Chapter Nine: I Love Playing With Fire

I handed over my copy of Mom and Dad's house key the following day to Penny, and she promised she'd get some trusted people to take my clothes from the house. She then explained that they actually had a realtor for the Kennedy family and, since I was a main associate and friend of the family, that I would be more than welcome to use her services. I agreed, and thus began my search for apartments just hours after moving out of my parent's house.

"I don't want some hoity-toity place, Penny," I told her as she explained what kinds of listings the realtor could look for on my behalf. "It's not me. I'm from the ghetto, and although the finer things in life are within my grasp, I don't want Hailey to grow up entitled. I didn't, and neither should she. I was someplace safe, clean, and nice. But not…"

"Hoity-toity, fancy-schmancy, I get it, I get it," Penny said, smiling at me from where we sat upon her circular, modern couch of the living room of her work suite. "You don't have to worry about a thing. Our realtor is an old family friend, and I've told her plenty about you so that she knows exactly what to look for when it comes to you."

I rolled my eyes, throwing my head back onto the couch. "Gee, that makes me feel loads better, thanks, Penny," I muttered, stiffening automatically when I heard a key in the lock. I sat bolt upright then, relief washing over me as Lacey walked elegantly through the door, and shut it behind her. "Hey, Lace," I said.

"Hey," she replied, walking over in her designer heels towards the couch, a to-go tray of coffees in her finely manicured hands. "Penny called, said there was a crisis situation," she went on, and set down the tray upon the coffee table, before squeezing my shoulder and leaning down to kiss Penny, before moving to sit beside her. "Last thing I need is one of my girls in a crisis, so, come on. Hit me. What happened?"

"Jesus, you do not hold back, do you?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at Penny.

Penny grinned. "She's my girlfriend," she said, shrugging her shoulders and leaning back, and Lacey immediately put an arm around her shoulders. "What can I say?"

I sighed. "You tell her everything?"

"Just that you needed an apartment," Lacey said quickly, winding her fingers through Penny's with a quick smile to me. "Don't worry. She mentioned that it was important, but…"

"Not like you told me either," Penny said, shrugging her shoulders. "You just said you needed somewhere safe for you and Hailey to live. Didn't really understand what you meant. If anything, Hailey is nothing but safe, given that your family lives in the immediate surrounding houses by your place. And, given that they'd fucking kill anyone who so much as looked at her or you funny…"

I sighed, rolling my shoulders. "You're right. I'm sorry. I just said that it was a crisis situation without giving you proper background…"

"Why didn't you?" Lacey asked. "Don't you trust us?"

I fixed Lacey with a look. "What? What's that supposed to mean? Of course I fucking trust you guys! Why would you think I wouldn't…?"

"Your lack of willingness to tell us why you needed to move out of the neighborhood you were born and raised in, for starters," Penny said, cocking her head to one side, while all the while elevating one of her shoulders. "Just a guess…"

"It's my mom," I said, cutting into the final word of her speech, which caused Penny to come to a full stop, and she turned to look briefly at Lacey before she turned back to me. "I've got to move with Hailey because of my mom…"

"Whoa, your mom?" Lacey asked.

"What happened?" Penny whispered.

"She fucking relapsed," I whispered, the words thundering through my lips then as tears sprung to my eyes, the shame washing over my entire being. "She seemed to be doing so well, you know? I mean, when me and the boys accepted her back into our lives, after that whole shit show with Tommy was over and done with, she promised… She fucking promised that things would be better and that she wouldn't… She fucking let me down," I said, my voice breaking then, as I reached the point of no return. I got to my feet, pacing around the space, while digging my hands through my hair. "I mean, I guess it would've been one thing if she picked up a bottle again while she was at work or some bullshit like that, but no. She fucking did it when she was supposed to be keeping Hailey safe. I trusted her with my daughter, and she just up and threw it away like it was nothing to her, like it was fucking trash or some shit. Hailey was sick, and she was screaming, and there was my mother, my fucking mother, passed out fucking drunk in the fucking kitchen, bottles littered around her, while her granddaughter was screaming for her grandma upstairs. Hailey had a fever that night," I whispered, the words tearing themselves from my mouth. "My baby girl had a fucking fever, and all my mom could do was drink, like that decade-plus of sobriety meant absolutely nothing to her, like Hailey meant nothing to her, like my trust, which she claimed to want back so desperately, meant nothing to her. That's why I need an apartment, someplace safe, for me and Hailey," I said, turning back around and facing Penny and Lacey. "My baby comes first, and I'll never forgive myself for not being there for her that day. I need her to be safe so she doesn't find her way down a bottle like so many members of my goddamn family, who I love more than anything, have managed to do. I'm fucking done with catering to my mother's dependency and walking on eggshells of every minute of everyday. I'm taking a stand by moving out of there and making a better life for myself because, in so doing, I'm making a better life for Hailey, because she will always come first."

