Choices - 14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Liam awakened, momentarily confused about where he was. The room was unfamiliar, until he recalled he was visiting Marty. The sound of the shower down the hall was the only indication his friend was awake. They’d had a great talk last night, and Liam had gotten a lot off his chest. Marty was supportive, as always, and assured Liam he could be nice to Alek if Liam decided to remain friends with the man.

Stretching, he sat up and scratched his chest, listening to the sounds of a bustling downtown Halifax. Standing at the window, he watched morning traffic, and pedestrians heading off to whatever pursuits they had. In the distance he could hear boats in the harbour, bringing their catch in for the day. His mouth watered as he thought of fresh lobster, straight off the boat. A soft knock dragged him from his daydream of clarified butter and fresh rolls, and he turned as Marty stuck his still damp head around the door.

“Hey, you are awake. I was just going to make myself some scrambled eggs. Are you interested?”

“Sure,” he replied with a grin. “That sounds great.”

Pulling a sweater over his head, Liam padded out to the kitchen, smiling as his friend rushed around the sleek space. “You didn’t have to cook for me, you know. I could have grabbed a muffin or something after you left.”

“It’s not a problem,” Marty said, shooting a grin over his shoulder. “Everything is ready.”

After plating eggs and toast, and handing Liam a cup of coffee, Marty took a seat across from him at the small table. “What are your plans while I’m at work?” He had taken a couple of days off, but client meetings today couldn’t be rescheduled without putting a serious crimp in their construction plans. Marty had apologized, but Liam waved him off. It was enough that he was here, and they would spend the next couple of days together.

“I thought I’d go for a walk along the harbour, and maybe stop in to see Joey. He still works at Murphy’s?”

“Yep,” Marty replied, gulping down his coffee. “He got promoted to chef, and got received some interest from a few of the swankier places in town too. If I’m back in time, I’ll text you and we can meet there for lunch?”

“Sounds good. Have a good day at work, dear.”

“I will, honey,” Marty replied with a wink. “If I don’t see you at lunch, I should be back by five. I told Ken and Landon you were coming to town. They want us to meet them for a couple of drinks. You up for that?”

“Sure. I haven’t seen them in years. The last time I was in town I think Joe was away on vacation and Lan was up north somewhere. It’ll be good to see them.”

“Awesome. I’ll text Ken and let him know. I think Sara and Allie are around too. It’ll be like a reunion.” Marty checked the time before chugging the rest of his coffee. “Shit. I have to go. I’m meeting the client in Dartmouth. Traffic is gonna be a bitch.”

“Go,” Liam said, shooing him from the room. “I’ll take care of this.”

After his best friend hustled out of the apartment, Liam cleaned the kitchen, and then hopped in the shower. Within thirty minutes he was dressed and heading for the harbour. The smell of the sea became stronger the closer he got. It was the smell of coming home. When his dad died, Liam needed to leave the memories behind, but he regretted leaving the east coast, and Marty’s family.

The day was cool, although the sun made a valiant effort to warm him. He walked aimlessly for a couple of hours, and eventually found himself at the public gardens. The park wasn’t very busy, and the trademark blooms had yet to make an appearance, but it was still beautiful. He’d just settled onto a bench when his phone buzzed in his pocket with a message from Marty.

‘Meeting taking longer than I’d hoped. Can’t make lunch. Sorry.’

‘Don’t worry about it,’ Liam replied. ‘Going to Murphy’s for lunch then back to the apartment to rest up for our wild night out.’

Liam chuckled when he received an ‘LOL’ and a winking emoji in response. After putting his phone away, he sat in the park for a while longer, reluctant to leave the peaceful space. A particularly cold breeze caused him to shiver and he took it as a sign it was time to continue his exploration of his old home city.

The familiar sign for Murphy’s restaurant drew him closer to the wharf and the scent of seafood made his stomach growl. There was nothing like a Nova Scotia feast, fresh from the sea, to make him feel like he’d truly returned home. With a grin he entered the relatively quiet establishment. During tourist season every food joint in the area would be packed, but now most places were limited to locals who worked in the downtown area.

The hostess showed him to a table overlooking the water, took his drink order and left him to peruse the menu. It required only seconds for him to choose the fish and chips, deciding to drag Marty out for a big lobster dinner later in the week. After setting the menu on the table, he watched the boats bobbing in the ocean outside the window, reminiscing about the last time he’d been out on the water. It was with his father, who had chartered a fishing boat for his yearly excursion only a few months before his heart attack. Liam felt his chest constrict with the memories, and turned away. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the waiter approaching, and plastered on a smile, sweeping away his melancholy thoughts.

