Page 89 of Not Exactly Mr. Darcy
He’d flushed, and Liv had felt a similar embarrassment. But he hadn’t so much as held her hand since the day of the repaired fountain. Although they had shared more meals, and laughed and talked together, until it felt like he was fast becoming one of her best friends. And the way he sought her out, his eyes saying more than his lips, made her wonder how much longer it might take before romance might blossom.
Of course, none of that needed to be shared with her sister. Her sister, who might be bluntly business minded but whose dating app proved she was a softy at heart. Or at least Jordan, her codesigner, was.
EJ smirked. “That silence speaks volumes.”
“What?”
“Have you found someone? Is that it?”
“No.” Yes. “Maybe. I don’t know.” Oh, why did her tongue insist on speaking the truth?
EJ’s smile evened into genuine. “I want details. Now. I want to make sure he’s worthy of you.”
“No.”
“Come on. Don’t you want to find out if you’re compatible?”
“I’m not inputting information about him into your app just so you can gloat and say we’ve got nothing in common.”
“Huh?” Her forehead crinkled. “If you know that, then why are you with him?”
“I’m not with him. Well, I might be, but it’s hard to know. He’s busy and so am I, and … yeah.”
“Not ‘yeah.’ Come on. Give me a name at least. So I can pray for you,” she tacked on, like this virtuous afterthought might get Liv far enough across the line to spill the tea.
And maybe it was. She could do with all the prayer she could get. “It’s, er, Liam.”
“Liam? Isn’t he the gardener where you work?” EJ’s nose wrinkled.
“He’s the caretaker, and really nice,” she defended. “And he works so hard, and he’s sweet.” She’d found a copy ofPride and Prejudiceon her desk the other day, with two stalks of lavender. When she’d opened the copy it was to see a lady’s name written in cursive in the corner. Alyssa Fitzbrowne. So sweet.
“Mmm. Do you laugh with him? Studies show that relationships where you laugh together last longer than those that don’t.”
“Thank you, Dr. Love Guru.”
“Just sayin’.”
“Look, we laugh. But all we’ve done is had dinner a few times together. Always with Gran or his sister or someone else, so it’s not as if he’s seeking me out specifically. So I’d appreciate you not saying anything to the others. You know what Mum gets like.”
EJ grimaced. “My lips are sealed. Okay, well, it’s getting late here, so I better go. I’ll be praying. Especially now there’s something juicy to pray about.” She winked and left the call.
Leaving Liv wondering. Hoping. Dreaming. Before she settled in to do more work.
September proved to be a month of sunshine, cooling nights, and the first tints of autumn colour in the trees. One day near the end of the month she called Drew and asked him to come take pictures that might be useful for the calendar. Their visitor numbers had provided a healthy amount of funds, which was good. And yes, summer was their peak tourist trade time, and that would likely drop off, so the need to find alternative avenues of revenue remained important. And a calendar that would provide a visual reminder of all the aspects of the Hall was a good way to keep it at the front of people’s minds throughout the year.
She met Drew in the Entrance Hall and explained her hopes. “We need twelve pictures that will showcase various seasons and aspects of the estate, so a few of the house, several of the gardens, and if we can theme it for the month that’d be good.”
“You mean like have a Christmas theme for the December photo?”
“I know that’ll be tricky, but I’ve been hunting up some angles that might work. I figure when it’s Christmas we should get more shots to use next year.”
Next year. Her chest tensed. Would she still be involved in helping run the Hall next year? She had to return home, but perhaps she could come back to England. If the audit went well. And if Liam wanted her. His latest venture—cutting firewood to sell—meant she hadn’t seen him as much as she’d like. Still, the moments he had been around were sweet. How could she have ever thought him not handsome? He was definitely handsome enough to tempt her.
“Okay. So tell me anything particular you had in mind.”
January would be the already-licensed shot of the front of the house, so that was sorted.
“February includes Valentine’s Day. Do you want that shown in a particular way?”
