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“I wasn’t worried until you didn’t pick up. And you weren’t at home. I’ve driven around half of fucking Charleston looking for you. I even went into the television station.” He shifts his feet. “Your boss is a prick, by the way.”
Lauren’s eyes switch from Liam to me and back again like she’s watching a tennis match.
“My phone died,” I admit. “I wasn’t planning on being out all night.”
He looks pointedly at Lauren, who’s listening like we’re her favorite audiobook. She smiles easily at him. “It’s okay,” she tells him. “I know everything.”
“Of course you do,” he says. “And I hope you told her it’s not nice to run out on somebody without telling them goodbye first.”
She nods. “I did. And I told her she should have sent over your weather report by now.”
I widen my eyes at her. The traitor. “Lauren…”
“Well you should have. But now Liam’s here so you can give it to him in person.”
I look up at him. His eyes are softer now. There are little gold flecks in the brown of his irises. “It’s going to be sunny today,” I say. “Some cloud coverage this afternoon but nothing that will develop into anything.”
He nods. “That’s good. We won’t get wet then.”
“We?” I frown.
“You’re going to spend the day with me.”
“Oh!” Lauren looks like she’s going to combust. “That’s so lovely.”
“I can’t,” I tell him. “I have things to do.”
“Like what?” Lauren asks. I make a note to have a good talk with her later. She’s not helping.
And she’s supposed to bemyfriend.
“I have to go visit my dad. And then I have to get groceries. Plus, I have a pile of laundry I didn’t get to last week.” I look up at Liam. “And don’t tell me I can leave it until another day because I have literally nothing to wear.”
“I wasn’t going to suggest that,” he says easily. “I was going to offer to help.”
I swallow a laugh. “You want to help me with my chores?”
He shrugs. “Why not?”
Um, because you’re Liam Salinger, the hugely wealthy CEO of a massively profitable company who must have people to do all those things for you?
“Maybe he wants to see your panties,” Lauren says helpfully. “As he loads them in the washer.”
I shoot her a withering look. We’re definitely having that talk later. And then I rifle through my purse because even though she’s annoying me I don’t want to leave without paying. I pass her a twenty and tell her to keep the change, then I walk out of the bakery, Liam following me every step of the way.
When we’re outside I let out a long breath. “You really don’t have to do this,” I tell him. “I wasn’t lying when I said I had a hundred chores to do.”
“I wasn’t lying either. I want to do them with you.” He looks around. “I assume your car isn’t here.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because you came here by taxi. I called all the companies. Gave them a description.”
I blink. “That’s a bit… stalkerish.”
“I really was worried by then. And I wasn’t lying about calling Ava either.” He shows me his phone and the last call on it.
“What did you tell her?” I widen my eyes.
