soon. Would that be alright with you?”

“Oh, the beach. Yeah, she would love that.”

Something in his demeanor has changed. He looks a little tense, and I can’t quite pinpoint what he’s thinking. I hope he knows he can tell me no if he is not comfortable with her being at the beach yet.

“I don’t have to bring her if you aren’t comfortable with it.”

“No, no. It’s not that. I am completely comfortable with you bringing her. It’s just that, well, Becca was so excited to bring her.”

“I’m sorry. I won’t bring her.” I feel horrible that I brought it up. I don’t want to do these things that will make him realize what Becca will be missing out on.

“No, it’s fine. The moment just caught me by surprise. I want you to bring her. I do. Maybe I can head out of work early that day and meet you guys there.”

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