A Special Kind of Different

by Holly Jacobs

  He cut her off. “I think we’re straying into work. My turn for another question.”

  “No, you asked where I was from. That counted as a question, so it’s my turn.” And for a second she almost asked what his hobbies were. Another safe, inane question.

  She’d spent most of her adult life on the safe side of the street and suddenly she didn’t want to stay safe with Liam. With him, she wanted to try throwing caution to the wind, so she asked, “What are your dreams, Liam?”

  Before he could answer, she clarified. “And I’m not talking about growing your business, or winning the lottery. I’m asking about for yourself. What do you dream about for you?”

  He was quiet for a long while, then slowly answered, “I don’t know if I’ve ever given it any thought. For years, it’s been one step in front of the other. Finish high school—go to college. Finished college—go to work. Go to work—start my own business. Now the business is growing and I’m thinking about hiring help.”

  “And then there’s your brother. There’s Colm.”

  “Yes. My parents were in their forties when they had us, so I knew eventually I’d get Colm. Only I didn’t think it would be so soon.”

  “They asked if you’d be his guardian?”

  “No, they never asked. All of us always knew I would be. When I worked, I knew I was working not only for me, but for him. I’ve never seemed to have time for dreams. There was too much going on. There still is.”

  Anna felt a stab of sympathy for Liam. She pictured a young boy fighting for Colm on the bus, all bruised and battered. That boy never dreamed. He’d shouldered his burdens and got on with it. “That’s sort of sad, Liam. Everyone should have a dream.”

  This time he didn’t glance at her, and she very much wished he would. Maybe she’d have some clue what he was thinking.

  He asked, “So what is your dream, Anna?”

  “I don’t have big, grand dreams. Only little ones. That’s what most of mine are. For instance, the first day I came to your house, I had porch envy.”

  “Porch envy?” He laughed.

  “Yes. I’ve always dreamed about having a porch. When we lived in Erie, we had a porch, but when we moved to the apartment, we didn’t. And my condo barely has a front stoop. But someday, I’ll buy a house and it will have a huge porch. It will be painted something pretty and bright. Green, maybe. Kelly green. There will be white wicker furniture with big fat cushions.” She got caught up in describing her dream porch. “And plants hanging over the railings. Spider plants with their long fronds cascading down toward the ground. And maybe some flowering plants. In the morning, I’ll go out with my coffee and the paper. I’ll sit there in one of my white wicker chairs and watch the neighborhood wake up. As time goes on, I’ll know which neighbors are early birds and which ones aren’t. Those early birds will wave to me as they come out and get their own papers, or the ones who run in the mornings will wave as they jog past me on my porch. I’ll become a fixture. The neighbors will come to expect me there.”

  Anna looked at his profile as he stared at the road. She could really study him. He had prominent bone structure. Instead of making him look hard, it made him look steady. He was someone who could be counted on.

  “And at night, I’ll be coming home,” she continued. “Not back to an apartment or condo, but to a home. And maybe after dinner, I’ll find myself sitting on my porch, in my white wicker chair, and find someone sitting next to me.”

  “You’ve given this a lot of thought,” Liam said.

  “Maybe. Big front porches seem to connect a house to the neighborhood. I like that. I like porches.”

  “And you like little dreams like that.”

  “Yes.”

  He glanced at her again. There was something in his expression that said he was puzzled and she gave a nervous laugh. “I know. It sounds stupid.”

  He turned and looked back at the road, and said, “No, not stupid at all.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  LIAM FINALLY bit the bullet and quietly put out the word among some of his contacts that he was looking to hire someone to take some of the workload off his shoulders. He’d thought about what Anna had said about Sunrise being a one-horse show until Ceelie had hired her, and now they worked as partners. That’s what he needed. Someone to pick up the slack.

