The bright sun shone through the windows at the head of my bed as well as the skylights the Styles family had added to the slanted walls of my room. Luckily, both had shades attached so I could block out the sunlight on days I wished to sleep in, but the sun felt perfect this morning as I laid in the overstuffed bed and reminisced.

When I was young, I had climbed up into this loft from a ladder when the old building was still a carriage house, used for nothing but old bikes and yard tools. There were air vents in the loft, that was it. What Regan and Harry had done to transform the place was nothing short of a miracle. The dingy yet spacious loft in which I'd played as a child was now my bright and cheery apartment.

I laid in bed, smiling at my new start in this new, old place. The quilt was warm and comforting but I could tell the sun was going to heat things up quickly. I had noticed a window air conditioner in the living room; it might not be long before I'd have to make use of it. I sat up, yawned and stretched my hands high over my head. "Wow!" I said out loud when I looked at my phone and discovered that it was 10:30. Of course, it was only 7:30 back in California and it would take me a few days to adjust to that difference. It just felt strange for me to be halfway to lunch time already. Sleeping in was a luxury in which I had rarely indulged, but now that I had a break from school - without an internship for the summer - I planned on taking advantage of a relaxed schedule; depending on how busy I'd be, working for the Styles family, that is.

After a quick shower, I threw on my favorite pair of cut-off jean shorts, a red and white sleeveless seersucker blouse and some flip flops. I planned to let my hair air dry, but I dressed my face with just a bit of foundation, a touch of mascara, and some glossy lip balm.

I checked into the fridge, knowing it was going to be empty, but I looked anyway and found just what I expected. Nothing. My car wouldn't be here for at least four days, more likely five. Maybe Regan or Harry could give me a lift into town to get some groceries. Or I could call my dad, but I was sure he'd be at work till dinner time at least. I appreciated the Styles' invitation to join them for meals, and I would certainly go over and have a bite soon since I was famished. But it would be nice to have my own stash as well.

I opened the door to head out and just as I suspected, the sun was already pounding down mercilessly. It didn't bother me too much, coming from SoCal, but it was definitely unusual for Michigan this time of year. And Michigan had a unique kind of heat and humidity that you couldn't really find anywhere else. Around the house, activity was buzzing, with different contractors hurrying about finishing their tasks as the opening of the inn quickly approached.

I knocked on the side door to the private kitchen and Regan opened within seconds. "Oh, Caila, you don't have to knock. Just come right in!" Melody was perched on her hip once again. "Melody, can you say hello to Caila?" Melody just scrunched her hands together and buried her face into her mother's shoulder.

"Kids don't like me very much," I shrugged. I didn't mention that I wasn't crazy about kids either. Melody seemed sweet enough but I guess I'd never had opportunity to get to know small kids since even my own younger siblings were an ocean away from me.

"Oh, it's not that," Regan assured me. "She's just shy."

Regan ran down the list of breakfast options and I decided on a bagel with egg and cheddar cheese. I insisted on preparing it myself, knowing Regan had better things to do than wait on me. She had been finishing some dishes when I arrived. She set Melody down near a drawer and pulled it open. Inside was a variety of toys, many shaped like dishes and food.

"That's very clever," I commented.

"Thanks, it keeps her near me and she can feel like she's working alongside me."

I smiled at the little girl. She was cute so far, but again, I hadn't heard a tantrum from her yet and I assumed it was only a matter of time. "So, what can I do today?" I asked Regan as I poured myself a cup of coffee.

"Oh, heavens," Regan replied. "Don't worry about doing anything today. Why don't you take the weekend to get settled and then we'll put you to work, okay?" It was Thursday, so that gave me four days to unpack and maybe catch up with...well, I didn't really have any old friends here that I had to catch up with. They had all moved on since I left. "We'll have tons of last minute things to do before June first," Regan added. "That's when I'll really need you."

"Well, I'll be happy to help out," I answered. "Would you or Harry be going into town at all today? I'd like to pick up some groceries, but my car won't be here until Sunday or Monday. My dad paid someone to drive it across the country for me."

"That's nice," she remarked. "I'd hate to do that drive all by myself." I nodded in absolute agreement. "We weren't planning to go into town, but Liam might, actually. I think I heard Harry asking him to run to a hardware store. I'm sure he wouldn't mind dropping you off to get some groceries and picking you up on his way back."

