Once More From the Top (The Women of Willow Bay) (16 page)

TWENTY-THREE

Carrie dawdled over dressing, applying a small amount of blush, a little lip gloss, and spritzing scent on her throat and wrists. Mind whirling, she slipped on a simple pale green tank-style sundress.

Only two weeks since they’d gotten back together and Liam’s career had already interfered in their new life. She was sure it wouldn’t be the last time.

Marty’s appearance wasn’t really the problem, but what he’d said about her not fitting into Liam’s life truly struck a chord. He’d had been an active participant—even the main manipulator—in shaping Liam’s career. For years, he’d basked in the reflected glory of
Maestro Reilly
. That celebrity was the part of Liam she didn’t know and the part of him that worried her the most.

Right here, right now, in this small hamlet, Liam belonged to her and Jack. The town buzzed about them this week, but these folks knew and loved her. They would accept Liam with open arms if they stayed here. But if they left, what would happen?

Will I be able to share him?

Thanks to NPR, cable, and public television, classical music was available to a much wider audience. From the reaction of women around here, symphony conductors could indeed have groupies. Once again, she wondered how that might affect her and Jack. Would he be taken in by the attention and glamour and want that life for himself?

She straightened the towels on the rack, swept her makeup into the vanity drawer, and wandered into the bedroom to smooth the quilt on the bed. Glancing in the dresser mirror, she finger-styled her damp curls.

Jack had never been any further away from home
than Chicago and then only for museum field trips or piano competitions. He was used to being onstage, but nearly always in front of audiences full of friends, neighbors, and schoolmates. His life was
here,
on the lakeshore, quiet and safe. So was hers.

Voices downstairs, then the sound of the piano drew her. Stopping at the loft rail, she looked down. Jack and Liam were both on the piano bench, Jack playing the bass end and Liam the upper notes as they rollicked through a Scott Joplin ragtime duet. Father and son were a natural duo.

When she came downstairs, Liam leaned his head back to catch her eye as she passed behind them. He snaked one hand out and she let him pull her to him. Jack concentrated on the low keys, but peeked at them out of the corner of his eye. He smiled when Carrie dropped a kiss on Liam’s forehead.

“Are you guys about ready to eat?” she asked as they played the final notes and high-fived each other. “You can toss a salad.” A head nod indicated Jack. “And Maestro, you can set the table.”

“I’m putting in
both
avocados. Hope everyone’s okay with that.” Jack sprinted into the kitchen. “What else are we having?”

“That chicken casserole, and Eliot brought us blueberry tarts. He’s been baking again.” Carrie gazed at Liam. He still sat on the piano bench, his expression affectionate—the face of a father, a husband, a man content in the warm company of his family. The tenderness in his eyes practically liquefied her insides. When he met her gaze, the look changed to one of pure raw hunger.

Her knees almost buckled. Closing her eyes, she gripped the granite bar.

In that second, Liam was across the room, standing close beside her. His lips touched her ear. “I’ve missed you. Want to meet me on the boat later?” he whispered under Jack’s clatter in the refrigerator.

“More than anything,” she murmured, turning her head for a quick kiss before going to pull the casserole out of the oven.

Liam set the table, all the while laughing and joking with Jack. When they sat down to eat, the boy started to pick up his fork, but set it down again. “Liam, I’m sorry—” he began, but at the same time Liam started to speak.

“Jack, I owe you—” He stopped. “Go ahead.”

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry for what I said out on the beach. I was out of line.” Jack’s eyes met Liam’s.

“I’m sorry too, son. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

“No sweat.” Jack shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I’d like to talk about it, Jack.” Liam accepted the salad from Carrie, dished some onto his plate, and then passed it to Jack.

“Mom already told me who the suit was.” Jack helped himself to salad, obviously avoiding Liam’s gaze. “Did you get rid of him?”

“Yes.”

“Well, good,” Jack said briskly, reaching for the casserole dish.

