Until There Was You(101)

“Hello, God’s Gift.” She grinned.

“Hey, Cordelia. Any chance you can meet me at Rosebud’s tonight?”

She looked around her kitchen—the first meal she’d prepared in, oh, a decade, unless you counted scrambled eggs. “Actually, I made dinner. Want to come here?” He didn’t answer. “Spaghetti Bolognese. Smells wicked good.”

“Uh…Rosebud’s would be better. If you don’t mind.”

She hesitated. Not really what she had in mind for tonight, but… “Okay. Give me a half an hour?”

“Sure.”

“See you then.”

But he’d already hung up.

Posey stood there a minute, looking at the phone. A trickle of dread threaded through the earlier glow. But no, that was silly. Nothing to worry about. He wanted to eat at Rosebud’s, what was the harm in that? And it was public, too—he’d kissed her in public over in Kittery, and now he wanted to be seen with her right here in town. It wasn’t bad…it was the opposite. A very positive sign.

No reason to worry at all.

THERE WAS NO GETTING around it. This was going to suck.

Granted, Liam had once been master of the art of breaking up. No, that wasn’t exactly true. He’d been master of the art of dumping someone. It hadn’t been as classy as breaking up. Nope, back in the day, he’d been an idiot who’d slept with a lot of girls, and when someone else caught his attention or when a girl got too clingy or demanding or predictable, he’d say something brutally casual—Yeah, about that…it was fun while it lasted. The cruel pause. Was there something else you wanted? And then, because he’d been such a prick, he’d give that sleepy grin that made women of all ages blush, pinch her chin and wink at her from time to time, ensuring that she’d stay half in love with him—you know, just in case the urge struck. Why some brother or father hadn’t beaten him to a pulp was a mystery, because if someone treated Nicole like that, he’d go after the guy with a car battery and a healthy set of jumper cables.

Until Emma, he’d never been in love. He’d been a player. A dick, in other words. And he was about to be a dick again. He’d chosen Rosebud’s because he was a coward. There it was in a nutshell. Seeing Cordelia in public was very different from seeing her in her house, with that goofy dog and the battered-looking cats, the soft old couch where a person could really relax, the huge bed that seemed a place he’d like to stay for a week or so. He was fairly sure he couldn’t go through with this if she cried, and he was also pretty sure she wouldn’t make a scene in public. Booth in the corner, back near the pool table. Not real crowded on a Wednesday night. Private, yet public, and therefore safe.

Coward.

“Hey, biker boy!” There she was. “So, about the bell. You are a prince, Liam Murphy. I almost spit blood, I was so excited when I heard it! I can’t believe you fixed it! I was sitting on my back steps, and when it went off, I jumped up, spilled my wine, broke the glass, and you should’ve seen Shilo, he was going crazy, running all around the yard, barking. It’s amazing. Have you heard it ring? You probably did. It’s the best sound in the world.”

She seemed a little…sweaty. And tense. Trying a little too hard. She took a deep breath and slid across the table from him. “Thank you,” she said more calmly. “It’s the nicest present anyone’s ever given me, Liam. Well, I take that back. My brother gave me a niece for my birthday. I just don’t have her yet. But the bell is definitely second best. Really. It was…it was perfect.”

The words were like a dull knife in his chest. “You’re welcome,” he said, looking into his Sam Adams.

“Hey, Posey! What can I get you?” Rose called over from the bar.

“Hi, Rose! Um…I’ll have a glass of white zin, if you won’t tell Henry.”

“How is Henry?” The bartender grinned.

“Still g*y.”

“Sorry to hear it.” Rose brought over a glass of pink wine. “Any food tonight, kids?”

“I’m all set,” Liam said.

“Oh, um, me, too,” Cordelia said, and he knew she knew what was coming, because when had Cordelia Osterhagen ever turned away food?

“Okay. Let me know if you need anything else,” Rose said, gliding away.

So. Time to make the break. Liam took a sip of his beer. Hey, it’s run its course, don’t you think? But it was fun while it lasted. Take care. “How are things with you? Birth mother, all that stuff?” he asked, managing to glance up at her.

“You’re breaking up with me, aren’t you?” Her voice sounded oddly normal, and her hair was sticking up on the left. So ridiculously cute.

Get this over with, idiot. “Life’s gotten a little more complicated recently,” he said carefully. “I really can’t be in a relationship right now.”

She swallowed. Otherwise, she didn’t move a muscle. “Is this about the Tates?”

“Yeah. Sort of. I need to focus on Nicole, and I…” He shook his head. He wasn’t about to blame his daughter for this. “It’s not really about Nicole, Cordelia. I can’t… Look. You and I, we want different things. That’s all.”

“What…what different things do we want?”