Liam

Chapter 3

Rayne was rushing around the kitchen trying to put the finishing touches on the meal. She had gotten home a bit later than planned - stupid traffic. She pulled a dutch oven out and stirred the chicken and dumplings. The salad was chilling in the refrigerator along with a cherry pie. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to fix comfort foods tonight but it seemed appropriate. She knew better than to argue with her intuition. She scanned the room quickly to make sure nothing was out of place.

She quickly changed into a mid-length cotton summer dress with halter straps, and braided her hair into a loose knot braid. She began setting the table when she heard a knock at the door.

She opened the door with a smile to see Liam standing there and a pair of blue jeans and a crisp white button-up shirt. He had a bouquet of wildflowers in his hand and a bottle of sparkling apple juice. Hmm, she talked to herself, I guess that intuition was right. She took the flowers from his hand, kissing him on the cheek and welcoming him into the room. "Please come sit down. I'll just put these in some water and put the juice on ice."

"I hope it's alright that I didn't bring wine," he said. "I just felt that a home-cooked meal might be better with something more casual."

She smiled, turning to him, "Well we must be on the same wavelength because I made you some of my favorite dishes." As they ate and talked he marveled at the meal asking her how she learned to cook like this. "I spent most of my childhood with my grandmother, and she didn't believe in buying anything from the store unless you absolutely had to. I would spend summers in her garden picking fruit and vegetables learning how to cook, bake, make my own canned goods and so much more. Those summers were magical. I miss them very much sometimes."

Liam was mesmerized as he watched her talk. He could see the passion and emotion and her expression when she spoke of her grandmother. She had a far-off look in her eyes, with just a hint of sadness. "She sounds like an amazing woman."

"She was. She left this world 5 years ago." Rayne paused for a moment, pulling herself away from those memories. "Sorry about that."

Liam stood up and started helping to clean the table. "I wanted to thank you again for the book today. My customer was thrilled. I even recounted your story to help with the sale," he grinned as he spoke. "You really would make a great salesperson in my line of work. Your knowledge is priceless."

"It was no trouble. Besides, I liked getting to see that mischievous smile. It helped make the day go more quickly." Rayne replied as she shut the dishwasher door. Good grief, Did I just say that out loud? "Would you like to move into the living room and we can have our dessert while we watch a movie?"

Liam folded the kitchen towel and set it neatly on the counter. "So what shall we watch? What are your favorite kinds of movies?"

"Oh now that's a dangerous question," Rayne laughed. "I'm a very eclectic type. I can watch just about anything."

Liam flashed that smile and then stopped, locking eyes with her again "Yes, but what is your favorite? Here you made me all your favorite foods, so now, show me your favorite movie." While she looked around for the movie, he brought two cups of coffee and two pieces of cherry pie and then set them on the table. She put the movie in and grabbed some large pillows and blankets and fluffed them up on the couch so that they could become comfy.

"So what did you choose, darling?"

"My go-to movie is Ever After. It's a Cinderella story." Rayne answered, blushing slightly.

"Hmm," he laughed, "I didn't have you pegged for a Cinderella girl. When we first met, you struck me much more as a Brave or Elsa kind of Disney princess."