I'm Not Charlotte Lucas(65)

He sighed. “I don’t know what she’s expecting.” He shot me a look of apology. “I did make the mistake of telling her that Naomi and Rhett broke up.”

My stomach constricted, but I told myself I was overreacting. If I watched any entertainment news, I’d be able to follow up on Naomi’s love life too. Would I sound too much like a crazy, jealous girlfriend if I asked Liam precisely how he came by this information and why he cared?

He wasn’t distressed though. He sounded amused. If he had anything to feel guilty for, he’d probably seem more worried than this.

“I did promise to introduce them if the opportunity arose, but I really don’t think it ever will.” He looked me in the eye. “Rhett has his own demons. He might seem incredible on screen, and he really is a good guy, but I’m not sure Beth realizes what she’s asking for here.”

“Too bad we can’t set her up on a blind date with him to a charity ball. Then maybe things would just work themselves out.”

“Not a bad idea.” Liam stretched his legs out on the blanket and lay back on his hands. I snuggled up under his side and gazed up at the stars.

“I saw Spike tonight at the school,” I said.

“Oh, yeah? Was he looking for a job?”

“No. I saw him over by the theater. I had to get something from Mariah.”

Liam laughed. “He’s pretty mad at me right now. I walked in on him trying on his costume for the school play and couldn’t stop laughing.”

“As Mr. Darcy?”

“Yeah,” Liam said, surprised. “How’d you know?”

“My sister plays his love interest, actually. Elizabeth.” Did I stop there? I shouldn’t. I really needed to tell him. “Actually—”

“It’ll be weird watching him onstage. The kid wants to be a theater major, which is cool. But . . . sorry, I cut you off.”

“It’s fine,” I said, scooting closer. It was really getting cold. “You go first.”

“I was only saying that it’s completely new to me. I was all sports, all the time. Now Spike is all theater, and it’s just . . . foreign.”

“You don’t have to like the same things to be supportive. He skates, right? So that’s sporty.”

He laughed. “Tricks at a skatepark and football games are not even a little bit close.”

“Well, you both get hurt in your sport.”

He was quiet for a moment, and I peeked over to see him gazing at the stars with a considering expression. “That’s true.”

It was time. I couldn’t put it off any longer. I needed to tell him so he could take the necessary steps. Whatever those were. Sitting up, I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.

“You look serious.”

I smiled, resting my chin on my knees. “I overheard a conversation tonight, and I need to tell you about it, but I don’t want it to come off the wrong way.”

The truth was, we hadn’t dated long enough for me to know how this would come off or if Liam would even care. He seemed so perfect in every way, I was terrified of finding his faults and realizing that they were dealbreakers. Maybe that was what made me the most nervous: what if he didn’t react the way I thought he should? What if Liam didn’t even care that his brother was feeling neglected and trying to pressure his girlfriend?

“What is it?” he asked.

“I overheard Spike telling his girlfriend—”

“His what?” Liam sat up and ran a hand through his hair. “What girlfriend?”

“Hannah. From school.”

His eyebrows shot up, mouth slightly parted. “How do you even know this?”

“From my sister.” I could always add that offense to the story as well, but it could wait.

“Right.” A serious expression fell over his face. “What were they saying?”

“Spike was telling Hannah that you’re never home.”

“But Vera’s leg—”

“I know,” I said, resting my hand on his forearm. “He told her about you grandma-sitting. I don’t think he was bitter or anything, but he was trying to get her to come over one evening so they could be alone.”

Liam rolled his eyes. “I didn’t even know he was into girls.”

“What?”

“The only thing he talks about is skating and USC. I can’t believe he has a girlfriend, and I didn’t even know.”

Those worry lines formed in between his eyebrows, creasing and causing my heart to ache. What an inordinate amount of stress for a man to feel—the pressure of being a dad to his brother.

“Do you want me to stay over at Vera’s this weekend so you can be home in the evenings? It’s really just in case of emergencies, right?”

“Yeah, she’s doing really well. I’m just there in case she wants to get up and walk to the bathroom. I can’t ask you to stay with her though. I’ll just have Spike come stay at Vera’s with me.”

The kid was not going to like that. “He also mentioned that you’re with your new girlfriend, like all the time.” I tried not to cringe, but I felt my face squish anyway, and I was sure it wasn’t cute.

He smiled. “Now that I’m not gonna bother changing.”