“Marty isn’t really what I wanted to talk to you about.” Liam accepted the casserole from him and spooned some onto his plate. “I don’t want you to think that we aren’t ever going to have problems.” Jack frowned as Liam continued in a matter-of-fact tone. “We’re going to get on each other’s nerves sometimes. You’ll get mad at me. I’ll get mad at you. It’s all part of being a family. Take it from me, kid—family life can be really messy.”

Jack grinned. “You should know, I guess. You had like... a platoon of kids in your family.”

“You’re right. With eight brothers and sisters, it could get pretty chaotic,” Liam chuckled. “Son, we’ve gotten to be good friends these past few days and I’m very glad. But I’m also your father and I’m not going anywhere, so now you have two parents to drive you crazy. Aren’t you lucky?”

Carrie smiled, her heart nearly bursting
with pride as Liam took the parenting reins with honesty and kindness. She was surprised at how lovely it felt to have someone share this journey of raising a gifted child. No jealousy or guilt, just relief and unspeakable joy.

Liam
took a couple of bites, watching Jack absorb what he’d been saying before he continued. “I’m brand new at this parenting thing. You’re brand new to the dad thing, so I guess we’re both in uncharted territory.”

“I guess so,” Jack mumbled around a mouthful of salad and then glanced at Carrie, who scowled affectionately at his lack of table manners. “’Scuse me.”

“Your mom, over here, stuffing her face
”
Liam jerked a thumb Carrie’s direction as she returned his teasing with a goofy expression that broke Jack up completel
y
“is an old hand at parenting, but you’re going to have to allow me some mistakes. And trust me to never ever deliberately hurt either one of you.”

Jack flushed, but he met Liam’s eyes straight on. “I’m sorry, Dad. I never really thought you were going to hurt her. I was being
a douchebag.”

“It’s okay.” Liam reached out to ruffle Jack’s hair. “And son, thanks for calling me
Dad
. I like the sound of that.”

“Yeah, well, it feels better than
Liam
.”

“I think so too.” Liam smiled. “
Douchebag?
Really?” He quirked a brow at Carrie, but she only smiled and shrugged.

Douchebag
was Jack’s newest word and she had no idea where it came from. That was another teenaged thing that Liam was going to have to grow accustomed to. She eyed him as he frowned, clearly struggled with something before he blurted, “Jack, there’s something else I need to tell you.”

What on earth?

Carrie gazed at him, a little shiver passing through her as she tried to figure what else he could possibly have to say. She thought he’d handled things very nicely.

He took a breath. “I’m in love with your mother.” Reaching across the table, he took Carrie’s hand. “And she’s in love with me.”

Her heart soared. Blinking back tears, she smiled and nodded, afraid to speak for fear of blubbering.

“Yeah, I kinda figured that out.” Jack blushed to the tips of his ears.

“How’d you figure that? We thought we were being pretty discreet.”

“I’m gifted.” Jack grinned. “And perceptive.”

“And modest,” Liam said.

“You forgot handsome and charming,” Jack added.

“Oh, is charming what you were being when you were chatting up that cute little blonde at the canoe rental place yesterday?” Liam winked at Carrie. “What was her name? Lanie?”

After wiping her eyes on her napkin, she said, “Jack? You like Lanie Palmer?”

“Geez,” Jack groaned. “Thanks a bunch, Dad.” Liam snickered as Jack pointed at his mother. “We’re not going there, okay?” He got up from the table to take his plate to the sink. “Anyone want dessert?”

Inwardly, Carrie breathed a sigh of relief as the silliness continued throughout the rest of the meal. Thank God, they’d weathered a small family storm.

Jack served the blueberry tarts with a flourish, right down to the folded towel over his arm. He even started a pot of coffee before he left to go night fishing with Tony, Will, and Noah.

