“Thank you, thank you. I’ll let you know when my Vegas act is ready.” He bowed to Rob, who looked pleased with himself. Shaking his head, Liam tilted the matches from the napkin carefully back into the box and handed it to Rob, who had refilled his drink and topped off Alicia’s wine as the group dispersed still talking about the trick.
Alicia studied the three burned matches, wondering what had caused the effect. She glanced up to find Liam looking at her. “Figure it out yet?” The look in his eyes challenged her.
“Sort of.” Alicia pointed to the spot where the three heads of the matches were joined. “They fused together when they burned. That must have something to do with it. And the heat, maybe?” She frowned. “The third match behaves differently than the other two because they’re stable, right?”
“And you said physics wasn’t your best subject.” He nodded. “You’re right on target. The tops and bottoms of the matches burn at different rates, which creates a surface tension and an upward force. The match heads form a pivot point and since two of the matches are fixed in position by the box, the third one rises.”
“That’s awesome.” Alicia had to admit she was as pleased with herself for figuring out the answer as she was with his presentation of the trick. “Maybe my brain still has some learning capability, after all.”
“I wouldn’t doubt it.” He stood and held out a hand to her. “But brains don’t function well on empty stomachs, and the hostess is waving at me now.”
The hostess led them into the main dining room, a long chamber bordered by old-fashioned transom windows that faced onto a quiet street. A pretty, young waitress came to take their drink orders.
Alicia gazed out into the spring evening and saw a horse and carriage rumble past. She smiled, thinking how different downtown Hillsborough was from its closest neighbor, Chapel Hill. While Chapel Hill was home to the University of North Carolina, Hillsborough was the county seat with its own place in the history and folklore of Orange County. The nearness of the college town as well as the larger cities of Raleigh and Durham gave Hillsborough a unique character, however. Many of the people who worked in the surrounding towns had chosen Hillsborough residences for the rural setting. And other residents had grown up there and had roots spreading back for generations through the loose Piedmont soil.
“Penny for your thoughts.” Liam sat across from her and leaned over. “You look a million miles away.”
“No, I was right here.” Alicia gave him a pensive smile. “I was thinking about this town. It’s…different, you know? Sometimes it’s hard to believe I actually live here.”
“You grew up in Atlanta?”
“Brunswick, actually. It’s a city on the coast. Mostly industrial, but a lot of tourism passes through. There’s really not much there, but if you go across the bridge to the islands, it’s pretty nice.”
“So the small-town thing is a little different for you.” He ran a finger down the outside of his water glass, and she couldn’t help but think about the physics of condensation. He looked up at her silence. “What?”
“Nothing. But yes, the small-town thing is different. Even the tourism industry is different here than down in Brunswick. Merchants seem so laid back here. Not like they don’t care if you come in or not, but more like they’ve been here for a long time and if you don’t come in today, maybe you will tomorrow. If that makes any sense.” She shrugged and leaned back, her gaze attracted to the people strolling by across the street.
After a moment, he broke the silence. “I guess I don’t really know that much about you, except that you met Ty in Atlanta. You went to school there, right?” At her nod, he added, “You’ve never been back to Brunswick?”
“No reason to.” She turned back to him. “My parents died in a car accident while I was a freshman in college. I had a scholarship and their life insurance helped, but I had to get a job to stay in school. I worked part-time at the university’s library while I was in school. After I graduated, I took a job at a magazine as a copywriter. I worked there until I realized what I really wanted to do was handle books, not write. Then I got a job at one of those mega-bookstores, and I worked my way up to assistant manager there. I was still working there when I had Jason.” She looked down, thinking by that time Ty was dead. Hard to believe her job at the bookstore had spanned a greater time than her life with Ty.
“That must have been hard—your parents dying while you were in college, I mean.”
She looked up. “Oh. Yeah, it was. I missed them a lot, and it was lonely knowing they weren’t out there for me if everything went wrong, but I’d been trying so hard to get out of that town, I just kept going. Until I got out of college, anyway.” She laughed. “I sort of lost focus then, jumping from one career to another. And then I met Ty and his mom, and even though she couldn’t take the place of my mother, it didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try.”
Liam snorted. “Yeah, tell me about it.” At her inquiring look, he shrugged. “I was over at Ty’s house a lot while I was growing up. I guess I sort of figured Jim and Millie were closer to being real parents than my own were.” He sighed. “Millie’s always been that kind. You know, always looking for a stray to adopt. I was a kind of disappointment to her.”
“You weren’t very close to your parents, then?” Alicia scanned his face.
“Not really what you’d call close, no. I admired them. My mom and dad were what you might call ‘beautiful people.’ They were smart and fun and completely wrapped up in themselves or whatever project they were working on at the time. I don’t think they were intended to be parents.”
On an impulse, Alicia put her hand on his, wanting to offer comfort. He exhaled and turned his hand over, capturing her fingers before she could withdraw them. Smiling, he looked up. “I don’t mean to sound like a hard-luck case. I wasn’t. My parents took good care of me, fed and clothed me and even loved me. They just weren’t like Millie and Jim. They were involved in their own hobbies and books and each other. But they loved each other, so I always had a sense of security.”
