The Truth in Lies (The Truth in Lies Saga) (20 page)

“Yes, they are, but you shouldn’t have gone through all this trouble for me.”

“It’s no trouble at all.  This is an old family recipe.  Please, take one.”

I looked back at my parents to see them both smiling, and Drew dancing beside me like a child who needed to pee.

“Take one, Mickie, so I can have one,” he bellyached.

“I think I’ll wait ‘til after dinner to eat one,” I teased.

Drew’s mouth dropped, and drool nearly dribbled down his chin.  “You wouldn’t do that to me, would you?”

I crossed my arms over my chest, staring at the plate of cupcakes.  Sure, I wanted one bad, but seeing Drew acting childish over a cupcake was far more entertaining than feeding my own craving.

“I believe I just might.”

His eyes grew big, and his lips started to tremble.  “Fine.  I can wait,” he moped.

Seeing him pout was more than I could bear.  I grabbed two cupcakes from the plate.  “Here ya go, Andy,” I said, holding one out to him.  His eyes lit up and his smile returned as he opened his hand, accepting my gift.

He pulled back the wrapper and delved into the scrumptious treat.  Each savory moan that fell from his lips twisted and turned my insides, making it damn near impossible for me to enjoy my own cupcake.

Drew had just swallowed down his third cupcake when my Dad asked, “So, Drew, how about that fishin’?”

“Mhm, yes, sir.  Let’s go fishing.”  He thumbed toward the back door.  “Oh, and ladies, the cabana house is just outside.  There are dressing rooms in there.  Make yourselves at home.”

My eyes were glued to Drew until he disappeared with my father in tow.  He winked at me in the process of closing the door behind him.  The corners of my lips pulled into a smile.

Once the men were gone, I looked up to my mother who was leaning against the bar with a smug smile on her face.

“What?” I asked; my tone abrupt and defensive.

“You got it bad, little girl.”

“I do not!”  I waved her off, my heart fluttering in my chest. 

She shoved off the bar and wrapped her arm around my shoulders.  “Sure you don’t, sweetheart,” she laughed, leading me in the direction Drew had indicated.  Behind us, Ruby had returned to cooking and singing the same tune as before.

Being on a private beach was different than being on a public one.  Besides the boat, which was anchored in the water, and the occasional Jet Ski gliding by, the beach was empty.  Mom and I relaxed as long as we could before Drew and Dad got tired of catching nothing.  They put up their fishing poles and joined us on the beach.

Bored with the idea of sunbathing, Drew suggested a game of beach volleyball.    Surprisingly, both my parents agreed to play without any argument.  Drew and I ended up as teammates which was fine with me.

The game was pretty much a fiasco.  Never in my life had I felt like such a klutz.  Normally, I was pretty good at volleyball, but in Drew’s presence, I fell all over him and myself.  At one point, we ran right smack into each other, in a mad dash for my mother’s poor excuse of a spike ball.  Why we didn’t see each other, God only knows, but we ended up tangled together, falling backwards in the sand.  I swear for a full minute I lost the ability to think, let alone breathe, as Drew scrambled to untangle our limbs from one another. 

By some miraculous
, or maybe divine, intervention, we won.

After the game, we ate a delicious meal, poolside.  How Drew didn’t weigh a million pounds was beyond me.  Ruby was a magnificent chef.  And just when I thought the meal was over, she brought out another course.

Sick to my stomach from overeating, Mom and I decided to relax by the pool while the men went to check out the garage.  Dad had been antsy to see Drew’s car collection all day.

The sun had set over the water, and in its place hung a sliver of the moon.  While the rest was pitch black, the stars in the sky illuminated the missing portion of the moon so it could be seen.  A cool breeze blew in off of the gulf, chilling my skin.

“Sweetheart, I think we might want to consider going home soon,” Mom suggested, pulling her arms inside her t-shirt.

“Yeah.  This is why I wanted to bring my car,” I complained.

“I know, honey, but you lost,” she chuckled. “Now, go get the men.  I’m exhausted.”

I got up from the lounge chair, kissed my mom on the top of her head, and trotted off toward the garage. 

Gravel crunched under my shoes.  Bright florescent lights brightened the area around the six bay-door warehouse.  All the port doors were closed.  Light flashed from a side door that seemed to be cracked open.  As I approached the door, I could hear the two men talking inside.

“No, what I’m askin’ is, what are your intentions with my daughter?” Dad’s gruff voice echoed.

“Mickie is a wonderful woman and a great friend,” Drew responded with an attorney’s vigilance.

