There was a weighted silence as they walked away from the building and into the dark, empty parking lot. The air felt quiet and heavy. While they’d been in his office, the dam holding back the sky had broken loose, releasing a flurry of snowflakes that covered the sidewalk and roads in a thin layer of soft white crystals.
The only lights outside the school were the tall, overhead streetlights streaming down on them, and when Sadie looked up at them, she could see the heavy snowflakes rapidly raining down from the sky.
Their cars just happened to be parked next to each other under one of the tall lights, and Sadie turned on him as she mercifully reached the back of her small blue SUV.
“Well, thanks so much for your help, Mr. Cohen,” she said with her trademarked trying-too-hard grin. “I’ll see you at Annie’s tomorrow.”
Standing behind their two cars, Liam nodded tightly and raised his hand in the air in a half-hearted wave. The snowflakes were falling fast and sticking to his shoulders and the top of his dark head.
Letting out a resigned sigh, Sadie began climbing into her car when she heard his voice call out to her.
“Ms. Sullivan—Sadie,” he called. She looked up to see he was still standing behind their cars, his hand tightly gripping on his leather messenger bag. “Why don’t you call me Liam? Everyone else does.”
Sadie felt butterflies rise from her stomach and flutter happily around her heart. “I’d love to call you Liam … it’s short for William, right?”
His eyes seemed to flash as he gave her another tight nod and stared at her intently for a couple of long beats. Sadie felt that flush rise up her body and settle on her cheeks as she let out a nervous giggle and gave his serious face one last wave.
“See you tomorrow, Liam,” she said as she lowered herself into her car.
“See you tomorrow … Sadie.”
4
Liam
“Liam!Youlookfreezing.Get in here.”
Taking a step backward, Annie opened the front door of her house wider to allow Liam to step inside, her brows creased in a concerned smile as she looked him up and down. Her brown curls strained to break loose from the loose bun she’d wrapped around the crown of her head, and she was wearing an apron picturing an overly enthusiastic turkey holding a spatula.
“Hey, Annie, thanks for having me,” he said, banging his snow-caked boots on the door frame before reaching down to unlace them. There was a very clean, plush blue and white patterned rug inside the doorway, and the last thing he wanted to do was stomp snow all over it. He’d been to Annie’s house before, and he knew that her boyfriend, Ian, was exceptionally neat.
“Oh, god, don’t worry about that. Just get inside. Ian will deal,” Annie laughed, pulling the door even wider and waving him into the house.
Stepping into the warmth of the small A-frame house, Liam was relieved to escape the falling snow. Annie closed the heavy wooden door behind him while he toed off his boots, setting them in the row of similar boots along the wall of the entryway.
He took a deep breath and caught the savory, herby notes of roasting food. The rich scent combined with an overflowing vase of bright yellow dahlias on the small, rustic side table emanated a warm, cozy feeling, which resonated deeply with Liam after spending the morning in his quiet, empty apartment.
“I’m glad you made it. I’ve been so worried about you and Sadie traveling in this weather,” she said as she took his wool coat from his hands, carelessly shaking the snow that clung to it onto the clean rug before hanging it in a small closet behind her.
“Is she here?” he asked in a low voice, his heart jumping inconveniently at Sadie’s name.
“Not yet,” Annie said simply, her eyes narrowing as she closed the closet door, looking distractedly out the small window next to the front door. “I hope she’s driving safe out there, though….”
“Annie, how many times do I have to tell you that now that you’re all Lake Conradians, you shouldn’t be afraid of the snow anymore?” Annie’s boyfriend, Ian, said the words teasingly as he came up behind her, wrapping his arm gently around her narrow shoulders and looking down at her warmly.
Ian was a huge guy, towing over his petite girlfriend in the narrow entryway. He had a neatly trimmed beard, and while he usually had a constantly serious, over-thinking look on his face, he looked light and breezy today, gazing down at Annie indulgently.
“Hey now,” Annie said indignantly as she lightly smacked his chest. “Sometimes it rains in Sac, which is very difficult for everyone. You want a beer, Liam?” Hearing atingsound from the kitchen, Annie jumped before Liam could answer. “Oh! Time to baste the turkey! Ian, will you get Liam a beer?”
Ian chuckled after Annie appreciatively as she rushed toward the kitchen in a flurry of apron strings and curls.
“Do youwanta beer, Liam?” Ian asked, turning back to Liam with a teasing glint in his bright blue eyes.
“I’d love one, thanks,” Liam answered with a smile, following Ian into the living room.
The living room had a tall, slanted ceiling and a small blazing pot belly stove in the corner. Liam heard the low sound of a football game from the TV and saw Annie’s friend, Lena, sitting with her legs curled up under her on the sleek mid-century modern leather sectional. She had a sketch pad on her lap and a distracted look on her delicate features as her fingers swept a pencil over a piece of paper.
Her boyfriend, Jake, sat next to her, thoroughly enraptured by the football game playing on the giant TV on the other side of the room, an arm swung casually behind Lena on the back of the couch.