"Who's Liam?" I asked.

"Oh, sorry, he's our handyman, for lack of a better term. He's kind of a jack-of-all-trades, ready, willing and able to help with just about everything. He's been working for us for a few months. Great guy, hard-working, very reliable."

Sounds boring, I thought. Probably fifty years old with a potbelly, wearing suspenders to keep his pants up.

That thought was quickly laid to rest when a very hot, very ripped guy appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. With his square jaw, outlined by a modest beard, big chocolate brown eyes, and an inviting smile, he grabbed every last ounce of my attention.

"Good morning, Regan," he said. Oh dear, he was British, too. I wondered if he was related to Harry. "I'm heading into Southgate to pick up a few things at Lowe's. Harry asked me to check with you to see if you need anything while I'm...." His sentence dropped off as he realized that Regan and Melody weren't the only people in the room. He gave me a weak smile like he'd completely just lost his train of thought.

"Oh, we were just talking about you," Regan laughed and I looked around nervously. I hadn't been talking about him; Regan had been telling me about him. Damn, I didn't want him to think I'd seen him and was talking about how hot he was, which holy frick, he was! "Caila, this is Liam Payne. Liam, Caila Ford."

He walked over and awkwardly stuck his hand out to me while I sat there, not unable to tear my eyes away from his glorious face. "Nice to meet you, Caila." Oh, his smile was to die for. I was aware I was staring like an absolute dork but I couldn't quite tear my eyes away.

"Hi, I'm Caila. Oh wait, she just told you that...uh, I mean, hi, um, nice to meet you, too."

Smooth, Caila, very smooth.

"Liam, I was just telling Caila that you might be going in to town. She just got in last night and she was hoping to get a few groceries. Would you mind maybe dropping her somewhere and picking her up when you're done with your errands?"

He shook his head. "No problem at all. In fact, there's a WalMart Supercenter not far from where I'm going. Otherwise, there are a few smaller places right here in Grosse Ile. I'd be happy to take you to one of those. I could go with you, I mean I'm going out anyway. I mean, if that's okay with Regan and Harry." He glanced nervously at Regan.

I blinked for the first time in what seemed like several minutes. "Oh, uh yeah. I grew up here so yeah I know. Walmart sounds good, though." I was actually trying to stick to a budget. Sure, my parents and grandparents had my back and I knew I'd never starve, but I liked the idea of fending for myself since I was out on my own for the first time ever.

Regan piped up, trying to hide a knowing smile. "It's fine, Liam, take as much time as you need. I want Caila to get settled in before things get crazy in the next few weeks."

"Okay, thanks," he said. And then to me, "Are you ready to go soon or should I wait for a bit?"

"I can be ready now," I said, feeling a little less shaky at the appearance of a stupidly handsome man in the kitchen at breakfast. "Just let me grab my purse and we can go." I stood up to bring my coffee cup to the sink and Liam said he'd meet me in front of the garage in about ten minutes.

While I washed up my dishes, Regan's phone rang. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but I heard her say, "Oh, is he not answering his phone?" Pause. "Oh, okay, I'll let him know. He was just about to run into town anyway." Pause. "Of course, Mrs. Payne. You're welcome." Then she hung up.

Mrs. Payne? Ugh, well no surprise there. The man put Prince Charming to shame; no wonder he was married. Not that I'd thought of him that way in the brief moments since we'd met. Well, okay, I had, so sue me. I'm pretty sure that most young, available women normally check out a hot guy for potential when they first meet. It hadn't occurred to me to check his finger for a wedding band, though. I was too busy being an inarticulate dope and trying not to salivate.

Regan picked up Melody who was just starting to fuss. "Caila, will you please tell Liam to check his messages? He might need to swing home while he's in town."

"Of course," I said. "Thanks for breakfast."

I rushed out and up to my apartment, grabbed my purse and pulled my hair back into a loose ponytail. I was out in the driveway before Liam was, but when he came strolling up, I gave him the brief message. "Regan got a phone call for you. She asked you to check your messages, something about stopping by your place while we're in town."

