Kate Hoffmann - Liam

“You’re just being a big wimp,” Keely scolded. “Do you honestly think you’re going to get what you want by sitting on your butt at this bar?”

He sat up. “But I don’t know where she is,” Liam said. He paused. “Not now. But I do know where she’ll be. She has to testify at Ronald Pettibone’s trial. And we’re supposed to go to New York to talk to the prosecuting attorneys next month about our testimony. She’s bound to be there.”

“Then you have a month to figure out what you’re going to say. A month to make it so good that she can’t possibly resist.”

“I’m not sure I can wait that long,” Liam said.

“Don’t you think she’s worth the benefit of time? If you really care about her, then you need to be sure that you’re acting out of love and not out of some need to soothe your bruised ego,” Keely said.

Liam slid off his bar stool and grabbed his jacket. “Thanks, Keely.”

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Sean’s number as he walked to the door. But there was no answer on the other end. He knew Sean wasn’t out of town and he wasn’t working a case, so he was probably at home, catching up on his paperwork. Liam had done plenty of favors for his brother, now it was time for Sean to return one of those favors.

He just needed to know where she was, to make sure she was all right. Once he knew that, he could sleep again at night. For the first time in nearly a week Liam actually felt optimistic about his future. He had money in his bank account and a possible buyer for some of his photos. And he had met a woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

Now he just had to find the right way to tell her.

THE Manhattan bookstore was a quiet respite from the congested traffic and throng of lunch-hour pedestrians outside. Ellie checked her watch, wondering if she ought to forgo browsing for a quick lunch. She had a half hour before she was due in the federal prosecutor’s office to discuss her testimony in the embezzlement case involving Ronald Pettibone-or David Griswold. She’d learned from the prosecutor that Ronald was one of five aliases that her former lover had used.

The trial would take place next month and Ellie had been told that she would be called to testify. But today her mind wasn’t occupied with thoughts of the trial, or even of her interview. Today there was every chance that she’d see Liam Quinn again.

A tremor of anticipation raced through her and she took a moment to calm herself. She’d been thinking about this day since she’d left Boston nearly a month before, wondering how it might feel to see him again, curious to know if their attraction had faded. She’d even taken the day off to get ready, spending most of the morning picking through her wardrobe and fixing her hair.

Ellie thought it would be simple to forget him. She’d been so hurt and confused and angry when she’d left him at the bank that day. Determined to make a new start, she’d decided to try a brand-new city. But on the way to her new life, she’d stopped by New York and Intertel Bank had offered her another job, as a reward for what she’d done to catch Ronald. Faced with the prospect of an exhausting job search in a new city, Ellie had accepted, gaining a promotion and a higher salary in the process.

It was as if she’d turned back the clock to a time before she’d met Liam Quinn, before she’d laid eyes on Ronald Pettibone. Her life had returned to normal-she had friends, a nice apartment in a familiar city. Only Ellie didn’t really care for normal anymore. Normal was boring.

She glanced at the signs hanging from the ceiling of the store, directing customers to the different types of books. When she saw Self-Improvement, she fought the urge to check the shelves for something new. Since returning from Boston, Ellie had sworn off self-improvement. She was now learning to enjoy fiction. And she’d started collecting cookbooks.

It was high time to be happy with herself exactly the way she was. She didn’t need to go looking for love. If it was meant to find her, it would. And all the relationships that had come before were part of her life’s experience. “The right man is out there…somewhere,” she murmured. “He just has to find me.”

It sounded like a good plan but, in her heart, Ellie had a hard time convincing herself. Every time she pictured her future with one man, that man looked exactly like Liam Quinn, with his dark hair and his gold-green eyes. At first she’d tried a rational explanation-he’d simply been the last man in her life and his image still lingered in her mind. And then she’d decided that Liam Quinn had been the closest she’d come to her perfect man. But, finally, Ellie had been forced to admit that she was still in love with him.

She shook her head, unable to focus on the shelves of fiction in front of her. Her appointment was scheduled for eleven-thirty. There wasn’t any reason she couldn’t arrive early. Maybe Liam would be waiting, as well.

