Page 42 of Hold

“Who’s Liam?” Ellen repeated.

“Mom’s… friend,” Jake said. Thea closed her eyes at the pause. Now it was going to hit the fan. “And my boss.” He added that with a pride that almost outweighed her dread at the next question.

“Your ‘friend’?” It was Cat, of course, leaping on every nuance, every detail of Thea’s life that she dared not inform Cat about.

“Yes,” she said in what she hoped was a robust voice, though she could feel her cheeks burning. “A student I’m at school with. But we can’t call him, Jake. He—”

“Wait a minute.” Cat wasn’t done. “How is he a student in a teaching programanda plumberandJake’s boss?”

“He was a teacher at my school,” Jake said. “Before that, he was a plumber. He gave me a job, helping him out. Learning.” He looked at his mother. “I bet he’d help.”

Cat folded her arms and glared at Thea in a way that reminded her of early Liam. “Would he, T? Would he help ifyouasked him?”

“It’s July Fourth,” Thea said weakly, still looking at Jake.

“Yeah,” Jake conceded. “But…” He pointed up at the bubbles of water still clinging to the ceiling above them.

“Do you have his number?” Of course, she did too, but she wasn’t about to get her phone out and confirm it to her siblings.

Jake looked at her scornfully. “We both do, Mom.” Yeah, she was no good at subterfuge.

Thea paused, with Johnny still in her arms, an ineffective shield against them all. It was too soon. Too soon to bring that part of her life into this. She would have liked another few weeks, perhaps months, before inflicting her family and their knowing smiles on him.

“All right,” she sighed. “I guess you can ask.” Jake made to turn and run out to where he’d dumped his stuff by the pool. “Jake! Ask him if he knows anyone who’d come. Don’t ask him directly.” Jake turned away again. “Make sure he doesn’t feel obligated!” she called after him.

They all trooped back out to the patio, where Carl took Johnny from her.

“Want to tell me something?” Cat asked.

“Nope.” And Thea stripped off her cover-up and dived into the pool. The water soothed her burning cheeks as she swam laps, letting the rush of water over her ears block out the sound of Cat’s silent disapproval.

When she finally resurfaced, everyone was pretty much in the same position they’d been earlier that day. Carl and Penny were beginning to pack up their things.

“Can you quit swimming long enough to say goodbye?” Penny asked from the sidelines. “We promised my parents we’d visit, and we’ve still got a bit of a drive.”

Thea climbed out and gingerly hugged Penny, not wanting to get her wet. Then she helped them fold up the playpen and gather towels and burp cloths and bottles from all the corners of the yard. The family each got their hugs in turn, and Thea, carrying one of the diaper bags, followed Carl and Penny out to the circular driveway and their car.

A big baby-blue truck pulled up as they were clipping the children into their seats. Thea’s heart rate doubled. She couldn’t help but look down at herself, at her wet swimsuit and flip-flops and nothing else. She might as well have been naked.

“What the hell?” Penny said.

“That’s his—”

“Liam?” Penny interrupted, not looking at Thea.

Chapter 12

Penny met Liam as he got out of the truck.

Thea had been so embarrassed at her lack of clothing, she couldn’t look at him, but now she looked up, and all her girl parts fired at once. He was in a pair of board shorts and a UV T-shirt that clung to his chest like a second skin. Thea forgot how to breathe.

She thought he looked over at her, but then he kissed Penny’s cheek. “Hey,” he said. “What are you doing here?”

“What areyoudoing here?” Penny replied, her eyes wide and round. “Oh. Wait. You’re Thea’s Liam?”

Kill me now.There were pillars and bushes and the like in front of the house, but none she could easily run and hide behind. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, Liam had her with those blue eyes of his, his mouth quirked up on one side. “I guess so,” he said, and everything in her clenched again.

“Jake’s Liam,” she tried, but no one was listening. Carl introduced himself and went in the back to let Kane know that Liam had arrived.

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