Page 34 of The Focal Point

“Nah, I’m fine. The doctor said I didn’t have a concussion. I’m just going to go in and crash.” He paused, his hand on the doorknob. “But if I need anything, I promise I’ll call Tom. He’ll laugh his ass off first, but he’ll come and help.”

I huffed a laugh. “Okay, well, if you’re sure—”

It was time to leave, he’d said he would be fine, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to turn and leave. Liam hadn’t moved, either. Was he waiting politely for me to go? I was sure he had a splitting headache.

“Thanks again for being there today,” he said finally.

“It was nothing.” I waved his appreciation away. “I wasn’t going to leave you there to bleed out.”

My quip earned me a chuckle, and then it was quiet again. But before I could move or say anything else, Liam leaned down and pressed a kiss to my cheek.

“I’ll call you so you know I’m okay,” he said as he pulled back, catching my gaze and holding it for a moment before he turned and let himself into his house.

I was in a daze as I walked back to my car, unsure what had just happened. Had that been a thank-you kiss? Of course, it was—what else could it have been?

And yet, something about the way he had looked at me told me it wasn’t.

Those butterflies fluttered again at the thought, and as I slipped into my seat, I put my fingers to my cheek. I could still feel the warmth of his lips against my skin.

Did I dare believe what my heart wanted to think of the kiss? Could I trust myself and my judgment?

Could I trust Liam?

My butterflies certainly hoped so.

Chapter 13

Liam

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“HEY, HANK.” I RAISED my hand to greet the guy hauling a large box out to the waiting truck.

“Liam.” Hands full, he nodded his chin as his gesture of reply.

“Is Bailey in there?” I asked, hoping I hadn’t missed her. Today was the last day of work on the house, and it had, unfortunately, been incredibly busy. I had raced through my meetings and the to-do list Gloria had sent me—almost, anyway. She had given me the stink-eye as I had run out the door before it was done, promising her I would come in early and stay late to finish it the next day. Then I’d made a crack asking her which of us was really the boss that hadn’t produced the smile I had hoped for.

Her parting words had been “I can’t do my job unless you do yours.” It had been her mantra for as long as we had worked together, and it was true. But at the same time, today was more important. I knew I had to get to the office before Bailey left.

I had a plan, one I had been planning in the couple of weeks between my ER visit and today.

Could I call her after the fact? Of course. But first, I had to be there for the walk-through. And second, and perhaps most importantly, I felt that I finally had my chance to ask her out at a time when she would say yes.

I hadn’t meant the day we’d gone to the hospital to end up like it had, although I imagined anyone who ended up in the emergency room would say the same thing. And I certainly hadn’t planned on kissing Bailey like that, even if it was just on the cheek.

It was easy to blame the fact that I was exhausted after dealing with the emotional impact of visiting the hospital, the memories it engendered, and my fear of needles. It could be even easier to blame the pain medication the nurse gave me or how my head ad been throbbing like it was in a vise.

But I knew it wasn’t any of that. All of it had come together to cloud my head enough that I didn’t think about what I was doing and diminished my self-control so that I didn’t stop myself. But oh, I had wanted to kiss Bailey.

My father had always said you get to know a person not on dates but during the hard times. And even though Bailey and I had shared many conversations over the course of her design work on my house—houses—I knew there was a part of the designer she kept hidden, something I couldn’t access because of the walls she had up. That was the barrier I had been trying to get around, the one I knew I had to work my way through brick by brick before I could ask her to go on a date with me, much less start a relationship.

Would we have gotten to that point without the accident? I wasn’t so sure. True to my dad’s words, I had seen Bailey in a different light. She had been cool, calm, and collected throughout the ordeal, precisely what I needed to counter my rising panic. There was a good chance had I been alone, I might have tried to tough it out. But not only had Bailey somehow gotten me to the hospital, but she had stayed by my side the entire time. Her presence, her understanding, her stories, and her literal handholding had gotten me through what would have been challenging to do alone.

I had already been falling for Bailey, but that day had cemented her place in my mind and heart. Now all I had to do was implement my plan. If she hadn’t already left. I knew she had a big meeting the next day and had told me Kristen would have to do the walk-through with me if I couldn’t make it.

In reply to my question about Bailey’s whereabouts, Hank’s eyes shifted to the house, then back to me, clearly wondering why I was asking. I’d seen him watching me and had come to realize he was protective of his employer in a quiet, unobtrusive way. I wasn’t even sure Bailey was aware. But the last thing I wanted to do was get on the large man’s bad side.

“I’m here for the final walk-through,” I explained.