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“Yeah, don’t worry about it.” Liam turns on the heel of his boot and stomps down the sidewalk toward their apartment building.
Willow tugs Frank along, hurrying behind Liam. She catches up as he’s about to open the double glass doors leading into the entryway. “Liam, wait…”
He spins to face her, his entire face hard. “You made yourself abundantly clear, so now let me say a few words and make myself clear. I tried to help you. I watched Frank for you. I tried to let you get rest. You’re just like every other woman. Ungrateful, grasping, and greedy. Always wanting more. Always ready to throw somebody under the bus for your own selfish wants. I tried to be friendly but it never works with you women. So, stay away from me. Don’t knock on my door again. You and your kid get on my nerves. We’re not friends anymore. We never were. We’re nothing.”
He pulls open the door and stops before he steps through. “And maybe, if you can’t take care of your kid, you need a different job. Not one at some seedy club where you walk around half-naked for tips. Frank needs a real mom, not some trashy barfly.” Flinging open the door, he walks up the stairs. Willow watches until he rounds the landing.
“Mommy, Mommy.” Frank is patting her leg and when she looks down she sees his bright eyes filled with tears. While she knows he may not have understood the words, he certainly understood the anger. She picks him up and pulls him close to her, hugging him to her chest, pressing his cheek into hers where their tears mix and mingle together.
Chapter Fifteen
Liam
Liam’s back on his sofa, flipping through channel after channel on his ridiculously large screen. He can’t concentrate on watching TV. He doesn’t want to go down to the bar. And the diner is definitely ruined for him now. Maybe it’s time he should think about moving on, hitting another town. This one is soured for him now and he’s got no reason to stay. He gets up and heads to kitchen for a beer. Yeah, time to go. He’ll start looking for another town soon. It’s better if he moves on.
Something sharp bites into his foot as he’s crossing the room, pain shooting across his instep. “Shit,” he mutters and bends down to see what it is. Crushed underneath his bare foot is one of Frank’s tiny plastic trucks, this one red and yellow. Liam picks it up and studies it, the plastic crushed, the little wheels askew. With a sigh, he tosses it into the trash and pulls a beer from the fridge. He’s been trying not to think about the look on Frank’s face when he walked away from them. It was a look that cried betrayal. Liam takes a long, gulping drink from his beer and drags himself back to his sofa.
He’s into his third beer when he hears the small knock on his door. He knows who it is. The only people who knock on his door are Willow and workmen and knows that isn’t a workman. He goes to the door and peers through the peephole. Yep, there’s the top of her head and her swinging bright gold ponytail tied up with a violet ribbon that matches her eyes. Shit. He sighs heavily and unbolts the door, pulling it open.
She’s standing there with Frank clinging to her hand. The little boy won’t look at Liam, he’s got his eyes focused on his little sneakers with trains choo-chooing across the toes. Liam bites back his sigh, pushing his regret down deep. “Can I help you?” he asks her.
When she trains those lovely purple eyes on him, he almost invites her in. Almost apologizes. She’s chewing on her bottom lip and her eyes are sparkling. He knows she’s trying not to cry. Almost.
“Um,” she swallows heavily and clears her throat, “I just wanted to thank you for babysitting Frank for me. It was very kind and I know you didn’t have to do it. So, here.” She reaches toward him and crams a wad of crumpled bills into his hand. “It’s not much but it’s what I can afford.”
Liam stares down at the crinkled bills. He doesn’t want her money. He wants her and Frank to come in and have pie with him. But he’s not going to ask her. He glances back at her and finally notices the wheeled suitcase behind her. She follows his gaze and drops her eyes, her face blushing a beguiling pink.
“We’re leaving. I lost my job.”
Liam doesn’t know what to say to her so he just watches her carefully, waiting to see if she’s going to tell him why she lost her job. When all she does is chew on her lip, he leaves it.
“Okay, then,” he says to her.
He drops down to one knee in front of Frank, who still hasn’t looked up at him. He wants to say so many things to this little boy. He’s had so much fun with the kid and he never thought he’d have fun with any kid. Frank had wiggled and laughed his way into Liam’s heart. Liam’s gut clenches at the thought of never seeing his little towhead again. He clears his throat and stands back up, tapping Frank lightly on the top of his head with his hand. “Bye, bug.”
Willow backs away from the door and wraps her fingers around the handle of her bag. Frank is wearing a tiny backpack. Liam can’t believe that’s all they have between them. Two bags. And on the move again. It’s no way for kid to live. But’s it’s also not his business. Willow and Frank are not his business. That had been made very clear. Just as he’s pushing his door closed, a small, screaming man bursts out of the stairwell and rounds on Willow.
Liam watches as the portly, sweating man grabs at Willow’s bag and snatches it away from her. That’s something he can’t let happen, no matter what Willow thinks of him. He steps forward and sweeps the bag easily from the man’s hands, pulling it out of his reach. “What’s going on here?”
The man has sweat beading his upper lip and scant hairline, the armpits of his shirt are stained dark. His face is the color of an eggplant. He’s visibly shaking with his anger.
“This girl,” he splutters, shaking a finger in Willow’s face, “she owes the rent.”
“Ah, the landlord. Nice to meet you.” Liam thrusts his hand into the man’s face.
The landlord stares at likes it’s some new species of bug before daintily shaking just the tips of Liam’s fingers with his.
“Now, let’s get this straightened out, shall we?” Liam smiles at the sweaty, little man.
“This girl, she owes three months and she never pay. Now she try to leave without paying. She won’t answer the door when I come, she hide. Now, give me.” The landlord tries to reach around Liam and grab Willow’s bag again. Liam uses his foot to slide it out the man’s reach.
“Willow?” Liam gives her a searching look. She seems to have sunk in on herself, her shoulders are hunched over and her head is hanging low between them. He’s never seen anyone look so defeated and ashamed. Frank is standing beside her, big fat tears rolling down his face. The boy looked so confused and scared. It stabbed Liam in the heart to see them both looking so helpless. Shit.
Willow doesn’t say anything to him. The landlord is still huffing and puffing about what a horrible girl she is.
“I’m going to call cops on you, horrible girl!” he huffs at her.
“Okay, that’s enough. No one’s calling the cops.” Liam pushes Willow’s bag through his open door and spins to face the landlord. “How much does she owe?”
