Close to You

Close to You   Chapter Eight

His instinctive thought was that someone was fucking with him. Warren would be the logical culprit. He hadn’t stopped giving Liam shit about buying the house and, upon his first visit, piled on the “creepy little girl” jokes. He strode toward the walk-in closet and threw open the door, expecting his best friend to pop out and shout “Boo!” in his face. Nothing there. All that gre

Close to You   Chapter Seven

His first day in the house went by without incident. The movers came in and did their thingwithout breaking anything. Afterward, his sisters and Mike, Leanne’s husband, came by to help him unpack what he needed to surv

Close to You   Chapter Six

As soon as Warren disappeared into his car, Liam slid into his own and drove toward Interstate 5 South. From there, he took Highway 8 East to Interstate 15 South, exiting on Adams Avenue. The large neon Kensington sign that hung on Adams Avenue was a welcome sight. The drive felt smooth and familiar to him, which was convenient, mostly since he drank more tonight than he usually did. If he got pulled over, h

Close to You   Chapter Five

As usual, the mention of Elena felt like a solid punch in the gut. He looked down at the bottom of his mug. He must have drunk more than he thought tonight. “Is that ‘I told you so’ going to expireany timesoon? Because the jokes, they have gone stale.”The smile from Warren’s face disappeared, and he leveled a solemn gaze on his friend. “Irish, you didn’t buy this house ‘cause

Close to You   Chapter Four

Immediately after work a few nights later, he drove down to La Jolla to meet his best friend Warren at the Rock Bottom Restaurant there. It was the most convenient place for them to hang out since Warren worked as a lecturer at the UCSD campus right in the middle of La Jolla and Liam, who worked in the Sorrento Valley area, was only ten minutes away. He and Warren convened at least once a week, mostly to just shoot the shit or catch up with each other. Leanne often said she found it amazing that he and Warren would have anything left to talk about, especially since the two of them had been friends for over twenty years.

Close to You   Chapter Three

Leanne had the grace to look chagrined. “She wasn’t a stalker. She was just eager.”“She sent me pictures of wedding gowns after our one and only date.” He folded up the napkin and stuck it in the front pocket of his jeans. “When I told her, I only wanted to be friends and wasn’t ready for a commitment, she cussed me out over the phone for leading her on, then profusely apologized a minute later, promising that she’ll change if I took her back and swore not to leave her!”

Close to You   Chapter Two

Liam shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. He had only been on one date since the divorce, and that one foray had been disastrous, mostly because his date had been one beer short of a six-pack. “Maybe I’ll keep the heavy drapes, after all. Do you know how much damage sunlight can do to your skin?”“Wuss!” Leanne tugged at his arm. “Show me this kitchen of yours.”On their

Close to You   Chapter One

“Wow… that is… what’s the word?”“Ugly? Yes, I’ve given it some thought, and I’m gonna go with ‘ugly.’”Liam took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “I think it has character.”