"Oh," he stopped mid-step and grabbed his phone out of his back pocket. While he read the message, I quickly studied his two tattoo sleeves, one almost filled in and the other still containing lots of un-inked space. The one that drew my attention first was the design of thick arrows down the back of his right arm that pointed down towards his hand.

"I can go another time if it's-" I began but he pre-empted my thought by saying, "No it's fine. That is, if you don't mind coming along. I have to run back to my house for something but it won't take long at all. It's on the way."

"Well, okay, if you're sure it won't be a problem," I said, still hesitant.

"Not at all." He went around to the passenger side of his dark blue Ford F150 and opened the door for me.

"You've got good taste in cars," I remarked with a sly smile.

"Well, this was my dad's choice, but I like it," he said, steering the truck out of the driveway. "I hope you don't mind if we stop by my place first. That way I won't forget." He glanced over at me with a smirk. "And I'll never hear the end of it if I forget."

I wondered what his wife would think about him showing up with a girl in his truck. He might never hear the end of that either.

"Are you a real Ford?" He asked.

"Sure am," I said. "Sixth generation."

"So, is that the family you're going to be researching?" He asked. Regan must have mentioned what I'd be doing there for the summer. That was fine, I had nothing to hide.

"Are you kidding? Too many of the Ford's 'family secrets' have been uncovered already, if you keep up with the news," I said with an embarrassed laugh. "I'm researching my mom's family. My great, great, great, great grandfather built the inn."

"That's a lot of greats," Liam said with a slight chuckle.

"I know! I'm a sixth generation Burnham, too, so there's a lot of history to cover. I could go further back than Thomas Burnham, but I'm mainly interested in the people associated with the house."

"Why's that?" Liam asked.

"I guess it just seemed like a logical starting point since the house has remained in the family since it was built. Much of my extended family lived nearby until my grandparents' generation. I have a lot of questions about how family proximity affected mental health and education."

"Sounds fascinating," Liam said sincerely. "I think it's great that you have so much information on your ancestors, even as a starting point. I don't know too much about either side of my family."

After we'd driven about fifteen minutes, Liam turned down a gravel road and then made another turn and followed a long driveway which was lined by fences. In the field on one side, about five horses galloped along as if they were trying to race the truck.

"Ah, they think I'm home for the day. They usually greet me that way," he said fondly.

"That's so sweet," I said. "This is your place?"

"My parents' place, actually, but yeah, I live here."

"Oh," I said softly, realizing maybe I had made a mistake about his marital status. Unless he and his wife both lived here. It was a big enough place, for sure. But I didn't see a ring on his finger either.

He parked in front of the palatial house, which looked like it could use a little TLC, and he came around to open my door. "You can stay in the truck if you want, but it'll get awful hot out here before too long."

"Are you sure it's okay?" I asked.

"Of course," he said, cocking his head and looking at me strangely.

"And Mrs. Payne is your mom?" I asked.

"Who else would it be?"

"I heard Regan on the phone and I thought she might be your wife."

Liam cracked up laughing. "Absolutely not. Not that I'm opposed to having a wife, but my mom, well let's just say she's not my type."

I burst into laughter, too, feeling silly for having assumed the wrong thing. Liam held the door for me as we walked into the significantly cooler house. He went straight for a stack of papers on the kitchen counter. Within ten seconds, he proclaimed, "Done!" Then he turned and headed back for the door, holding it open for me.

"I probably would have been fine in the truck," I teased. He opened the truck door for me again and I stepped up into the cab.

When he came back around to the driver's side, he said, "If we had run into my mom, it would have taken a lot longer." He sent a quick text and said, "There, now she knows I signed the damn things."

I just smiled and watched out the windows as we drove past the horses again. They were beautiful. "I've never ridden a horse," I said, just to say it.

"Really? Well, if you're interested, I'll take you some time."

"That would be awesome," I gushed. "I love animals. I always wanted a horse but they frown on that kind of thing in LA."

Liam laughed again. God, he was cute.

* * * * *

Yeah, they met each other! What do you think so far?

I found out a friend of mine grew up in Grosse Ile Township. (It's pronounced "Gross Eel" lol - it's French) It's an island in the middle of the Detroit River, accessible by two different bridges, I believe. In any case, I'm hoping to take a drive out there with her in the next few weeks and get a feel for the place so I can glean some more inspiration for the story.