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“Are you heading to the bakery?” she asked.
If only.“I’ve been to the apothecary. My young nephew is sick.”
Cora’s smooth brow creased with concern. “I’m so sorry. How old is he?”
“Jamie’s only five, but he’ll be on the mend, soon enough,” Liam said.
“Do you have just the one?”
“No. My brother and his wife have three children. Aside from Jamie, there’s Bridget who’s not yet four, and baby Daniel, born this past spring.”
“How lovely to have such a big family,” she said wistfully. “I imagine there’s never a dull moment.”
She wasn’t wrong, but he doubted her view of his family life matched the reality. “What are you doing here this morning?”
“Currant buns.” She held up her bag with a grin, then she lowered her voice and glanced around, as if she were about to impart secrets of dire importance. “My nanny is just in there.” She pointed to the milliner’s shop three doors down. “And I think she only gave me leave to visit the bakery for a moment without her because, well...” Was that a blush? Liam wanted so badly to lay a hand against her soft cheek to feel the warmth of it. Instead, he balled his hand into a fist and crossed his arms, nodding for her to continue.
“You see,” Cora said in an almost-whisper, “I think she has a fondness for the old shopkeeper in there. She often lingers at the ribbon counter, and I know she’s not interested in ribbons, because she says they’re only for frivolous young girls. But the man always dances attendance on her whenever we visit, so it’s quite possible he feels the same. Only I do wonder how they’d ever get on because she is very hard of hearing and his eyesight is rather poor. But perhaps between the two of them, their strengths are complementary.”
Liam grinned down at her. He loved how animated and lively she became when she talked. Once again, he found himself wishing he could be someone worthy of her company. But the differences in their lives were split by a chasm so wide and deep, the only way he could ever bridge the gap was if a pair of angels plucked him from this life and dropped him into another. It was never going to happen, so he was well and truly stuck. He brushed the depressing thought aside and said, “Well, I, for one, find myself eternally grateful for your nanny’s sordid love affair because it has allowed me the opportunity to see you again.”
Cora blushed a second time, then glanced down at the bag in her hands. “I was wondering if we would. I often hoped to run into you.” She looked up at him shyly. “I do believe meeting you was the nicest, most interesting thing that’s ever happened to me, Liam O’Connor.”
Liam’s heart pounded in his chest because he felt the same way, and hearing his name on her lips made everything feel possible. He swallowed hard. “I’ve thought of you often since then. I enjoyed talking to you very much, even though the circumstances were...unusual.”
“I’m always there, you know. If you wanted to—” She paused and seemed to gather her courage, then looked him square in the face because she was so much braver than she believed. He could see that about her, even if she couldn’t. “I mean, if you wanted to visit me again.” Then she rushed to add, “I wouldn’t want you to climb the wall outside my window, of course. That’s far too dangerous.”
“Yes. I prefer my head attached to my shoulders,” he said with a smile, though he’d risk it a hundred times if she was really saying what he thought she was saying.
“But I suppose,” she said tentatively, “you could toss a pebble at my window?” If Liam thought she’d been blushing before, he was dead wrong, because now her gaze slid away and her face was positively scarlet. But she lifted her chin and forged on. “It was in a book I read recently, you see. Whenever two marauders needed to communicate, they tossed pebbles at each other’s windows to alert the other party that the smugglers were coming.”
“I find myself quite intrigued with your taste in books, and your attempt to lure me into piracy,” Liam teased. “I accept your proposal, Captain Cora.”
She looked surprised. “You do?”
“I’d be a fool not to.”
Cora beamed, but before she could speak, the milliner’s door opened and a woman with thinning, gray hair stepped out. She had a tight bun at the nape of her neck, a severe face stamped into a permanent frown and a dress the color of wet mold. If this was Cora’s nanny, then it was no wonder Cora’s wardrobe lacked allure. This woman looked as enticing as a mud puddle, and just as chilly. Liam imagined she chewed snowflakes for breakfast.
“I have to go,” Cora whispered. “Here. For your nephew.” She pushed the bag of currant buns at him.
He stepped back, catching it to his chest as she hurried past on a lavender-and-sunshine-scented breeze.
Liam watched her slow her pace to match that of her aging nanny. She glanced back once and gave him a secret smile.
He stood there even after they’d rounded the corner and disappeared. It was long moments before his heartbeat returned to normal. And longer still before he realized that a miracle had just fallen into his lap. Cora McLeod, the beautiful squire’s daughter, wanted to see him again. Him. Liam made his way down the street, mulling over his sudden stroke of luck. For the first time all week, he heard the birds singing in the trees as he walked along the edge of the woods. He noticed the damp grass sparkling like diamonds in the sun as he crossed the overgrown field toward his brother’s home. And when he thought about stealing out in the middle of the night to visit Cora again, the whole world bloomed bright with possibilities.
Providence Falls,
Present Day
The sound of a car screeching around the corner yanked Liam out of his reverie. The smell of exhaust fumes had him coughing as he lurched upright on the bench. Never in his wildest fantasies could he have dreamed up a place like the city of Providence Falls. He was so far out of his depth. Even as an expert liar, it was difficult for him to navigate the murky waters in this place. The angels had neglected to add so much important knowledge. The common social rituals like public courting with no intention of marriage, eating food for no reason other than boredom or running without trying to get anywhere. And there were too many confusing cultural references to ever catch up. Blind dates weren’t blind. French fries weren’t French. It was exhausting! He blew out a frustrated breath. Liam realized he had too much to learn, and three months would never be enough.
A guttural shout followed by a scuffling sound drew his attention. He glanced toward the alley beside the convenience store. Several feet from the ATM, a man in a dark hooded sweatshirt shoved an old man against the wall, then punched him in the gut.
The old man doubled over on a choked cough, holding his stomach with both hands.
“The cash,” the attacker snarled. “Or you’re gonna get it worse, gramps.” He snaked a hand into the old man’s pocket and yanked out his wallet.
