Page 14 of Not Yet Yours

Suddenly the one night of pretending has just become a weekend of pretending and it sounds a lot more full-on than doing it for a couple of hours in a restaurant would be.

“Oh, Max, I don't know about this. I thought it was just a party,” I say. As I say it, I realize something, and I gasp. “And you purposely made it sound that way so that I was more likelyto agree to this, didn’t you? Forgot to mention it my ass, you sly little thing.”

“Well, you never would have agreed to it if I’d said it was a weekend thing, would you?” Max says.

“Probably not,” I agree. “And I’m not agreeing to it now either.”

“It’s too late for that because you already did agree to it, bestie. Sorry, no backsies,” Max says.

Hearing that takes me back to when Max and I were in our early twenties and that was our thing. If one of us had to persuade the other one to do something or go somewhere with us and they agreed and then tried to wriggle out of it, we would say no backsies and once that rule was invoked, we were locked into the plans. We are way past that now though and I could say we’re too old for that to count but fuck it. Max is my best friend, and it will be nice to spend a weekend away with her.

“Fine,” I say.

Max giggles in delight and we start discussing outfits for the party and what we’ll wear for the Saturday daytime before the party starts. And I start to let myself get excited for the weekend, and even as I do, I tell myself I am doing this for Max, not Liam. And it is Max I am excited to spend some time with, not Liam. It seems I’m not as uncomfortable with lying as I thought I was, especially not when it’s to myself.

Chapter Eight

Harriet

Liam pulls into a parking space in the huge parking lot at the front of the hotel. I get out of the car and stretch, happy to finally be able to move around a bit. My back cracks as I stretch it and I shake my arms and legs out and my elbows and knees crack too. Liam laughs from beside me where he stands stretching too.

“You sound like you’re in bits,” he says. “Do all of your bones crack like that?”

I shrug one shoulder and then I interlace my fingers together and push outward, making each one of my knuckles crack in turn. Liam winces and I laugh.

“You did ask,” I point out.

“I just wanted a yes or no answer, not a live demonstration,” he says.

“Ah. You should be more specific,” I say. I look around as I am talking, and I spot a large restaurant across the street from the hotel. Liam said on the way up here that the hotel is across from the party venue, and I nod toward the restaurant. “Is that where the party is being held?”

“Yes,” Liam says. “We’re actually half an hour too early for checking into the hotel. Do you want to go over and have a quick drink and check out the bar?”

I nod. I am pretty thirsty, and a nice cold drink sounds great. Plus, it will be nice to have a bit of Dutch courage if I’m accosted by Dorothy and the rest of the family once check-in opens. Liam and I head across the street and go into the restaurant.

Inside the small entrance nook are four doors. The two in front of us are marked ladies’ and gents’, the one to the left is marked restaurant, and the one to the right is marked reserved. Liam points to the right.

“That’s where the party will be,” he says. I start to walk toward the room. “I don’t think we’re allowed in there yet.”

“Just a quick peek,” I say. “Come on. Live a little.”

Liam shakes his head, but he follows me to the reservation room door, and we slip inside. The room is massive but other than chairs, tables, and a big dance floor, there isn’t a lot to see. The decorations won’t be put up until tomorrow and at the moment, the reservation room is just an empty room. I’m pleased to see it’s nice and big though, so it won’t feel cramped when the party is underway.

We slip back out of the room, go into the restaurant, and head over to the bar. The bar is about half of the size of the restaurant, but it’s early afternoon and it’s pretty quiet. A family sits at one of the tables eating a meal and two or three other tables are taken up by couples and small groups of friends. We go to the bar and the bartender smiles and comes over to us.

“I’ll have a Bud Light please, and…” Liam says, and he nods toward me.

“A vodka and tonic please,” I say.

The bartender gets the drinks and Liam pays her, and we go off to a small table beside the bar. We take our seats and I take a long sip of my drink. It’s lovely and cold and fizzy and refreshing.

“Easy there tiger,” Liam says. “Is the thought of being my girlfriend really that bad?”

I laugh and shake my head.

“I was just thirsty,” I say. I nod toward the entrance back in the direction of the hotel. “So do you own this hotel too then?”

Liam smiles sheepishly.