Penny leaned forward then, her face filled with concern. "You needed to leave, I get that," she told me, her tone gentle.

"Did your mother reach out at all?" Lacey asked. "I mean, has she given any indication as to why she fell off the wagon after so many years?"

"It doesn't fucking matter, does it?!" I shot back, hating how rough I was being with Lacey but, at the same time, hating how my mother had totally disregarded Hailey that night. "She put my child in danger, Lacey, so everything else goes out the window."

Lacey sighed. "You're right. I know you're right."

"I'll see that the realtor makes you her top priority," Penny assured me with a smile. "Don't worry about a thing, Iana. We'll get you and Hailey somewhere safe to live."

. . .

The next few days were a blur, filled with moving with Hailey into a place of our own, which was closer to Uncle Lip and Aunt Mandy's place, and thus, a better commute to work in the mornings, plus finishing up my second quarter of college. After I turned in my final essay the night before the quarter ended, I smiled to myself, knowing that I was accomplishing something great, and that, ultimately, it would serve me well to have a degree. After that, my time was spent moving into my new apartment with Hailey, and Penny considerately cut my work hours slightly so as Hailey could have me by her side as she settled in accordingly.

I put Hailey to bed that first night in our new place, and spent the next twenty minutes or so cleaning up the living room. I kept going over my schedule for the following few weeks; I would have to find someone to watch Hailey, as my trips to Europe would come as spring turned into summer, and I would be making more deals for Nell's Rags as their COO. Hailey would always be my top-priority, and although I would've loved more than anything to take her with me on all these trips, the first one being a surprise from Penny, as she wanted to plan this one out as my first solo trip, was to happen in just two and a half weeks. I knew I had to keep on my toes, and even though work relations with Liam was slightly awkward, given that he was less than pleased by my lunch with Illiana, I knew I had to keep afloat.

A knock at my door caught me off-guard; besides Pops, Uncle Ian, Yev, Uncle Lip, Aunt Mandy, Axel, Aunt Debbie, Franny, and Penny, nobody knew for sure where my new place was. I finished stacking Hailey's books upon one of the shelves in the living room and crossed over to the front door, peeking out through the spyhole, which I'd insisted my new place have, and felt my eyebrows raise up automatically as I caught sight of Liam standing in the hallway. I unlocked both locks of the door, and stood in the doorway, allowing my shocked expression to remain in its place as I stared up at him.

"Good evening, Liam," I said, keeping it formal.

"Hey, Iana," he said, obviously shocked by the formality. He opened the bag he was carrying, a bottle of Armand de Brignac in his hand; I could vaguely see Ace of Spades written on the expertly-cut pink glass. "Congratulations on the new place."

I bit at my lower lip then, before I widened the openness of the door and stepped aside, allowing Liam to come in. I detected a slight amount of surprise on his lips as I did so, but nevertheless he crossed my threshold and ventured in. I shut and locked the door behind me, and made my way to the kitchen, beside the living room, and Liam moved to follow me. "Was Penny the one who told you my address?" I asked him.

"Guilty," he replied, and I smirked at him, rolling my eyes as I stood on my toes, getting down two champagne flutes from the top shelf of my cabinet. "I told her that, if I did know the address of this place, that I would always come in peace."

"Fair enough," I said, getting the cork out of its drawer, and Liam placed the bottle on the kitchen island. I took the cork and used the blade side to open the bottle, whereupon I used its cork attachment to uncork the bottle. It popped, and Liam and I mutually exclaimed when the bubbly attempted to escape the bottle, but I managed to pour it into the respective flutes before it managed to do so.

"Excited about living alone?"

I shrugged, staring into the bubbly for a moment before looking up at him. "Not really alone, Liam," I told him, feeling a smile playing at my lips. "Hailey's in her room asleep."

