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 him, none had made him feel uncomfortable or watched. Perhaps having a billionaire mountain retreat location so close had made them used to seeing famous faces around town. Relieved, he let a little of his guard down.
There was an eccentric mix of people in Eureka Springs, he observed. Some were clearly tourists with their maps and fanny packs, matching t-shirts and tired, hungry children. Others were wearing dark clothes and even darker make-up, and some even wore costumes as if it were still Halloween. College-age adults made up a huge number of people walking by, and he continually caught snippets of conversations about ghosts. He’d never had much interest in ghost stories, but apparently people who did were drawn to this place.
Across the street, he spotted a woman walking fast, her long, wavy auburn hair streaming behind her. She waved and said hello to people as she passed, and Liam sat there as if glued to his seat.
How had he forgotten how beautiful she was?
No, not forgotten. More like he’d filed it away and hadn’t pulled that file out in months. Almost a year. Not since Hawaii.
Viola Nightingdale.
She turned a corner and he jumped up from his chair to go after her. He pushed through the thickening crowd, and up ahead, he saw her go into Callie’s pet store, From Wags to Wishes.
Chapter 4
Viola walked into From Wags to Wishes, the bell jingling to announce her arrival. Allison stood at the register, restocking the custom dog treats in the case. The store was packed, even for a Saturday afternoon, but no customers stood at the counter yet.
Viola walked up and knew to steer clear of the frosted treats on a plate near the register with the sign, Take one for your pup! “Is Callie here?”
Allison looked up, smiling. “No. She won’t be in again until tomorrow.”
“Okay, thanks.” Viola knew she could have just called, but she had a few minutes to kill between clients and wanted to walk through town and to feel the energy of Eureka Springs.
She turned toward the door, then stopped, her heart in her throat, when she saw Liam Nichols standing there. She blinked, feeling jarred. Like one moment she’d been living one life, and in the next she was on a completely different trajectory. One year ago, at Callie and Xander’s wedding, she had spent the most amazing four days of her life with Liam—never having fallen so hard for someone so quickly—and then he’d left her standing by the resort pool, waiting for him. She’d worried as time ticked by, as the sun went down, as her text went unanswered, when she found his room empty.
Xander informed her the next morning that Liam had had to rush back California for work.
Without so much as even a call or a reply to her text. It wouldn’t have been hard to come to their meeting spot and let her know he was leaving. Instead, he just left her waiting for him for hours, completely forgotten.
Pretty much the story of her life, so she didn’t know why she’d been so taken aback. She’d fooled herself into thinking Liam was different. Why? Because he was rich and handsome? Because he was Xander’s brother, and she’d spent all week seeing how happy Xander made Callie? Turned out he was just like the rest of them after all.
“Viola,” he said, pulling her back into the present. He’d moved through the people in the store to stand closer to her, his gaze open and intense.