Wheels of Love

Jenny knew her sister was right. She hated the thought of Liam not talking with her anymore. The end of their relationship, whatever it was, made her heartache.

CHAPTER 10

The familiar buzz of her phone alerted Jenny to a call. A smile formed because she knew who it was. She grabbed her phone, not hesitating to hit the green button next to Liam's name.

"Am I interrupting you?" Liam's sexy voice asked her.

"Not at all."

"It's Sunday night and I have a date..."

"A date? And who is the unfortunate woman?" Jenny asked with a pang of jealousy. "Someone you met last night?"

"No woman. A date with Netflix and takeout. Please tell me I'm not a horribly boring person."

As usual, Liam had managed to make her smile.

"You're only boring if I'm boring because I have the same plans."

"TWINSIES!"

"You sound like a twelve years old," she said, laughing a hard laugh.

"I have no problem with that. I am in touch with my inner child."

"You're very full of yourself."

"Or confident. Take your pick."

"That's great," Jenny wrote. "What does your inner child have to say about last night?"

"My head still hurts, the remnants of my raging hangover not yet gone. Speaking of which, I want to thank you for sending me that cab. It's good to know I have a guardian angel watching over me."

"You're very welcome."

"How's the girl doing?"

"What girl?"

"The girl in the story you told me. The one who ended up in a wheelchair."

Jenny's stomach jumped up in her throat. She couldn't keep on lying to Liam. He was going to find out the truth about her one way or another.

"Well... Somehow she managed to put her life back on track, but she'll never be the same."

"I can imagine. Being in a wheelchair is a life-changing event."

"It is..." Jenny's voice was now a whisper.

"Now I'll make my confession: I'm seriously interested in you, dear Jenny!"

"Did you just dear me, Liam?"

"How could one word hold so much?"

"Yes, I did, dear. Do you prefer honey?" Liam asked with a laugh.

"I love your sense of humor," Jenny shook her head, laughing.

"Good, but I'm serious here, Jenny. I'd like to take you out sometime."

"Are you suggesting we go out on a date?" her hands started to shake.

"I guess I am. Doesn't this make you nervous?"

"A little bit," Jenny confessed.

"We're past the nerves stage, Jen. But, we can go out, as friends, not on a date if you prefer."

There was a long silence. Then Liam broke it with, "Are you still there, Jenny?"

"I'm here."

"Completely terrified."

"I-I don't know, Liam..." she stuttered. Liam could clearly hear the anguish in her voice.

"This is the second time you turn me down, Jenny. It kind of hurt my ego."

She got the message; he wouldn't ask a third time.

"I know," she whispered miserably. "Did I ruin everything?" she asked in a thin voice, that was barely perceptible.

"No, but I don't get what's going on. You seem to like me."

"Yes, I do! The thing is... I don't really know you, Liam. You could be a creeper or a kidnapper..."

It was another lame excuse and she knew it. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find the courage to come clean.

Liam laughed out loud. He sounded relieved.

"Is that all? You can call my grandmother. She will say I'm a nice boy."

Jenny's phone vibrated and she saw she had received a message. Liam had sent her his grandmother's phone number. She made a meant note to ask Liam about his parents.

"All grandmothers think their grandsons are nice boys."

"I could ask Nana to come with me."

"Do you always bring your grandmother on dates?"

"Of course not! I usually bring flowers."

Jenny was between a rock and a hard place. She had never found someone she clicked with as she did with Liam. He was a keeper. He understood her on a level no one had. He made her laugh and made her feel light and airy. With him, she didn't have the weight of her condition hanging over her head.

Their conversations were seamless and flirty. Her body tingled with anticipation every time they talked. The chemistry between them was major.

She was totally into Liam. She couldn't lose him.

Jenny said a silent prayer.

"If I say yes, where do you want us to meet?" she capitulated.

"It's up to you. I think you'll feel safer if I go to your hometown."

"I'll be at the gazebo in the town square this Saturday afternoon at four," she listened to her heart beat strongly in her chest-- "I live in Middletown."

"Sounds good to me. Middletown is not far from Tacoma."

"How will I recognize you, Liam?"

"Look for a guy with a huge bouquet and a bigger smile."

"I'll see you on Saturday then, Liam."

"Looking forward, Jenny."

"Me too," she half-lied, having little to no hope.

As soon as the call ended, Jenny brought her hands to her face not believing what she'd just done. The die was cast.

