Page 30 of Honey Bee Library
I decided in an act of self-preservation that I was just going to sit there with my hands on the steering wheel and my focus on the road. Getting to know Willow had distracted me from my reason for coming to Harmony, and I wasn’t going to let that happen again.
I was here to make sure that the diner was financially sound and to hopefully find my mother. I was here so I could have a second chance with my grandmother before it was too late.Thatshould be my one and only focus.
Pursuing a relationship with a woman who’d made it very clear from day one that she was not interested in me was not why I was here.
As soon as I pulled into my spot behind the diner, Willow was out of my car and making her way inside. By the time I opened my door and stepped out, she was long gone. I took my time crossing the parking lot and pulled the back door open.
I stayed out of her way, choosing to wipe the menus down at the hostess stand. I wanted to be there when Liam got to the diner, and the hostess stand was out of the way. Right now, with the way that I was feeling, I wanted to be invisible.
I heard Liam before I saw him. He had a boisterous personality, which was why fans loved his concerts. He had an energy for life that I could only dream of having.
“Cole Watkins!” His declaration echoed off the quiet walls of the diner as he stood by the front door with his arms extended.
Embarrassment heated my skin as I glanced around to see Breia and Willow eyeing us. Willow’s expression was hard to read while Breia looked amused. Neither of them had realized that this was Liam Carmichael, international rockstar, but it was only a matter of time.
“Liam,” I said as I closed the space between us and gave him a handshake turned hug.
He patted my back a few times before we both pulled back. When I met his gaze, he wiggled his eyebrows.
“What are you doinghere?” he asked, glancing around.
Not wanting to have this conversation out in the open, I hushed him and turned toward the kitchen. “Come on, let’s go talk in the back.”
Thankfully, Liam didn’t push. Instead, he followed after me as I made my way through the diner to the kitchen door.
“I need to use your office,” I said to Willow, not meeting her gaze and not really asking.
“Oh, okay,” she said softly.
I didn’t wait to see if she had more to say as I pushed through the swinging door and headed into the kitchen. When we got to Willow’s office, I shut the door and turned to Liam.
“Why are you really here?” I asked as I made my way over to Willow’s desk and leaned against it while Liam plopped down on the couch.
He relaxed, draping his arm across the back. “I should ask you the same. Why areyouhere, running a diner on Harmony Island? I’ve never even heard of this place.”
I folded my right arm across my chest and pinched the bridge of my nose. “I’m here to find my mom.”
Liam was quiet for a moment. “And she works at this diner?”
I lowered my hand and glanced over at him. “No. She wrote about this place in her diary. My dad won half of the diner in a bet, and I’m here to make sure it stays open in case she comes back.” I swallowed against the lump of emotions in my throat. “I need to find her. We think she might help with Gran’s memory.”
Liam’s face fell. Gran’s situation was hard on me, but it was hard on him as well. She had loved feeding him back when we were first becoming friends.
“Oh, man. I’m so sorry,” he said.
I shrugged. “It’s okay.” I sighed. “So why are you here?”
He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees as he stared at the ground. “It’s definitely not as noble as why you’re here.”
“Liam.”
He glanced up at me. “Katie took Ana and I didn’t want to be alone.”
I raised my eyebrows. “She did?” Katie was a good mom, but she treated Liam like he was a second class citizen when it came to their daughter.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
Silence fell between us. I waited for Liam to fill in the gaps, but he didn’t seem eager to talk. Instead, he just dropped his gaze to the floor and held it there.