“Good afternoon. Welcome to Murphy’s. Have you decided what you want to order?”

“I’ll take the fish and chips today, please. Tell me, is Joey Conti working today?”

“Joe? Yes he is. Are you a friend of his?”

“We go way back,” Liam replied with a grin. “We were in high school together. Can you tell him Liam MacPherson says hello?”

“Of course. I’ll just go put your order in.”

Liam settled back in his chair and pulled out his phone, checking emails and messages. He sent a text to Nathan, telling him he was having fun on his first full day, and messaged Bryce to get an update on his miffed cat. Tux wasn’t pleased to be dropped off again, and ignored Liam completely when he was finally allowed out of his carrier.

“Liam MacPherson. Damn. How long has it been? Four years?” A booming voice from across the dining room startled him. He looked up to see a slightly heavyset handsome man walking quickly towards his table. As a rugby player, Joey always was a big guy, but now he could pass for a lumberjack, minus the heavy beard.

Liam stood to greet his old friend with a wide grin on his face. “Three actually. I see you still can’t add, Conti.”

Joey laughed and pulled Liam into a hug. “Damn, it’s good to see you, man. Marty said you were living out in Ontario now. You just visiting?”

“Yeah.” Liam sat, and asked Joey to join him. “I was in an accident a few weeks back, and have been off work ever since. I’m cleared to go back next week so I thought I would spend a few days pestering Marty first.”

“An accident? Nothing too serious, I hope?”

“Some guy in a truck lost control and slammed me into guard rail. I broke my wrist and had a concussion, but other than a few bumps and bruises, I came out of it better than expected.”

“Damn. That sucks. Glad you’re okay. So how long are you in town for? We should go out for a drink and catch up.”

“Only a few days, unfortunately, but Marty and I are meeting Ken and Landon tonight. You should come out if you’re off.”

“You guys going to Ken’s place?”

“I have no idea. Marty just said we’re meeting up with them. Ken has a place?” Liam used air quotes when he said ‘place.’

Joey nodded, resting his forearms on the table. “Yeah, he took over his dad’s business when the old man retired. He’s been running it for a couple of years now.”

“Wow,” Liam replied with a nostalgic smile. “Everyone’s growing up.”

Joey snickered. “Some more than others. There’s a lot to catch you up on. I’ll call Landon and find out where you’re gonna be and meet you there.” They big guy stood and patted Liam on the shoulder. “It was really great to see you. It’s been too long.”

With that, the burly chef went back to his kitchen. A few minutes later his fish and chips arrived with an extra helping of coleslaw and an extra roll added to the plate. With a grin, Liam dug in. Damn, it was good to be back.

After stuffing himself, Liam decided to take a walk up to the citadel. He didn’t want to go inside, but the walk would wear off some of the fullness from lunch. As the afternoon wore on, grey clouds rolled in until it appeared the skies would open up at any moment. With a sigh of disappointment, he hailed a cab to take him back to Marty’s. He was happier with his decision when the first fat drops of rain fell as the vehicle pulled away from the curb. After paying the driver, Liam hopped out and made a run for the front doors before he got too wet. Once he made it inside the condo he sent Marty a quick text letting him know he was back, stripped out of his damp clothing, and pulled on a pair of jogging pants.

Knowing Marty had a great movie collection, he perused the selection until he found what he was looking for: Dirty Dancing. Marty swore up and down that Amy bought it when they were dating, but the man had been known to watch it any time Liam put the movie on. Liam sighed in contentment. There was something about Patrick Swayze on a dancefloor.

Liam didn’t realize he’d fallen asleep until Marty gently shook him awake. The television was off, and his friend was sitting on the couch beside him. “Good morning, sunshine,” Marty said with a grin. “Have a good nap?”

“Damn,” Liam said, wiping the sleep from his eyes. “I missed Swayze in the lake.”

Marty laughed and stood up, reaching down to help Liam to his feet. “Don’t worry. You can take it with you and watch it any time you want.”

