She shrugged dismissively. ‘It’s always nice to personally welcome a new author into the company.’
Liam smiled without humour. ‘Even this one?’
‘We’re all really excited at welcoming you on board.’ Perry was the one to answer him enthusiastically. ‘You have a sure-fire number one bestseller in Josie’s World, Liam.’
Liam raised dark brows. ‘Now he tells me,’ he drawled mockingly. ‘Is that your considered opinion too, Laura?’ he prompted, his guarded gaze giving away none of his inner feelings.
Considered opinion…? She wasn’t sure she had those any more! ‘It’s going to do very well for you,’ she told him non-committally.
‘And Shipley Publishing,’ he pointed out.
She shrugged again. ‘It would be madness to allow a bestseller to slip through our fingers; so many publishing companies are in financial difficulties nowadays.’
‘But not Shipley,’ Liam said with certainty. ‘I checked before sending in the manuscript.’
‘And decided to hitch your star to a winner?’ Laura returned sharply.
His mouth twisted scornfully. ‘It seems we have more in common than we realised.’
Colour brightened Laura’s cheeks. So Liam was back to implying that she had married Robert for his position and money! Well, even that was probably preferable to him learning the truth…!
Perry, Laura saw with some dismay, was listening to the exchange with a slightly puzzled look on his face.
And no wonder; the antagonism between Liam and herself was tangible, seemed to fill the very air about their luncheon table!
She sat forward with deliberation, lifting the glass of champagne that had been poured for her minutes earlier, encouraging the two men to do the same. ‘Success,’ she toasted.
‘I’ll certainly drink to that!’ Perry touched his glass lightly to hers before turning to do the same with Liam’s.
‘And a peaceful life,’ Liam added as he touched his glass against the side of Laura’s.
‘Do the two go together?’ she came back sceptically. Another photograph of Liam and herself, as Liam had arrived at her house on Sunday morning, had appeared in the newspapers today. Laura had taken one glance at the photograph before throwing the newspaper in the bin. As she had warned Liam at the time, the situation was out of his control now.
He nodded grimly. ‘If you want it badly enough, yes.’
‘I hope you’re right,’ Laura returned dryly.
There had been more reporters camped out outside her home this morning. Disappointed reporters as they’d seen she was alone in the back of the car with Bobby, on her way to dropping him off at school before continuing on to her office. Her son, at least, seemed to have suffered no ill-effects from the last few days!
‘I’m returning to Ireland tomorrow,’ Liam put in. ‘Can I come and see Bobby before I leave?’
Laura gave him a sharp look, aware of Perry’s quiet interest in the conversation. No doubt he had seen those photographs in the newspapers too!
Her own relief at Liam’s first statement had definitely been ruined by his second!
‘I don’t want Bobby to think I’ve just disappeared out of his life,’ Liam continued.
Why not? He had just disappeared out of her own life eight years ago!
‘You have changed,’ she replied.
Liam’s gaze was glacial as it met her challenging one across the width of the table.
‘Shall we order?’ Perry prompted lightly as a waiter appeared beside their table.
Laura felt as if food would choke her! But she had to stay here and eat her lunch without making a scene. Besides, her reason for being here in the first place still existed…
‘You didn’t answer my question?’ Liam persisted once their order had been taken.
She took another sip of her champagne. She didn’t want Liam anywhere near Bobby. Didn’t want him anywhere near either of them, come to think of it!
‘On condition you don’t stay too long,’ she finally answered. ‘It’s a school day, and Bobby has homework to do before bedtime,’ she added in explanation—resentful at having to make one at all! She owed this man no explanations. About anything!
Liam gave an abrupt inclination of his head. ‘I’ll try not to interfere with that.’
He might try. But, as Laura knew only too well, he was unlikely to succeed; Bobby had taken an extreme liking to the man he called ‘Uncle Liam’, had talked of little else after Liam had left yesterday. Much to Laura’s dismay. Bobby would be very reluctant to let Liam leave again once at the house.
Lunch was a stilted affair, despite Perry’s many attempts to lighten the atmosphere, and Laura, for one, was more than glad when it was finally over. She had eaten little anyway, drunk several glasses of champagne instead, and her head felt more than a little light.
‘Steady.’ Liam grasped her elbow as they went outside, the fresh air seeming to have a dizzying effect on her. ‘You really should eat more, Laura,’ he admonished, keeping a firm hold of her as he guided her over the road to where Paul had parked the car, holding the door open as he waited for her.
‘When I want your opinion I’ll ask for it,’ Laura snapped back, her irritability audible only to Liam as she settled into the back of the car. Perry had gone round to the other door and was now seated beside her. ‘Can we drop you anywhere?’ Preferably on his head, she thought childishly!
She had drunk too much! Which was most unlike her; she had never been a big drinker, and since Bobby was born, when she had needed to be mentally alert twenty-four hours a day, she had only ever drunk the occasional glass of white wine with a meal. Three glasses of champagne at lunchtime was definitely out of character. It would be a relief—to her, at least!—when Liam returned to Ireland!
Liam’s expression changed, almost as if he were able to read her thoughts and was amused by them. ‘No, thanks, the walk will do me good. Is five-thirty okay for calling in to see Bobby?’
Perfect; as they always dined at six in the week, she would have a good excuse for asking him to leave. Unless Bobby, in his youthful enthusiasm, decided to invite his new friend to stay to dinner with them…?
‘That’s absolutely fine,’ she agreed firmly. ‘That way I’ll be able to sit down and do Bobby’s homework with him before we have dinner at six.’ She couldn’t say any clearer than that that Liam wasn’t invited to join them for the meal without being extremely rude—and only Perry’s presence stopped her being exactly that!
Blue eyes glittered with hard amusement before Liam turned to smile at Perry. ‘I’ll call you when I intend coming back to London.’
Laura kept her face averted as the car door was finally closed. Paul manoeuvred the car out into the early-afternoon traffic, her sigh of relief as he did so audible only to herself. She hoped.
‘Well, that went off better than expected, don’t you think?’ she said lightly to Perry.
‘I’m not sure what I expected,’ Perry answered slowly. ‘You and Liam are obviously old friends, but—’
‘I was referring to the business aspect of the meeting,’ Laura put in quickly.
‘Oh, that.’ Perry nodded his satisfaction. ‘Yes, that went very well.’
Laura turned to him,