Page 9 of Love Under Review

Colton shook his head. “No need for that. My idea of a bachelor party would be the three of us watching a football game. But we can turn one on while we work on this so Danielle doesn’t come after us.”

Danielle, Mrs. Holloway’s daughter. Liam’s mind turned, wondering how a woman who’d just barely come to town could have so much sway with these two. Then again, he remembered the feisty nature he’d seen when she retorted against the Crestview woman.

Liam stepped away from the fence, folding his arms over his chest. “We’re doing this because Danielle asked?”

Tanner and Colton turned to each other and laughed louder than Liam had heard in a while.

“Danielle is Becca’s best friend and maid of honor. Becca told her she really wants the ceremony up by the pond, that the wedding planner is the one who kept pushing for the rec center,” Tanner said. “She just uses a little more force when requesting things.”

“The pond is important to Becca, and if that’s where she wants to get married, we’ll make it happen. I’ve been hoping she’d say something. That wedding planner we hired has been a nightmare to work with.” Colton’s eyes glazed over as he stared over Liam’s shoulder.

Liam nodded, still not getting a real answer to his question. “What does Danielle do? Someone said something about her traveling the world.”

“She’s a media correspondent in LA,” Tanner said. “They send her all over to cover things for the station. I think the last place she reported from was the hurricane in Florida. At least, that’s what her mom told me.”

“Sounds adventurous.” Liam couldn’t think of anything else to say, but the fact that she was a public figure, even if only for Los Angeles, was a good enough reason for him to stay away. He’d had enough drama after dealing with his ex-girlfriend, the lover of all things fame. After what she’d done to try and gain more fame, he was better off being the bachelor bookstore owner in this small town.

Cari finally emerged, chatting with her teacher. That was Cari, the girl with all the questions. He smiled as the teacher ushered her outside and waved goodbye.

“Good luck building whatever it is you’re building,” Liam said, waving to Cari as she crossed the schoolyard. “I’ll come help when the store is closed.”

Tanner and Colton nodded, walking up Main Street in the direction of the pond.

When Cari reached him, Liam swooped her up into a hug and turned, carrying her down the road a bit. “How was school today?”

“It was a rough day for our class. That’s what our teacher said. We all had to clip down on our behavior chart a few times for not listening, but then I helped the teacher and she let me clip back up. I got a prize because of it.” The words tumbled out of her like she’d been waiting all day to tell him. “How’s the bookstore? Did you sell a lot of books today?”

Liam nodded. “A good amount. We had one of the book clubs in, and they bought a bunch of stuff.”

“We’re going to the park, right?” Cari asked, walking beside him now, her hand in his. They turned right onto Fourth Street in the direction of the bigger park on that side of town. She tugged on his arm and gave him her best begging face, her lip jutted out and puppy-dog eyes in full effect.

“We can head there for a bit. The hospital said your mom woke up, so we can call her in a little bit. Then I’ve got to get back to the store, and you need to get your homework done.”

Cari groaned next to him. He usually scolded her for it, but his eyes caught on the girl from the bookstore walking with Becca, both coming in their direction.

“Hey, Liam,” Becca called, waving.

“How are you today, Becca?” Liam asked, stopping a few feet short of the two women.

Becca grinned. “Doing well. Just taking Danielle here to get fitted for her maid of honor dress.”

Danielle was standing a few inches behind her, and she grimaced, looking as if that was the last thing she wanted to do.

Liam couldn’t keep a smile from his lips, almost taunting her. “Maid of honor, huh? I guess we’ll be seeing each other at the wedding, then.”

The woman’s eyebrows cinched together, and he could see the curiosity brimming in her eyes. “You’ve been invited?”

Becca’s laugh broke their gaze. “He’s one of the groomsmen.” She pointed to Liam like that was a perfectly logical explanation when it was kind of surprising to himself. It wasn’t like he’d grown up with Colton or had worked with him at one point. But living in Sage Creek had its peculiarities, and becoming good friends with a guy in only six months didn’t seem like such a stretch anymore.

“Oh,” Danielle said, her mouth forming the letter. She glanced to his side and bent a little bit, saying, “And who is this?”

“I’m Cari.” Cari pointed to herself proudly, causing the three adults to chuckle.

“She’s my niece. I promised her she could play at the park after school for a bit, so we’re heading over to that one.” He pointed just past the diner.

Becca grabbed Danielle’s arm. “Well, we’ll let you two get to the swings, then. Those were always my favorite.” She said the last words to Cari.

The little girl bounced on her toes excitedly. “Me too. I love going high.”

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