One That's it, Catherine, leg nice and straight," Liv instructed, reaching out to point at her young student's posture. "And, Josh, remember to keep your thumb outside your fist, not tucked inside. If you strike someone with your thumb tucked in, then you might break it." "Yes, Sensei," Catherine and Josh said in unison, immediately correcting their errors. "Good," Liv said, adjusting the black belt tied around her waist and moving on to the next pair of students. The kids in her class had really come along in the relatively short time she'd been teaching them. She was pleased that her own sensei had talked her into it. "Who better to instruct them than a black belt who's already a qualified teacher?" She continued around all of the students, giving them constructive criticism along the way. Returning to the front of the class, she folded her hands behind her back. "Yame!" The students ceased their movements. "Line up," she told them, and watched as they moved quickly into position in front of her. "Excellent work today. Keep it up and we'll be right on track for the next grading." She bowed to signal the end of the class, and the kids followed suit, then filed out of the dojo to meet their parents. Once she'd ensured that everyone had found and left with their parent or guardian, Liv went to the locker area to pull on her shoes. Just then, a buzzing noise sounded from her rucksack, and she lifted out her phone. It was a FaceTime from Arran. Her insides did the familiar tumble at the sight of his name. How long do we have to be friends before I stop feeling like a giddy schoolgirl whenever I see him? She connected the call and Arran's face appeared on-screen, causing her stupid heart to squeeze like an accordion playing a lovesick melody. His honey-colored eyes were unusually tight and he was frowning as he ran a hand over his dark hair. "What's up?" she asked, picking up on the tension in his posture. He sighed in a very un-Arran-like manner. "This is an SOS call. 'Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope.'" She laughed. "I'll do my best. Though I have to warn you, my control of the Force is on the fritz." He smiled; however, it was less bright than usual. "I've got a situation. I'm out of town getting some painting supplies. Jess called to say she can't pick Jayce up from his street-dance class as planned, and I can't get back in time to do it. Her parents are away for the weekend and I just called mine, but, as usual, their mobiles are turned off." He rolled his eyes. "What's the point of having a fucking mobile phone if it's permanently off?" "My mum and Angus are the same," she told him. "They say they're 'saving the battery.'" He huffed out a breath. "Parents." Liv shot him a smile. "You're a parent, remember?" He rubbed a hand over his dark stubble, and she experienced a strong craving to know what it felt like against her own fingers. Against her mouth. Down, girl. "Oh yeah," he said absently. He flicked his eyes to meet hers. "But I'm way cooler." "Sure you are," she said, giving him a wink. "Anyway, yes, I can pick up Jayce. Shall I take him home with me or bring him to yours?" Arran hesitated for a second, glancing away from the screen. "Thank you. I'm really sorry to ask for your help." He swallowed, returning his gaze to hers. "Again." "That's what friends are for," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Don't sweat it." The defeated look on his face made it clear that he was sweating it. Copiously. She'd never known anyone as proud and reluctant to ask for help as him. And it didn't escape her notice that he hated even voicing the question, which was why she had jumped in to say yes before he'd outright asked. "I thought it might make sense to call you, because I knew you'd be nearby," he said, as if still trying to justify the very legitimate action of asking a close friend for a small favor. "Arran, it's fine," she told him, her tone kind but firm. "It wouldn't matter if I wasn't nearby; I'd still be happy to help. I'll nip across the road to the dance studio now and fetch him." Arran's shoulders sagged with relief. "Thank you. If you head over to mine, I'll meet you back there ASAP." She gave him a two-fingered salute. "No problem. How come Jess couldn't pick him up anyway? I thought this weekend was hers." "Yeah, so did I," he muttered, before clearing his throat. "I'll tell you later." Liv grabbed her bag, heading for the door. "I'll take him for a milkshake first, give you time to reach home." This time his smile was more relaxed. "You're a lifesaver. I owe you one." "You can pay me back in scones," she told him, eliciting