"I guess I meant without your parents," he amended.

I handed over one of the flutes to Liam, who took it, and raised my own. "Guess it's going to prove to be an adjustment," I replied, raising my glass. "To… New beginnings, I guess?" I said, and found that it came out more like a question than anything else.

Liam clinked his glass to mine. "What are you questioning?"

I sighed, rolling my shoulders as I brought the drink to my lips, overwhelmed at how wonderful it tasted. "Well, I guess, even though this is a new step for me, in getting myself into a new kind of living situation, I still wonder…"

"What?"

"How I'm going to navigate myself, and control myself, from wrecking things, because I always seem to do that… Wreck things," I said, swirling the drink in my glass.

"You don't wreck things, Iana."

I shook my head. "No, I do. Because I can't help it. Look, I know we agreed to be friends and everything, and I'm even trying to make nice with Illiana, but…"

"I know," Liam said, cutting across me, and I raised my eyes to his. "This is a hell of an adjustment for me, too, Iana. I don't know how the fuck I'm supposed to cope with any of this. I mean…" He sighed, staring into my eyes. "What you've got to understand, here, Iana, is that the arrangement between Illiana and I… It's complicated."

I leaned back then, wrapping my free hand around the base of the counter behind me. "Hell of a way to talk about your upcoming marriage."

"It's not going to be a marriage, Iana."

I raised my eyebrows. "Should I know what you mean?"

He sighed. "No. You probably shouldn't."

I rolled my eyes. "You close yourself off, and I end up pushing you away…"

"It's who we are, Iana."

I swallowed then, lifting the glass up to my lips again. "I don't know… Maybe I should go back to my therapist and figure out what the fuck I'm doing…"

"Why would you want that?"

"Maybe because I need my head examined?" I asked, laughing darkly.

"You don't need your head examined, Iana."

"Yeah?" I asked, lifting my gaze to his. "Why not?"

"Because you're amazing the way you are," he replied.

I scoffed. "Thanks, Bruno Mars."

"No, I mean it," he said, and I cut off my scoffing. "I'm not fucking with you right now, Iana, really, I'm not. I love who you are, and how you act. You're amazing."

I wetted my lips then, not fully understanding it, and yet, I believed it was truly a moment when I seemed to get, for the first time, just where Liam was coming from. "Yeah, I love who you are, too, Liam," I replied. "You scare the shit out of me, and you're stubborn as fuck…"

"Takes one to know one," Liam said, smirking.

"Yeah, yeah," I said, rolling my eyes. "But, I don't know. You make me feel alive. And I know I shouldn't say this, but it's different with you. You push my buttons, and I love that you do that. I mean, you're a heartbreaker, and you've hurt me more than once, but, hey, we always want what we can't have, right?"

Liam looked shell-shocked by my words then, and looked like he would say something in response to me, were it not for the knocking coming from the other side of my front door. "You should probably get that," he said.

I nodded, giving him a quick smile before downing the rest of my champagne and making my way from the kitchen, through the living room, and towards the front door. I peeked through the spyhole again, and felt the smile on my face turn genuine then as I unlocked and opened it for the second time that night. "Axel!" I said, pleased. "What's up?"

"Brought you some Old Style," he said, holding the six pack aloft, and walking over the threshold without hesitation. He came to a full stop then, as he gazed at Liam, standing in my kitchen, and I moved so that I was slightly between them. "Didn't know you already had some company, Iana."

I shrugged. "What's drinks between friends?" I asked.

Axel dragged his hands through his hair. "How could you even attempt to be friends with someone like him, Iana?"

"Axel, you have the wrong idea…" Liam began.

"Hey, man, I'm not talking to you!" Axel said, jabbing a finger at Liam, who stopped talking immediately, and yet didn't take his eyes off Axel as he turned and looked at me. "How could you let him into your house, Iana, after all the hell he's put you through?"

I sighed then, not wanting this at all. "Axel, Liam and I are friends, just like you and me," I told him then, hating the fact that he was acting like a dog marking his territory. "I'm allowed to have whoever I want over at my place. Besides, Axel, I think you're getting the wrong idea about all this, like Liam said," I went on, wanting to diffuse the situation more than anything. "But I shouldn't have to explain myself to you. You're not my boyfriend."

