After hesitating only a moment longer, she poured herself a cup of coffee. “How was your family in Ireland? Your aunt Maura—is she well?”
“Yes, she looked great. The others were all fine, too—what few there are. Not many left of Dad’s family.”
Leaning against the counter, she took a tentative sip of her hot coffee before asking, “You got all his affairs settled?”
“It didn’t take long,” he replied with a slight shrug. “Dad didn’t have much to settle. I gave most of his things away. I kept the pocket watch that had belonged to his dad, a locket that was his mother’s and a few small mementoes of his time with my mother and me—pictures, mostly. Nothing particularly valuable, other than sentiment.”
Her tone was sad when she said quietly, “I’m so sorry you didn’t get to tell him goodbye. That must have hurt you.”
He kept his gaze focused on his own coffee cup. He didn’t want to upset her before her classes by letting her see exactly how much that still bothered him. “I wish I could have been there a little earlier. Aunt Maura told him I was on my way, so at least he knew I was trying. He left a message for me through her.”
“Did he?”
He could tell she wanted to ask, but didn’t want to pry. He didn’t like that slight distance between them, that cautious hesitation that shouldn’t exist between a husband and wife. “Yes. He asked her to tell me that he loved me, that he was proud of me and that he was sorry for his paternal shortcomings. She said he seemed to know somehow that he wouldn’t be able to tell me those things himself.”
Tears glazed her eyes when he glanced up at her from across the table. “Oh, Liam—”
He managed a weak smile for her. “I’m fine,” he repeated. “I’m glad Dad and I were able to make our peace before he died, but it isn’t as if he was a part
of my life even then. I’ve only seen him a few times since we reconnected.”
“I know. But it still hurts, doesn’t it?”
He nodded and reached for his coffee, then deliberately changed the subject. “What about you? How’s it been going this week? Are the classes any easier than they were for the last unit?”
“No, not really. But I guess I’m keeping up.”
Something in her voice made his eyebrows rise. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Nope. She was still holding something back. “Annie.”
She sighed. “It’s just—well, something seems a little off with my study group. It’s bothering me a little.”
“Off? In what way?”
“I can’t describe it, exactly. It just feels as though something is changing. We don’t seem to be as comfortable together as we have in the past. I don’t know if it’s the stress getting to everyone, or what, but there’s a tension that hasn’t been there before. Like I said, it bothers me.”
“Maybe you’ve all been spending a little too much time together,” he suggested. “Maybe you should all take a break.”
“Maybe,” she agreed reluctantly. “But there’s so much studying to do. And it’s easier to study together than alone most of the time. Someone always has an answer when the others are stuck, or an explanation for something that’s confusing someone else. One of us catches something the others miss, or has a clever method of remembering something that helps the rest of us remember, too. I don’t know how I would have gotten through these past semesters without them.”
“I’m sure it will pass. You’ve all gotten too close to let it fall apart now. Like you said, it’s probably just the stress.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” But she didn’t look entirely convinced.
“You should all do something fun after the next test. Maybe throw a party or go out for pizza and beer or something. You could have the party here. I could clear out for an evening.”
She frowned. “I hate that you have to hide whenever anyone comes to my apartment.”
He shrugged. “That was the agreement.”
“I know. But still—”
“Don’t fret about it. I knew what I was coming back to, and I’m okay with it. I’m going to dive into my writing today. I’m hoping to have it all finished in a couple of weeks. After that, well, I’ll clear out and let you get back to your studies without worrying about my presence here. Unless you’d rather I go back to New York to finish? If I’m interfering at all, I want you to tell me now.”
“Of course you’re not interfering,” she said firmly. “You’ve actually been a great help to me here, cleaning and cooking and doing laundry—all things you don’t have to keep doing, by the way. If it’s easier for you to concentrate here rather than in New York, then stay.”