“I don’t deny that, but you’re avoiding my question, son,” Dad continued.  “I know that you’re in a relationship with Olivia.  My wife and daughter have made that perfectly clear to me.  That’s why I’m askin’ what your intentions are.  I refuse to see my little girl suffer again.  She’s endured enough.”

My heart clenched.  Throughout my miscarriage and breakup with Nate, my father had remained silent.  It was my mother who pleaded with me to seek help, but to hear that my dad had been just as worried crushed me.

“She deserves to be loved proper, and while I like you, son, I see you as nothing but heartache for her.”

“May I be frank with you, Bill?”

“By all means,” Dad encouraged.

“There are things in my past that I’m not proud of.  Things that if Mickie knew…”  Drew’s deep sigh was harsh and ragged.  “When I started dating Olivia, I was in a bad place.  I’d lost someone that I loved very dearly, due to my own fault.  After that, I swore I would never love again.  And I stuck to that promise until recently,” Drew paused.  I pushed my ear closer to the crack in the door, hanging on Drew’s every word.  “Then things changed.  Everything I thought I wanted didn’t make sense anymore.  I met this gorgeous woman who’s smart and funny, and she challenges me. In truth, she’s better than anything I ever could’ve imagined.  I wasn’t looking for love, but love found me.”

I stepped back from the door, my heart shattering into a million pieces.  It had been silly for me to think Drew could love someone like me.  He came from a world of riches and class, and deserved a girl that understood that world.  It was obvious he had been in love with Olivia this whole time, and I was only imagining that he had any sort of feelings toward me.

Humiliated and distraught, I covered my face, willing myself not to cry.  I didn’t deserve tears.  My heart was broken due to my own stupidity.  Forgetting the reason why I had come to the garage in the first place, I turned around only to run smack dab into a looming figure.

Wyatt’s large cold hand clasped my shoulders to steady me.  “Can I help you, Miss Evans?”

Caught off guard, I screamed.  Embarrassed by my own reaction, I cupped my hands over my mouth certain I woke the dead with my shrill scream.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am.  I didn’t mean to frighten you.  Did you need something?”  Wyatt looked at me through kind eyes.

“I was just looking for Dad and Drew,” I squeaked.

“They’re inside.  Follow me.”

He pushed the door open, walking ahead of me.  I tiptoed inside, blood burning through my skin, knowing that Dad and Drew had heard me scream.

“Is everything okay?” Drew asked, seeing Wyatt and me.

“Oh, yes, sir.  I just startled, young miss.  It was my mistake.”

“No harm done,” I muttered.

Dad cocked his head.  “What’s up, Mick?”

“Mom sent me to get you guys.  She’s ready to go.”

Drew’s smile dropped, as he glanced at his watch.  “I guess it’s about that time.”

Dad and Wyatt shook hands.  “Thank you for the tip on the Tonka toy,” Wyatt said, nodding toward the neon green Smart Car.

At a glance I noticed a white Mazda RX-8 parked next to a bright red Shelby Mustang GT 500 with white racing stripes, and a silver Rolls Royce Phantom.  There were two empty spots next to a bright orange Honda CBR600RR.  A blue ’69 Camaro was up on a lift, and a slate black Porsche Boxster S was parked on the other side.  Being the daughter of a car man, I grew up learning far too much than any girl should know about cars and bikes. 

“Anytime,” Dad replied. 

“You okay?” Drew breathed in my ear.

“Um, yeah.  This is some collection you have,” I pointed toward the vehicles. 

“Thanks,” he breathed against my skin. 

Dinner wasn’t settling well in my stomach.  I felt clammy and wanted to get away.

“I’m ready when you are,” Dad said, turning to leave the garage.

“After you,” Drew said, extending his hand out to me.  I followed suit, stepping around my father to keep my distance from Drew.  I couldn’t even look him in the eye.

Thirty minutes later, Drew had delivered my parents to their hotel room at the Helmsley, and we arrived back to my apartment.  Hardly a word was spoken between us as we drove back.  The idea of talking only brought pain to my chest. 

Drew parked the Rover and escorted me to my door.  Unable to look at him, I fumbled with my key trying to get it in the lock.  “Thank you for a wonderful day, Andy.  It was more than I deserved.”

“You’re welcome, Mickie.”

I managed to push the key into the door.  The heat of Drew’s body engulfed me, as he hovered over me.  With the click of the lock, I twisted the knob. 

