CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Maggie

 

When I woke up on Saturday morning, Liam wasn’t in bed and I didn’t hear the shower running. I knew he had a later start this morning, so I figured he was downstairs having breakfast with my parents.

I rolled onto my back, stretched, and smiled at the ceiling. I had one thought on my mind. Tonight, I get laid.

Just the thought of it sent a thrill through my body as I remembered the feel of Liam’s hands between my legs the night before. I shivered, then got up and pulled on some pajamas. I didn’t have to be in until noon, so I had plenty of time to shower and get changed after eating.

Before leaving my room, I pulled the mattress from its hiding place in the closet and replaced it under the bed. Sometimes, a woman had to do what a woman had to do.

 

*

The smell of frying bacon hit me as I exited my bedroom. I followed the trail to the kitchen and grinned as I saw my parents at the table, Liam by the stove. I walked over to him, wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed the back of his neck.

“Good morning,” I murmured.

He turned his head and gave me a proper kiss. My father cleared his throat and I pulled back, only mildly embarrassed. The whole point had been to put on a show for them. Clearly, it was working. When I glanced at my parents, they both had their noses buried in the paper, amused grins playing on their faces.

“Good morning,” I said.

My father lifted his coffee cup in reply. My mom just smiled. I turned back to Liam, speaking in a quiet voice.

“I’ve been thinking about next steps,” I said.

I saw the corners of his mouth lift as he flipped a pancake.

“Is that so?” he asked.

“Uh huh. Clearly, there’s only one thing left for us to do—”

He planted another kiss on my lips before turning off the stove and carrying the plate of pancakes to the table. I picked up the bacon and followed him.

“I mean,” I continued. “I don’t know what my parents have planned for tonight, but afterwards—”

My mom finally dropped her newspaper.

“Oh, did we forget to tell you? We’ve had a change of plans. We’re going to leave today and spend the weekend with Justin. He got some time off and invited us up. I thought I mentioned it.”

It felt like my world came crashing down. I couldn’t bring myself to look at Liam, not wanting him to see the expression of disappointment I knew was on my face.

“Don’t look so disappointed, love. We’ll swing by to see you again on our way home. Monday. Liam is even off, right?”

I nodded dumbly, still unable to come to grips with the fact that it was over. My parents were leaving. There was no reason for him to stick around. I swallowed and shook myself out of it.

“Right. We’ll see you Monday. That’ll be great. I’m sure Justin will appreciate the time with you.”

We ate breakfast in relative silence, and about halfway through, I risked a glance at Liam. He was sipping his coffee, looking out into space, an indecipherable expression on his face. After a moment, he put down his cup and stood, the sound of his chair scraping against the floor causing my dad to look up.

“I better go,” he said.

I looked down at my lap. He didn’t have to be at work for another two hours. He was probably just thrilled to be able to make an early escape. He came up behind me and planted a kiss on my head.

“Later?” he said, a note of uncertainty in his voice.

I smiled up at him. He turned to say goodbye to my folks, then left the house.

 

*

I sat patiently through the rest of breakfast with my parents, then said my goodbyes, telling them I had to get to work. I went back upstairs, showered, and got ready, feeling only mildly guilty over the lie. I did have to get to work, just not for another couple of hours.

But I’d hated the way things had just ended with Liam, and I wanted to swing by the restaurant and maybe debrief or something. This had been an arrangement, but it still seemed like kind of an abrupt ending.

I walked over to Cagney’s and spotted Adam as soon as I entered. I walked over to say hello, but he met me halfway across the restaurant floor.

“Maggie. So nice to see you. What can I do for you?” he asked.

“Actually, I’m looking for Liam. Is he in?”

Adam shook his head.

“No, he’s not due for a little while. Should I tell him you came by?”

I nodded and we said our goodbyes. He walked back towards the kitchen and I was on my way out when I decided to stop and use the bathroom.

I was in the stall when I heard the door open and two women walk in. From their voices, and the fact that the restaurant was empty, I knew it was Bree and Toni.

“Whew. Liam is in fine form this morning,” Toni said.

My heart soared. He was here. I smiled to myself, thinking fate had given me a small bladder just so I’d be here when he arrived.

“I know. Think it has to do with Maggie?” Task asked.

My ears perked up. Had he been talking about me? This was about to get interesting.

“No,” Toni said. “I’ve asked him about her a few times. He insists it’s just an arrangement, that as soon as her folks leave, he’s done.”

My heart dropped and my mouth went dry.

“Figures,” Bree said. “Some days I think that man will never grow up.”

They laughed and exited the bathroom. I just sat there, unable to move. He’s done. After a while, I got up, went to wash my hands, then cracked open the door and peered out. The last thing I wanted now was to run into Liam. If he wanted nothing to do with me, I certainly wanted nothing to do with him. He’d paid his debt, and he’d moved on. Fine.