Page 47 of Hold

♦

On Monday morning, Jake had clattered his way down the stairs the second he heard Liam come through the front door. So Thea had no time alone with Liam. They arranged to meet that night at the church parking lot where the camp bus dropped Benji off, and she had to be content with that.

The blue monster baby was growling in the parking lot when she arrived, Liam leaning against the side. All he needed was a Stetson and a sheepdog to be an old Coke ad.

“Hi,” she said, stopping a few feet away. It seemed safest.

“Hey, T.”

Did he see her shiver? Did he see that she was in an almost constant state of sexual arousal, a position she hadn’t been in since her college days?

“Is Jake with you?”

“Nope. He wanted me to drop him home. So get over here.”

They had maybe two minutes till the bus came. Plenty of time. But there were other parents here, all sitting in their cars, engines running, ready to be entertained by the sight of poor Thea Fielding making out in public with her cowboy—er, plumber… er, teacher—oh, whatever the hell he was.

So she got closer but stayed a respectable two feet away, leaning on his warm truck like he was. They stood there, watching the road and the church, listening to the birds and the car radios, in a silence which was somehow more intimate than if they’d found something to talk about.

“So,” he finally said. “You’re going to the Cape in a couple weeks?”

“No, not me. Just the boys. We have school, remember? I’ll go down for a few days in between classes, but the boys have so much fun there, and my brother and sister are sweet to take them.”

“So… you’ll be alone for a week?”

“Oh shit, Liam.” She hugged her stomach, which had done a backflip. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that tone in your voice.”

We’re ready!said her thighs.

“Okay.” He turned to face her, still leaning on the truck, his hands in his jeans pockets. “You’re running this show, T.”

Now her heart was leaping like a jackrabbit. “Thanks,” she whispered.

“Anytime.” He slid one hand along the curve of the truck to hold her elbow where no one else could see it. “Anytime, anyplace, anywhere,” he added, grinning.

She did shiver then, a full-body shudder he couldn’t fail to see. “You’re a mean man,” she said.

“Uh-huh,” he said, looking at her lips.

“Quit it. Oh, thank God, the bus.”

Benji was happy to greet Liam, and Thea filled out the form the counselor gave her to allow Liam to pick him up by himself.

“Can we go to the park now?” Benji asked Liam when he was done dancing around him.

“Not today, bud. It’s late, remember?” Thea said. “We have to get dinner.”

“Can’t Liam have dinner with us?” Benji said. “Mommm. You always say no!”

“I can’t, bud.” Liam crouched down next to him. “But I’ll see you tomorrow, and we’ll go to the park, okay?”

“Okay,” Benji said slowly, trying on a pout. Liam just laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

Liam straightened up and suddenly seemed to fill her vision. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said—promised.

“Yeah,” she said, tucking that nonexistent piece of hair behind her ear. She was going to be dead by tomorrow.

♦

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