Drew placed his hand over mine, preventing me from opening the door.  “Mickie, I think we need to talk,” he whispered.

His fingers wrapped around my shoulders and he turned me to face him.  He tilted my head up and instantly I was caught in his aqua pools.  Drew’s lips twitched, sending my heart into overdrive.

“About what?” I swallowed hard.

“About what almost happened this morning.”

His tongue darted out over his delicious lips.  Oh, how I envied his tongue for being able to touch those lips. 

“There’s nothing to talk about.”  I forced the words from my mouth, choking on each syllable.

Drew cocked his head to the side, taking in my expression.  His jaw clinched tight and his nose flared.

“Really? Because, I think there is.” He paused, rubbing the back of his neck.  Nervous energy radiated off of him. 
“I was talking to your father tonight, and I realized–”

“I know, and I get it.  Don’t worry about it.”

“You know what?” he asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.  Slightly shaking his head, he continued, “If you’re upset about what happened on the couch, I can explain–”

My heart lodged in my throat, my grief almost enough to strangle me to death.  “Nothing happened.” I rasped. 

“I beg to differ.  I know you felt something.  You had to, because–”

I placed my fingers to his lips, silen
cing him.  “You belong with Liv, and what happened this morning meant nothing.  We’re just two good friends who got caught up in a moment.”

His brow furrowed as he examined me closer.  “You can’t be serious?” his voice raised in confusion.

I set my jaw attempting to appear stern and nodded my head once.

“Is that honestly how you feel?”

“Yeah,” I lied.

Resignation was written across his face.  He ran his fingers through his hair and stepped back from me.  “Okay.”  Then his lips pressed to my forehead.  “Goodnight, birthday girl.”

“Goodnight, Andy.”

He shoved his hands into his pockets, and turned on his heel, disappearing into the night.  I stepped into my apartment, and closed the door behind me.  All of the tears I had held back burst forth like a flood.  At the front door of my apartment, I spent the final hours of my thirty-second birthday bawling my eyes out over the man I could never have.

Spending a week with my parents had been exactly what I needed.  Every day was a new adventure.  But none compared to their first day on a private beach; a fact that my father was certain to repeat.

Even though Drew continued his daily ritual of texting and calling me, something was lacking between us.  Everything felt calculated and cold.  I brushed the feelings aside as a byproduct from him being overworked.  My birthday had been the only day Drew had off, and later I discovered he shouldn’t have taken it off.  The case had taken over his life.

Olivia made a point to stop by and visit my parents while they were in town.  That had been a nightmare.  The necklace Drew had given me was part of my autonomy now.  I took it off only to take a shower.  When Olivia arrived, I was wearing the pendant.  Naturally, she noticed the rock around my neck and demanded to know where I got such an item. 

At first she teased me about Jared, as she always did, but my father put a stop to that by telling her Drew had given it to me for my birthday.  I prepared for the insinuations to follow, but instead, she brushed it off with a wave of her hand.  “Drew is prone to give elaborate gifts.  He bought me a three carat diamond tennis bracelet for Valentine’s Day,” she boasted.  It was odd.  I recalled being around for Valentine’s Day, but I didn’t remember her being the recipient of a bracelet.  But then again, I rarely could remember where I last left my cell phone. 

To say that hurt was an understatement, but I had to face the fact that Drew would buy her something more valuable, because he was in love with her. 

Then to make matters worse, Dad let it slip that we had spent my birthday at Drew’s house.  Olivia was enraged by that piece of information.  She felt like Drew was undermining her on the party planning and couldn’t believe he would take me over there without her. 

They didn’t talk for two days after that, and I felt like the world’s worst friend.  Especially since Olivia didn’t blame me for the situation.  All of her anger was bestowed on Drew.  He didn’t seem to care.  When I tried to ask him about her, he breezed around the topic.  He was indeed the master of avoidance.

When Sunday rolled around, I dreaded having to take Mom and Dad to the airport.  It was a tearful goodbye with a promise that I would visit during summer break.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Nate had messaged me on my birthday.  In all of the excitement of the day, I didn’t see the text until the next morning.  It was sweet and simple, letting me know he was back in town and wanted to know when we could get together.  He ended it with happy birthday.

That next day, I made arrangements to see him after I delivered my parents to the airport.

I entered my apartment feeling spent from my drive to Fort Myers.
 With several hours to waste before I needed to head over to Nate’s, I sat down on the couch with my worn copy of The Great Gatsby and got lost in the beautiful world of Gatsby and Daisy.

