Until There Was You(45)

“Oh, he was.” Posey sighed dramatically. “Perfectly dreamy.”

“Ew!” Nicole squealed.

“Okay, I’m gonna start supper,” Liam said.

“Which is my cue to go,” Posey said.

“Oh, can you stay for a minute?” Nicole asked. In the doorway, Liam paused. “I want to ask Posey about Mom,” she added.

“Sure,” he said and then was gone down the hall.

Odd, to picture Liam Murphy cooking dinner. Setting the table, making sure his kid had green veggies and stuff like that.

“Can you, like…I don’t know, just tell me a little bit about my mom?” Nicole asked, sitting on her bed. Her expression was eager.

Posey took a seat in the desk chair. “Sure,” she said. “Um, I went to Sweetie Sue’s a lot.” Nicole grinned, and Posey smiled back. “She always gave me an extra scoop for free.”

“She was great about dessert,” the girl said, her eyes getting a little wet. “Way more mellow than Dad. What else?”

“Well, we went to the same church, so I saw her there sometimes,” Posey said. “Your dad worked at my parents’ restaurant, so she’d drop by once in a while. She was always really friendly. Chatty. She was just…nice. Genuine, you know? She wanted everyone to be happy. Her nickname was Little Miss Sunshine.”

“Really? Like how? What did she do?”

Posey paused. “Well, she was always organizing food drives and recycling programs at school. Stuff like that. And she…gave me advice about clothes and stuff.”

“She had amazing clothes,” Nicole said wistfully. She looked at Posey again. “Anything else? Sorry if I’m, like, pumping you for details. I just…” The girl cleared her throat. “I love hearing about her when she was my age.”

Posey nodded. “Sure. Well, she…sort of arranged for me to go to the prom,” she said carefully.

“Really? She fixed you up?” Posey nodded. “Did you guys go with her and Daddy?”

“No. They, uh, they were with different people. You know how it is.”

“No, I don’t,” Nicole said with a huff. “I probably never will, either. Dad’s, like, psycho about my social life. Mom would’ve been much cooler. She totally would let me date by now.”

Posey had to smile at that—the bad boy now a stodgy old dad, clattering around making dinner.

“He needs to get a life so he won’t be, like, obsessed with mine,” Nicole added. “Do you know anyone he could date? Maybe that hot chick at your restaurant?”

Posey’s smile felt stiff. “Uh…maybe. I—” She winced. “I could check.”

“Hey,” Nicole said, “do you want to stay for supper? Dad! Can Posey stay for supper?”

“Stop bellowing down the hall!” Liam bellowed from down the hall. There was a pause. “Sure. If she wants.” Such a halfhearted offer that Posey rolled her eyes.

“Do you?” Nicole asked. “You can tell me more stories, okay? About Mom and Dad. I can’t believe Dad was such a jerk!”

“Oh, um…he wasn’t a jerk.” Crap. “He was just…you know.”

“Just what, Cordelia?”

There he was, the King of Testosterone himself. “Just a little full of himself, that’s all.”

Again with the narrowed gaze…kind of hot, really. Nicole giggled.

“But once he met your mom, it was true love and all that good stuff,” Posey added.

“Are you staying?” Liam asked—not very nicely, she thought.

“Sorry. I have plans.” Plans with my dog, that is, she thought, getting up from the chair. A dog who has better manners than you. “Maybe another time.”

“Bye, Posey! Thank you so much for the clock! I love it.” The girl bounced off her bed and hugged her.

“See you around,” Posey said, patting Nicole on the shoulder, her eyes growing wet. Emma’s daughter seemed just as sweet as her mother. “It was really nice meeting you.”

“After you,” Liam said, standing back to let Posey pass. She went down the hall, past the kitchen and grabbed her backpack from where she’d dropped it earlier.

“See you around, Liam,” she called.

“Hang on,” he said, and she jumped. He was right behind her. She turned warily.

The whole aging-rock-star-still-dead-sexy look…it worked. She wondered what he looked like with his shirt off—tattoo, maybe? She’d be happy to check…centimeter by centimeter…with her tongue…?. Enough, Posey! Guys like Liam—the last thing they needed was yet another ego massage from yet another swoony woman. Besides, she’d pined over him enough for several lifetimes.

But still. It was hard not to get a little…aroused…when he was staring at her like that.

“You want to go to the movies tomorrow night?” he asked, and Posey was so shocked she actually choked.

“What?” she managed.

“The movies? Tomorrow?”

“Um…I, uh…um…what movie?”

He narrowed his eyes just a little, and Posey’s nether parts gave a long, happy squeeze. Get his clothes off, those parts advised. We’re lonely. “Does it matter?” Liam asked.