The Memory Keeper: A Heartwarming, Feel-Good Romance(16)

Then he began an old song that he used to sing all the time. It was about how chances could slip away if you didn’t grab them. Hannah remembered it well. Her senior year, she’d gotten lost in the lyrics, dying to get out of that town and promising herself she’d never let an opportunity pass her by.

“He’s good!” Daphne said.

“Yes, he is,” Hannah replied. He still had it.

Once he’d gotten into his stride, Liam’s fingers played effortlessly, just like they had when they were kids. His voice was more reserved than it had been, and he was quieter, but that kid was definitely still inside somewhere. As he played, Hannah closed her eyes for a second and could almost smell the summer wind back home. When she opened them, Liam’s gaze was on her the same way it had been so many years ago, but this time, she didn’t look away. Instead she smiled, this shared moment giving her relief from everything she was going to face when she got home.





Five





“I still can’t believe you can sing like that,” Georgia said as she slung her bag with Jerry over her shoulder, leaving the carrier in the car and peering up at the towering hotel. They’d gotten back on the road after dinner, and a few hours later, they’d stopped for the night in Northern Virginia.

“It’s been a while,” Liam said.

To Daphne’s delight, Liam had ended up playing about five songs. She’d told him it had been the best birthday she’d had in years.

“When did you stop playing?” Hannah asked.

“You know, I can’t remember the exact day when I didn’t pick up my guitar,” he replied, shutting off the engine. “I played a little in college, but after graduation, I got busy with finding a job and then marriage, and having a child… Before I knew it, it had been years since I’d played, and it didn’t really feel like it fit me anymore.”

Hannah nodded, considering his reply. She knew what it was like for a part of her not to fit anymore. They got out of the car, and as he pulled their bags from the trunk, she wondered about his wife and the life he’d built for himself. The whole idea of Liam as a family man had changed the dynamic between them.

The first hotel they could find close by was a gorgeous, shiny structure with a rooftop bar and a lobby that rivaled the Taj Mahal. Since it was housing wedding guests who seemed to take up most of the building, there were only two rooms left, so Hannah and Georgia agreed to share while Liam took the other room.

Hannah could tell by the look on Georgia’s face that she wasn’t used to this sort of lavish accommodation, but luckily, Hannah had accrued some frequent-visitor points for this particular chain from traveling with Miles a few times on his various business trips. She’d always put the rooms in her name because he couldn’t care less about the points, so tonight one room was free of charge, and the three of them agreed to split the cost of the other.

“Did they say they have bathrobes and slippers in all the rooms?” Georgia asked Hannah wide-eyed, as she slid her room key across the illuminated sensor for the elevator while shifting Jerry in her handbag. The doors swished open and Georgia loped inside. “I’m gonna take a long, hot bath and curl up in that robe, and watch TV with Jerry in my lap until I pass out. The burger I had earlier made me so sleepy,” she said with a yawn.

Hannah felt the total opposite. She was starving from only having the meager salad back at the restaurant, and she’d disrupted her normal sleep rhythms so long ago that now she was wired. “It looks like the downstairs bar is still open. I think I might see if I can grab a bite to eat, and then I’ll come up.” She felt grimy and needed to get in the shower and scrub the day’s awful events off her, but her hunger had won out. Their bags had been delivered to the room already, so as soon as she finished eating she’d shower, change into her clean pajamas, and sink into bed, drifting off to dreamland.

“I could do with some food, too,” Liam said.

Hannah liked the idea of having someone there to distract her from all her thoughts. Then she wouldn’t be tempted to think about everything that had happened at the airport. “Oh, good. We can grab a table together.”

Contemplation washed over him, and heat spread through her face. Only then did it occur to her that perhaps he hadn’t meant his comment as an invitation. A married man might not be up for late dinners with another woman, no matter what the situation was. Hannah inwardly scolded herself for not thinking it through. It was really late, and he probably just wanted to grab some food and take it to his room. She hadn’t meant anything by her suggestion but now it was awkward.

Oblivious to their moment of uneasiness, Georgia obstructed the elevator doors with her foot as they pinged to alert her that she’d held them open longer than acceptable. “We should exchange numbers in case we need to talk to each other,” Georgia suggested, already tapping on her phone screen, ignoring the pinging.

They all got out their phones and put in their contact numbers.

“I’ll probably be asleep when you get up to the room, so I’ll see y’all in the mornin’! When you come in, just say, “Hi, Jerry,” so he won’t bark. Bye!” Georgia said as the doors closed, leaving Liam and Hannah in the lobby.

With the tension of eating a meal with Liam when he might not have meant to spend it with Hannah settling in, they walked over to the hostess at the restaurant.