The Dating Plan(16)
“That’s not going to happen.” She dropped her gaze, trying to keep her composure under that intense blue stare.
His gaze flicked to the door behind her. “I’ve been looking for office space,” Liam mused. “We’re in a temporary location right now. Maybe I could . . .”
“Absolutely not.”
“The location is perfect, and it would give us a chance to see more of each other. I could explain, and you could forgive me. And you could invite me to have dinner with you and your dad . . .” He trailed off when she shook her head. “Is he away on a new adventure?” A wry smile slid across his face. “I’ll bet he is.”
Daisy pressed her lips together and studied her boots. Unlike Liam’s boots, which were worn and faded, hers were polished to a shine with chrome button top rivet details. They made her feel badass while she pounded away on her keyboard. And they were waterproof. Not that she was planning on riding a motorcycle in the rain, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” She heard, rather than saw the amusement in his voice. “What is it? Volcano boarding in Nicaragua? Downhill mountain biking on Bolivia’s Death Road? Freshwater cave diving in the Yucatan Peninsula?”
“Jungle expedition in Belize,” she muttered under her breath.
Liam chuckled. “I’m only surprised you aren’t with him. You two did all sorts of crazy things together.”
That had been before Liam had disappeared. Before her mother had returned, knocking out the foundations of her carefully ordered life and destroying what little self-esteem she had left.
“I don’t go with him anymore.” She lifted her gaze and forced her face into a tight smile. “He has a new girlfriend, Priya. She’s the one who gets dragged out on all his adventures now.”
“How about Sanjay? Is he around?”
Her heart swelled with pride for her older brother, and she couldn’t help but share. “He’s a doctor now, working with Doctors Without Borders. He goes from one war-torn country to the next. He hasn’t been home for three years, but he stays in touch over Skype when he’s in a city with Internet access.”
Liam’s face softened. “I always knew he could do great things.”
“He’ll be happy to know you’re alive,” she said dryly.
“What about you?” He tipped his head to the side and gave her the puppy dog eyes that once had her giggling and snorting milk through her nose at the dinner table.
Classic Liam. He could charm his way into anything, and had never been above capitalizing on his wicked allure.
She gave a half shrug. “I don’t care one way or the other.”
“And yet here you are talking to me.” He opened his hands in a placatory gesture.
“I wouldn’t be talking to you if you weren’t in my way.”
He stepped to the side and gave a gentlemanly bow. “Can I walk with you?”
“No.” She walked away, conscious of his gaze on her ample behind. Fighting back a smile, she gave a little wiggle. Ten years later, she wasn’t the girl she’d been at eighteen; she was so much more.
“Dinner?”
“No.”
“Jalebi ice cream sandwich?” he called out, referring to one of her favorite childhood treats.
Her betraying lips quivered at the corners. “No.”
“How about a snack? French toast crunch? Scooby Snacks? Trix with extra sugar? Pakoras and pretzels? Roast beef on rye with mustard and three thinly sliced pickles with a side of chocolate milk?”
Laughter bubbled up inside her. He had done this almost every day to guess the after-school snack even though she had always taped the weekly family meal plan to the refrigerator door.
“Pav bhaji, chaat, panipuri . . . ?” Liam had loved her father’s Indian dishes.
“I’m not listening.” But of course, she was.
“Two grilled cheese sandwiches with ketchup and zucchini fries? Masala dosa . . . ?” His voice grew faint as she neared the end of the block.
“Cinnamon sugar soft pretzels, tomato basil mozzarella toasts . . .” His voice faded away when she turned the corner. With a sigh, she leaned against the rough brick wall and let her laughter escape with a soft chuckle.
Peeking around the corner, she watched him take a picture of the vacancy sign. That didn’t bode well if she wanted to keep her distance. Bad enough he knew where she worked, but to have him downstairs?
Still, her vantage point behind the wall allowed her a few moments of unadulterated gazing at her teenage crush. His hair was brown, streaked with gold in the sunlight, tousled and just long enough to betray the rebel inside him. He was at once wild and civilized, and she could see him both in a boardroom and on his motorcycle, burning up the road as he sped down the coast on his next great adventure.
He looked up, head turned in her direction. Daisy’s pulse kicked up a notch and she shrank behind the wall. He hadn’t seen her. Or had he? He didn’t know she was there. Or did he?
“Goodbye, Daisy!” His raised voice was clearly audible even though she was half a block away.
Her face flushed and she took off down the street as fast as her boots could carry her. She needed to keep her distance from Liam Murphy. Falling for him had never been a choice. Losing him had almost destroyed her.