Back to Life (3 page)

Liam

“Dude,
can we put this thing down yet?” Nick said, out of breath.

“We’re
almost there, calm down. Just a few more steps,” I said.

“Tell
me, Tanner, why the hell did I decide to help your dumb ass move into your
apartment?” he grunted.

“So
you have a story to tell drunken chicks at clubs about being some sensitive guy
helping out a friend so they’ll go home with your sorry ass.” I stumbled a few
steps backward.

“Hey,
I’m a cop. I don’t need some story to get laid. Chicks love a guy with a gun,”
he said.

“Whatever
you say, pal. Okay, set it down here,” I said, and we lowered my sofa into
place in front of the seventy inch flat screen hanging on the wall.

“Ugh,
finally. That shit was killing my back,” Nick said, breathing like he’d just
run a marathon.

“That
might be a sign to lay off the doughnuts and start hitting the gym, big guy,” I
said, clapping him on the abdomen.

“Please,
you wish you had rock hard abs like mine,” he teased. Flopping down on the
couch, he said, “Hey, grab me a beer, would you?” Nick Ramirez was my partner
in homicide at the fifty-third precinct in New York City and had somewhat
graciously agreed to give up his day off to help me get moved into my new
apartment in Greenwich Village. I was born and raised in Manhattan, and I’d
been back in the city for about a month now, but had been staying with Nick
until I found a place. I finally had, and not a minute too soon. I’d actually
known Nick since I was a kid, and I loved him like a brother, but his walls
were paper thin and I thought I might hurl if I had to hear him giving it to
some desperate woman that had been dumb enough to fall for his lines and come
back to the apartment with him for one more night. I would have the occasional
one night stand, but at least I never had to make up some lame ass story to get
into a girl’s pants. They usually came to me.

I
walked to the refrigerator and yanked it open. Grabbing two beers, I walked back
over to the couch and handed Nick a beer. I took a seat next to him and sighed.
“On my own, finally.” I took a drink.

“Whatever
dude, you know you’re going to miss me,” he said, playfully shoving me.

“Whatever
helps you sleep at night.” At that moment, my cell phone rang. I pulled it out
of my pocket and looked at the caller ID. Sighing, I answered, “Hey, Mom.”

“Liam,
darling, hello. How are you?”

Five
minutes in my apartment and my mom’s already calling me. “I’m good, Mom. What’s
up?”

“Well,
I just left the beauty salon and I was thinking of going to lunch. Are you
free?”

I
groaned internally. If my mother just left the salon, she no doubt wanted to
meet up and try to force this woman on me again for the millionth time. Some
hair stylist in the high end salon she goes to. If she works in a place like
that, and my mother whole heartedly approves of her, she was probably some
blue-blooded bimbo with the IQ of a raisin and daddy’s credit card. If I didn’t
love my mother as much as I did, I wouldn’t put up with her trying to fix me
up, but I know she means well. Knowing there was no way out of it, I said,
“Sure, I’m free. Where do you want to meet?”

“How
about Antonio’s?”

“That’s
fine. I can be there in twenty minutes.”

“Okay,
that sounds wonderful. I’ll go get us a table and meet you there. Bye,
sweetie,” she said.

“Bye
Mom,” I said, hanging up the phone. I turned to Nick. “Well, that beer’s going
back in the fridge because I have to leave. I have to go have lunch with my
mom.”

“Aw,
how sweet. Lunch with mommy,” Nick teased.

I
rolled my eyes. “It’s too early in the day for this shit.”

“What
shit? Viv’s awesome. Why are you complaining?” Nick had always loved my mom
like his own because his mother passed away when we were in junior high. His
father was never around and he was raised by his grandmother. As much as he
loved her, I know he really missed that motherly connection so he was happy
when my mom unofficially took him under her wing.

“I’m
not complaining about having lunch with her. I am just not looking forward to
hearing all about this woman she’s trying to shove at me.”

“That
hairstylist that she goes to? If Viv likes her, she’s probably hot.”

“Yeah,
and dumb as shit too.”

Nick
barked out a laugh. “Who the fuck cares if she’s stupid or not? I wish I had
your problems for one day. Someone practically offering sex up to me on a
platter isn’t what I call a bad thing.”

“Well,
sex with someone my mom’s trying to set me up with isn’t a good thing either.
Everyone will expect some relationship to develop, and you know that’s not my
style.”

“You
are a dumbass, you know that?” he laughed.

“Shut
up and get the hell off my couch,” I said, taking the beer from him.

“All
right. I’m going to go and enjoy the rest of my day off now that I’m not
hauling big ass couches for free loaders that finally got the hell out of my
place.”

“Whatever
man. Thanks for the help, and I’ll catch you later,” I said, and gave him a
quick, back pounding hug.

“See
you,” Nick said, and walked out of my apartment.

I
ran my hand through my hair and sighed. I really didn’t want to spend my
afternoon having my mother trying to play love connection, but at least if I
had to see any of my family I’m glad it was her and not my father. I haven’t
spoken to him in almost ten years…not since I left for college. He was fuming
because I chose to go to Indiana University to study Criminal Justice and
pursue a career in law enforcement instead of carrying on the family legacy of
attending Yale University and pursuing a law degree. Being an only child and
the only heir to a wealthy family, it was a huge slap in his face that I chose
to do what I wanted, not what was planned for me. I had a great respect for the
law, but I always saw myself on a different side of it. I wanted to help people
from behind a badge and an oath to serve and protect, not from behind a desk or
in a courtroom. And to Grayson Tanner it was the ultimate betrayal. The morning
I left for college it came to blows, with us literally getting into a fist
fight. I know he wanted to cut me off, but he was more afraid of how it would
look in the society pages if that ever got out. Besides, he still needed an
heir to leave his vast fortune to, so I was still on the hook in a manner of
speaking.

