By this point in our conversation, Liam and I were approaching the house. People were in front of us and behind us on the path but we just continued to talk to each other as we walked slowly. I was stunned to learn that Liam had been delivered a T-shirt that was so coincidentally perfect for him. He was a confident guy, but I could tell he was sort of embarrassed about the misunderstanding.
"I didn't have time to do the shopping myself," I said, stopping in the path to smile at him. "But if I had seen that shirt, I would've definitely chosen it for you. I remember you telling me you liked history, and blue suits you. What shade?"
"Huh?"
"What shade of blue was it?"
"Light."
I nodded. "Yeah, I would have definitely chosen that for you."
"It's really funny that you didn't," he said. "I got that shirt last night, and then I saw you came to the wedding, and I just thought…" he trailed off, shaking his head and giving me as self-deprecating grin. "I don't know what I thought. It doesn't really matter." He gestured at my dress with a smile. "You look beautiful. I'm glad you were able to come."
"Thank you, and me too. It was a really nice ceremony."
"Hey, it's Taylor the tailor!"
I turned to find one of my regular customers—a lawyer by the name of Nick Freeman. He had a long list of Hollywood's A-list as clients, so I assumed he must be Courtney's lawyer. It didn't surprise me to see him there. I smiled and reached out to hug him before tugging gently at his collar.
"Nice choice," I said referring to the khaki linen coat he was wearing.
He grinned and ran his thumb down the lapel. "Only the best," he said. "This is my wife, Becky," he added. I shook the woman's hand, and we talked for a moment about how her husband "kept me in business". I had heard that same sentiment from quite a few wives, and I always laughed and thanked them graciously for putting up with their husband's love for fine suits.
I glanced at Liam regretfully as soon as they walked away. "I really must be going," I said. "If I don't leave now, I'll end up staying all night."
He nodded. I could tell he wanted to ask me to stay but was too considerate to do so, which I appreciated. "May I walk you to your car?" he asked.
I smiled. "I'd like that. My driver's waiting in the driveway."
He nodded and we took off, heading in that direction. I set the pace, and I walked slowly because, honestly, I didn't mind extending our conversation by a minute or two.
"I'm doing better today," I said.
"I can see that," he said. "I was going to ask, but I hated to bring it up."
I took a deep breath. "I miss him, but I know he's better off. How'd you know I was better?"
"Your eyes. Your smile. Everything. I can just tell."
I nodded. "I looked at some puppies online, and that helped. I'll probably get something pretty soon just to fill the void."
"Another Basset?"
I shrugged. "I'm looking at those. I wasn't looking for that breed in the first place. Simon kind of fell into my hands. I like them, though, because they're lazy. I know I couldn't get something with a ton of energy. Even when I first got Simon and he was young, he just laid in the sewing room while I did my work."
"You said you got him when you moved to London," Liam said. "What's the story with that?"
"I was only seventeen," I said. "I grew up in a really small town. I was still seventeen when I finished high school, and I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I had already been studying bespoke tailoring, so I knew London's Savile Row was where I needed to be. I had a job at a pizza place in high school, and I had saved a little money. I went over there with barely more than a suitcase and a few hundred dollars. My family thought I was crazy. Anyway, London was obviously a much bigger place than I was used to, and I was a bit overwhelmed at first. I rented a dirty little apartment and got a job cleaning at a nursing home. Those first few months were a little rough. That's when I found Simon. I walked past a barbershop that had a sign in the window. It had the words "found dog" written on it, but the word "found" had a big X through it, and above it, was written the word "free". Simon had wandered in there a week earlier and no one had come to claim him. They liked him, but they were busy and didn't really have time to worry with taking him for walks and things like that. They said if no one responded to the sign within a day or two they would have to take him to the pound."
"So you took him," Liam assumed.
"I took him home with no questions asked. I didn't even have a leash or collar—they had to give me a piece of rope to lead him home. I couldn't even have dogs in my apartment, but I took him anyway. I don't know what I was thinking or how I got away with it."
"You and Simon must've climbed the ranks of London fashion scene together, then," Liam said.
I smiled. "I guess we did," I said. "He and I went through some poor times at first."
"How'd you end up on Rodeo Drive with your very own store after all that?"
I let out a little laugh. "A ton of hard work. Hard, persistent work with failure and rejection and tears and poverty all rolled into it. It wasn't always glamorous, I promise you that."
"Did you go by way of that road you were talking about? That fashion road you mentioned? I think it started with an S."
"You mean Savile Row? Yes. That's where I paid my dues and learned everything I know. I swept floors and ironed thousands of yards of fabric until they agreed to let me become an undercutter. I worked at the nursing home and had to work on Savile Row for free, but they finally saw that I wasn't giving up, so they started teaching me a few things."
"And here you are," Liam said with a smile.
"And here I am, "I said. "It sounds easier than it was."
"I'm sure it does. That's a pretty amazing story."
"One that I don't share with many people."
"Maybe you like me after all."
I laughed. "I guess maybe if I made time in my life for liking people, Mister Kennedy, I would indeed choose you to be one of them."
He knew I was mostly kidding; I could tell by the sly grin on his face. "Sort of a compliment…" he said in a funny, skeptical tone, looking at me sideways.
