Page 99 of Blakely and Liam

An empire built upon...

(Blakely)

Liam and I ate breakfast and then we swam in the heated pool, and he asked me about a tree in the back of the property, so we went for a stroll and I showed him the landscaping, happily telling him about putting in flowers. We talked about cutting grass. I said, “This is all kind of like a honeymoon...”

“I wouldna ken, but I do like it, it is fun wakin’ up with ye, spending the day. I would do it every day if I—”

“But you have the hotel and pub.”

“Aye, I will need tae get back tae it soon enough.”

* * *

A little later in the day we drove down to the grocery store for dinner fixings, and his phone rang.

I listened in as he talked, gathering that it was Naisha from the pub. They went back and forth for a moment then finally he said, “I daena hae the folder with me, it’s back at the house, I ken... I ken he says we owe it, but daena pay him yet... I know... tell him I am out of town. I will look at it.”

He chuckled.

“I ken, Naisha, I ken if I had the receipts in that app I would be lookin’ at them in the car, but I am holding Woodshee’s hand. I canna hold her hand and look up things on m’phone, I am a simple Scottish man, that is too much tae expect.”

He listened again. “I ken, thank ye for doing it... I will call ye as soon as I check my records.”

After they hung up, I asked, “So you’ve been away for four days and the place is falling down without you?”

“Aye, m’empire is built upon a pile of a dead man’s bills and receipts.”

I joked, “You keep all your business records in a folder?”

“Aye, and I brought it with me so Naisha daena hae it and she might be the one who needs it.”

We pulled up in front of the grocery store and bought some food for the night, steaks and potatoes to roast and a cherry pie with ice cream because he said it was his favorite. It felt important somehow to give him his favorite because he had been distracted since the phone call.

We drove the groceries home and unloaded them in the kitchen, working together, and then I got the steaks ready for the grill, while Liam went down the hall for his folder. He flipped through it and then called Naisha privately and didn’t tell me what he had discovered. I poured us some wine, and we bundled up in sweaters because it was cool for LA, and I turned on the gas firepit. It was dark early, the stars emblazoned across the sky behind us, ahead of us the soft glowing aura over the sparkling city. The air was crisp and cool.

I watched him flip a steak. “This is like all the best parts of camping.”

He grinned. “Aye, and is also the worst parts of havin’ a verra expensive house: tis verra drafty and we are cookin’ our meat over a fire.”

I giggled.

He sat back down beside me.

After a moment of comfortable quiet, staring up at the sky, I asked, “Liam, I was wondering, if you could do anything, anything at all, what would it be? You know, if time and space didn’t matter? Like your mega dream?”

He chuckled. “Och, we are goin’ tae discuss our dreams again?”

“Yes, yes we are. I learned this morning that my divorce will be settled very soon, and so I want to dream for a bit, big dreams.”

He shrugged, “I wanted tae play rugby m’whole life. If reality dinna matter I would do it.”

I frowned and play-huffed. “Well, that’s not helpful.”

He laughed, “Ye want tae dream, Woodshee, tae manifest some magic? Ye want tae transform me intae the kind of man who says I want tae build a widget and fly it tae the moon while all the men cheer for m’ingenuity? It inna going tae happen. I am sorry tae tell ye, and I am truly hopin’ it inna what causes ye tae leave me, tae lose interest, that I am nae a dreamer like that. I am no’...”

“That’s not what I meant, I...”

“Ye meant ye wanted me tae say I want tae start a restaurant and nae a wee shop in the corner of two lonely streets, ye want me tae start a grand restaurant on high street, or maybe ye want a man who will want tae be a stock broker or—”

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