Lindsey passes altogether and Alex's parents just give us a brief congratulations. I don't know if they suspect, but I'm relieved that this part of the evening is over.
Finally, it is time for dessert and dancing.
When the music starts roaring, I step outside for some more fresh air. The area by the pool is crowded and I want some alone time so I go around the side of the house.
There’s a secondary patio along with a smaller outdoor dining table and four chairs.
I collapse into one, pushing off my heels and propping up my sore feet on another.
I don’t see that someone is sitting across from me until he clears his throat.
10
Emma
“I didn't mean to scare you,” he says after I jump.
“No, you didn't.” It's a lie and we both know it, but he lets me off the hook.
Suddenly, I feel self-conscious. How could I have not seen him before?
“I can go if you need some time alone,” he says in his smooth, velvety voice.
I hesitate and he leans over the picnic table, bringing his face out of the shadows.
His eyes are piercing and black. His hair is silky and dark, falling slightly into his face.
There is a mysterious aura to him, almost as if he doesn't quite belong here.
Then again, who does?
“No, you don't have to leave,” I say. “I like the company.”
I wait for him to ask me what's wrong, but he doesn't.
I appreciate that. We spend some time enjoying each other's presence without the need to fill the void with conversation.
“So, you're the bride-to-be, huh?”
I shrug and say, “I guess.”
“Maybe not?” he asks, raising one eyebrow higher than the other.
“Absolutely not,” I say.
This is the first time that I've ever told anyone at this party the truth, outside of my immediate family, and it feels incredibly liberating.
For the first time, I’m not pretending that I am someone that I'm not.
For the first time, I’m not covering up for some awful deed in order to save face.
By the way, why is it that I should feel humiliated by what Alex did?
I didn't do anything wrong.
He's the asshole.
What's wrong with exposing him for being this terrible person who would do something so evil to someone that he supposedly loves?
“I just found out that Alex isn't exactly who I thought he was,” I say quietly, looking out into the distance. “I was going to break up with him. I did break up with him. Then my mom refused to call off this party and his parents and his family members already flew in so… Here we are.”
“None of them know that you're not really getting married?”
I shake my head and say, “Besides my mom and sister, you're the only person at this party who knows the truth.”
“Nice.” He smiles.
“But I don't even know your name.”
I laugh and he laughs along with me.
He’s dressed in a black suit but without a tie and with an open collar. He looks both elegant and casual at the same time.
Unlike some of the people at the party, he doesn't look uncomfortable in his suit. In fact, it's quite the opposite.
He looks like he could sleep in it, attend a board meeting, and go surfing and somehow it would always be a fit.
“I'm Emma,” I say, extending my hand. “Emma Scott.”
“Nice to meet you, Emma,” he says and I like the feel of my name in his mouth.
When our hands touch, a shock of electricity sends the hairs on the back of my arm straight into the air.
I laugh, but he just smiles at the corner of his mouth. His lips are small, but full.
There's a lusciousness to them that is difficult to ignore.
Yet his smile is crooked. It's not the same on both sides, giving him a kind of whimsical quality.
“I’m Liam,” he says. “Liam Parish.”
I smile to myself at the symmetry with which he speaks, mirroring my own.
I want to ask who invited him here, but I can't quite come up with the right wording to stop me from sounding rude.
“So, what do you do, Liam?”
“Lots of things and a little bit of everything.”
I look up at him and our eyes meet. That question is supposed to be answered with a job title, but he challenges me and I like that.
“I like to surf. I like to ride horses. I like to hike and swim and read. How about you?”
I pause for a moment to think about it.
Those all sound like hobbies. I think to myself. I haven't had much time to spend on my hobbies in years.
“I'm a writer. Journalist. I work for Coast Magazine.”
“Oh, I see. How do you like it there?”
“It’s interesting. I've always wanted to write for a living and I love that I can actually do that. Whether or not I make enough money to make a living, that's a whole other thing.”
“Doesn't seem like that's something you have to worry about,” Liam says, looking around the house and the grounds.
I clench my jaw to keep the anger at bay.
“For your information, I don't take any money from my parents whatsoever. They're rich, but I’m not. I make my own way in life.”
Liam focuses his gaze on me, narrowing his eyes.
I expect him to apologize, but he doesn't. Instead he just looks at me as if I am the one who has said something wrong.
“I didn't mean anything by that.” He finally caves.
“Yeah, no one ever does.”
“Is that something that's important to you?” he asks.
“What? Living on the money that I make and nothing else?”
He shrugs and says, “That's not usually how it's done in these parts.”
“I don't need a lecture on how nepotistic and self-centered people in Los Angeles can be. Everyone seems to do just about anything for money and access, but I'm not like that.”
I cross my arms and get up.
“I'm sorry,” he says after a long pause.
“Doesn't matter. I'm having a bad day.”
If we had met under normal circumstances, I would have never jumped down his throat like that. He didn’t really say anything out of line and perhaps I was too quick to anger.
“So, what kind of stuff do you work on for Coast?” Liam asks. “I've seen it at Barnes & Noble, but I've never picked it up.”
“Too many pictures of the ocean?” I ask.
“Too many pictures of carefully curated dining room tables with their centerpieces of lemons and silverware.”
I laugh.
I like his sense of humor. It's understated and surprising, something that I desperately need right now to take my mind off my life.
“We write a lot of articles about interior design especially for coastal houses, but mainly it's a lifestyle magazine with recipes and ideas for parties and that kind of thing. There are also a few spots for features. The one that I'm working on now seems kind of far-fetched and not a great fit for the magazine, but my boss has a stick up her ass about getting me to write it so I have to figure out how to do that.”