My heart broke all over again, as I read the confrontation of Gatsby with Tom and Daisy.  Tom proclaimed to Gatsby that there were things between him and Daisy that Gatsby would never understand.  That held true for my own life.  There were things between Olivia and Drew that bound them together, and I was only ever meant to love him from the sidelines.

During my reading of the epic love story, I must have fallen asleep, because I awaken by a jolt of electricity vibrating my hip.  I sat straight up, having felt like I had been electrocuted.  My head throbbed and felt very heavy.  The room had grown dark.  I rubbed my eyes hard, letting out a deep sigh. 

I stretched my arms and legs, grunting as I did.  That’s when I felt the shock again.  It caused me to jump, and realize that my cell phone had to be in my pocket.
 I stood up and pull it from my jeans; my hand crushed by the tight fabric.

Blinded by the light, my eyes squinted to adjust to the invading brightness.  Once my eyes focused
, I saw multiple text messages from Nate.  I scanned through them one by one.  Every message read the same.  They all wanted to know if I was still coming over and where I was.

The clock showed it was almost nine o’clock.  I sent a reply that I had fallen asleep and would be there in fifteen minutes.  I grabbed my purse and rushed out the door.

The night air was crisp and cool.  It was the perfect evening for a bonfire at the beach.  I rolled the car windows down and turned up my stereo.  As I drove down the highway, I sang at the top of my lungs determined not to think.  I just wanted to get where I was going.

As I pulled up in front of my old house – Nate’s house – the pizza delivery driver was driving away.
 I parked my car and headed to the front door.  It felt weird ringing the bell.  I had to remind myself this wasn’t my house anymore.  Nate opened the door with a smile.  I remembered then why I had fallen for him in the first place.

Dressed in all black and barefooted, he was sexy as hell, but then again, Nate always had sex appeal to me.
 His reddish brown hair was arranged to look like he had just woken up, even though I knew for a fact it took him thirty minutes to get it to look like that, and his hunter green eyes sparkled in the glow of the porch light.

“I nearly gave up on you,” he teased.

“Sorry.  I was reading and dozed off.”

He opened the door wider and ushered me in.  “It’s okay.  You’re here now.  That’s what counts.”

The door closed with a loud thud behind me.  My gaze swept over the room.  Stacks of boxes were scattered everywhere.  Pictures had been removed from the walls, and several pieces of furniture were wrapped in bubble wrap.

“What’s going on here?” I waved toward the boxes.

“I’m moving.”

“I can see that.  But why?”

He cracked his knuckles, as he stretched his arms over his head.  His shirt lifted, exposing the taut muscles of his stomach.  I diverted my eyes to keep from staring.

“This house is too big for one person.
 It feels like a tomb.  I rented a little condo closer to work.”

The irony of his comment didn’t get past me.  I had been saying that all along.  It never seemed to sink in to his thick skull how lonely this place felt.  Guess now it had.

“Well, I hope you’re hungry.  I ordered pizza.  I got your favorite.”

“I’m starved,” I replied, but my stomach answered louder with an embarrassing growl.
 I hadn’t eaten since breakfast and my stomach was starting to form teeth of its own.

He led me to the kitchen where the smell of salty cheese and tomatoes sent my stomach grumbling.  His lips twitched into a half grin.  I skirted around boxes, careful to not trip over any of them.  The pizza sat on the counter with a couple of paper plates.

“I hope you don’t mind paper plates tonight.  I have everything ready for the movers tomorrow.”

“I don’t mind,” I said, reaching for a plate.

Opening one of the boxes, the sight of hot cheese, ham, and bacon caused my mouth to water.  I placed a couple of slices on my plate and took a seat on a barstool at the kitchen island.

Nate opened the refrigerator and pulled out two beers.
 He popped the tops on both and handed me one.    He made his plate and stood at the counter adjacent from me.

The silence was deafening; neither of us knew what to do or say.  So much had happened since the last time we talked.  It was impossible to decide where to begin.

“So, um, how long have you been back?” I finally asked.

“I came back the day before you
r birthday.”  His words muffled by a mouthful of pizza.

I devoured a slice and started on the next.  More silence engulfed us.  I wiped my mouth on a napkin and washed down my dinner with a long pull of my beer.

“Hmm, how was your trip?” I persisted.

“It was good.  I made quite a few sells.”

“That’s good to hear.  I bet Pfizer loves you for that.”

He took a swig of his beer.  “Yeah.  They offered me a position in Chicago.”

“That’s awesome.  Then why are you moving into a condo here?”