I laughed again. We were at the front of the house by now, and we came to stand a few feet away from my ride. My driver got out of the car, but he saw that I was speaking to someone, so he stayed back, giving us space. "It was a compliment," I said reaching out to shake his hand. "I shared more with you just now than I've said to people I've known for years. I don't even think Aaron or Anthony know about me finding Simon at barbershop. It's not that I'm lonely," I added when I saw Liam's expression shift like he was sad for me. "It's just that I'm a private person. I like it that way."
Liam took a deep breath, straightening his posture and putting his hands into his pockets. He had brown eyes, but they were almost light enough to be called hazel, and in the light of the setting sun, they almost appeared golden. He had dark hair and lashes that contrasted the gold tones in his eyes. His jaw was square yet his lips were full and curved. He was more masculine than a lot of the men who came into my store, and I assumed it was for that reason that he caused my heart to beat at a rapid pace.
I had never felt attraction to any of my clients—I could appreciate the shape of a man's body or his face, but I was so focused and driven about my career that I knew I didn't have time to give to emotional things like attraction and desire. I blamed the absence of Simon for my momentary lack in focus, and I blinked and smiled inwardly at the whole chain of thoughts.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"Me? Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Yeah, I wasn't thinking anything," I said, trying to cover myself.
"Nothing is an odd answer to my question," he said.
"What question?"
"I told you I was here for a couple more days and asked if you thought you might have time for a ride. I was thinking about picking up a bike from my family's shop."
"Did you ask me that just now?" I asked.
He smiled and nodded.
"I'm sorry. That's how out-of-it I am. I didn't even hear you." I shook my head regretfully. "I've got too much to do around the store, and I don't know anything about biking, anyway, but thank you. It really was nice meeting you."
"It was nice meeting you, too, but I wasn't talking about biking. When I said bike I meant motorcycle. My family has a dealership here, and I was thinking of borrowing one of their motorcycles to check out one of your scenic highways."
I smiled. I felt shy and caught myself adjusting my stance as I stood next to him. I had forgotten that Courtney's new husband was part of the same Bishop family that made motorcycles, and now it was all making sense. "Riding on a motorcycle is certainly more appealing than going for a bike ride, but even then, I'm just so swamped. My head cutter is on vacation this week. I wasn't even planning on coming here today."
"Do you need some help?" he asked. "I can work a pair of scissors."
I laughed. "I appreciate your confidence, but I'm afraid it's a little more complicated than knowing how to work a pair of scissors."
Liam nodded and gave me a resigned shrug. He was too proud and too much of a gentleman to continue putting himself out there, so I knew this meant he was throwing in the towel. It's what I wanted to happen, but at the same time I hated it. I thought it might be fun to ride on a motorcycle, and I was mad at myself for denying him. I knew I didn't have time for it, though, and for the next few seconds I fought an internal battle where I regretted the decision to turn him away.
"If you want, you can get my number from Courtney," I said. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to touch base with me before you go for a ride just in case I happen to need a little break or something."
"That's a 'yes'," Liam said, smiling wryly at me.
"No, it's not," I assured him. "It's a call me and maybe there will be a ten percent chance that I might just be able to leave my workstation for a second."
"I'll take it," he said with a confident nod.
He stepped toward me, and without asking my permission, he took me into his arms. He was probably just saying goodbye, and to him, it was likely a normal thing to give a farewell hug, but I wasn't used to such behavior and it caught me off guard, forcing me to stiffen. I was raised in Arkansas, and I knew people from the south liked to give hugs, but my family never really did. I continued this tradition once I became a professional, and the extent of my human contact was a handshake or an occasional pat on the back.
I thought Liam would just squeeze me quickly and awkwardly and let me go, but he didn't. He held me there in spite of my stiff resistance.
"You were better at this yesterday," he said.
"That's because you asked me yesterday. I knew it was coming."
"May I hug you, Taylor?" he asked without moving.
I laughed. "I guess…" I said tentatively.
This caused him to chuckle. He shifted, trying to make our position more comfortable. He was grasping me gently and I could've easily gotten away from him, but he smelled good, and it felt good. The human contact was actually a welcome comfort to my senses. I tentatively wrapped my arms around him, giving him a little squeeze.
"That's more like it," he said.
He let me go after a few seconds, staring at me with a smile. I had to look away from him. I was shocked to find that I wished our encounter had continued a little longer.
"I must be going," I said. "I guess you might call me tomorrow when you go for a ride."
"I will, but it might be the next day," he said. "My cousins were talking about going for a hike or to the beach, and I'm not sure when that's going to happen, but I will call before I go for ride. I wouldn't forget… since there's a ten percent chance you'll come with me."
"Maybe twenty," I said.
"Did my chances just double because of that hug? Because if that's the case, I'll give you another one. I'll stand here and hug you until we get to a hundred."
I laughed. "That won't be necessary," I said from over my shoulder as I walked toward the car.
"So, you're saying it's a hundred without the hugs?" He stood with his palms out, wearing an irresistible grin.
I smiled and shook my head at him. "Fifty."
"I'll take fifty," he said. "I'll see you soon."
I grinned at him as I sat in the backseat of the sedan. My driver closed the door and walked around to the other side. My heart was beating a thousand miles an hour, and I felt like I couldn't catch my breath. I didn't want to do it, but I turned and looked out the window to see if Liam was still standing there. He was in the process of turning to walk away, but I caught a glimpse of his profile and could see that he was smiling. That made me smile, and I bit my lip to stop myself. I sighed and let my head flop onto the seatback, wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into.