The Nearness of You

Chapter 24

Livy was doing her best to try to get Maria to eat the chicken nuggets on the plate in front of her when the doorbell rang. She looked at Raoul who motioned for her to take a break as he stepped in to try to convince Maria that she really did like chicken nuggets.

Livy wiped her hands before heading towards the front door. The bell rang a second time before she got to it and she threw open the door in time to see Landon turning to leave, and she wished that she had taken longer to answer the door than she had.

"Landon?" she asked, after letting go of the brief thought of shutting the door without acknowledging his presence.

He turned, surprised to see her, and he looked almost as if he wished she hadn't of opened the door too. "Livy, I thought no one was home."

"I was at the back of the house." She stood aside and motioned for him to enter. She couldn't send him away; her good manners wouldn't let her. "Come in."

He entered and waited for her to close the door before following her into the living room where she sat down and motioned for him to do the same but he only perched on the edge of a chair across from her.

She waited for him to speak first and the silence grew.

Livy was about to ask him why he had come when he cleared his throat.

"I'm very glad you quit Livy." He looked at his hands as he spoke and Livy did her best not to get her feelings hurt.

"I didn't agree with what they were doing, and I didn't want to see you get hurt."

"Who was doing what?" she asked, recovering from her hurt feelings rather quickly at his words.

"Hadley and Dr. Taft." Landon looked at her, his eyes huge with concern.

"How were they going to hurt me?" Livy was confused as she tried to think back on her time spent with the Science department. She didn't remember either one of them being anything but nice to her.

"Did you know that Hadley and Dr. Taft...have an arrangement?"

"An arrangement?" Livy asked, confused.

"It means they're having an affair Livy." Declan said from behind her as he entered the room.

Livy wasn't shocked by his sudden appearance, he was always arriving home when she least expected it. Sometimes it was to help with the children and other times it was to take her out, just the two of them. Now, instead of always being gone he was always around, and she loved it. She especially loved the kisses he would steal when she least expected it.

Livy looked at Landon for confirmation and he looked very anxious as he looked at Declan.

"Is that true?" Livy asked softly. She wasn't disappointed or even angry only confused, and her confusion must have shown because Landon continued.

"When you left, after your interview, Hadley told Dr. Taft who you were and how rich you were. She also explained that you were a 'soft touch' and he could probably get you to give him the money he needed for the following year if he played his cards right."

Declan's phone rang and he cursed under his breath as he looked at the screen. "I have to take this," he said as he crossed the hall and entered the study, closing the door behind him.

Livy looked back at Landon. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because I wanted you to know the truth, and to know that I didn't want any part of it, and I still don't."

"Still don't? I don't work there anymore so I don't see how any of it matters."

"Dr. Taft doesn't give up that easily. Since he wasn't able to romance the money out of you he has plans to blackmail you and Brooks."