Page 9 of Izzy and Her Off-Limits Love

His eyes search mine. “Because we’re working together?”

“That. And it’s been a long time since we’ve talked. I guess I’m feeling a little … unsure.”

My confession, somewhat true, seems to erase his hesitation because he straightens his shoulders and smiles at me.

“Well, we can’t have that, can we? Maybe karaoke is just the shot in the arm our relationship needs.”

I want to tell him he’s not allowed to use the wordrelationshipwhen he’s talking about us, but I find myself smiling despite myself.

“You think karaoke is going to fix things?”

He nods with mock solemnity. “I do. It’s the only solution at this point. A moral imperative. Plus”—he lowers his voice and leans closer—“I’ve missed hearing you sing, Iz.”

The butterflies swooping through my stomach must be some kind of mutant species. Massive and aggressive, they could eat normal butterflies for breakfast.

Only now do I remember I’m still touching Liam’s arm. I drop my hand and take a big step back.

“I’ll text you the address.”

“Or we could ride together?” he suggests. “I’d feel safer knowing you’re not alone. Can I follow you to your place, and we’ll go from there?”

Liam is not making this easy on me. It’s almost like the universe is sending me a giant test of my moral character. And the durability of my heart.

“Sounds good. Let’s go.”

FOUR

Izzy

“You’re late!”Alisa says as I approach.

I step around an enormous potted palm draped with tiny twinkle lights and slide up to the bar beside her. Green and red garland is tacked up along the edge, and the bartender is wearing a Santa hat. Overhead, there’s mistletoe hanging at least every fifteen feet.

“I know,” I say as I reach for her drink and take a quick sip. “And I’ll explain. But right now, I need you to promise me something.” I glance toward the door. Liam dropped me off out front and went to look for street parking, so I should have a minute. But I still don’t want to risk wasting time.

“Anything, sweetie. Are you okay?” Alisa asks, petting my hair.

Normally, her casual affection doesn’t bother me, but right now, every nerve ending is like a tripwire, sending panicked signals to my brain. I take a step back.

“I’m good. But…” I hesitate, biting my lip. “Liam is here.”

Her brows shoot up in surprise, then she cranes her neck to glance around the bar. “YourLiam? Your cousin crush?”

I grip her arm to pull her attention back to me. “He isnotmy Liam or my cousin or my crush. Strike all of those words from your vocabulary before he gets in here.”

“Fine. But I still don’t understand. Like, he just showed up? I thought he lived in New York.”

“He does. Or he did. He just moved back.”

Her eyebrows lift. “A weird coincidence, considering you just told me about him this week.”

“The world is full of strange coincidences. I probably conjured him into existence by talking about him,” I mutter, glancing toward the door as it opens. Not Liam. “Anyway. He showed up at work today—he’s doing a software thing with my company—and one thing led to another, and now he’s here with me. I’ll tell you the whole story when we have more time. But for right now, please just act like you’ve never heard his name, okay?”

“Okay. Got it.” She takes a sip of her cocktail, grinning slyly around her glass. “That explains the dress you’re wearing, at least.”

I look down at the white silk I changed into when Liam followed me back to my place. It’s one of my favorites, fun and flirty and a little sexy without being too much for weeknight karaoke. “What’s wrong with my dress?”

“Nothing. You look amazing. But tell me honestly. Would you have changed out of your work clothes for Chuck?”

---