Page 51 of Forget Me Not
“A man of many talents.”
“I always keep some grapes at the end of each harvest,” he explains, walking across the cabin to join me on the bed. Then he hands me a mug and I look down at the liquid, eyeing it with a sudden sense of unease. “It’s sweet, but good,” he adds, maybe mistaking my reluctance for an aversion to the taste. “Don’t knock it until you try it, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
I nod, trying to bide my time, because the truth is, I’m still on edge about accepting that tea in the main house. I don’t really want to drink this until Liam does first, and as if on cue, I watch as he takes a long sip himself.
Only then do I lift my own mug to my lips, a syrupy sweetness coating my throat.
“Itisgood.”
I look back up to find Liam still watching, his eyes on mine in a steadfast stare.
“What?” I ask, feeling progressively more uncomfortable under his gaze. “What is it?”
“Sorry, it’s nothing,” he says, glancing away like he just realized what he was doing. “There’s just so much I want to know about you. You’re not exactly an open book.”
“I could say the same for you.”
“Touché,” he says, raising his mug to take a long drink.
“A question for a question?” I ask, wondering if I can use this moment to my advantage, get Liam a little tipsy and convince himto talk. I still don’t know how much he knows about Mitchell, if he can shed any light on my concerns, but at the same time, I at least get the sense that he knows more than he’s letting on—and that he’s somehow on my side.
“Fair enough.”
“All right,” I say, pulling my feet up beneath me before leaning my back onto the headboard. “You go first.”
He sighs, twisting his neck. Eyes on the ceiling like he’s searching for a question somewhere up above. Then he turns toward me, finally, his expression solemn in the barely there light.
“Why are you here?”
The query catches me off guard, the frankness of it, and I have no idea how to respond. Instead, I look down at my mug, the finger of liquid still sitting at the bottom, and drain it completely before reaching for the bottle and pouring some more.
“I mean, why are youreallyhere?” he adds, almost like he knows I’m searching my mind for a lie.
I sigh, chewing on my cheek as I weigh all my options. Thinking back to earlier as I hid on the stairs, Liam bursting in at just the right time. It was just like that first night when he swooped in from the kitchen, always aware of when I need to be saved, and I start to wonder now if those moments weren’t really a coincidence.
If maybe Liam has been looking out for me on purpose, keeping an eye out to help me stay safe.
“I came here as a kid,” I say at last, deciding to try on a version of the truth. “To visit my sister.”
I look up at him now, his expression empty as he waits for me to go on.
“She worked here one summer, back in 2002, and then she died shortly thereafter.”
“What was her name?” he asks, his voice soft and still.
“Natalie Campbell,” I say, realizing I can’t even remember thelast time I said it out loud. “I came here because I was curious, I guess. I had no intention of staying, but then, I don’t know. It was almost like I couldfeelher here and I was trying to hold on to that. The sensation of being close to her again.”
I pick at my nail, not really sure why I’m being so honest. Maybe it’s the lack of light, sitting here in the dark, and the fact that it feels like I’m talking to myself. Or maybe it’s the alcohol already coursing its way through my veins, the low growl of thunder like static in my ears. Whatever it is, though, I’m suddenly certain that Liam can help me—and that if I expect to pry any information from him, I first need to give him some of my own.
“I’m so sorry,” he says, and I can tell he genuinely means it.
“It’s fine,” I say, feeling the sting of impending tears. I reach my hand up, wipe them away before they can escape. “I mean, it’snotfine, but you know. I’ve been trying to make it fine.”
“What happened?” he asks, and I look up at him again, his face twisted in pity.
“This is more than one question.” I smile.
“I’ll give you more in return.”