Ellie stepped out onto the street and wove through the mass of pedestrians, heading in the direction of Foley square. She wasn’t even sure he was coming to New York today. Only a casual comment from the prosecuting attorney had given her a tiny bit of hope. Leslie Abbott had mentioned that she was going to try to interview all of them on the same day.

“I love him,” she murmured, the thought repeating itself in her mind with every step she took. It hadn’t been difficult to face the truth. Her feelings toward him seemed so natural and so right-even though he had deceived her and hurt her. But Ellie had gone through enough breakups to know that her feelings could be completely one-sided. For all she knew, Liam had moved on.

Ellie pulled open the lobby door and walked inside, ignoring the ache in her heart. Just the thought of Liam with someone else brought a flood of emotion. How could she have walked away? She’d allowed her anger to overwhelm her true feelings for Liam. She’d ruined something that could have been wonderful.

A security guard sat at a desk near the elevator. “Please sign in, miss.”

Ellie grabbed the pen he offered and put it to paper. But before she signed her name, she scanned the list of people who had signed the book before her. Her heart skipped when she saw a name she recognized-Liam Quinn.

“Who are you here to see?” the guard asked.

“Liam Quinn,” Ellie murmured, running her finger over his name. She glanced up, then realized her mistake. “I’m sorry. I’m here for Leslie Abbott.”

“Seventh floor,” the guard said.

The elevator took forever, grinding upward, floor by floor. Ellie imagined that Liam was on his way down while she was on her way up and they’d miss each other completely. Her mind whirled as she tried to come up with something to say when she saw him. “‘Hello’ would be a good start,” she muttered. But after that?

The elevator doors opened and Ellie stepped into a tiny reception area. A receptionist greeted her and took her name, then invited her to take a seat.

“Ellie?”

She turned, then smiled, surprised to see Keely Quinn sitting near a potted plant. “Hi. What are you doing here?”

“I rode down on the train this morning with Sean and Liam. I have a cake decorating business here that I’ve been gradually moving up to Boston. But I still have a lot of corporate clients in Manhattan. I guess you’re here for your interview.”

Ellie nodded. “Is Sean in there now?”

“No, he finished earlier and headed back to the train station. Liam is in there now.” She glanced at her watch. “They said he’d be done by noon. We were going to have lunch. Maybe you could join us?”

“I-I don’t know. They might want to talk to me right away.” Ellie took in a ragged breath. “So how is everything in Boston? How is…Rafe?”

“He’s fine. But aren’t you more interested in knowing how Liam is?” Keely asked, her eyebrow arching.

“I just…well, there isn’t-” Ellie swallowed hard and forced a smile. “How is he?”

“He’s been good,” Keely said. “Busy. He sold some of his photos for a coffee table book on Boston and now he’s going to have a show at a gallery. And he and Brendan have been talking about doing a book together. He also had a chance to show his photos to National Geographic. They didn’t offer him a job, but they might in the future.”

“It sounds like he’s doing really well.”

Keely nodded. “He isn’t seeing anyone,” she said. “Not since you.”

“Hmm. Well, he won’t be alone for long. He’s a really great guy. There are plenty of women who will want him.”

“Yes. But what he wants is what really matters,” Keely said cryptically.

A long silence grew between them and Ellie fought the impulse to ask Keely what she was really trying to say. Did Liam ever talk about her? Had he been happy since she left? Did she think there was still a chance for them?

“And how have you been doing?” Keely finally asked.

Ellie took a deep breath. All this small talk was exhausting her! If she knew Keely better, she might be able to come right out and ask, Do I still have a chance with Liam? But she wasn’t a teenager and she didn’t need a go-between to solve the problems in her love life.

“I have a new job. And I just found a great new apartment. I’m doing really well. I’ve put everything that happened in Boston behind me. Actually, not quite everything-there’s still this trial and…well, not everything.”

Keely nodded slowly, then stood. “I’m going to see if I can find a cup of coffee. Would you like something?”

“No, thank you,” Ellie replied.

She watched Keely leave, then folded her hands on her lap, trying to keep them from trembling. In truth, her stomach was so nervous she wasn’t sure she could even take a sip of water. Everything came down to this, to the look on his face when he saw her, to the first words out of her mouth. Ellie groaned inwardly. So much for a brand-new start.