“There you go, parents.” He pushed the switch on the coffeemaker. “I’m outta here, so you two can stay put and do whatever you were planning to do
down on the boat later
.” With a knowing smile as he quoted Liam’s earlier whispered proposition in a low intimate tone that sounded remarkably like his father.

“Lord, is nothing sacred around here?” Liam’s brows furrowed in mock dismay.

Jack only laughed. “Hey, if you want sacred, don’t whisper indecent proposals to my mother right in front of me.”

“I can’t believe you even heard that.”

Hot color crept up Carrie’s neck. “We weren’t planning anything in particular,” she denied, but Jack held up his hand.

“No details, please.” He clasped his hands, rolled his eyes skyward, and the brogue was right on. “Lest ye defile me boyish innocence.” He headed out the door. “I’ll be back late.” His wicked grin was so much like Liam’s, it took Carrie’s breath away.

The two of them sat at the table, staring silently at one another as the sound of his flip flops slapped on the deck, then faded down the stairs to the docks. Shaking his head as if to clear it, Liam got up to carry dishes to the kitchen. “You’ve got a weird kid.” He grinned over his shoulder.

“You mean
we
,” Carrie retorted, following him to the kitchen with the rest of the plates.

“This may work yet.” Liam gave her a tender smile. “Carrie, he’s calling me
Dad
.”

“So I heard.” Filling two mugs with coffee, she moved to the living room, gazing out the window overlooking the bay. The lights of a freighter flickered in the moonlight. After a few moments, Liam joined her and they snuggled together on the sofa.

“I was afraid he hated me after that little fiasco on the beach.” Liam wrapped his arm around her.

“You were great with him,” Carrie said, running her hand up his denim-covered thigh. “It will be easier when we’re settled and he has the security of all of us being together all the time. I think he’s not sure what’s going to happen next. Everything’s kind of up in the air.”

“It doesn’t have to be.” He caught her hand, pressing a kiss into the palm. “Put on the ring. Let’s set a date.”

“I guess we
could
spend the rest of the summer trying to find a house or maybe get a builder.” Carrie shivered at the magic his tongue created on the sensitive skin of her wrist. “Eliot owns the land on either side of his place. Maybe he’d sell a lot to us. It would be so great to live next door to him. Jack adores him. Outside of Noah and Margie, Eliot’s the closest thing he has to a grandparent.”

Liam set her hand down slowly. “He has a complete set of grandparents in Toronto. And I have a house in Lincoln Park.”

“You want us to move to Chicago, don’t you?”

“It’s where I live. It’s where Will and Tony live.” He put his cup on the blanket chest and turned to her. “My house in Chicago is plenty big for all of us. There are wonderful schools there. Jack could study with Eric Currado at Northwestern. He’s the best there is. He could get him ready for Juilliard.”

“Interlochen can get him ready for Juilliard.” Carrie scooted to the end of the sofa to set her mug on the lamp table. “You’ve been thinking about this a lot, haven’t you?” It wasn’t her intention, but the words came out sounding like an accusation.

“Of course.” His brow furrowed. “Carrie, the city just makes more sense for
all
of us. We would be together for one thing. Jack wouldn’t be boarding, he’d be with us. Northwestern has a wonderful music academy. There’re tons of opportunities for him there. And summers, we could come back up here and he could go to Interlochen.”

“Liam, I don’t want him in some huge urban high school.” A chill developed in the pit of her stomach at the very thought. “He’s used to a small town school and the intimacy at Interlochen. He’d be lost in Chicago. And he... he needs the lake. He’s always lived on the water.” Her conscience prickled as she spoke.

Who exactly am I talking about here?
I
need the lake. But so does Jack. We can’t leave.

“Then we’ll sell the house in Lincoln Park and buy one on the North Shore. He can still sail and swim. Same lake, other side.” His voice dropped into that low persuasive timbre she’d grown accustomed to hearing from Jack when he wanted something special from her. The power of his gaze drew her in.