Which meant…
The door opened and I shut my eyes.
I reached out and walked into the apartment.
“I’m drunk, and I’m horny,” I said. “Let’s fuck, babe.”
“Liam, stop.”
My eyes opened.
It wasn’t Miranda.
It was Emily.
“Are you drunk?” Emily asked.
“Em,” I said. “What the…”
I looked to my left and saw Miranda standing in the kitchen.
“Wow,” she said. “You’re really feeling it, huh?”
“Shit. Sorry about that. I didn’t know you had company.”
“I was getting ready to leave,” Emily said.
“We had a glass of wine,” Miranda said. “Just one. We don’t need to get plastered like you and your friends do.” Miranda hurried toward me. “What happened to your face?”
“Got into a fight,” I said.
“What?”
“Jackson picked a bar fight.”
“Of course he did,” Miranda said. “I hate that guy.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “I’m fine. We’re all fine. Right?”
I looked at Emily and smiled.
She inched her way away from Miranda and I.
“I can’t believe you, Liam,” Miranda said.
“Who cares? You used to love when I would get into bar fights, remember?”
“Here we go with this again,” she said. Her phone started to ring. “I have to take this call.” She looked at Emily. “Will you help him to the couch? And feel free to talk about the past with him. It’s all he keeps bugging me about.”
“Uh, sure,” Emily said.
Miranda ran across the apartment to the bedroom.
“There she goes,” I said. “On another call.”
“Liam, come here,” Emily said.
She touched my arm.
“I’m not as think as you drunk I am,” I said with a laugh.
“I don’t think that’s how the saying goes,” Emily said.
I stared at her as I walked.
The entire room was spinning but she wasn’t.
Damn, she’s as pretty as when we were teenagers, huh?
I looked down at my feet.
That thought needed to go away and stay gone forever.
Emily pulled me down to the couch and sat next to me.
I grabbed her hand.
“How are you, Em?” I asked.
“Em? You haven’t called me that in years.”
“I’m a little drunk.”
“I can see that.”
“So how are you?”
“I’m good.”
“Good? That’s not good. You never say good unless it’s bad.”
Emily pulled her hand from mine. “You should put your head down and get some sleep.”
“Hey. Want to talk about the past?”
“Not really, Liam.”
“Come on. It’s fun. We’re good, right?”
“Of course we’re good,” she said.
“So, who cares? I want to talk about… everything. Everything, Em. Hey, do you still sing?”
I leaned toward her.
She put her hands to my chest and eased me away.
“No, Liam. I don’t.”
“Why not?” I called out.
“The same reason you don’t skateboard,” she said. “Okay?”
“Fine,” I said. “I’m just… what’s wrong with talking about the past, right? It’s fun. It’s fun to do. We should do it. Let’s do it, Em. You and me.”
Emily laughed. “Wow. You are feeling it right now. Let me get you a blanket.”
She stood up.
I tried to stand and she snapped her finger at me.
I stayed on the couch and put my head back.
I shut my eyes.
Emily brought me a blanket and covered me.
“Thanks, babe,” I said.
“No problem, Liam,” she said. “It was good to kind of see you.”
“We should hang out. Just you and me. Okay?”
“Okay, Liam,” she said.
I kept my eyes shut and took deep breaths.
A few minutes later I heard the sound of Miranda’s voice.
Then Emily’s voice.
Miranda’s voice was like someone scratching a fork to a plate.
Emily’s was like the sound of a gentle rain.
Rain…
Thinking that sound made me feel like I had to piss.
I told myself not to piss my pants.
Not on the couch.
Not in front of Emily.
Miranda would be livid.
It was almost worth it.
But not in front of Emily.
Emily.
Em.
I drifted off to sleep with one more thought.
I kind of missed Emily.
Chapter Six
Emily
I sat at the desk and my mind instantly began to wander.
This was the part of the business that was extra tough for me.
Writing out checks. Trying to make things balance even though they didn’t want to.
It also didn’t help that I had the stupid papers from Miranda next to me.
She wanted more money.
I wasn’t sure if she was allowed to do that to me.
But if I put up a fight, then what? Our friendship would be at stake.
Of course Lucy and Ember said I had no friendship with Miranda.
They didn’t know Miranda like I did.
She was fierce and when she had a vision, she did anything to make it come true.
I sighed and folded up the papers and stuck them in the top drawer of the desk.
I set my attention back to the computer screen and went through Ember’s current purchase order.
There was no need for me to review the order.
Ember knew exactly what she needed and never wasted a penny.
That was yet another thing to be thankful for.
If you’ve ever watched those restaurant shows, you’d know how some places end up losing tons of money because they overstock.
That wasn’t Ember.
She was frugal and smart.
I approved the purchase order and submitted it.
Then I stood up and stretched my neck.
Last night had been a bit of a sleepless night. And when I did fall asleep, I would end up with my neck twisted around my head somehow and wake back up in pain.
You know where that came from though. Don’t be silly.
I looked to my right at the small mirror hanging on the wall.
I pointed to my reflection.
“Stop it,” I said to myself.
I opened the office door and Lucy jumped back and gasped.
“Lucy,” I said.
“I was just going to open the door when you did,” she said. She touched her chest. “You scared me.”
“Sorry,” I said. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I was looking for you. Someone is here to see you.”
“Who is it?”
“Someone named Liam.”
I spotted Liam sitting by himself near the front corner of the bakery.
“He insisted I give him two coffees,” Lucy said. “That is one good-looking man.”
I looked at Lucy. “That man is engaged to Miranda.”
“What?” Lucy asked. “Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“You should get on that before they say I do.”
“Lucy,” I said. “Miranda is my best friend. And I’ve known Liam for a long time.”
“Best friend…” Lucy rolled
