One Day (A Valentine Short Story) (5 page)

“And your sister?”

The lead weight grew heavier. “Well Heather is ruthless, ambitious and beautiful. She had an affair with her best friend’s husband who also happens to be the CFO of a telecommunications company. He left his wife for Heather, married her, and when she refused to get pregnant for fear of ruining her figure, he agreed to adopt children and hire a nanny.”

Liam was quiet a moment. “You don’t get along with her?”

“That friend I told you about…” I glanced up at him, squinting against the sun, “The one that shagged my boyfriend…”

Sympathy darkened his eyes. “Not a friend. Heather?”

I nodded and looked back out over the loch, searching for that peace. “She was always horrible to me growing up. Tearing me down about the way I looked, about my accomplishments at school. Starting fights with me. I mean hair pulling, nail scratching, vicious fights.” I shuddered remembering them. “She made me tough, I’ll give her that.” And then I uttered something I’d never said out loud to anyone before. “She hates me because she thinks I killed our mum.”

“Jesus,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Surely not?”

“She told me. When I asked her why she slept with him, with my boyfriend, she told me it was revenge.”

“That’s fucked up.”

I laughed humorlessly. “Tell me about it.”

“No, I mean… she has issues.”

This time I laughed for real. “Yeah, she does. The boys and I aren’t close with her at all anymore. She blames me for that, too.” Hearing the dullness in my words I shook my head, embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I got all serious and depressing on you there.”

He nudged me with his shoulder. “You can get all serious and depressing on me anytime.”

I smiled gratefully and nudged him back. “What about you? Your family?”

“Back in Colorado.” He said. “I try to visit every couple of years. They can’t really afford to come here.”

“Do you miss them?”

“Yeah. But we video call. I catch up with them every few weeks.”

“Brothers? Sisters?”

“Both. My parents wanted a big family and they have it.” He grinned out at the water as he thought about them. “I have a big sister, Melanie. She has four kids of her own. Then there is me. No kids,” he shot me a smile, “Yet. Next are the twins, Kyle and Leeanne. They both have two kids. And then my baby sister, Beth. No kids. She’s at college.”

“Wow. That is a big family.”

“Yeah. We have our dramas like everyone else, but it’s a good family to be a part of.”

“They must miss you horribly.”

“For all you know I could be a terrible brother and they’re glad to see the back of me,” he teased.

“No way.” It wasn’t possible.

“No?” He gave me a sexy, inquiring smile.

I felt that flip in my lower belly again. Feeling brave I shrugged, giving him a cheeky smile in return. “You’re too likeable.”

He narrowed his eyes, his expression playful. “Oh I get it. You’re attracted to me.”

Cocky bugger. “So. You’re attracted to me.”

Liam grinned, his gaze dipping to my mouth. “You are not wrong.”

My breath stuttered, wondering if he would kiss me. The blood whooshed in my ears, blood that grew hotter in my veins as I waited for him to make a move.

I was yanked out of the moment when he abruptly looked away, staring back out at the water. “I can’t make up my mind if it’s those beautiful eyes or those sexy-as-fuck dimples. It might be the dimples.”

“Huh?” I said, confused, dazed, wondering why we weren’t kissing.

“Your dimples. They slay me.”

Amused at the thought of my dimples slaying anyone, I pointed to the one that creased my right cheek as I grinned. “These little things?”

Amusement danced in his eyes. “They have power over me. I imagine they have power over many men.”

I laughed, delighted by the thought. “If only I’d use the power for good instead of evil.”

Chuckling Liam reached for a bottle of water, but he made no move on me at all after that.

Instead, having openly admitted we were attracted to each other only made the awareness between us more intense. Sexual tension was strung taut between us like a live wire. And every time our hands or arms brushed, tingles shot to all my girly parts.

“If you have such a wonderful family, why are you here instead of over there?” I suddenly said, breaking the tension-filled silence.

He narrowed his eyes in thought. “When I came here for college it was for an adventure. I’d always planned on going home and being a forest engineer there. But something happened when I got here.” He looked at me. “I fell in love.”

For some reason the thought of him in love with some other girl made my heart twist painfully in my chest. “Oh?”