"What have I done? What have I done?" she wept.

CHAPTER 11

Over the next few days, Jenny's confidence waned.

She thought about calling Liam and canceling their date a zillion times.

Kara stopped her. "Liam will think you're making up another excuse to cancel your date with him. It will be the coup de grace of your relationship whatever it is."

Saturday was a bright and shining day, but it could have been filled with storm clouds for how Jenny felt that morning.

"I don't know if I can do this. I'm not what he is expecting. It will ruin everything."

"It won't if Liam is as special as you say he is," Kara said, doing her best to calm Jenny down.

"What if I send him a photo in my wheelchair," Jenny suggested.

"At this point, he might show up just to see if you're telling him the truth. I'm afraid you wasted too many chances of coming clean. There is nothing you can do now. Except show up there and face the music."

"I hope he lets me explain myself."

"If he walks away from you, I'll break his kneecaps," Kara said half-jokingly, pointing at the pink baseball bat leaning on the wall. "He'll have no option but stay and listen."

"I know you're joking! You know this situation is not Liam's fault, but mine," Jenny pleaded.

"I am joking... ish," Kara gave an encouraging smile to her sister. She clapped her hands and said, "Better not to think about that now. Let's get you ready for your date."

Jenny looked at the wall clock and exclaimed, "I have to be ready in thirty minutes and I still haven't finished my hair! It's not even dry!"

"Jenny, do me a favor." Kara took a seat beside her sister, turning Jenny's chair, spinning her around to face her. "You need to calm down before you do anything else, especially operate a hot hair dryer that you can swing at my head at any moment."

Kara reached for the item in question and carefully extracted it from Jenny's hands, set it on the counter, and faced her sister again.

"I want you to close your eyes and take a deep breath."

Jenny nodded her head, following her sister's instructions. She inhaled and exhaled, taking deep breaths.

"Go to your happy place," Kara said.

Jenny's eyes remained closed as she pictured herself at the lake, under a willow tree. Her sister was right. What was done was done. Getting nervous was not going to solve anything.

Jenny took a last calming breath. "I'm fine. Well, as fine as I can be."

"Okay, now let's tame your hair."

Kara took over and dried her hair for Jenny, as she finished up her makeup. Before she knew it, she had her hair swept up in a low messy bun with a little teasing on her crown to give it a lift. Partnered with her natural makeup, she didn't look too shabby.

"There. Gorgeous!" Kara exclaimed.

Jenny pinched at her blue dress. "You don't think I'm underdressed?"

"Nah, your outfit is perfect, trust me. Don't forget to carry a sweater."

"I'm too nervous to think about clothes. My mind is blank."

"Let's get you into the groove," Kara said, playing Jenny's favorite uplifting music while her sister discarded one sweater after another.

"Come one, Jen, let's rock out to the chorus," Kara encouraged Jenny placing a hairbrush in front of her mouth and singing at the top of her lungs "Oh, I want to be with you everywhere; Oh, I want to be with you everywhere; wanna be with you everywhere."

Jenny finally chose a teal sweater, and let her sister push her to the main square.

"You look gorgeous, Jenny. Have faith, everything is going to be okay."

"I wish I had your confidence, Sis. And your faith in love."

The only sound outside was the breeze whistling through the trees. The streets were empty and quiet because, even when there was sun, it was cold.

The large gazebo looked fabulous illuminated with golden lights and hanging paper lanterns from a previous event. A ramp made the building wheelchair-accessible, and Kara pushed the wheelchair up the ramp.

"I'll be sitting on that bench," she said, pointing away with her bat. "We'll wait until four. Not a minute more."

"All right. I love you, Sis."

"Good luck, Jen."

Kara leaned down and hugged her sister tight.

Any confidence Jenny had built up for that moment had disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The chill in the air made her shiver. She should have grabbed a jacket.

Jenny couldn't stop checking the time on her phone and scanning her surroundings in search of someone with a bouquet. Few people were walking the streets around the town square. A few kids were playing in the playground, their parents watching at them on a bench in the distance.

Jenny was fidgeting with her hands, a nervous smile on her face. She continued looking around and pretending she wasn't.

She was finally going to meet Liam face-to-face. What would he do when he saw that she was in a wheelchair? What would he say? Would he get angry with her, or would he remain calm and collected? Would he be brutally honest like Gordon? Would he make an excuse and go away? Would he stay out of pity?

Jenny's heart threatened to choke her with its suffocating beat.