a laugh from his lovely, soft-looking lips. "Let the teacher know I'll be picking him up, so they don't think I'm trying to kidnap your adorable son." "Will do." He raised his eyebrows and it made her heart skip a beat. "And by the way, we need to get your scone addiction under control. You, Maya, and Elise have a problem." She shrugged. "There's no problem. I can give them up anytime I want." He laughed. "Yeah, right." They ended the call, and Liv pulled her purple-framed glasses out of her bag, taking out her hair tie so that her wavy dark locks fell free. Then she made her way over to the dance studio. She knew Jayce's class would be finishing in around ten minutes because sometimes she'd see Jayce leaving with either Arran or Jess. Once inside the studio, she headed over to where the group of parents were waiting for their kids to exit, and she peered through the small window in the door to watch the class. The wee ones were having an absolute ball, performing moves that, in some cases, barely resembled what the teacher was doing. So cute. A few minutes later, the class was dismissed. Liv kept watch for Jayce, hoping he wouldn't be disappointed that she was there instead of his mummy. Before long, his little face appeared behind a crowd of kids, big brown eyes wide and sandy curls bouncing. "Lib!" "Hey, buddy!" she said, crouching down as he ran over and practically threw himself into her arms. "Teacher said you were coming," he told her in an excited tone. "We going to play at your house?" She ruffled his soft hair. "Not today, pal. I'm just picking you up as a favor to Mummy and Daddy." He grasped her hand as she stood. "You taking me to Mummy's?" She gave his hand a squeeze. "We're off to Dad's house. I think there's been a change of plan because Mummy's busy." They exited onto the street. Jayce pointed down the road, toward the fifties-style diner. "Can we get milkshakes?" "Wow. You read my mind," she said with a smile. "That was exactly my plan." He threw his small fist into the air. "Yay!" "And then what happened?" Liv asked, maintaining a serious expression as Jayce carried on with his tall tale. "And then I rescued everyone from the dragon and saved the day," he said from the back seat, a proud look on his face when she glanced in the rearview mirror. She returned her eyes to the road as she navigated the last turn onto Arran's driveway. "Wow. And this was definitely real, not a dream?" "Wasn't a dream," he scoffed. "It really happened." "Okay," she told him. "I believe you." She pulled up outside the house and exited the car to get Jayce out of the car seat. She couldn't even remember when she'd started keeping Arran's spare seat in the back; it had happened at some point after the New Year. Jayce scrambled out of the car before she could help him, running past the grassy area lined with yellow daffodils and purple crocuses and up to the doorway, where he banged his fist. When she reached the doorstep, Liv glanced back at the outdoor scenery, the green of the Highland hills making her optimistic that spring was just around the corner. The door opened and Arran's smiling face appeared. He crouched down as Jayce barreled into him in his signature greeting. "Daddy! We had milkshakes." "What? Without me?" Arran said, pouting his lips in an exaggerated manner that made her fantasize-again-about kissing him. "What flavor did you get?" "Chocolate!" Jayce yelled, running off down the hallway. Liv laughed as she crossed the threshold. Arran held out his hand and she gave him a side five. Despite the fact that they now performed this gesture pretty much every time they met, the touch of his hand still gave her goose bumps. That's not how "just friends" is supposed to feel. "Have you got time for a cuppa?" he asked her. "Sure. Always time for tea," Liv told him as she followed him down the hallway. "Excellent. Walk this way," Arran said, performing a comical gait for her to imitate, which she did. It occurred to her that she had as many in-jokes and gestures with him as she did with her best friends, Maya and Elise. And yet up until the previous summer, while Arran had always been best friends with her twin brother, Sam, to her he'd merely been a casual acquaintance. A really hot acquaintance whom she'd harbored a crush on for the past decade or so. Not that he'd ever noticed. Arran set about making them some tea. "Don't judge me," he said, glancing up to meet her eyes. She frowned as she took off her coat, then the jacket from her karate uniform. "Judge you for what?" For a moment he was silent, and when she looked up, he was eyeing her tank top-clad form with