Page 12 of The Perfect Deal
We were about halfway through when Landon caught up to me for the first time in the day when we actually had a chance to talk to one another. “So, Liberty told me about the job opportunity you offered her,” he began.
I raised an eyebrow, not sure how to respond to that. I didn’t know exactly what she’d told him or how he’d reacted to it because I hadn’t seen her since the phone call. I’d wanted to speak to her again, but we’d both been relatively busy. I knew she was having to find someone to replace her in the office.
“Yeah, that’s right,” I said hesitantly. “My photographer had an emergency in his family. His wife fell down the stairs and cracked her tailbone.” I’d spoken to him and found out what had happened. His poor wife was going to be out of commission for a few weeks at least.
“I’m glad that Liberty is able to help you out,” he said. Landon had his hands pushed down deep into the pockets of his khaki shorts, rocking back and forth slightly as he continued. “I’m not sure if you giving her this chance has anything to do with the fact that she’s my sister, but I know it means a lot to her.”
My eyes widened as I considered what he was saying. Was Landon implying I might’ve only given Liberty this opportunity because he was my best friend? It sure sounded that way, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. After all, he couldn’t know that the main reason I wanted her there was because I had feelings for her.
That wasn’t the only reason, though, of course, so I decided to launch into that. “Oh, no. That’s not why. I mean, I’m always happy to help out a friend. Or a family member of a friend. But in this case, I know how talented Liberty is at photography. I’ve seen some of her work, and I know she’ll do a great job. Besides that, her personality is perfect for working with these kids, especially the ones who’ve never been away from home before. It can be a little frightening for them, and they need someone like Liberty, who is so easy to talk to and always seeks people out to comfort them.” Just thinking about her warm smile made me melt a little on the inside.
Landon nodded. “That’s true. You definitely know my sister well, Joshua. She’s got a heart of gold. So I really do appreciate you giving her this job, no matter the reason.” He clapped me on the arm and smiled.
“I appreciate you letting her come. I would’ve been in quite the pickle if you hadn’t let her find a replacement to take over her job so she could come along to camp.” We moved ahead a little as the last of our group prepared to take his shot.
Letting out a sigh, Landon said, “You know, Liberty hasn’t been shy about letting me know that she doesn’t really like working for me. It’s not because I’m not an amazing boss,” he joked, and I laughed. “But she wants to be a full-time photographer. It’ll be hard to replace her at the company because she works so hard. I don’t have to supervise her, and I know she’ll get her job done. But I’m going to have to accept the fact that she won’t be there forever. In fact, I wouldn’t be shocked if she never came back at all after this, assuming she likes it as much as she thinks she will.”
“I’m sure she won’t leave you hanging,” I reassured him, but I thought about what it would be like if Liberty and I could work together full-time. That would be amazing. It had been working together that had been the final push Landon and Poppy needed to realize how much they loved one another.
I didn’t have any doubt that Liberty and I had feelings for one another. For us, there were other problems. And the main one was standing right next to me.
“Just make sure you don’t let any of those other male camp counselors hit on her, okay? Keep my sister safe.” He punched me playfully in the arm, but I winced.
“I’ll watch out for her,” I said. Did that happen to include me? I supposed it probably did.
Landon and I headed over to the golf cart and prepared to move to the next hole, and I did my best to be present, to interact with the others, especially Luke, who was finally beginning to open up. In the back of my mind, though, I couldn’t help but think about Liberty. I was looking forward to a few weeks with her, away from her brother’s scrutinizing eye.
We finished the course, with Luke winning hands-down, which was no surprise, and then headed inside the country club for some lunch. While we ate, some of the other guys gave Austin a hard time for coming in last, but I defended him. “Golf is a sport you have to practice at to stay good at it, and Austin’s a busy kid. He’s just finished his sophomore year in college, after all, and that takes a lot of attention.”
Austin gave me a grateful look. “That’s right. It takes a lot of attention to date all those hot chicks.”
We all laughed at that, but the mention of women shifted the conversation. First, we talked about Landon’s upcoming nuptials, and he answered some questions about the decorations that he didn’t really seem to know that much about.
Then, Arlo said, “What about you, Joshua? I don’t see a lot of unknown vehicles parked across the street. Are you seeing anyone?”
My mouth dried up, and my palms went sweaty. “Uh, no,” I finally managed before picking up my drink and guzzling it. “Nope. Not at the moment.”
“If he doesn’t find someone soon, Mom is going to start pestering him to death. She doesn’t mention it much to him, but she is really hoping for grandkids soon,” William said, snickering.
The table erupted in chuckles, and then the conversation shifted to whether or not Landon and Poppy would be having kids. I tried to stay focused, but my mind was still on Liberty.
Later, after I dropped William off at my parents’ house, I went home and walked into my living room, collapsing on the couch. With my eyes closed, I could hear the sounds of my siblings in the house, ghosts of them, from all the years we’d spent here as a family.
I wanted that someday, to have this house, or whatever house we lived in, to be filled with laughter and fun. I missed living with my family, but I was also ready for a new one. I let my mind wander, imagining what it would be like if Liberty were my wife. Coming home to her would be amazing. Just thinking about it made me feel all cozy inside.
I had to figure out a way to let Landon know that I didn’t think of his little sister like she was a sibling, that she was special to me in ways he wouldn’t like at first. Eventually, he’d learn to accept it, wouldn’t he?
I hoped I didn’t have to choose between them because that would be the toughest decision I ever had to make.
8
LIBERTY
Poppy sat across from me at one of our favorite restaurants, munching on her vegan brunch, which was some sort of tofu scramble. It looked good, but I didn’t think it could possibly taste as good as my breakfast tacos. While Poppy did eat some meat products these days, such as eggs and milk, she often went with full plant-based when she could, and this restaurant, Sunnyside Café, was able to accommodate that for her, so she was trying a new dish and loving it.
“It tastes just like scrambled eggs,” she assured me, taking another bite. “Are you sure you don’t want to try it?”
“No, that’s okay,” I told her. “I honestly don’t know how I’m going to manage to finish all of this.”