"I may not be your boyfriend anymore, Iana, but I am your friend. A friend who cares a whole hell of a lot about you, not like this rich scum."

"Axel…" Liam said, his tone a warning.

"I've got this, Liam," I said, my tone firm. "Axel, you really have to stop with this territorial, rabid dog bullshit. I am fine. I wouldn't have let Liam inside if I wasn't fine with him being here with me. I'm sorry if this upsets you, but, like I said, it's none of your business."

"Iana, I'm just concerned…"

"Well, I don't need your concern!" I cried out then, throwing my hands up into the air. "I'm sorry if you don't like the company I keep, but like I said, it's none of your goddamn business who I decide to be friends with!"

Axel rolled his eyes then, not hesitating for even a moment before he shoved the six pack in my arms. "Yeah, well, don't come crying to me when he fucks you before breaking your heart again," he said gruffly, stomping out of my apartment and slamming the door behind me, and I was so thankful when Hailey didn't wake up.

. . .

"So, I just want you to know that I've thought long and hard about where negotiations are needed most from our generous benefactors and I've decided that your first trip now that you're back as Nell's Rag's COO will be in Paris," Penny announced on the first Wednesday of April. "I hope this is satisfactory to you."

"Paris?" I asked, a tremor developing throughout my body at Penny's announcement. "I'm going to Paris? Me?"

"You are going to Paris," Penny assured me, grinning. "Your red-eye flight has been booked for Saturday morning."

I mulled that over then, remembering Uncle Lip and Aunt Mandy's promise that I could drop off Hailey at their place, and that they'd be more than happy to watch her while I was away. "Okay, I guess I just have to pack," I said, and Penny just kept right on grinning at me.

I touched down at Charles de Gaulle Airport at the appointed time and immediately got off the first-class section, attempting to remember all the French words I knew so that I could find my way to baggage claim. Once my things had been retrieved, I stepped outside and was pleased to see a luxury town car waiting for me, all set to take me to the Hotel Raphael, which was set to be a little less than half an hour driving time. I stared out my window as we drove, the sixty-degree weather altogether pleasant as we drove along the A1.

Once we arrived, I tipped the driver generously, thanking him as he handed over my suitcase from where it was in the trunk, and stepped inside the swanky foyer of the hotel. I made my way up to the front desk, smiling at the concierge. "Bonjour, je suis Iana Milkovich."

"Ah, oui, madame," said the concierge, smiling at me as I handed over my identification. "You will be staying in the Eiffel Tower Suite," he went on, his French accent thick as he checked me in via his computer.

"Merci beaucoup, monsieur," I said, smiling at him as he handed over my room key and returned my I.D., declining the offer of help up to my room, and instead made my way over to the elevator on my own, pulling my suitcase behind me on the finely carpeted floor. I pressed the correct button inside the elevator, waiting for the ding sound and stepping inside. All I wanted to do was to have a shower and nap before my obligatory dinner with the buyers that evening, knowing full well that I had to have my game face on for the occasion.

The doors dinged open on the correct floor, and I walked down the hallway briefly until the sight of my suite's door greeted me. I slid the key card in the lock and stepped inside, rolling my suitcase after me and shutting the door, which clicked automatically behind me. As I stepped through the living room, my eyes popped then at the sight of the crystal-cut vase of red roses on the white marble tabletop in the sitting room. I let go of my suitcase, crossing over and inspecting them, and spotted the card readily among the blooms, and snatched at it, pulling it open quickly and gazing at it.

So lovely to have us working together again. See you tonight.

L

I swallowed then, lowering the card, knowing full well who had sent these. Well, Kennedy wanted a show, did he? I thought to myself, turning and looking at my suitcase, which was stuffed to the gills with designer outfits that Penny insisted I bring. Well, if he wanted a show, I would damn well give him a show, I decided then.

. . .

Much to my surprise, Liam and I anticipated each other's moves to this complex dance of negotiation tactics before the other even suspected it. It was a delight working with him, I found, and the buyers were practically throwing money at us by the time our final dinner meeting had taken place, five days after I'd arrived in Paris. We'd gotten more than Penny had wanted, and after a phone call to confirm that the deal had gone through with flying colors, Penny promised a just reward for us both.

