Page 50 of Never Lie
He nods. “I know. Unfortunately, I don’t know how much warmer it’s going to get. The insulation is terrible. We’re going to have to put in some major funds to get it fixed.”
Great. My teeth are on the verge of chattering. “So what are we supposed to do? Wear our coats?”
“Well…” He glances down the hallway. “The master bedroom has an entire walk-in closet filled with clothing. There’s got to be some warm stuff in there that’s more comfortable than wearing your coat around the house.”
I grit my chattering teeth. “I amnotwearing a dead woman’s clothing.”
“All right, but you have two choices. Either wear her clothing or wear your coat. Or be cold, I guess.”
I hate the idea of going through Adrienne Hale’s closet and scavenging for clothing. But it’s not comfortable to sit around indoors in my coat. Maybe I am being silly. I could grab something from the back of the closet. Something she rarely wore. Hell, I’m willing to bet a woman like that probably has a few outfits still with price tags on them.
“Fine,” I grumble. “I’ll check the closet.”
Ethan kisses me on the top of my head. “Good. And after you find something warm to wear, we can go downstairs and have lunch.”
“Not bologna again. Please.”
He flashes a crooked smile. “I saw turkey too.”
I am going to be so sick of cold cuts by the time we get out of here.
Ethan returns to his laptop while I walk down the hall to the master bedroom. I will takeone sweaterfrom her closet and that’s it. And I’m just borrowing it. I’m going to put it back before we leave here. In the exact condition I found it.
When I return to Dr. Hale’s walk-in closet, it’s even more stuffed with clothing than I remember. I have a lot of clothes—I’m not going to lie—but her clothes areclassy. Everything she wears is at the height of fashion. And not just that—she doesn’t own anything casual. I looked through some of her drawers last night and it seemed like the lady didn’t even own a pair of blue jeans.
I would wager that there isn’t one piece of clothing in this closet that cost less than two hundred dollars.
I had intended to find something in the back of her closet that she rarely wore. But my attention goes back to that white cashmere sweater I had been slobbering over last night. I love cashmere. I mean, everyone does. What sort of freak doesn’t like cashmere?
And the sweater is so white. Like unblemished snow.
I grab the sweater and pull it off the hanger. I throw it over my head, almost groaning in ecstasy at how nice the fabric feels against my skin. I love cashmere.
Okay, I didn’t do exactly what I said I was going to do. But it’s almost a crime for a sweater like this to be sitting in a closet, never worn. It’sbeggingto be worn.Cryingto be worn.
And it’s not like Adrienne Hale is going to come back here and want to wear the sweater, for God’s sake.
Chapter 28
ADRIENNE
Before
I watch Luke expertly chopping vegetables on my kitchen counter. I might be hopeless in the kitchen, but he’s an excellent cook. We still get takeout plenty, but he likes to cook for me on the nights he’s here. Which is becoming more and more frequent.
Luke and I have been dating for four months. It’s a record for me. After a month of dating, my anxiety abated to the point where I finally consented to let him spend the night. And now he’s here three or four nights a week.
There are ground rules of course. He has to stay on his side of the bed—no cuddling in the middle of the night. And if I’m not feeling in the mood to have company, he has to leave without argument. The first month, that happened as often as not. But I haven’t asked him to leave in weeks.
The truth is, I’m growing to enjoy sharing a bed with him. On the nights he’s at his own apartment, I look at the empty spot on what has now become his side of the bed (the left), and I feel an ache in my chest.
“It smells delicious,” I comment.
Luke picks up a long-handled spoon and stirs the sauce that has been simmering on the stove for the last twenty minutes. He’s sexy when he’s cooking, maybe because he’s so skilled at it. “It’s a new recipe. You’re going to love it.”
“I’m sure I will. I love everything you make.”
And I loveyou.