Nate gave a half-hearted shrug.  “I told them I would think about it first.”

“What’s there to think about?” I asked in between bites.  “This is basically your dream come true.”

“True, but my family lives here and…”  He looked down at his plate.  “Well…”  The deep lines of his brow invoked the feeling of anguish inside of me.  He glanced up at me, and I realized what he was thinking.

“I live here,” I finished his sentence.

“Yeah.”

“This is a big opportunity for you though.  Nate, I don’t think you should let it pass you by.”

Having lost my appetite, I pushed my plate away from me.  It appeared that Nate still held a torch for me.

“I know it is.”  Nate picked at the label on his beer before tearing it away from the bottle.  “Do you ever think we’ll be able to fix this between us?”

It felt as if someone had kicked me in the stomach.  I knew the conversation of us would eventually come up, and while I had told myself I was prepared to handle it, I really wasn’t.

“I don’t know,” I muttered.  My hands shook around the beer bottle, as I pulled it to my lips.

“I know I’ve made loads of mistakes.  I should’ve been more understanding after the miscarriage.  I should’ve been here for you.  I should never have left you alone when I knew you were hurting.  I should’ve listened to you more.  I just didn’t know how to handle everything.
 I hated seeing you so upset and I felt helpless.”

I was stunned.
 Never had I heard Nate open up like that before.  I nodded and reached for his hand.  

“We both did things we shouldn’t have.
 I should’ve been more open about my feelings instead of closing off inside myself.  I shouldn’t have walked out like I did that night.  I’m sorry I hurt you.”

A smile widened over his angular face.  “And I’m sorry I hurt you.  I’ve missed you so much.”

The truth was I had missed him too.  When things were good, they were great.  When things were bad, they were torture.  I wanted to believe that he truly felt remorse for the pain I had felt. 

“I’ve missed you too.”

I released his hand and resumed eating my lukewarm pizza. 

“I hear you moved out on your own,” he inquired. 

He reached into the fridge grabbing another beer.  He held it out to me, silently offering me another.  I nodded in acceptance and he popped the top, pushing it down toward me.

I caught the beer, as it came to the end of the island. 

“Nice catch,” he said with a chuckle.

“Thanks, and yeah I did.  It’s wild living on my own, but I love it.”

“Couldn’t take living with Olivia anymore?”

I laughed.  “She’s not as bad as everyone thinks.  She has her quirks, but I’m the master at adjusting to quirks.”

“I’ll agree there.  Like a certain boyfriend leaving the toilet seat up and you falling in at night.”

“Nothing worse than a cold, wet butt in the middle of the night to wake you up,” I snorted.

“We fixed it though.  You got that god awful nightlight for the bathroom, and I learned quickly after you poured cold water into my shower to put the seat down.”  His eyes danced with laughter. 

“Hey, don’t hate on the nightlight.  The blue lightsaber nightlight rocked.  I wish I still had it.”

He pushed his head back level with his shoulders in an act of surprise.  “What happened to it?”

“Olivia broke it,” I deadpanned.

“She did what?”  Laughter tickled his tone.

“She swore it was an accident
, but I know better.”

Nate buckled over in laughter.  “I wish I had thought of that.”

Reminiscing with Nate had broken the tension between us.  Here we were simply two old friends catching up and talking about old times.  It felt good to be able to sit and laugh with him.

Before coming over, I had been so afraid of finding myself in another fight.  I never considered maybe all he wanted to do was talk. 

“Star Wars hater,” I grumbled. 

I hopped off the barstool to toss my trash.  Not paying attention as I walked around the side of the island, I tripped over a box. 

Nate’s quick reflexes prevented me from face-planting onto the floor.  My arms instinctively wrapped around his neck, as I tried to regain my balance.  I chuckled at my clumsiness and looked up at him.  The expression on his face was not one of humor.  He pulled me tighter to him, locking me in his embrace.

“McKenzie,” he whispered; his voice wanton and husky. 

His face inched closer to mine.  He smelled so inviting and felt so warm.  His lips brushed over my cheek.  My heart raced in my chest, as I recalled the last night we were together.  It had been so long since I had been touched in that manner, that my body ached for him to take me.  I closed my eyes in anticipation of his kiss.

But the moment I closed my eyes, my mind flashed to Drew.
 His genteel manner with me was sweet and inviting, with the underlining of the sexy Neanderthal inside him.  With Drew I felt whole.  Like the piece of my soul that I had been searching for was found.  I never felt that way with Nate.