"You know, I honestly thought you were just going to step on my toes and attempt to take all the credit," I told Liam as we walked along the streets of Paris, one night after our final meeting. "I am surprised to say that I'm pleasantly surprised with your demeanor these past several days of negotiation, Kennedy."

Liam clutched at his chest then, laughing. "I'm hurt, Milkovich, seriously hurt, by the implications behind your words," he said mockingly, and I couldn't help but laugh at him. "I thought, after all this time, you would've known me better by now."

I sighed. "Can't say I do," I admitted then, shrugging my shoulders. "If I'm being honest, you're just full of surprises, Liam."

"Yeah?" he asked, putting an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer, and I forced myself not to stiffen at his touch, but my heart beating a mile a minute, he could likely sense. "How am I full of surprises, Iana?"

"Well, just that I don't know what you're going to do or say, unless we're locked in a negotiation meeting," I replied, a nervous laugh escaping my lips. "I mean, let's face it, it's the one time where we're guaranteed not to fight. Because, if we do end up going down that road, we're at risk of not making bank for Nell's Rags."

"My baby sister's company has always been a top-priority for me," Liam said, and I turned and looked up at him. "She means a lot to me."

I smiled. "She's lucky to have you," I replied. "I said as much when I was sixteen, and now, at almost nineteen, I'll say it again. She's lucky to have you, Liam."

"Oh, I don't know," he replied with a shrug. "I think I'm luckier to have her. I mean, I love my mother, but… She's been distant lately."

"Penny said she was at your chalet," I said quietly, not wanting to upset him. "Have you made any attempts to contact her or go there?"

He sighed. "Mom's always been the kind of person who will show up anywhere, at anytime," he admitted, "but she likes you to call first."

I nodded as we rounded a corner. "And, let me guess, she hasn't been picking up the phone?" I asked him, and he nodded. "Bad reception in Switzerland?"

"Well, the chalet is a sizeable property in the mountains, but that's beside the point. We have our own cell towers throughout the property."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course you do."

"So, it's not the reception that's the problem, it's the caller I.D.," Liam explains. "She sees it's me calling, and deliberately decides not to answer."

I bit my lip then, wondering why someone as kind as Rose would deliberately ignore her only son like this. "Penny said she's coming back for the wedding…"

Liam nodded. "That's then plan."

"Any idea why she's gone full-silent?" I want to know. "I mean, unless she's found herself a new boy toy…"

Liam laughed aloud. "Okay, the last thing I want to consider is my mother having sex. I never heard her with my father, so I could myself lucky."

"I never heard my parents having sex either," I reply, and Liam turns and looked at me. "My pops and my mother," I explained, laughing. "They did just one and done, and got me, so I wasn't around for the brief, tequila-filled, courtship in Mexico."

"You ever wonder what it would've been like, had you not existed?"

I nodded. "Of course. But I think my family is stronger than ever because of me. Had my mother and Pops not had me as a bond between them, maybe it would've been more difficult for her to be so passionate in her representation of him in court. But, because I'm here, I don't know, I can speak both Gallagher and Milkovich. It certainly helps things."

"Wish my family was like that," he said quietly. "We're so closed-off. I've opened up a lot more because of Penny, and, well… You."

I smiled up at him, shaking my head. "No, it's you," I assured him, and we stopped walking beside the Seine, and Liam turned and looked down at me. "I think this has always been you, Liam, whether you know it now or not. You're not this cold, uptight, businessman, millionaire playboy, although I think that's what you want people to see. In reality, you're kind and compassionate, not to mention intelligent and good-hearted. You're many things, Liam Kennedy, and you just have to let yourself believe that you can be good."

"I want to believe it, Iana."

"Then believe it," I told him, smiling. "Believe that you are good. I know you can, because I know you want to."

He sighed, his hand snaking up from where it rested along my shoulder, and he permitted his thumb to run along my bottom lip, while I forced my body not to react to him. "I just wish I could be good for you, Iana."

I shook my head at him. "Don't do this, Liam," I whispered, begging him, although I was unsure whether I wanted him to do it or didn't. "We can't do this…"

"Tell me why not."

"Illiana, my job," I said. "My heart," I whispered then, and his thumb stopped moving, and he merely staring down at me. "I tried giving it to you, Liam, and you threw it back in my face. I don't want to risk it again."

"There's no risk, Iana…"

I sighed, shaking my head. "There's every risk in the book, Liam."