  His buddy Rob, who worked for the State Police’s Internet Crime Division, had reminded him about their buddy, Benjamin Paul. Luckily, he’d spotted Ben at the coffee shop the following Friday. When he explained his predicament and showed Ben a mock problem, something lit up the man’s eyes that had nothing to do with their startling blue color. Ben studied the problem intently, then said, “The access control list in the router is blocking the vpn. You need to create a permit rule for tcp traffic on port 1723. That will enable PPTP tunnels to be created through your router.”

  At those words, Liam knew he’d found his man.

  “You’re hired,” he said on the spot.

  They talked salaries and benefits.

  Benjamin Paul was the perfect person for the job, but Liam felt a stir of unease. He knew the business was making enough money to support hiring an employee. Security for computer systems was a growing lucrative market. But he liked running everything himself. He liked the autonomy. His feelings were jumbled.

  Nervous at the thought of turning over some of the control.

  Happy the company was doing well enough to warrant this step.

  Lucky he’d found someone as knowledgeable as Ben.

  And thrilled that he’d have more time with Anna.

  “So, there’s no office?” Ben asked.

  “For now, I work from my place. You can work from home. I’ll get you started. But Franklin Systems Security’s next step will probably have to be obtaining a physical office space.”

  “I don’t mind working from home. And from what you’ve said, most of your clients prefer you coming to their businesses, rather than them coming to your office, right?”

  “Right.”

  The waitress came over, a pot of coffee in hand. “Refills?”

  “No, I’m fine,” Liam said.

  “You can warm mine up, sweetheart.” Ben flashed her a smile.

  Liam watched as the waitress’s face lit up. She poured the splash of coffee into his cup and said, “You holler if you need anything. Anything at all.”

  She sauntered away, a little extra swing in her hips. One that had never been there when she served Liam.

  He turned to gauge Ben’s reaction, but when the woman was out of Ben’s line of sight, he was back to all-business mode. “If most of your meetings—our meetings—are at the clients’ businesses, why add to your expenses now by looking for an office? Working from home makes fiscal sense. And most of what we do can be done right over the Net. Me in my house, you in yours.”

  “Ben, I like your way of thinking.”

  “Hey, it’s selfish on my part. Beau’s at home and he’s used to me being there.”

  “A son?” Liam asked.

  Ben shook his head. “No, a dog. A hundred-and-seventy-pound Old English mastiff. He thinks he’s people, though.”

  “A hundred and seventy pounds?” Liam let out a low whistle. “Now, that’s a dog.”

  “Yeah. I didn’t want a frou-frou tiny dog.” Ben chuckled.

  “So, basically, you don’t do things halfway,” Liam said. That was a quality which was going to be very beneficial to Franklin Systems Security.

  “All or nothing, that’s my motto,” Ben assured him. “You and Franklin Systems Security can count on that.”

  “Is Beau going to make travel difficult? That’s one of the reasons I need help with the company, there’s been more travel. I can’t do it all. I have obligations at home, too.”

  “A dog?” Ben asked.

  “No, a brother.”

  He expected Ben to ask for clarification, but instead he said, “No, travel won’t
be difficult. I’ve got a dog-sitter I use.” Ben shut his laptop and asked, “So we’ve covered everything except when I start.”

  They talked another hour about specifics. Ben was a fast study.

  As Ben left the meeting, Liam realized that if they split up the travel fifty-fifty, it was going to mean he’d have even more time with Anna.

  Liam wasn’t sure why Anna was one of the first things he thought about as he weighed the pros and cons, but he didn’t want to analyze it. He wanted to share his news with her. He glanced at his watch. Two forty-five.

  He knew she had a session with Colm today at three. If he went right home, he could catch her and invite her to dinner. A celebration.

  The thought amused him as he sped home from the coffee shop. As he got out of the car, he could hear Colm’s voice from the backyard, so rather than heading into the house, he walked around it. Anna and Colm were both laboring over something on the picnic table under the maple tree. Anna hadn’t put her hair in a ponytail today, so as she leaned over to look at whatever they were doing, her curls tumbled forward.

  Liam stood at the corner of the house watching the two of them.

  “…and that’s a bird on the rainbow.” Colm pointed to something on the table. Liam assumed it was a picture.

