of getting this award. You are something else, girl. Something spectacular. The best in this family, that’s for sure.”
“I learned it all from you. Love you.”
“Love you too.” Her grandma blinked a few times, then checked her reflection in the mirror, smoothing out any mascara that may have gotten wet. “Well that’s enough of that. Tootles.”
She hopped out of the car, closing it on Viola’s incredulous, “Tootles? Really?”
Viola laughed and headed toward city hall, nerves crashing through her like waves the closer she got.
Chapter 10
Liam straightened the cuffs of his suit coat before walking into town hall. Due to his GPS going off-kilter during the drive and attempting to send him down a dead-end alleyway, he’d barely managed to find the address Viola had sent him. The dinner had already begun, and everyone was in their seats, the clink of forks and knives falling against plates over the steady hum of conversation.
There were about one-hundred people in the room, spread out at fifteen tables. He scammed the room, his eyes falling on Viola almost immediately. She laughed at something someone had said, as he made his way over to her.
He leaned near her ear and murmured, “You look stunning,” before taking the empty seat beside her. Her cheeks flushed, and she gave him a grateful look.
“Thanks for coming at such short notice.”
“Well, it was hard with my busy schedule,” he teased. He’d been debating between swimming his second set of laps or taking Callie and Xander’s dogs for their third walk of the day when Viola’s call had come in, all the while trying to resist the temptation to log into his work email.
Viola’s call had come at just the right time. The rest of the table quieted and looked at Liam expectantly.
“Everyone, this is Liam Nichols,” Viola said.
“The Liam Nichols?” the woman beside her asked.
“I get mistaken for him a lot, though I’m the better-looking version,” Liam said with a wink. Everyone laughed, as he’d hoped. He’d rather not spend the rest of the night focusing on who he was or what his family did. He took the woman’s outstretched hand in a brief grasp, then turned to the rest of the group to learn everyone’s names.
They were at a pretty distinguished table which included the mayor and deputy mayor of Eureka Springs, and the police chief as well, each with their spouses. He and Viola rounded out the eight members of their table.
Between bites of his salad, he asked questions about the town, everyone eager to tell him how long they’d lived there for—generationally. Except for going away to college, every single one of them had lived in Eureka Springs their entire lives, as had their grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great grandparents. Apparently once someone came to Eureka Springs, they never left.
It was such a strange concept for him. He had moved frequently in his life. “What about you?” he asked Viola, while the main course was set in front of him. The waiter lifted the lid to reveal a beef medallion, salmon, and roasted baby potatoes and carrots. His stomach growled as its scent drifted upward.
“I am living in the house my great-great grandpa built.”
“That’s incredible. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around it, honestly.”
Viola shrugged. “This is home. I love it here. That’s why I wanted to study restoration work and then come back here and beautify those old buildings I grew up around. My grandpa and grandma used to go to The Old Grand on dates. My great-grandpa helped build the old hotel on Main Street—a building I got to help restore right after I moved back home after college. It’s hard to explain, but my roots are so entwined in this place, I can’t imagine being myself if I wasn’t here, if that makes sense.”
Liam loved that she had such a strong sense of place in her home. Where would he even call home? His mom’s house in L.A.? He owned four condos around the US, including in New York City, L.A., Dallas, and Seattle. And that didn’t count this vacation home in Arkansas. He split his time between his condos, and often didn’t have any connection to the cities he lived in, except for a handful of acquaintances and a Pets and More to stake his office in.
“You mentioned that you live with your grandma. How is that?” He cut into his steak and took a bite.
Viola smiled at the mention of her grandma. “Fun. My grandma raised me from the time