"Tell me you don't want me."

I sighed. "You know I can't do that, Liam. There's a big difference between me not wanting you and me not wanting you to touch me, to take me… You know what I want, but it's what you have in your life, right now, that's the problem…"

"What's that?"

"Secrets, lies, a drop-dead gorgeous supermodel on your arm that you're due to marry in a little over two months," I replied. "It hurt me so much to have to figure out your engagement by looking at that gaudy ring on her beautiful hand…"

"Do you realize how much it hurt me to have to ask her in the first place?"

I blinked. "You had to ask her…?"

"Yeah. No. I don't fucking know," Liam said, looking torn. "Just… Please. Can we just have this moment, right here, right now, in Paris?"

I shook my head. "We really shouldn't…"

"Tell me you don't want this, Iana."

I sighed, the tremor starting in my body all over again, and I no longer had the willpower to stop it from happening, nor did I have the power to stop… "You know I want this," I whispered then, and felt alive and anew as Liam wrapped his arms around me, and kissed me.

. . .

When I moved to my assigned seat in first class in the wee hours of the morning, I was relieved that Liam apparently was not on this flight. Nevertheless, I didn't breathe steadily until the doors had closed and we'd begun to prepare for takeoff. I wetted my lips then as we exited our gate and were ultimately waved into the air, and all I could think about was arriving home and putting Paris behind me forever.

I fell asleep on the flight home and, when we arrived back in Chicago, I turned on my phone, and texted Uncle Lip and Aunt Mandy that I needed to make one stop before picking up Hailey, and they seemed to understand. Since Penny's work suite was just upstairs, and once I explained where I was going, they just said that they would take the extra time to make sure that Hailey wasn't forgetting anything. As I rode the elevator up to the top floor, I kept my fingers crossed that Liam wouldn't be there, and I was relieved to find Penny alone.

"Oh! Well, if it isn't my brilliant COO!" she gushed as soon as I let myself in, and dashed across the living room to throw her arms around me. "Oh. Just coming from the plane, I see," she said, and took note of my sweats with a smile. "Well, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We need to talk, Penny," I said quietly.

"Of course we can talk," she said, and squeezed me again. "You got those old geezers to cough up more than two million what they'd originally promised. As far as I'm concerned, we can talk about anything you want."

I swallowed then. "Anything?"

Penny smiled. "Of course," she said. "Hey, I just want you to know that you've done brilliantly as COO, Iana. Screw the degree; as far as I'm concerned, you don't need it. I know you want it, and I support your pursuit of it wholeheartedly, but you're amazing. Lacey and I couldn't be more proud of all you've done."

"It's Liam," I said, speaking before my courage left me entirely.

"Oh, fuck," Penny said, looking worried. "Did he cross a line again?"

"We both did," I reply.

"Dammit," Penny said, dragging her hands through her hair. "He swore to me that he'd be the utmost professional while he was in Paris with you…"

"Don't blame Liam for everything," I tell her. "It was my fault, too. I'm easily seduced by his words, and I hate myself for it."

She sighed. "All right," she said, crossing her arms. "Well, I'm glad you're being honest with me about this, unless… Have you come here to quit?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I'm not quitting. But you did promise me via contract that Liam and I wouldn't be…"

She nodded. "I know, and I apologize for that. Liam just told me it was going so well and he convinced me otherwise."

I bit my lip then, crossing my own arms. "I don't think it would be wise, or appropriate, for me to go on trips with him anymore," I said softly. "Yeah, we do really well in the negotiation portion of the work, but once we're done and we're celebrating, all bets are off. It's like we're two totally different people when we're alone…"

Penny sighed. "I understand."

"I think, from now on, Penny, I should do these trips on my own."

Penny mulled that over for a moment. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Very sure. I think I'm ready."

Penny considered that for a moment. "I don't think you're ready, Iana. I know you're ready," she told me, and stuck out her hand. "All right. If this is what you want, solo trips as COO for Nell's Rags, then I support you."

I nodded again, and shook her hand. "Thank you."

"Anything else I can do for you, Iana?"

"Yeah, just one thing," I reply. "You tell Liam about my decision, because I would like not to deal with him any more than I absolutely have to."

Penny nodded, although a flicker of discouragement went over her face, although it was done so quickly, I couldn't be sure. "Consider it done," she replied.