  Liam must have moved or made some noise because Colm’s attention switched from the table to Liam. “Hey, Liam.” He went from stationary to running in the blink of an eye and hurled himself at Liam, enveloping him in a huge hug. “Aunt Betty wants to know if I can have a sleepover at her house. We got a new movie, and we’re gonna make popcorn and stay up really late—maybe all night, if she don’t fall asleep. And Mr. Gerry says he’ll take me fishin’ tomorrow, if that’s okay. I won’t fall in or anythin’.”

  Liam nodded. “That’s fine.”

  “I’ll go tell her.” He bolted toward the house.

  “You look happy,” Anna said, as she gathered up the paper and paints that were spread across the picnic table.

  “I have a new employee. Actually Franklin Systems Security does. He’s starting tomorrow.”

  “Congratulations. That should make things easier on you.”

  “Do you want to celebrate with me tonight? I thought the three of us could go out, but since Colm is going to Betty’s, it would be just us.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “I’ll buy you dinner. We could drive to Erie.”

  “Or,” Anna said.

  “Or what?”

  “Or we could order in. Colm was my last appointment for the day, so I’m all yours.”

  Liam was sure Anna hadn’t meant the words the way they sounded, but his body didn’t know that. It had tightened in a most uncomfortable manner. He forced himself to ignore how much he wished Anna had meant the words exactly the way that they’d sounded and concentrated on dinner. Ordering in.

  “We could order Chinese, if you like Chinese food,” Anna added.

  “Since when did Whedon get a Chinese restaurant?” Liam asked.

  “We didn’t. Colm and I went to Macky’s the other day for burgers, and they’ve got a new Chinese menu.”

  “You’re sure you’re willing to try Chinese from a burger joint?”

  Anna laughed. “Sometimes, you’ve got to throw caution to the wind.” She kissed him. It was the smallest of pecks on the cheek. “Has Colm ever packed for an overnight by himself?”

  “No.” Before Anna, Colm hadn’t done much by himself.

  Before Anna.

  He seemed to think that a lot.

  “Then I’d better go supervise.” She kissed him again. “Congrats on your new employee.”

  Liam trailed after her and watched as she hustled Colm upstairs to pack.

  “So, did you hire this one?” Aunt Betty asked as she tidied around the kitchen.

  “Yes.” And Liam was forgetting his anxiety about hiring someone. He was thinking about how much more time he’d get to be at home. With Colm.

  With Anna.

  “Good,” Aunt Betty said, wiping her wet hands on a towel. “After you didn’t even consider the last three—”

  “They were nowhere near qualified.”

  “—I figured you would never let go of the reins totally and get the help you need.” Without waiting for him to respond, she said, “Colm mentioned you agreed to let him come spend a night at our place.”

  “Yes. That is if you’re sure.”

  “Gerry will love having someone to fish with,” she said. “He used to take our nieces and nephews, but they’ve long since gotten too busy for him. I don’t know why I didn’t think of inviting Colm before.”

  “Maybe because you assumed Colm wouldn’t be able to. Just like I assumed he couldn’t do so many things he does quite readily now.” Because of Anna, he thought again.

  “Anna’s made a difference,” she said, as if she’d read his mind.

  “Yes.” And not only with his brother.

  “You be careful, Liam. I know you don’t appreciate hearing someone else’s opinion, but that girl is special. She’s not someone you date for a while, then dump. I don’t think she does things halfhearted. If she starts, she’s all in. She’s not here to be used.”

  The accusation hurt. “I don’t use women, Betty.”

  “You do. Not in a mean way, but you and I know that you’re not going to get serious with them, and they all end up serious about you. And that hurts. I don’t want that for Anna.”

  “I don’t either.” He did date now and then, but Colm had made things difficult. Even before his parents died, Colm had been his test—watching how the women he dated reacted to Colm. He always made it clear that Colm came first. That didn’t tend to sit well, and—

  “Be careful,” Betty continued. “I fear you’re playing with fire and you don’t even know it. And I’m not worried that you’re the one going to get burned. I’m worried about Anna.”