an odd expression. He shook his head slightly, as if bringing his thoughts back to the conversation. "For my inferior tea-making skills." Liv smiled. She was renowned in their friend group for making the best cup of tea in the land. She blew on her fingernails, then pretended to polish them on her white tank top. "Well. One does try." She took a seat at the breakfast bar, looking behind her to where Jayce was sitting at his little red table, energetically drawing something that resembled a tiny stick figure battling a dragon. "What's the deal with Jess, then? Change of plan for this weekend?" Arran glanced over at Jayce, then pushed a steaming mug toward her, leaning his elbows on the counter to bring himself closer. Liv's pulse rocketed as she inhaled his scent and struggled furiously to keep her eyes off how his biceps flexed under the close fit of his T-shirt. "Yeah. She asked if I'd have him last night so she could go to this party with the boyfriend." Arran always referred to Rory as "the boyfriend," and Liv was sure it was because he still resented the fact that his ex-fiancée was dating anyone. He lifted his mug. "The deal was that I'd drop Jayce at street dance, then she'd pick him up and have him the rest of the weekend. But then she called to say they'd overdone it last night and she was too hungover to drive." "Ah," Liv said, sipping her tea. "And by that time, you'd already reached the paint shop?" "Yep," he said on a sigh. "I'm behind schedule on this commission. There's a specific deadline because it's a present for a wedding anniversary." He took a drink, eyes down in a rather dejected manner. She touched his hand. "Why the long face? I thought you loved doing these new portraits." "I do," he said, eyes still on his mug. "Problem is, I'm . . ." He paused, rubbing the side of his face. "You're what?" she asked, studying him. He cleared his throat. "I'm struggling. To manage it all." He met her gaze. "Don't get me wrong, I love having Jayce more often. But Jess keeps reneging on her weekends, and it's the only free time I get to paint." She could tell admitting that was a big deal for him. "Are you in a position where you could give up your day job to concentrate on painting during the week?" He shook his head with a wince. "Nah. Not yet. But I can't wait for that day to come. Especially since no one in the office appreciates my sense of humor." "What did you do this time?" she asked. He grinned. "I replaced everyone's desk photos with Leonardo DiCaprio memes." She sighed, trying to suppress the smile threatening to break out over her face. "You're so immature." He gave her a nudge. "I can see how desperately you want to laugh at my hilarious joke, karate kid. Don't try to hide it." The corner of her mouth quirked. "We have the same sense of humor." He waggled his fingers. "We are kindred spirits, you and I," he said in a mysterious tone. That was the last straw, and she broke down laughing. He joined in, but as the laughter died away, the tense expression made a reappearance on his normally relaxed face. Liv watched him, hating seeing her lighthearted and playful friend so stressed, and wondered what she could do to help. "I'll babysit for you," she blurted out. He frowned. "You'll what?" "Babysit. On the Saturday that's meant to be Jess's. I'll come over after karate to watch him for the afternoon while you paint. I can stay into the evening too if you need it." Arran stared at her, his jaw working. "No." She waited for him to elaborate, but he stayed silent. "No? That's all?" He swallowed hard, lifting his mug to his lips. "No, thank you." Liv huffed out a breath. "Why not?" Arran shook his head, frowning. "This is my responsibility, so I'll handle it. You've got your own life to deal with." She shrugged. "I'm not busy." "That's because you're the only one of us that has their shit together," he said, shooting her a smile. "Yeah, right," she muttered under her breath. He cocked his head. "Pardon?" "Nothing." They both fell silent, and she willed him to change his mind, wishing she were an actual Jedi with the power to sway people's intentions. But he just sipped his tea with a determined look on his face. She sighed. "You're so stubborn and annoying." He grinned. "You love me, really." "Hmm," she said, keeping her eyes on her tea. "Any plans for tomorrow?" he asked in an obvious effort to change the subject. She decided it was best to let it go-for now. "Yeah. I'm meeting Elise at Maya and Sam's house tomorrow afternoon. Sam will be there too." Excerpted from The Wedding Engagement by Zoe Allison All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
