Liam was a little shit as a teenager, and everyone over the age of fifty-five seems to remember.
I didn’t expect anything to come from our morning together, but it seems like some people are warming up to him, even a microscopic amount. Carlo, who owns Tossin’ Tomatoes, laughed at the memory of Liam skinny dipping in their pool on a dare when he was fifteen.
Even Miss Polly, the grumpiest woman in town, told him to have a nice day after I introduced him as the friend who is holding my bags. Not before she scolded him for dying her late dog, Patsy the Poodle, turquoise over a decade ago. Liam doesn’t realize this, but if he can pull even a smile from that old hag, he isn’t as exiled as he may believe.
As time wears on, it’s less about helping him and more about my own curiosity about the town’s ability to hold a grudge. He and Lucas were creative, I’ll givethem that.
Now we’re waiting in line for agua fresca—fresa for me and piña for him.
Liam turns to me and says with a boyish smile, “Thank you for this morning. I love my cousins, but it’s nice to spend time with literally anyone else.” I snicker. “And I’m not expecting any dinner invitations or Christmas cards, but you’ve helped me make a better impression on half the town in just two hours.”
Uncomfortable under his intense attention, I try to shrug it off. “It’s not a big deal. I come out almost every week, so you didn’t, like, get in the way.”
He snorts but doesn’t look offended by my nonchalance.
His cornflower-blue eyes linger on me for a long moment, appreciation swimming to the surface. He opens his mouth, a question on the tip of his tongue, but he’s cut off.
“Calypso,” a deep, nasally voice calls out, immediately grating at my nerves. It’s only gotten worse as he has aged, but I recognize it as my ex-husband’s immediately.
I don’t offer him any sort of greeting when I turn around. My attention moves past him, instead, settling at his fiancée. She’s younger than my sister—maybe even younger than Ana. Her bright red hair reminds me of Vivi’s, but it’s a few shades darker, and her round face is partly hidden by the thick waves. There’s still that exciting sparkle of womanhood in her doe eyes, but it’s dim.
It’s the first time I’ve seen her, and I can’t help but think the same thing I did when I first heard about the engagement. Then again, when I received the invitation.
That poor woman.
Never did I expect to be looking at a face so youthful, so full of light that is fighting to reach to the surface—wearing the same expression I did for nearly a decade of my life. Thisgirlin front of me looks like she just reached twenty-five, if that.
If she’s six years younger than me, that means she’s ten years younger than Stefan.
My stomach begins to roil at the sight of her.
In most cases, I wouldn’t go into a frenzy about a big age gap, but it’s different when this is the man—the same one who met me at sixteen and married me at twenty.
When my eyes meet Stefan’s again, he sees my anger but mistakes it. The smug tug of his lips means he thinks this is funny, that he assumes I’mjealous. It couldn’t be further from the truth.
There’s no way Liam knows who this is, but like last time, he quickly jumps in. There’s a much higher chance I could be arrested today than there was a few months ago.
And I’d argue I look even better today than I did in that red dress.
“Hey, man. I’m Liam.” His voice is friendly, but that hard edge to his eyes is back. The one that I’ve only seen when he was talking to the creep at the bar.
Stefan gives him a long once-over, clearly unimpressed, and snorts.
Fucking bastard.
I open my mouth and take a step forward, ready to strangle him right here on the pier.
The surprise of Liam’s hand on my lower back pulls my attention away, making my breath catch. Furrowing my brows, I look up at him, confused but not angry about the contact.
Placing himself firmly behind me, he silently declares that I’m not alone. From looks alone, the man at my back is much more intimidating than my ex-husband. Standing a little taller, I press myself further into the warm protection of his skin on mine.
“Do you know him, honey?” Liam asks in a harsh, gravelly voice.
Chapter Six
Liam
A soft pink touches Calypso’s cheeks, and it’s the first time I’ve seen her blush. It’s faint, but it’sthere. She’s been flushed from arousal, which was the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen, but that was different.
