Read Liam Takes Manhattan for Free Online

“Where on earth did you hear that?”
    “Some woman muttered it yesterdaywhen she was looking at the pastries at Starbucks.” Light fingers tickled his bare feet, and he jackknifed to a sitting position. “ Hey! You cheated!”
    “There’s your beautiful face,” she said cheerfully. She had set the coffee mug on his bedside table. “If you get up and shower right now, you’ll have enough time to eat breakfast before we go to the West River Animal Shelter to meet with the executivedirector, Eileen Riley.”
    “What?” He stared at her then grabbed up the coffee cup. “But it’s Christmas Eve!”
    She opened her eyes wide. “I know, right? I emailed them a basic inquiry yesterday afternoon, but I wasn’t expecting to hear back from them until after the holidays. Eileen just called me, and she would love to talk. Apparently they’re having some serious financial difficulties, and she’swilling to consider almost anything to keep the doors open. She said my email was the Christmas miracle they’d been hoping for.” Pia paused and tilted her head. “You didn’t by any chance know anything about that somehow, did you?”
    “No,” he said. He gulped coffee and stood up. “I just did some quick searches on Yelp and a reference librarian helped me compile a list of shelters. Then I checkedaddresses, and West River was close enough that I could stop by from time to time to see how things are going.”
    “Well, hurry up,” she told him. “We leave in forty-five minutes. And we have to get you a haircut sometime today. You’re starting to look like a sulky rock star.”
    “Well, I am a rock star,” he said, deadpan.
    She laughed. “That you are.”
    Galvanized into action, he showered in recordtime and dressed in jeans, lumberjack-style boots and a navy blue, ribbed pullover sweater. When he strode into the kitchen Pia had another cup of coffee waiting for him, along with a huge sandwich. He leaned back against the counter, took a large bite and said around his mouthful, “Where’s Dad?”
    “Working.” A shadow fell over Pia’s face.
    He paused with the sandwich halfway to his mouth. “Isit stuff about Con?”
    “Probably,” she said. The shadow passed, and she smiled at him. “He said if he can get away for an hour, he would join us in a bit. Not to look at the animals, of course. The poor things would be terrified of him.”
    “I won’t go look at them either,” he muttered, as he finished his breakfast in record time. “They’ll be terrified of me too.”
    Pia dumped his dishes into thesink. “You never know, they might have some puppies and kittens that you can visit with. Let’s go.”
    He grabbed his leather jacket, she slipped into her coat, and together, they went downstairs where Pia’s guard and friend Eva waited with a warm car. Pia climbed into the front passenger seat while Liam took the backseat. He watched the snowy city streets scroll past while the two women chatted.

    Hopefully soon, someone from Glenhaven would read his application and get in touch with him. The college had three terms a year, and the next term started directly after New Year’s. His stomach knotted with equal parts fear and excitement.
    I might be leaving home in a few weeks, he thought. That is, if Glenhaven has any room for new students. What if there’s a waitlist? What if I can’t get infor a year?
    It was the first time he had considered the possibility, and the thought was unwelcome. He knew he was privileged and lucky in so many ways. For the most part, things happened the way he needed them to, and if for some reason they didn’t, his parents moved heaven and earth to make sure they did.
    But Liam Giovanni didn’t have that kind of support. He couldn’t, not and still keep hisidentity a secret.
    He blurted out, “What if I don’t get in?”
    Pia and Eva fell silent for a moment. Eva asked, “Get in where?”
    “I’ll fill you in on everything later,” Pia told her. Twisting in her