“Shall I set you a place?” Midge asked curiously. “Or mention that you’re here?”
Stepping back from the doorway just as Liam glanced over in our direction, I shook my head. “I’ll go over myself. But first, may I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
Lowering my voice, I took a few steps back into the lobby, out of Liam’s sight. “What do you think of him? He’s new here too, right?”
She squinted at me. “Hold on a second—you’re the new Mixologist.”
I blinked. “Yes, I am. How did you know?”
“I’m ancient. I know these things. Plus, small town. Word—”
“—gets around,” I finished for her. “So I’ve heard. Do you know anything about Liam’s story?”
“May I ask why?” Midge leaned in, keeping her voice on the quiet end of the spectrum. “I don’t mean to be rude, but the reason I’ve been in business for centuries is because I keep my guests’ information private. Their names, their room numbers, and most importantly, their business. I thought you just wanted to deliver coins.”
I decided to play the card that Liam himself had handed me. “There’s a little more to the story.”
Midge raised an eyebrow. “Do tell. Tit-for-tat, you know.”
I tried for what I hoped was a semi-embarrassed, flirtatious sort of wink. Mostly, it just felt like an eye twitch, and I lost my train of thought.
“Are you okay?” Midge asked. “I can recommend a good doctor if you’re feeling ill.”
“No, no, I’m fine.” I slapped a hand over my twitchy right eye. So much for my powers of seduction. “I’m just wondering what you think of him. Liam. He asked if I wanted to get coffee. He’s new, I’m new...I hope you understand.”
“Oh!” Midge let out a high-pitched giggle. “I see how it is now. Liam is a perfectly nice gentleman. There’s only one problem.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, the reason I didn’t put two and two together sooner is because everyone knows that Liam isn’t interested in your type. No offense darling, it’s not just you. It’s all of us.”
“All of us meaning...witches? Magical people? Islanders?”
Midge laughed. “No, you’re not understanding. Women. Liam is not interested in women.”
My spine went ramrod straight. “Wow, I missed all alarm bells going off with that one.”
“He’s a very manly man, you know,” she said. “And he’s been coming here on and off for the last ten years on business. I can tell you one fact—he’s never once laid a finger on a woman in any sort of way, especially not a romantic way. He’s never been on a date as far as I know, and I know everything. He’s just not interested. I’m sorry, but maybe your alarm bells are broken.”
“Guess so,” I said, doing a mental head scratch. “I could be wrong, I suppose.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Midge patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’re certainly not the first, and you won’t be the last. However, he’s a lovely conversationalist, and he’s not bad to look at, either. If you’re wondering whether or not it’s a good idea to get a coffee with him, I say why on earth not? Go for it! You’ll probably have to work with him on business at some point, anyway. Most of the islanders do.”
“Business? What does he do?”
“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Midge put both of her hands on my shoulders and manually spun me around. She marched me straight over to the table in the corner where Liam looked up, an amused smirk on his face as Midge grinned broadly. “Liam, I believe you’ve already met Lily. Lily, this is Liam.”
“How do you know my name?” I asked in a hushed voice while awkwardly smiling at Liam. “I never told you.”
“Dear, I know everything,” she whispered. “Now, sit down. I’ll have coffee and a snack brought out. It seems like you two have a lot to discuss.”
Chapter 11
“Thank you,” I murmured a few minutes later as Midge herself dropped by our table with two cappuccinos and a small plate of biscotti. “This looks delicious.”
Liam leaned forward from his seat across the table and winked. “Why do you think I’ve stayed here during every business trip all these years?” He cast a teasing glance over at Midge. “Not for the company, surely.”
She gave him a good-natured swat on the shoulder. “Keep that up, and I’ll start putting a pinch of Forget-Me-Not into your potion. You’ll be swooning over me every time you walk into this lobby.”