Page 28 of Holiday Home

The poise surrounding her slipped, providing a brief avenue for him to peer past it. Fatigue draped itself on Anna in so many chains that he was surprised he didn’t hear them rattle when she skated. Fatigue about her situation, about what might come to pass if he declined, about waging a war on both sides, even if at least one of them thought they were doing right by her. It was a shock that she had the energy to come out here and skate so flawlessly.

Or maybe this was what rejuvenated her enough to keep up her tireless defense. Regardless, Liam wanted to believe that he was a good person. He might have his fair share of issues, some more recent and difficult to excuse than others, but he still hoped he was a net positive of a person. For him to continue to see himself in such a light, he could only offer a single answer.

“Then that’s what we’ll do.”

The bounty of relief that streamed through Anna’s expression was more than enough for him to feel he’d made the right decision.

Chapter Thirteen

The Road Ahead

Upon returning to them, as if she were part bloodhound, Avril immediately sniffed out that something had changed in her absence. Her gaze narrowed, suspicion brewing as she scrutinized them. When neither of them fessed up, she puffed out one cheek and folded her arms.

“Well, what’s the good word?”

“It’s nothing,” Anna said, which did little to soothe Avril’s voracious curiosity. So, she plopped a diversion down in front of her best friend. “When did you want to host this game night you’re after?”

Avril appeared wise to her ploy, but she played along. “Day after tomorrow. At our place.” She nodded at him. “So, bring those supposed skills of yours. I’ll handle the rest.”

Outside of obtaining a set of playing cards if they didn’t already own any, Liam wasn’t sure what else needed handling. But he nodded nonetheless, and their outing at OpenSky Center arrived at its end. However, one more event was to unfold before he separated from the two beautiful women.

He caught them conversing in hushed whispers after returning his skates to Tara. Avril, bending toward her roommate conspiratorially, said something, to which Anna responded with a nod. Even with darkness enveloping the parking lot in its covetous embrace, he saw Avril’s eyes brighten with surprise and delight. He could guess what it was that Anna had just confirmed.

Reuniting with the two women, they headed for their cars. Along the way, he earned a quick nudge from Avril. When he glanced over, she nodded downward with her eyes. Following her suggestion, he found her phone waiting for his contact information. Once tapped in, he earned an approving smile.

The three of them reconvened briefly as their cars warmed up. Fighting against the chill mercilessly seeping past their coats, they crowded together, white breath expanding in front of their faces.

“Send me the arrival time once you decide,” he said, earning nods from both women.

“We’ll see if you’re all talk or not,” Avril said, elbowing him repeatedly, though a fit of shivers harried her afterward. “Damn, it’s cold. Good thing we’re not psychopaths who stay all the way up until closing time just to get a few extra minutes of skating in. Right, Anna?”

“It’s no worse than when you keep us at the mall until we’re kicked out,” Anna retorted, sniffing slightly.

Avril grinned unapologetically. Newer and pricier, Anna’s SUV showed off one of the reasons why by finishing warming up much sooner than his vehicle did. As Avril sought refuge inside, Anna remained with him.

“Thank you, Liam,” she said, voice quiet, although he doubted Avril would be able to eavesdrop with the heat gunning inside the vehicle. “I truly appreciate your willingness to go along with my request.”

“I’m glad to help out.” He smiled comfortingly. “I hope everything ends up working out in the end, too.”

“As do I,” she said, sighing. “I’ll see you Sunday. I’m also looking forward to seeing your talent on display.”

“Yeah. See you in a couple.”

They both made for their respective driver’s seats. Deciding he’d give his car a few more minutes to warm up, Liam tossed a wave over to Avril and Anna as they departed, then let his thoughts focus on the latter of them. It was obvious her unpleasant situation wasn’t going to be resolved with just this mild deception he’d agreed to, but he hoped that it helped relieve her of a bit of her stress.

Now, he needed to figure out how to deal with Avril and Tess. Even if there was no malevolence involved, he was still going to have to lie to them both. He didn’t enjoy the idea of lying, especially now because of the unorthodox deal between him and Avril. Should he find a way to back out of it so he at least didn’t feel like a total piece of shit for failing to follow through on his end?

As he sank deeper into his thoughts, a buzz in his pocket—he didn’t fail to register this one—drew him out of them. With an idea of who it might be from, he found an unknown number had decided to begin their contact with only a single letter.

B.

Can I assume that this is from your phone this time?

He only needed to wait a few seconds before he received an image of Avril giving him a thumbs up. As he put her name in, remembering thanks to their encounter with Tara that her last name was Knight, she sent a text that sent his heart rate into overdrive for all the wrong reasons.

Anna mentioned that she’s interested in going out with you again. So, why don’t you come meet me tomorrow and we can plan ahead?

A following message arrived before he could put together his reply.

---