Alicia nodded, trying not to be distracted by the warm, gentle pressure of his fingers on hers. Despite his words, she could sense a great deal of pain in his voice. Knowing what she did about his troubled history with alcohol abuse, she suspected his relationship with his parents had been complex at best. She searched for a safer subject but was saved by the waitress approaching with their drinks. Liam released her hand as the waitress set their drinks, two diet colas, in front of them.
“Have you decided?” The young girl paused, her head cocked as she waited.
Alicia looked helplessly from the unopened menu to Liam, who laughed. “Perhaps another minute?” He turned back to her as the waitress nodded and moved on to another table. “Sorry, I forgot you’ve never eaten here before. I recommend the shrimp and grits. If you don’t like shrimp, though, they have some great pasta and the best fried chicken in the South.”
“I love shrimp.” Alicia scanned the menu quickly. “I’ve never had shrimp and grits before, though.”
“Spicy, sweet, delectable.” He rolled the words around his mouth in a way that made her feel as if she could already taste the dish.
She closed her menu with a snap. “Okay, then. My mind’s made up.”
As if by magic, the waitress reappeared with a basket of flaky biscuits. After they’d ordered, Alicia spread one with a melting butter pat from the same basket. Liam followed her lead. “How’s the bookstore?”
“Almost ready to reopen.” Alicia caught a drip of melting butter on her knife and pushed it back onto the bread. “It’s not where I’d like it. I’d hoped to have a pretty good collection of rare books by now, but maybe I can work on that a little since Lulu’s found me a new manager.”
“Lulu found you a new manager?” Liam set his butter knife aside. “She’s great, isn’t she?”
Alicia shredded a bit of biscuit and raised her eyebrows at him. “Even if she thinks you’ve got ulterior motives?”
Liam waved that observation away. “Lu’s got a skewed perspective of men. Her ex-husband was a total scumbag. If she hadn’t already been a lesbian, she probably would have turned into one after being married to him for eight years.” He paused, looking thoughtful. “For that matter, Penny’s not the most reliable person as far as her view of men. How is it you’ve fallen in with these man-haters?”
Alicia raised an eyebrow. “Well, you dated at least half of them. Besides, Penny doesn’t hate men.”
“No, just me.” Liam nodded agreement as their food arrived.
Alicia took one bite of the shrimp and grits and was in heaven. “Oh my God.” She closed her eyes, savoring the sweet, tangy flavor of the shrimp and sausage combined with the creamy grits. She swallowed almost reluctantly. “That’s sinful.”
She opened her eyes to find him watching her. He quickly took a bite of his own food, chewed and nodded. “Yeah, you can’t go wrong with this. It’s a staple here.”
They ate in silence for a while longer. Then Liam said, “So what will you do with your time now that you’ve got a manager to help out?”
She shrugged. “There’s always the kids, of course. I want to be there for them as much as possible. Gemma starts school in the fall, and I’m having a hard time believing she’ll be gone all day when that happens. And Jason’s growing more every time I turn my back. But I’ve got some plans of my own, mostly to bring in more money for the store, honestly. I specialize in rare book cataloging, something I picked up working in the used book section of the bookstore in Atlanta. I’ve put out a few feelers, trying to pick up some work there.”
“Really?” He looked at her thoughtfully. “I might have somebody in mind for your first client.”
Alicia’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re kidding me. In Chapel Hill?”
“Not Chapel Hill, although I probably could find you somebody there, if you want. No, right in Hillsborough.” He pointed at his chest. “Me. I’ve been at a loss as to what to do with my mom’s books. There’s a whole room of them, and I don’t know what they are or what they’re worth. I’m doing okay packing up the rest of the house, but I haven’t been able to stick those in boxes.”
“That’s awesome.” Alicia leaned forward. “What subjects?”
“She collected a little of everything, but I’d say most are English or American literature, with a little poetry thrown in.”
“Perfect.” She hesitated, not wanting to overstep. “Would you be interested in selling any? I’d offer you a good price.”
Liam spread his hands. “Sure. I’ve got no plans for any of them. My library in Chapel Hill is already full to overflowing. When can you come see them?”
“Is next week too soon?”
He glanced at his watch. “Nope. But for now we need to be thinking about getting to the studio for those dance lessons.”
She gulped as he signaled for the check. As he signed the receipt, she gathered her courage, but as soon as he stood and held out his hand, panic set in. “Crap. I’m not sure I want to do this.”
“Sure you do.” He pulled her to her feet.
“I do?”
“Yep.” He guided her through the door and took her hand as they turned right outside the door, passing his Camaro. He leaned closer and said in a low voice. “I didn’t tell you but the shrimp and grits are really fattening and dancing is good exercise.”
Alicia giggled. “Okay, you got me. I did eat a lot too.”
Making a grim face, he nodded. “I’m afraid if we don’t work some of it off, I won’t, in good conscience, be able to buy you dessert.”
She stared at him, then laughed, shaking her head. “Oh, okay. Since you put it that way. I didn’t know dessert was at stake.”
