Full Exposure (Independence Falls 1)

“I’m alone. Just couldn’t sleep.” He stepped back, holding the door open for her. “Come on in. Join me for a drink.”

Georgia obeyed, heading for the kitchen.

“Since you’re here, I’m guessing Eric told you,” he said tightly, pulling two beers from the fridge.

“Told me what?”

Liam let out a mirthless laugh, and Georgia glanced around the kitchen, noting the empty beer bottles by the sink. Her brother didn’t drink much. Rarely more than one or two beers, especially during fire season when the crews had to harvest trees whenever they could. More than two and he didn’t feel comfortable operating the machinery the next day.

“Are you drunk?”

“Getting there. I bet Eric sent you here to check on me. You two are close. More so now that you’re living with him. Are you sure he didn’t ask you to come by and question me?”

“In the middle of the night? Why would I question you in the middle of the night?”

Liam set his mostly full beer on the counter. “The DOF is accusing me of running the equipment after one in the afternoon the day the fire started.”

“What? But you didn’t, right?”

“Hell, no. But Eric,” Liam said, running both hands through his hair, “I’m not sure he believes me. Even if he does, if the DOF investigation concludes that I ordered the crew to run over, if they believe this goddamn anonymous tip, he won’t have much choice. He’ll have to fire me.”

“Eric wouldn’t do that.”

Why hadn’t Eric told her? She thought back to the other night, when he’d come home in a foul mood. He hadn’t said a word.

Because when he’d mentioned real consequences—and nothing was more real than firing his best friend—she’d turned the conversation 180 degrees and focused it on her time in Afghanistan.

“He wouldn’t fire you if you didn’t do it,” she said firmly. “Talk to him. He’ll tell you the same thing.”

“I don’t think he’d have much choice,” Liam said. “And shit, I told him not to tell you. He promised he wouldn’t.”

“He didn’t say a word about the DOF and their accusations.”

“Then why are you here? Did something happen?” Concern trumped his drunken state, and she could see Liam was ready to take on whatever had sent her running home.

“I had a nightmare.” She proceeded to tell him about waking up and needing to go for a drive, leaving out the part when Eric burst in to save her or Nate woke up afraid that bears had invaded her room. She explained about the deer in the road.

“I realized how foolish I’ve been, trying to feel alive instead of focusing on living, instead of opening up to the people around me.”

“You weren’t foolish,” he said, crossing the room and pulling her into a hug. “You did some stupid things, but maybe that’s what you needed. Don’t give yourself too much grief. That’s what I’m here for.” He drew back and smiled down at her. “So this focus on living? What does that mean?”

“Not driving too fast,” she said. But she couldn’t tell him the rest, not tonight. She wanted to wake up every day in love and surrounded by people she called family. It wasn’t a cure-all. She’d still have nightmares, possibly other setbacks. But she wasn’t going to let those hold her back. Not anymore.

“I guess that’s a start,” Liam said.

Georgia nodded. “I’ll let you know when I figure out the rest.”

“OK,” he said. “Planning to crash here tonight?”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind. I might need to stay for a while.”

His smile faded. “Because of the nightmares? Or did things go south between you and Eric?”

“After the nightmare, I think it might be best. For Nate,” she said. Right now, she couldn’t say one way or the other where things stood between her and Eric. She only knew what she wanted from him. “We can figure it out later. Right now, I’d like to watch a movie on your couch. Maybe fall asleep.”

“I’ll join you,” he said, stepping back, releasing his hold on her as he headed for the other room. “And if you fall asleep, don’t worry. I’ll stay up. You know, just in case you start to have a bad dream.”

“Thank you.” Georgia slid off her stool and followed him into the living room.