back with some water, but it still flew out in tufts around his head.
“Did you just roll out of bed?” Liam asked.
“We didn’t get home until almost one last night,” he said, yawning widely. “Callie’s still sleeping, but I got woken up by a phone call from Fiona.”
Liam frowned. “Why would Fiona call you?” Usually all business calls came through Liam, and he flowed everything downward.
“Because,” Xander walked forward and shut the laptop in front of Liam, “you are supposed to be resting. On a recuperative break. Getting help for your anxiety. Pick one of those things, and that’s what you’re supposed to be doing. Not working.”
“I’m going to rest. There were a few loose ends I needed to tie up.” He shouldn’t have copied Fiona on his last three emails, but that’s what he’d always done. He hadn’t expected her to call Xander to come out and stop him.
“Fiona and I are going to take care of everything, okay?” Xander yawned again. A trickle of guilt went through Liam knowing that his brother lost sleep for him.
“You could have called instead of driving in.”
“And you would have immediately closed the laptop and walked away?” Xander rolled his eyes. “Come on. You’re banned from Pets and More.”
“Xander, this is ridiculous.”
Xander’s eyes turned serious. “It’s not forever. But you need to take care of you, okay? I don’t want you dying young of a heart attack. Please, just trust us to handle things for a little while.”
Liam couldn’t fight against the pleading in his little brother’s tone. He followed Xander from the store and to their cars parked side by side.
“I literally don’t know what to do with myself,” Liam said before he got into his car. He couldn’t face the thought of going back to his huge house alone, and he could only swim so many laps.
“Spend some of that money you’ve been stockpiling forever. Go to Eureka Springs and explore. It’s a fun time of year where some of the Halloween decorations are still up, and some of the winter and Christmas decorations are starting to come out, and it’s a perfect snapshot of the eclectic city. Get some lunch. Buy the latest Grantham Robbins book.”
Liam couldn’t remember the last time he’d read a novel. That idea appealed to him, but he wasn’t too sure about walking around Eureka Springs. Callie had mentioned before how many people could be in downtown Eureka Springs on any given day, and he had no desire to step into a crowd of people.
“I’ve got my staff on alert,” Xander warned Liam before getting in his truck. “If you step foot in this parking lot, they’ve got me on speed dial. Don’t ruin more of my sleep.”
Liam reluctantly got into his car and found himself driving toward Eureka Springs. He pulled into an open parking spot on Main Street in front of a soap boutique and wandered until he found a little bookstore. They had a display of Grantham’s new book by the register, and he bought it, along with a bookmark with a picture of the massive, awe-inspiring memorial, Christ in the Ozarks, which he’d have to make time to see.
“Is there a good lunch spot close?” he asked the cashier. Recognition flickered in the cashier’s eyes, but he didn’t say anything to Liam to indicate that he knew who he was.
“Two stores down. Best sandwiches in the south. And if you’re still hungry, you’ve got to get some fudge at The Sweet Shoppe.”
At the recommendation of the woman at the cafe counter, he ordered a French dip and hand cut chips, then fell into the first three chapters of his thriller. It wasn’t until the bell on the door rang and he looked up that he realized he’d been sitting there for at least an hour. He got directions to the fudge shop before he left and there bought a couple of pounds of fudge; rocky road for him, orange cream for Xander, and turtle for Callie. He checked his watch. Only two in the afternoon. He still had most of a day to kill.
The Sweet Shoppe had a table outside of it with two chairs, and a couple vacated it just as he stepped outside. He sat down and people-watched while he nibbled on his fudge. It was absolutely delicious and he knew he’d be back to this place again soon.
He’d been surprised at the store owners he’d met that morning as well. Although they all seemed to at least recognize