~~~
How'd the date go?
Sitting at the computer in his bedroom, Liam looked over and smiled wryly at the text from his friend Don. Don could have walked over from his house two blocks away, or he could have phoned. But they all preferred texting, particularly about anything that might be difficult or embarrassing.
Liam took a break from the English paper he was working on—why did they make anyone take this class?—and texted Don back.
Not so good.
Probably an understatement. Erica had returned from the 'date' in about half an hour. Poor Brennan. He'd no doubt come clean about his past, and she'd lost no time in rejecting him.
Uh oh, Don texted.
I know. Liam closed his eyes briefly. Given Clint's marital problems, Liam was assuming he'd end up living with Erica. Taking in a long breath and opening his eyes, he added, Next stop LA.
If Erica had been so definite in rejecting Brennan, she'd probably not want to live next door to him. Nor did she any longer have a reason to stay in Palmwood.
Silence reigned from Don's side of the conversation.
Setting his phone down on his desk, Liam gazed at his raggedly-begun English paper on the computer screen in front of him. If he couldn't make any significant progress on this tonight, he'd have to go beg Brennan for help tomorrow. Shit, he hoped Erica wasn't going to nix Liam seeing Brennan. The idea put a solid rock in his stomach.
Not that Liam would be seeing much of Brennan if Erica moved him to LA.
Liam pulled up a browser window and Googled, once again, a listing of the public high schools from which he could choose if he lived at Erica's LA address. He went to the website of the first on the list and found the school's report card.
He couldn't help wincing. Even putting the best face on these scores— No, there was no putting a best face on these scores. They were rotten. Standardized test scores below average, number of students testing proficient below average. And the list of colleges to which students had been admitted were not impressive—for those students who'd actually applied to college.
Liam's phone buzzed. He tilted it up to look at the screen.
Hey, hot babes out there, Don texted.
An amused smile jumped onto Liam's face. Right, he texted back. Like he'd get a chance with a hot babe. Just as good a chance he'd fit into these schools that appeared to be full of jocks and drug dealers. And if he thought he'd get some respite at the community college, the closest one to Erica was a bus ride through the 'hood.
Moving to LA would mean giving up both academic challenges and friends.
While twisting his phone back and forth idly, Liam bit the inside of his cheek. Of course, there was another option, the one his father had instructed him to take.
But that was a ridiculous option. Dad had been crazy to think his oldest son would care about Liam. Alex Carmichael hadn't been in contact with the family for thirteen years. It was obvious he'd written them all off and didn't give a damn.
But for some reason, Dad had thought Alex would give a damn. He'd been so certain that Liam had wondered if his father had actually been in contact with Alex. But Dad had claimed he had not. He'd simply said he knew Alex. He knew his boy would come through. He'd added, with a smile, that he also knew Liam would be able to figure out how to find him even when no one else could.
Liam's phone buzzed again. Seriously, dude, Don texted. You gotta figure out a way to stay here.
Liam tossed the phone onto his desk and stood up. If only he could. He paced toward the window that looked over the two driveways and Brennan's house next door.
Leaning against the window frame, Liam gazed at Brennan's second-story roofline and bit his thumb. He seriously did not want to move to Los Angeles. He also did not want to search for—or contact—his oldest brother, Alex. Why had his dad been so insistent? Alex had done everything possible to cut all ties with the family.
Sighing, Liam glanced back toward his computer. The blueish light of the monitor seemed to admonish him. Find Alex.
Liam pressed his lips together. No. Not yet. Erica hadn't even admitted she was going to be his guardian. But even if she was, she hadn't categorically claimed they'd be moving to Los Angeles. Hadn't she delayed going home for nearly a week already? Maybe she was considering staying in Palmwood, after all.
Best to leave Alex on a shelf labeled "last resort."
Below Liam, Erica's car turned into the driveway from the street. She pulled way up the driveway so her car wasn't hanging over the sidewalk.
A few days ago, she'd started using the driveway instead of parking out on the curb. That could be a positive sign, right? She was getting to feel at home, having a sense of ownership.
Erica got out of the car, reached in for a big paper bag, and right before closing her car door, gazed for a moment at Brennan's house.
Liam straightened from his position against the window frame. Okay, maybe he was being stupid, but that could be a positive sign, too, couldn't it? Maybe all was not lost yet in that department, either. Brennan was a great guy, after all. If Liam could convince her to stay in town just a little bit longer, Erica'd be forced to see that. She'd have to surrender her prejudices.
On his way out his bedroom door, Liam stopped long enough to tap out a quick text to Don.
Working on it.