Bob’s computer, their backs to me. Tori was directing him to click a link, then to download something. I waited patiently just outside the threshold, watching as Tori walked him through a program I wasn’t familiar with.
“Thanks, Tori,” Bob said, scratching his head. “I tried to figure this out for weeks. Couldn’t even get a kid from the college to come out and help me—paid. Pain in the ass, I’ll tell you.”
“No problem,” Tori said with a smile. She turned and spied me in the doorway.
“Found you,” I said, appreciating the way she walked directly into my arms. She gave me a kiss that made me feel like we’d been apart for far longer than we had.
“You did.”
21
“Why are you up so early?” I asked in the pitch black of the morning. Liam was out of bed and getting dressed. At my question, he froze.
“I have to run home and load up the side-by-sides. I’ve still got the boat hitched to my truck.” He pulled a sock on. “And I’ve got to check on George.” He leaned over me, kissing me on my forehead. “Go back to sleep; it’s your day off.”
“Oh, no, don’t think you can tell me you’re going to see George and not expect me to want to come along to meet her.” Whipping the covers off of me, I stretched to look at the clock. It wasn’t too terribly early, but with the blackout curtains closed, it sure felt like nighttime. “I just need a minute or two. Brush my teeth, all that jazz.”
“Okay. Well, if we’re going out to the house you might want to bring your clothes for the day too. We can leave right from my house to meet the guys out in the desert, since you’re coming with.”
“Got it.” I yanked my last remaining pair of clean jean shorts on and pulled a tank top over my head.
“Where’s your hat?”
I snagged it from behind my suitcase and grabbed my purse. “Ready.”
“Just remember I’ve lived as a bachelor since I bought my house, okay?” he asked me as we rode the elevators down to the lobby.
“What does that mean? Do you live like a slob? Because I’ve seen the way you fold your clothes in your suitcase, and I find it really hard to believe that you have an actual junk drawer in your house.”
“You got me, no junk drawers. But what I mean is that it’s pretty sparse. I bought the house and put some furniture in it, but I wasn’t very mindful of decor, necessarily.”
“Function over looks,” I said, understanding immediately. I would be shocked if he didn’t have solid wood furniture—pieces that would last a few generations, at least. It was sensible, and Liam was the most sensible man I ever met.
“Exactly. Plus, I’m hardly home as it is. I travel so much that when I am home, I’m not too worried about filling it up with furniture that I’ll have to dust.”
I leaned over to him, putting my arm around his back. “Hey, Liam?”
“Yeah?” he asked, handing his tag to the valet.
“I don’t care about your house. I just want to meet George.”
Liam laughed easily, settled into my hold on him. “I guess I can accept that.”
Liam had been underselling his house when he had described it to me. Sure, from the outside it stood relatively unimpressive: a squat, four-bedroom ranch-style house with little to no landscaping. But inside was open and warm. The living room only had one sofa, a coffee table, and a television mounted on the wall, but it was homey. The kitchen boasted newer appliances and the counter tops were clutter-free.
He gave me a quick tour, showing the bedroom, two guest rooms, and a bedroom he had turned into his office. His office had been the most exciting room because in the corner, beat up and water-stained, stood a life-size cut out of Keanu Reeves.
“What?” Liam asked at my glee.
“You have Keanu! Deb was wondering where he ended up.” I pulled my phone out and handed it to him. “Can you take a photo of me and Keanu? My mom will die.”
He snapped a few and then we continued the tour.
As I expected, every single room was tidy. Even his dishwasher was empty. I knew, because I opened it—much to Liam’s amusement.
“I’m impressed,” I told him, looking in all the places I would expect dust to collect. “But where’s George?”
Liam opened the garage and then the door within the garage that led to the screened