She sat there in her wheelchair, shivering, feeling exposed and vulnerable.

Waiting.

Hoping for a miracle.

CHAPTER 12

Liam looked at Jenny from a distance.

He had parked his car a block away from the square. Tacoma was 120 miles from Middletown, so he borrowed his grandfather's sedan for the occasion.

The first thing he noticed was the wheelchair ramp built over the steps of the gazebo. And then, a girl, Liam supposed it was Jenny, sitting in a wheelchair. There was nobody else but her in the gazebo.

It was obvious she was nervous. She was making a kind of restless movement with her hands and looking around.

It was obvious Jenny was looking for him.

Liam's first reaction was to hide the flowers he had bought for her. His mind was clouded with so many mixed emotions.

"Damn it, Jenny! Why didn't you say anything? Why did you have to lie to me?" He muttered under his breath. "Why did you hide your disability?"

The answer to that question came to him immediately.

The simple answer was that she shouldn't have to.

Unfortunately, he had learned through bitter experience that being different was not always acceptable to others.

What if the tables were turned? Would he want people to see the chair instead of him?

A lot of things made sense now. Like Jenny's reluctance to go out on a date with him. Or why she didn't want to exchange photos with him.

Liam couldn't help but let the tears fall. He felt bad for Jenny.

No.

Jenny didn't need his pity. She didn't need anyone's pity.

She was brave to expose herself like that. Liam looked at Jenny again, this time with unaffected admiration.

Very slowly, he wiped the tears with the back of his hands and walked straight towards her.

***

Jenny spotted Liam almost immediately.

He was no Brad Pitt, but he had a lovely, gentle face. His build wasn't very muscular, but he wasn't skinny. He was smartly dressed for the cold weather: a simple t-shirt, jeans, boots, and a jacket.

Liam climbed a few steps and entered the gazebo. He looked down at Jenny, and exclaimed, "Wow"!"

Jenny looked up at him. She was on the verge of tears.

"I know it must be a surprise for you to see me like this! Please hear me out first, okay?" she pleaded in a shaking voice.

Liam crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay, Jenny. The floor is yours."

She took a deep breath, and let it ease out. Liam looked at her expectantly.

"As you can see, I am in a wheelchair. I'm aware I lied to you. It was a lie by omission, but still a lie. For that, I'm deeply sorry."

"You were the girl in the story you told me. The one who had an accident." His brow was frowned gently.

"Yes, that was me," Jenny admitted.

Liam's face showed the grief and internal war he was waging.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"At first, it wasn't important. You were just someone I chatted with. A stranger who made me feel like a normal girl. Something I longed for."

Liam uncrossed his arms and nodded, wearing an open expression that invited Jenny to continue.

"Then, you became important to me and I didn't want to risk losing what we have."

"What do we have exactly, Jenny?"

"A friendship... maybe more?" Jenny looked at Liam in hesitation.

He nodded slowly. His face softened a bit more, as if he just couldn't stay mad at her.

"I wanted you to learn to love my personality before you saw me in a wheelchair. I promise I didn't lie about anything else."

"I am a little agitated that you lied, but I can see why you might have wanted to hide your disability."

"Please, you must believe me, I tried to tell you several times," Jenny placed a hand on her chest.

"Your reluctance to go out on a date with me makes sense now. You were afraid of getting hurt."

Jenny nodded, and bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling.

"You should have known me better, Jenny. Do you think so little of me you believed I'd reject you?"

"No! It wasn't you. It was me. I felt I wasn't worthy of you."

Liam shook his head.

"You're wrong," he muttered. "If you weren't, I wouldn't be here now."

The threatened tears in Jenny's eyes now brimmed and overflowed, tracking down her cheeks.

Liam handed Jenny the bouquet, gazing deep into her watery eyes. "These are for you,"

"Oh, Liam you shouldn't have!" she said, as she took them in her arms. "They're beautiful."

"You're welcome. And Jenny...?"

She stopped smelling the flowers and looked up at Liam.

"No more lies, okay?" he said, smiling at her.

"I didn't lie about anything else. I swear," Jenny crossed her chest, looking up at Liam. "Are we okay?"

"We are okay."

"You have kind eyes. Kind eyes mean a kind soul," Liam said.

"I was thinking the same about you." Jenny grinned at him. She held out her hand and he took it between his. "I'm Jenny Grant. I'm in a wheelchair."

