A Perfect Fluke

Two

Liam didn't tell me where we were going. More like he didn't speak to me at all. The boy I'd seen him with was on the backseat. I was stuck in the front with Liam, and I was sure that neither of us were pleased about it.

The ride was silent as we took the highway and I felt like it was time to know our destination. "Where are we going?" My gaze darted to the back. The city was already a few miles away.

"Home," the little boy said as he gazed through the window. His words were laced with sadness and grief. I had a feeling that this wasn't his first time attending a funeral. His mother was nowhere in sight. Sighing, I leaned back on my seat, biting my cheek not to ask where home was.

We arrived at Ballard. The sign said that there were over four hundred habitants. It was a cute little town in the middle of... nowhere. Hills and vineyards surrounded it, and I had to admit that the sight was beautiful.

Liam followed the main street, passing a large church painted in red and kept going until the end of the road. He took a small cobbled street that was flanked with a wall made of bushes and kept on going. There was a house at the end of the path.

"How are you doing buddy?" He glanced at his son from the rearview mirror. "Would you like to take Loki out for a walk? He might need the exercise. I'll show Ms. Hall around the house."

The boy's eyes lit up at the mention of his pet's name. He nodded excited.

The car came to a halt. "Please call me Ella," I said before Liam stepped out of the car. His body froze for a second before he closed the door.

Take a deep breath and count to ten. He just lost his brother. Plus, I was also inheriting half of his restaurant and that made me look like the villain.

However, we had to tolerate each other for six more days. What the hell was Caiden thinking?

I stepped out of the car and turned to the boy. "And you are?"

"Noah Smith," he reached out his hand, all-business like. My lips tugged up. He seemed more at ease now that he was back at his home. Barks sounded in the distance before he shot me a quick smile and ran to the house.

"He's really cute," I said to Liam as he took out my luggage.

"He took after his mom," he answered softly before pulling down the trunk with a loud bang. "This way," he gestured to the house, still carrying my suitcase.

I followed after him, tilting my head, trying to picture Caiden in a house like this. It was so different from his modern apartment back in Los Angeles. It looked more like a farm, with a red barn a few meters away, and a fence forming a circle right between the barn and the house. There weren't any animals in sight though.

Different plants surrounded the house, and even though there wasn't a woman in sight, it had her touch. Wild flowers grew on the sides and climbing plants crept up the walls. When Liam was about to unlock the door, Noah came out with one of the largest dogs I've ever seen in my life.

"Wow," I managed to say before a black mass of fur jumped on me. I almost fell to the floor, but Noah yelled at him before he placed his full-weight on me.

"Don't worry, it's Loki's way to welcome everyone!" Noah grinned again before running away with the dog. Loki was a fitting name, for sure.

Liam moved to let me pass through. The walls were painted in light blue, and the living room was decorated with Noah's artwork on the walls. My favorite was the one over the chimney. It was a bright sun, but it looked like a rainbow.

We crossed the hallway that led to the TV room. There were toys scattered over the floor and Liam pushed them away with his shoes. He stopped in front of a door.

He left my suitcase on the floor. "This will be your room for the week. The bathroom is to your left," he gestured to the door next to mine, "and there are clean towels in the closet. There are also blankets on the top shelf if you get cold at night, and dinner will be served in about an hour," he finished glancing at his watch.

I didn't get to say thank you because he left before I could open my mouth. Sighing, I passed the back of my palm across my forehead.

This is going to be a fun week.

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