I
didn’t want to come back to New York. Besides my mother, I have no ties to
anyone here. But, I know it was hurting her that she couldn’t see me, and I had
really missed her. She was the only one in my entire family that ever supported
my decision to do my own thing, and I was grateful for that. So, like a good
son and despite my better judgment, I moved back to New York City and took a
job as a homicide detective in the fifty third precinct. I had an apartment now
that I really liked and it was in a part of the city that my father wouldn’t
step down from his ivory tower to visit, so that made me happy as well. Plus, I
was single and loved the fact that I didn’t have a nagging woman to contend
with. Relationships had always been nothing but trouble and a constant
irritation. If I had an itch, I’d scratch it, but I never let it follow me
home, which is one of the reasons why I had resisted my mother’s matchmaking
for the past three years. I just had to get through the afternoon with her, and
I planned on hitting up a bar later tonight. Hell, now with my own place, maybe
I’d find a woman to help break in my new bed.

As
soon as I walked into Antonio’s, my eyes scanned the crowded restaurant,
looking for my mother, and I immediately found her. She was sipping a glass of
wine and reading the menu. I knew that she’d stick out in a place like this…it
wasn’t her type of dining establishment at all. Antonio’s was the epitome of
what a classic New York Italian restaurant would be, and one of my favorite
places in the city. My mom always liked to eat in the nicer, classier places,
so for her to ask to meet me here made my spidey sense tingle even more. She
was definitely up to something.

I
walked over to her table. “Mom?”

Smiling,
she set the menu down and stood to meet me. “Oh, Liam, darling,” she said as
she hugged me, “it’s so wonderful to see you.”

Hugging
her back, I said, “It’s good to see you too, Mom.” I let go and pulled out her
chair.

Sitting
back down, she said, “You are looking well. You have a new tattoo,” she said,
running her fingers across the sacred heart on my right forearm.

“Yeah,”
I said. It was the only thing I could think of saying. I knew she hated when I
would get them, but she didn’t say anything to me about them, which I
appreciated. I was a grown man, what could she do?

“So,
how have you been? How do you like your job?”

“It’s
been good. Investigating someone’s murder is never a fun thing to do, but every
day I can put a murderer behind bars is a good day.”

She
didn’t say anything else on the subject, and just simply nodded. “How’s Nick?”

“Happy
to have me out of his place, I’m sure. I just moved my last piece of furniture
in today.”

“Oh,
I’m sure he will miss you. He’s such a good man. I admit I sleep a little
easier knowing he’s your partner. It’s good to have someone who cares about you
by your side.”

Just
then, the waitress came over to take our orders. She was pretty with olive skin
and long dark hair. I’ve seen her here before, but I couldn’t remember her
name. Definitely cute. I looked up at her and grinned, and she blushed.
“Welcome to Antonio’s. My name’s Maria and I’ll be your server today. Can I
start you two off with a beverage?” she said, looking at me.

“I’ll
have a beer. Whatever’s on tap is fine,” I said, winking at her.

Flustered,
she said, “Okay, great. And can I bring you another white wine?” she asked my
mother, and stole another sideways glance at me.

“That
would be lovely, thank you. And, I actually think we’re ready to order,” she
said to Maria. Giving me a wink, she said, “I’ll have the spinach lasagna, and
my son will have sausage and peppers.” She always knew what to order me here,
because I never had anything different.

“Okay,
excellent choices. I’ll put that order in and I’ll be back with your drinks,”
Maria said, collecting the menus. With one more look at me, she walked away.

I
loved Antonio’s. This had always been our little secret place from Dad. Even
though I grew up rich and with the best of everything, she liked to remind me that
there was more to life than yacht clubs and polo matches. I appreciated her for
that. But, my appreciation for her didn’t last long when I heard her clear her
throat. She only did that when she was about to give me bad news or ask for
something. “It’s a lovely day today, isn’t it?” she said, taking a sip from her
wine.

I
sighed. “All right, Mom. Spit it out.”

“What
are you talking about?” she asked.

“Tell
me the reason you wanted to meet.”

“Can’t
a mother have lunch with her son? A son I haven’t seen in ten years and have
barely spoken to since he got home, I might add,” she said.

“Mom,
come on. You called me in the middle of the day on a Friday, which I know is
one of your busiest days of the week, and asked to have lunch. You also
mentioned that you had just left that salon you go to, which means that you are
going to try and talk me into calling that girl you keep pushing on me,” I
said.

I
thought she would try to defend herself, but surprisingly, she said, “Oh, Liam,
she’s such a nice girl.”

I
threw my hands in the air. Laughing, I said, “I knew it.”

“Just
hear me out. She’s funny, intelligent, quick witted, and absolutely beautiful.”

“Yeah,
well so is a golden retriever, but you don’t see me dating one of those, do
you?” I said.

“Ugh,
I hope not,” she laughed. Then her tone turned serious. “Liam, I am only trying
to help. I just want you to be happy, and I think that Rory will be perfect for
you.”

“Rory?”

“Her
name. Rory Shaw.” Cute name, I thought to myself.

“Look,
I know you mean well, Mom, but I’m just not interested. I am happy with my life
right now. I’m on my own, I just got my own place, and I like it. Please
respect that.”

She
sighed. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. I will respect it. I don’t want to be
like your father,” she said sadly. “I really might never see you again. For
good this time.”

I
place my hand over hers. “Thank you, Mom.”

“It’s
just a shame. I’ve never seen a more stunning red head in all my life,” she
said.

“Maybe
you could date her,” I teased.

She
laughed. “Hey, this is the modern world. If I was thirty years younger I might
be up for it,” she said, and I laughed out loud.