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“Mr. Young, would you like a drink?” Meg asked, after downing a half-full glass of whatever liquor Paul was serving up. The woman was a walking aging cask at this point.
“No, thanks. How many flight hours does the captain have?”
Meg chuckled. “Little late to be asking that now, don’t ya think?”
It was, but still, the question stood as valid.
Meg set her glass on the armrest and leaned toward him. “She’s highly qualified. Only hires the best of the best, and you’ll never find someone as calm in the face of a hurricane as Callie. She’s faced storms bigger than this in her life, Liam.”
He wanted to ask what she meant by that, but he waved to Paul. “I’ll take a shot of tequila.” If there were any chance, they were going down he’d do it on his own terms and with a little warmth in his belly.
Paul came out holding up two bottles, both the best of the best in their own liquor worlds. He pointed to the darker bottle, and Paul opened it and poured him what was more than a shot, then filled Meg’s glass.
Liam held up his glass. “To Captain Laurel, may skill and luck be all we need.”
“Prost!” said Paul as he pretended to drink from the closed tequila bottle.
“Fuckin’-A!” said Meg, which got a stern look from Paul.
“Prost? You’re of German heritage?” Liam asked Paul as the pungent tang of the agave liquor slid across his palate and down to his stomach, creating a gastronomic blaze on its way.
“Second-generation German American, sir. My father works for UCLA in their language department.”
“So you’re a Cali boy?”
“Guilty. Although I’m happy that I’ve made my way to Colorado. I’m in love with the mountains.”
“I agree. I hiked Pyramid Peak near Aspen this spring.”
“I was there in May.”
“I only had a day to go out before I had to be back to Omaha, but the trails are amazing.” He’d had a meeting in Denver and parlayed that into an extra day stay before he had to be back for more meetings.
“So you hike?”
“And rock climb and run triathlons, which I haven’t gotten the chance to do in the last couple of years.”
“Done the Ironman?”
“A couple. You know, there’s one in Boulder I’ve been thinking about doing.”
“You really should live in Colorado to do it. I’ve seen people go down when the altitude gets to them.”
That was true, and he wasn’t getting any younger. Who was he kidding? He didn’t have the time to train for the event anyway.
Liam stretched his neck as a little tension set in. “I traveled to Europe about five years ago. I loved seeing the Rathaus-Glockenspiel in Munich. Ever been there?”
“Not yet. I’m hoping we get some international flights to Europe. Once my parents landed here, they found their home, and since both were only children and their parents were gone, they never went back.” Paul leaned back against the wood cabinet where the TV remained off, but light music created a background that Liam hadn’t even noticed as he made himself at home. “I’d love to see Europe.”
Europe was one of Liam’s favorite places to go to hike and explore. The Rathaus-Glockenspiel in Marienplatz in Munich, Germany had stopped him in his tracks as he walked through the plaza to get to the train station one summer. The sound echoed far and wide, a call out to all visiting as well as those who had roots firmly planted in Germany. He’d taken the trip after his mother’s passing, a way to fill his mind with something else. His father had given him ten days to “get over it”. He’d never get over what he missed every day, but there was no way to change it, so in part, his father was right. How his father recovered so quickly he’d never understand. Liam often wondered what part of his DNA was from his father. It couldn’t be much with how different they were.
“How about you, Meg?” he asked, taking another large sip of the golden liquid.
“I’m a mutt and never really been anywhere. Seriously, did one of those genetic tests and it told me exactly what my mother said about us. We come from nowhere, and we have no past. I’m basically an alien in my own world.”
“How much has she had to drink, Paul?” Liam whispered to him.
“Enough, apparently.” Paul pushed off the wall and went to grab for her glass, but she evaded him.