"It's great to finally meet you, Jenny Grant. I'm Liam Craig."

"I just wanted to check if everything is good," a female voice behind them cut in.

Liam turned around to see a cute young girl holding a pink bat resting on her shoulder.

"Liam, meet my younger sister, Kara."

"Nice to meet you, Kara. Or should I say Bat-girl? Were you going to hit me with that?"

"Nah, I only use it on the bad ones. You seem like a good guy," Kara said, coming up with her hand extended. "Nice to meet you, Liam."

"Everything is good, Kara. You can go home," Jenny said.

"Have fun. Just let me know when you're ready to get back home," Kara said.

"If it's not far from here I can make sure she gets there safely," Liam offered.

"Just a few of blocks away," Jenny said.

"She's all yours, Liam," Kara turned around and left, swaging her hips, as she marched back home.

Liam smiled down at Jenny. "May I push your chariot, my lady?"

"You may, kind sir. There is a restaurant in front of the square with space for wheelchair users."

"Sounds good to me."

He pushed Jenny's chair gently down the ramp and said, "By the way, I'm sorry for saying you look hot in your blue dress, wheelchair and all."

Jenny snorted. "Thank you, I guess. Wait, when did you say that?"

"Oops. I think that one was an internal thought." He dropped his face into his hands and groaned pretending to be embarrassed. "My filter must be off."

Jenny laughed out loud. That was one of the things she loved about him, Liam didn't care that he made a fool of himself. "Is it ever on?"

"Good point. Are you ready?" he asked before entering the restaurant.

"As ever."

"Are you nervous?"

Jenny couldn't lie anymore.

"Tremendously."

His already-bright eyes sparked with appreciation at her honest answer. "Guess we're in the same boat, then."

"Who is rowing?"

"What?"

"This boat, who's rowing?"

Liam squeezed gently her shoulders. "We are in the same boat and your arms are fine, so both of us."

"Sounds fair."

CHAPTER 13

"The management made special arrangements to admit persons in wheelchairs when they reopened the place," Jenny commented, pointing at a corner inside the restaurant. "Which is good because it's the only good restaurant in town."

Liam took a look around, and nodded approvingly, "Nice place. It's got a lovely, cozy atmosphere."

"They remodeled the whole place," Jenny commented. "It's kind of famous because they have one of the best chefs in the state."

"Can I order a pizza at such a fine-dining restaurant?"

Jenny gave a short laugh. "Pizza here is amazing. Tony, the chef comes from an Italian family."

"Now that you mention it, I think I read a review in a magazine in my dentist's waiting room saying the food was great."

"My favorite pizza is mushroom with green peppers." Jenny glanced at Liam.

"You're only saying that to get me to like you."

"Like me or not, it's true."

"You're my dream girl," Liam said with a wink.

It was as if all the previous awkwardness had never happened. They were back to their usual selves.

A waitress came to take their order.

She greeted Jenny with a "Hi, Jenny. Nice to see you again."

"Hi, Mary. Please, meet my friend, Liam."

The waitress looked at Liam and he made a funny face.

Both women laughed. "Nice to meet you, Liam. What are you going to order?"

"Pizza!" Jenny and Liam exclaimed at the same time. And they laughed again.

They also ordered two beers.

Jenny couldn't take her eyes off Liam. The smile stretched across his face was so warm. It reeled her in, making her feel like she was the only person in the room. She loved it, and she especially loved the dimples it created.

"You know what I just realized, Jenny? We didn't talk much about all that normal 'get to know you' stuff you're supposed to talk about with people. We jumped right in, Liam-and-Jenny style."

Jenny held up her glass of beer. "I like us. Cheers!"

"I do, too."

They touched glasses and drank.

"Well now that you're cozy we should start, are you ready?" asked Liam.

"As ready as I can be. Shoot."

"What do you wish most of all that you were still able to do?" Liam asked, pointing at her wheelchair.

Jenny sighed. "A lot of things most people take for granted. I wish I could go out and participate in physical activities, but it's the simple things I miss doing the most, like riding a bike, or climb up a tree."

"Climb up a tree? I wasn't expecting that one."

"I was a wild brat. I was a bit of a tomboy when I was a child. But, the best way I answer that question is by having people do a quick and easy experiment. I ask them to sit down in a wheelchair and then I ask them to stand back up. Then, I look at them straight in the eye and simply say, 'I can't do that.'"

Liam thought long about her answer, and finally said, "I understand. I think you are very brave."