“With this country. I fell in love with this country.”

Inexplicable relief moved through. “It’s a seductive place.”

“It is that.” He sighed. “I felt more at home here than I did back Colorado. The country, the people, the humor. It fit me better. But I love my family too. It was difficult for me. I was split in two.”

“So how did you come to the decision to stay?”

“I went home for a while and I missed being here. My family told me to go back to Scotland. They knew I wasn’t happy.”

“They sound like a good bunch,” I said, and for some weird reason I found myself wanting to meet them.

I realized I wanted to know everything about Liam.

The connection I felt toward him was crazy, but I couldn’t deny it.

“They definitely are that.”

“And do you love your job?”

“I do.” He nodded, serious. “I don’t want to do anything else.”

“So why the camping trip?”

I thought I saw him tense at the question and my curiosity was peaked.

“I just… I needed to get away. Some alone time. Sometimes we all need that, right?” he said pointedly.

“And here I am intruding on it,” I teased.

“I’m intruding on yours, too.”

“Well you’re taking my mind off things.”

“Like Valentine’s Day?”

“Well you were until you mentioned it,” I shoved him playfully. “Nah. My job. I was talking about taking my mind off my job. I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do about it.”

“Quit.”

Startled by the blunt response, I said, “Are you insane?”

“No.” He looked deep into my eyes, in a way that made my breath stutter again. “You’re smart. You’re funny. You can do whatever you want to do. Don’t wake up ten years from now, Hazel, and regret your life because you were afraid to lose your house or your Mini Cooper.”

“And what do you suggest I do?”

“What do you want to do?”

“Write about real people, real issues, maybe try and help them.”

“Then do it.”

I gave a guffaw of laughter. “It’s that easy, is it?”

“Yes,” he insisted. “Fight your editor harder. Or find another magazine that likes your ideas. Do something. Anything. Annoy people, piss them off, but get in their face and make them sit up and pay attention to you. That’s how we do it in America. You all are too polite here.”

His words percolated, and he let them, giving me silence as I thought about what he’d said.

“Better yet,” I whispered, an idea forming, “My brother… he has tons of contacts in social media… I could write an advice blog.” I stared at Liam, dumbfounded by the fact that I’d never thought of this before. “I could write a blog and Johnny might be able to help me spread the world online about my blog. If it got big enough I could make money from ads…”

“That sounds like a great idea.”

“But I’d need money to support me in the meantime.” I sighed. “I have some in savings to keep me going for a bit…”

“Give up the car. Give up the mortgage. Are they really that important at the end of the day? You’ve been living happily in a camper van for a week. Surely a small, inexpensive rental flat with internet connection is a step up?”

It was crazy. A totally crazy, bampot idea.

But it made me excited. And I hadn’t felt excited about anything in a really long time.

I grinned at him. “I’m glad I met you, Liam Brody.”

“I’m glad I met you, Hazel.” He grinned back, and then he said, “Even if you keep on calling me Liam when I told you to call me Brody.”

“I like Liam.” It suited him better than Brody.

We stared out at the loch again as we fell into comfortable silence.

And then, just as my eyes were drifting closed against the sun, I heard him say softly, “And I like you.”

***

The sun was setting as I pulled into the car park outside the pub and inn that Liam directed me to in Fort William.

“I’m taking a room here tonight if they have one.” Liam said. “I need a good sleep if I’m going to climb Ben Nevis tomorrow.”

“It looks nice,” I said, unhooking my seatbelt as I looked up at the white stone building.

“It is. I stayed here a few years ago when I climbed Ben Nevis for the second time.”

“I’ve never climbed it. It would probably be the end of me if I tried,” I said. “I’m not really the athletic type.”

He just nodded, as if he were distracted, and just as I was about to get out of the van he said, “Can I say something without it pissing you off?”

The question made me a little apprehensive. We were enjoying a great day together. The best in fact. I didn’t want to get pissed off and ruin it. “Try me,” I finally said.

“I don’t mean to go all macho cave man on you, but could you not sleep in your camper van tonight? Or any night from now on?”

Confused, I think I made a ‘huh’ sound.

Liam glanced back at my sleeping arrangements, scowling. I also noted the muscle in his jaw was flexing with annoyance.

