“I don’t think so.” Mrs. L. put her hand on Liv’s arm.
“You don’t think it was my last mistake?” True that. She’d been naive enough to get involved with Will.
“No, dear. I don’t think it was your mistake. Honesty can’t be measured by penmanship. It’s in the body language and actions.”
Emotion—again—overcame Liv. What a nice thing for Mrs. L. to say.
“Whoever conducted the in-person interview and checked his references should have been the one to catch on and been fired. Not you.”
“Thank you for saying that.” The last couple of weeks at work had been horrible with blame thrown around in the most hurtful manner. Her immediate boss had fought for her, but ultimately it had come down to the higher-ups losing their belief in her abilities. She’d lost faith in them, too. It didn’t matter that for four years she’d maintained a flawless reputation.
Honor bounced up and down in her chair. “I have a job for you if you want it. And it would be a huge favor to me.”
“What do you mean?” Liv said.
“The Halloween carnival is coming up and one of my vendors just backed out. I could set you up in his place to read people’s handwriting. People love stuff like that. It’s not at all on the same par as what you’re used to, but it could be fun. What do you say?”
She didn’t know what to say. She’d never read people’s writing like a fortuneteller might read someone’s palm.
“That’s a wonderful idea,” Mrs. L. said. “Sign me up right now.”
“Come by city hall on Monday and I’ll go over all the details. Oh, and I’ll introduce you to the mayor. Who knows? He might be interested in your services for hiring personnel.”
Liv continued to sit there quietly, unsure of how she felt.
“I’m sorry,” Honor said, relaxing back in her chair and returning to her notes. “If you’d rather not, that’s okay. I just thought it might be a way for you to feel like you’ve got your mojo back. Because I definitely agree with Mrs. L. and, heck, you just pegged me.”
Confidence and courage. Liv needed those things back. “No apology necessary. I’ll do it. Thank you for asking.”
“Do what?” Danny asked, his deep voice sounding from over Liv’s shoulder. All her nerve endings stood at attention.
“Liv’s going to have a booth at the upcoming carnival and do handwriting analysis,” Honor said.
Warm, slightly calloused hands squeezed Liv’s upper arms. She tilted her head back and looked up at Danny. Happy, supportive eyes met hers. If they were a normal couple, he’d probably bend down and kiss her. “That’s great,” he said instead, squashing her misguided thought.
Liv smiled at him before she lowered her chin. His hands stayed right where they were. Reassuring, caring. They felt so good. She wanted that care on other parts of her body. Caressing, rubbing, touching her between her thighs until she came all over his fingers, and then she wanted to spread her legs and feel him buried deep inside her.
Holy shit on a swizzle stick that was specific and very inappropriate. No I don’t. No I don’t.
“If you guys are done here, I’ve got a promise to Liv I need to keep.” Danny dropped his arms.
“She’s all yours,” Honor said, a playful cadence to her voice, like she’d read Liv’s thoughts. She stood at the same time Mrs. L. did, saying good-bye with a twinkle in her eyes.
“They are the cutest couple,” Liv overheard Mrs. L. say as she and Honor walked themselves out.
“They are,” Honor agreed.
Liv’s forehead hit the table in embarrassment. “Sorry,” she murmured. “But we’re having a wedding.”
Danny took her hand and gave a gentle tug so she had to follow him. “Instead of a swear jar, I’m going to start a sorry jar and charge you a dollar for every time you say it.” He led her to the couch. “Knock it off, okay?” He propped an extra pillow behind her back and sat far enough away for her to straighten her legs and put her feet in his lap.
She’d baked him chocolate chip cookies this morning. It was payback time.
“When?” he asked, taking her heel and massaging the bottom of her foot.
It took her a minute to realize he meant the wedding. “New Year’s Eve.”
“Where?”
“Backyard.”
He let out a breath. “Okay. Sounds good.”
“No it doesn’t.” She knew he was just appeasing her.
“It does actually. My original concern had to do with family and friends making a big production of it, but I can deal with something small. We’re friends doing this for a good reason, Liv, and a ceremony means something to you.”