Until There Was You(50)

“Said the man who tore through our quiet countryside on a motorcycle when he was your age,” Posey added.

“Dad! You drove a motorcycle in high school?” Nicole’s eyes were wide. “How did you, like, keep all this secret?”

Liam turned his head very slowly to look at Posey. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure,” she said, tipping the popcorn bucket to her mouth for the last few kernels.

“Tanner, I’ll take my daughter home. Nicole, thank Tanner for the movie.”

Nicole straightened her jacket. “Tanner, thanks for putting up with my idiot father, who’s, like, ruining my life, and if you never want to speak to me again, I totally understand.”

“I think you’re really cute,” Tanner said, and Posey had to give the boy props. He was brave or stupid or, being a teenager, both.

“She is really cute,” Liam agreed. “Also underage. Got it? I’ll press charges so fast, you’ll be picking up soap in the state prison before you even blink.”

“Dad! Please!” Nicole’s face turned bright red.

“See you in school,” Tanner said. He leaned forward as if to kiss her on the cheek, but Liam punched him on the shoulder, stopping him.

“Drive safe,” he said, and the boy got the hint and went off, leaving Posey, Liam and Nicole standing there. “I am so not going home with you,” Nicole hissed. “You humiliated me. I can’t believe you came tonight! Can’t I even go to the movies with a boy?”

“You did go to the movies with a boy,” Liam answered calmly. “And now you’re going home.”

“I’ll walk,” she said.

“Then I’ll drive alongside you until you get into the building, then call Mrs. Antonelli and ask her to keep an eye on you.”

“I hate you,” Nicole said bitterly, then glanced at Posey. “Sorry.”

“How did you get here?” Posey asked.

“Dad dropped me off,” she muttered. She pulled out her phone and clicked on it. “Gross! Dad! Jeez!”

“What?” Liam asked.

“Caroline Connors posted that you were hot! That’s disgusting!”

“So disgusting,” Posey echoed.

Nicole’s fingers were flying, and she muttered as she typed. “Ew. That’s my dad you’re talking about. And he’s a jerk.”

Ten silent minutes later, they pulled up in front of Liam’s building. “I’ll wait for the light to go on,” Liam told his daughter as she got out of the car. “And I’ll be back from her house in twenty minutes.”

Just in case there was any doubt that he was actually interested in her on any level.

Posey maintained her silence until the light on the fifth floor went on and Liam pulled away from the curb. “Think you might be a little overprotective, Liam?” she asked tightly as they turned on Bank Street.

“Yep. Show me a father who isn’t.”

“My brother-in-law says Tanner’s not a bad kid.” At his questioning look, she added, “I asked him yesterday.”

“He’s probably not. But what if he is? And come on, Cordelia. What eighteen-year-old boy doesn’t want to get laid?”

“Just because he wants to doesn’t mean he will. And Nicole’s not stupid. I’m sure you’ve talked to her about all this stuff.”

“I did,” he acknowledged.

“So I guess what you’re really afraid of is that Tanner is just like you, and all sorts of nice girls will be tricked—”

“You know what?” Liam snapped, not looking at her. “When you’re a single parent raising a teenage girl, you can give me a lecture. Okay?”

“Sure. And when you’re looking for someone to come spy on your daughter, ask someone else.” She stuffed her hands inside her pockets and glared at the dashboard.

“What are you complaining about?” Liam asked. “I bought your ticket. I bought your silo of popcorn. You seemed to like the movie.”

“Liam…” Posey took a sharp breath and held it and said nothing more. What was she going to tell him, anyway? That she’d thought it might be a date? That she was insulted that he’d barely spoken to her, that (maybe) he’d asked her to the movies because he knew she wouldn’t have plans?

He pulled up in front of the church and threw the car in Park. “Look,” he said sharply. “I’m sorry you had a crappy time. I just… Whatever. I’m trying to keep an eye on Nicole, and I figured you wouldn’t mind coming, since you seem to like her.”

Posey didn’t answer, not sure what to say.

“But I’d appreciate it if you kept stories of my idiot years to yourself,” he added. “Nicole doesn’t need to know what a shit I was.”

“You weren’t a shit,” Posey said. But then again, he had been. Ask any of the girls he slept with and dumped. Ask her. What about making fun of a girl because she was skinny, telling her prom date she was completely unattractive? That was pretty shitty.

Then again, ask her about that little striped cat. Ask her how it felt to float through the halls after he’d said hi in front of everyone.

Liam was looking at her, his face unreadable. “I’m sorry,” he said.