“Are you trying to scare my sleeping bag out of there with a scowl?” I teased.

He didn’t laugh. “It’s dangerous. I can’t believe your brothers let you take off in this thing. Sleeping in a camper van in a layby in the middle of nowhere? Are you trying to get yourself hurt, or worse?”

Oh.

He was concerned about me.

My belly fluttered. “I have my penknife.”

“A lot of good that would do you if someone bigger and stronger than you broke in to attack you.”

Now I was scowling. “Are you trying to scare me?”

“Yes. Out of this van.”

“I’m very careful, you know. Almost bordering on paranoid.”

“Yeah, I can see that, what with you letting a strange man into your van and then spending the entire day with him alone.”

“You found me out,” I said dryly, “I’m a thrill seeker.” Shaking my head at his nonsense I pushed open my door.

“Hazel,” his deep voice stopped me. When I looked back at him, I stilled at his somber expression, “If you sleep in this van, I’m just going to worry about you.”

My chest tightened with that strange, swelling emotion I’d felt earlier in the day. After a moment or two, I finally managed to find my voice. “I’ll get a room at the inn, too.”

He gave me a small, relieved smile. “Thank you.”

It turned out there were a couple of rooms available and we each dumped our stuff in our rooms. I needed a shower, so I told him I’d meet him downstairs for dinner.

The shower felt amazing. A hot shower, after a few days of none, could make you feel completely human again.

As I dried my hair, I contemplated my clothes. I didn’t have anything really nice to wear with me, so I had to make do with a fitted turtleneck and my black skinny jeans. I also wore a wee bit more make up than I’d been wearing lately. My reflection didn’t scream seductress but I looked a damn sight better than I had when we arrived.

Liam seemed to think so too, his eyes raking over me slowly and deliberately as he stood up at the table he’d gotten us in the busy barroom. “You look great,” he said, surprising me by leaning in to press a kiss to my cheek. “Fuck, you smell great, too.”

I shot him a saucy look as we took our seats near the crackling fireplace. “You’re not shy with compliments, are you?”

“I say what I think,” he said. “Never seen the point in not.”

“I’m not complaining,” I assured him.

Soon a meal was served to us, along with a glass of ale, and we talked about everything and nothing. I told him what magazine I worked for and that my column title was “Dear Hazel”. I regaled him of tales of the plethora of older women who wrote to me about wanting to bonk their personal trainers, and my sarcastic but hopefully helpful advice. He told me about his friends at the Forestry Commission and how wild their Christmas staff parties could get. We laughed as we enjoyed the warmth of the pub restaurant, and delicious food, and as we did so loud Celtic music filtered through from the other side of the inn.

“There’s a Ceilidh on tonight,” the waitress said, putting our dessert down on the table “It’s always a good night here when there is a Ceilidh band playing.”

My eyes lit up at the thought. “I haven’t been to a Ceilidh in years.”

“Yeah, me either.” Liam said and then moaned after putting a forkful of cheesecake in his mouth.

“Good?” I teased.

He just nodded, clearly too in love with dessert to form words. I watched him devour the cake as I slowly ate mine, but I wasn’t really focused on dessert. Flushed with food and ale (I was a lightweight), and couldn’t stop myself from blurting out, “This is been the best day ever.”

The words made him still, his expression soft. “Yeah, it has.”

I beamed at his agreement and his study of me became intense. “What?” I whispered.

“I just met you. Less than twenty four hours ago.” He dropped his fork on his plate and rubbed his hand over his short hair. “I shouldn’t feel like this.”

“It’s insane, I know.” I leaned forward, relieved I wasn’t the only one feeling this crazy connection between us. “But not impossible.”

“No?” He reached over and started fiddling with the silver bracelet I wore.

“Have you ever seen Dharma & Greg? The TV show?”

Liam shook his head.

“They meet and fall for each other in a day. In fact they get married the day they meet. Not that I’m…that we’re…pfft,” I flushed, embarrassed, “That came out all wrong.”

He chuckled, trailing his fingertips from my bracelet and down over my hand. “Do you want to dance?”

My gaze flew to his at the abrupt change of subject. “At the Ceilidh?”