“Just looking out for your best interests.” He led her across the street and down the block, finally stopping at a pair of wooden double doors. Holding the door for her, he looked at her expectantly, a little challenge in his eyes. Alicia tossed her head and brushed past him.
A slender woman stood with a group of four others, two women and two men of varying heights. She stopped speaking to the group and clapped her hands over her mouth. “The tango!” she exclaimed.
“Pardon?” Alicia stopped short. Of all the greetings she might have expected, this was not top of her list.
“The tango!” The woman skipped forward. “You must learn the tango. It would be an absolute sin for a couple so well matched as you two to not learn the tango. You’re absolutely built to dance the tango together.”
Alicia looked helplessly at Liam. Unhelpfully, he shrugged. “Hey, it’s your dime. I’m just here for the free lesson.”
She wanted to punch him but resisted the temptation, turning back to the woman. “I’m sorry, Miss—”
“Christine, please. We’re all friends here.” The woman twirled forward and took Alicia’s hand. “You must be Alicia and Liam. We’ve been waiting for you, discussing what dance to learn.”
“I’m sorry if we’re late.” Alicia looked around nervously but the other faces seemed friendly enough. “I, um, I’m just not sure about the tango? Isn’t it sort of hard?”
Christine flapped a hand in a dismissive gesture, releasing Alicia. “The tango is all about the attitude if you’re built to dance it. And look at you two! Just a couple of inches difference in height and your figure is perfect. Is everyone else okay with the tango?”
A murmur of assent rose from the group, although Alicia noticed that a short plump woman whose partner was more of the long, lean variety looked a little less than certain. Before anyone could make any objections, however, Christine had them positioned and had found some appropriate music. For the next half hour, Alicia concentrated on figuring out where to put her feet, trying her best not to react too awkwardly to the presence of Liam’s warm hand on her waist.
Whatever Christine might have expected from Alicia and Liam’s physical appearance, it didn’t materialize. They were so busy trying to keep from stepping on each other, they couldn’t find any sort of rhythm. The short, round woman and her tall partner, on the other hand, fared much better, and Christine used them to demonstrate the tougher steps. The woman, Letitia, and her partner, Paul, glided effortlessly across the floor, eyes locked in a way that made Christine fan herself with her hand. Alicia reflected that there was really no way she and Liam could achieve that ease of partnership when they were constantly apologizing to each other.
Christine evidently agreed. As she approached them for the umpteenth time with a disappointed frown, Liam muttered, “We’re gonna get it this time.”
“Honey, you’ve got to hold her like you mean it.” Christine moved his right hand down from Alicia’s waist to her hip. “The important thing about the tango is everybody watching has to be just waiting for you two to get busy right there on the floor.”
Alicia blushed, but as she looked up at him an unexpected thing happened. Instead of being embarrassed, she had a crazy desire to laugh at Christine—and she knew Liam shared that desire, though nothing in his expression betrayed it other than his eyes. He had schooled his face into absolute blankness, but his eyes danced with repressed merriment.
Afraid he’d make her give in to the hilarity, she responded with an intense glare that seemed to please Christine. “That’s it!” she cried. “That’s perfect, Alicia! You’re really making me believe the passion. Now, dance!”
How perfect it would have been if they had actually remembered the steps. Alicia laughed afterward at the coffee bar as Liam got her a decaf iced coffee. Instead, intensely, stonily staring into each other’s eyes, they’d stumbled around the dance floor until, smothering giggles, they’d both begged Christine for a refresher on the steps. After two mo
re tries, they accomplished a halting tango and Christine, looking exhausted, called it a night. The look she gave them as they left made Alicia think perhaps she wasn’t all that interested in helping them make it further.
“It wasn’t your fault, you know.” Liam interrupted her thoughts as he handed her the iced coffee.
“What? The dancing?”
“Exactly. We both know who was stepping on whose toes.” He sipped his coffee.
Alicia smiled. “Actually, it was a lot of fun. And I would never have done something like this if you hadn’t convinced me to keep that certificate.”
He nodded. “Me either. I guess that tells you something about our dancing prospects, huh?”
Alicia peered outside. She felt restless, perhaps because of the dancing, or maybe it was just the unseasonably cool May air. “Let’s go for a walk.”
They strolled through the nearly deserted streets to a little park between the courthouse and the Eno River. Alicia stood for a moment, enjoying the earthy smell of the air and the sound of the little river gurgling through its banks. He stood beside her, his eyes trained on the opposite shore, and she wondered what he was thinking about.
After a moment he turned to her. “You seem very relaxed for a single mom away from her kids.”
“Sorry?” Alicia blinked, a little surprised. She hadn’t even been thinking about her kids right then.
“I’ve just dated a lot of single moms. They always seem to be certain that as soon as they leave the house it’s going to catch fire. You’re not like that.”
She shrugged. “I figure whatever’s going to happen will happen whether I’m there or not. There’s nothing I can do to prevent or help it, so if my kids are in good hands, I leave them there.”
“That’s a very mature attitude.” He nodded approvingly. “Have you always been this way?”
Where the Heart Lies Page 11