  “I don’t know what to say.” He genuinely cared for Anna and she understood and accepted Colm in a way no other woman ever had. She really liked Colm for himself. She saw how special he really was. “Aunt Betty, I—”

  “Don’t say anything, just be careful of that girl. I like her. She’s good people.”

  After Betty left, taking Colm with her, her warning continued to bother him. He wasn’t sure why. He listened as Anna ordered more food than the two of them could ever eat from Macky’s.

  “Why don’t we go out and sit on the front porch and wait,” Anna said.

  Thankful for something to do, Liam agreed. “Want something to drink first?”

  “I think Aunt Betty made lemonade.” Anna didn’t wait for him to get it, she walked into the kitchen and poured them each a glass. She didn’t ask where the glasses were. She navigated his kitchen with the same efficiency that Betty did.

  They sat on the porch holding their lemonades. A jogger went by, Anna smiled and waved.

  She sighed happily. “I do love your porch.”

  “Porch envy, right?” He laughed. Anna’s statement about dreaming little things stuck with him. What made him happy?

  Anna.

  At this moment, sitting with her on his porch with a lemonade in his hand, he was very happy.

  What were his dreams? That he hadn’t figured out yet.

  Patrick from next door got dropped off. He spotted them as he wheeled his walker up his driveway. “Hey, Li, Anna. Enjoy the night. It’s a beauty, all right.”

  Anna waved and called back, “Yes it is. A beautiful evening. Enjoy.” She sat back and gave another contented sigh. “I really like your neighbors. Patrick’s a character. He caught me leaving one afternoon and told me that my name meant gracious. He then proceeded to tell me that potatoes Anna is a French potato dish. By the time he was done, I knew more about the origins of my name than anyone should.”

  “I think I must have inspired that particular conversation. He’d been filling me in on my name as well.” He remembered that co
nversation. Warrior? He didn’t feel like a warrior. As he’d told Anna, he’d never really had any dreams…he’d taken the next step, whatever it was. There’d been no fighting for any of it, simply one step after the next.

  “Don’t leave me in suspense,” Anna said. “Your name means?”

  “Liam means warrior, Colm means dove.”

  She smiled and nodded in agreement. “Do you think your mom knew what they meant when she named you?”

  “No. We were named after her dad and his brother. They came over from Ireland together and bought a farm in Crawford County. Great-Uncle Colm never married. He had a small shanty behind the big house and worked next to my grandfather his entire adult life. Mom loved him best, I think. He was never too busy to tell her a story. She told them to me and Colm when we were little.”

  “I like names that mean something.”

  “And you? Why’d your parents name you Anna?”

  She took a long sip of her lemonade before saying, “My dad was Antonio. Antonio Chapel. My mom had a lot of complications with her pregnancy, and for a while, they didn’t think either of us would make it. My father was terrified. He swore there would be no more babies. My mother fought, but he wouldn’t listen. So, she named me after him. It’s really Antonia, but I was always Anna. I like that he left me that piece of himself.”

  A young couple pushing a stroller walked by. Anna called out a merry, “Hi,” and they both waved.

  “I love this.”

  He recognized that she was changing the subject, and he got that. She’d shared something deeply personal and needed some space from it, so he simply said, “What do you love?”

  “I know I might have mentioned it before,” she laughed a small tinkling sound. “But sitting on the porch and watching the world go by. I love it.” She gave another happy sound that was akin to a sigh, but it was a signal of absolute pleasure.

  Such a little thing to make someone so happy. “Watching the world go by makes you happy.” It wasn’t a question. He didn’t need to ask because he knew that it did.

  “I have friends who are always working toward that next big thing that will make them happy. A promotion. An expensive new car. A beach house. Flying to some exotic destination for vacation. But to be honest, driving a new car doesn’t matter to me. Living in a ritzy house or going on expensive vacations don’t either.”