“I already have a copy.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

The two men decided on a light dinner to tide them over before meeting up with their friends. Marty confirmed they were going to Ken’s bar: a small, but popular place near their old neighbourhood. After cleaning up their dishes, and showering, they took a cab, not wanting to leave Marty’s car anywhere if they both decided to have a drink.

Music could be heard from the building when they exited the taxi, and inside, a surprising amount of customers milled about, considering how early it was in the week. Liam looked around the establishment and smiled. He remembered the place from when Ken’s dad still ran it. It looked like their friend had made quite a few renovations and improvements.

“Liam! Marty?” a woman’s voice squealed from across the room. “You made it!” A tall red-head rushed to their side and pulled both men into a hug. Allie was funny and boisterous, and probably one of craziest women Liam had ever met. Most of the trouble they got into when they were teenagers was instigated by her. He’d always wondered why Allie and Marty had never gotten together over the years. The woman was very attractive, and had the longest legs Liam had ever seen, but Marty insisted she was too much like a sister to ever consider her romantically.

Allie dragged them across the room to a large table, and plopped herself into the lap of a familiar-looking brunette with glasses and a kind smile. Liam was happy to see she had found someone after years of dead ends in high school.

“Liam? You haven’t changed a bit,” the brunette said pulling Allie tighter against his chest.

The man’s voice made Liam do a double take. “Landon? Wow. I can’t believe it’s you.”

“I know,” the man laughed. “I’ve changed a lot in the past three years.”

That was an understatement. The last time he’d seen Landon, the other man probably topped three hundred pounds and had long, shaggy hair.

“You look great.”

“Thanks,” he replied, shyly. “It took a lot of work and time, but I’m happy.”

“You were always handsome to me, baby,” Allie said, kissing him.

“So you and Allie, eh? How long have you two been an item?”

“Almost three years now,” Allie replied with a beaming smile. “It took me a long time to wear him down.”

Liam knew his eyes had widened in surprise. “Really? I had no idea.”

“That’s because he kept putting me off,” Allie said, leaning into Landon’s chest, “but I’m more stubborn than he is.”

“Where are Ken and Sara?” Marty asked as he took a seat beside Liam.

“Ken’s in the back, bitching out a supplier for screwing up an order, and Sara called just before you arrived. She got tied up at the office, and is running a little late. She should be here soon though. Joey said he can make it too,” Landon responded, smiling at his girlfriend when she stood and reached her hand out to Liam.

“Come on, sweet cheeks.” Allie’s grin was as mischievous as Liam remembered. “Play pool with me.”

Liam lifted his still casted hand and raised an eyebrow at the redhead. “I do have a cast. How am I supposed to play pool?”

Allie snorted indelicately. “So what? You can use it as an excuse when I kick your ass.”

Liam laughed. “Fine. It’s on.”

Allie and Liam had been playing for several minutes, and teasing each other mercilessly whenever one of them missed a shot.

“So how is my favourite gay boyfriend?” she asked after making a great shot and sinking two striped balls.

Liam chuckled. “I thought I was your only gay boyfriend.” He grinned at her disgust when she missed her next shot.

“Well, there is that.” Allie hip bumped him as he tried to line up his cue stick. “You’re still my favourite, though.”

Liam rolled his eyes and set himself up again, grinning when the ball fell into the pocket. “So, you and Landon, eh? I have to say, I never saw that coming.”

There was a surprising flash of irritation in Allie’s eyes as she crossed her arms over her breasts. “Why not? Lan is a sweet, loving man. Why wouldn’t I be interested in him?”

“Whoa,” Liam replied, raising his hands. “I didn’t mean it like that. I know Landon’s always been a great guy. All I meant was I never realized there was a spark between you two. We’ve all been friends for years. I thought I’d have noticed sparks flying between two of my friends.”

“I’m sorry. I know you didn’t mean it that way. It’s a sore spot for us. I’ve always been attracted to Lan,” she said softly, leaning against the table beside him and gazing across the bar at her man, “but it took me a long time to convince him I was sincere. His confidence isn’t what it should be. I’m still working on that.”

Marty and Landon started laughing about something, and waved when they noticed Liam and Allie looking their way.

“So,” Allie said, nudging his shoulder. “How’s your love life? Any men turning your head these days?”

Liam started to laugh so hard he felt tears in his eyes. “Oh, hon. We have to sit down for this. How much time do you have?”

Sending out a big thank you and a to my editor and friend, Gary, for all of his help, and thank you to everyone who reads and supports this story.