Nine While Nine

Chapter 2-3

“You all right?” Liam’s voice sounded concerned.

“Yeah. No.” I shrugged as I forced my mind back to the now and walked to the coat closet. “Just . . . so much awesome happened here.” I shuffled through the few coats hanging there. Two of them belonged to Cat and Moira, left behind on a summer night when the weather turned too balmy to need them for our night of clubbing. I ran my hand over them both, letting the memory slip through me warmly before sliding my wooly winter coat from its hanger

“Okay. I guess that’s it.” My bag was stuffed, the soft leather bulging and the flap barely able to close. I was suddenly very apprehensive. What the hell was I doing? I shifted from foot to foot uneasily. “What now?” It came out as nearly a squeak. This was absolute anguish. My heart was slamming a staccato rhythm against my chest.

He ran his hands through his hair before stepping forward his hand held out to me. “Time to go. I have to get this sorted.”

“Oh, wait.” I dashed to the armchair next to the fireplace and Henry, my beloved, floppy, plush dog from childhood. He’d been with me since I was five years old, and I was not abandoning him now. He’d been the last birthday gift from both of my parents, while my father was still in the picture. He’d survived one run-away attempt at age six that landed us as far as the front porch, a minor hospital stay with me at seven, numerous outings to the playground, not to mention several washings over the years. He was one durable toy doggo for sure. I hugged the golden fur against my cheek, still so soft after all these years. Holding him to me, I turned to Liam. He had a small smile teasing at the corners of his mouth. Within his mesmerizing, peacock-blue eyes, there was a sparkle of amusement and maybe even a touch of sympathy.

“Can we now?” he asked, one hand gesturing at the door, and his other hand still held out to me.

I managed a nod as I shrugged into my favorite overcoat, with its nipped-in waist and slightly bell-shaped skirt that matched the gentle flare of the sleeves. I hadn’t had many chances to wear it in the Southern California weather, but it would be good in the rain and chill of Seattle. Reaching down, I retrieved my purse from the spot on the floor where I’d dropped it earlier in the afternoon when I’d returned from a last-minute trip to the market. In truth, it was a wild-goose chase that Moira had sent me on as a distraction from their final party preps. I slipped it over my shoulder. The repurposed messenger bag of weathered canvas and leather held my laptop and phone tucked safely, and secretly, away inside. I had a feeling if Liam knew I had them he’d insist on leaving them behind.

“May I suggest a hat?” He tossed me a black, brushed-wool newsboy cap from where it hung on the wall. It paired perfectly with my coat.

“I don’t want to see my body carried out or my friends upset.” The thought of those two things made my stomach twist and my heart lurch.

“You won’t.”

I frowned at him. “How do we get out of here without being seen?”

“Like this.” He took my hands in his and pulled me tightly to him. Once his arms were wrapped around me securely he asked, “Do you get motion sickness?”