Page 139 of In Spades

Call it what you wanted, but omission was the same as lying. Especially when the information was pertinent to the woman he was fucking.

All those wasted I love yous... Was I just a joke to him? The poor little maid falls for the billionaire. What a fucking cliché.

Headlights followed me into the mobile home park. So help me, if Will shows up at the house…

Steve’s Challenger pulled behind me and parked. Before I could even get the key out of the ignition, Steve opened my car door and caged me in.

“You don’t have to be here, I’m fine,” I said.

“That’s a fuckin’ lie,” he clipped, as if it were just another casual evening.

“Steve, I’m not in the mood.”

“I know. I’m pretty sure back at the bar is the loudest I’ve ever heard you talk. You’re more even-keeled than Erica.”

Logan opened the screen door and popped his head out. “Will! You gotta come in and see—” His voice trailed off when he realized it was Steve.

I looked down, trying to hide my tear-stained face.

“Oh, uh,” Logan said, brows furrowed. “Hey, Steve.”

Steve nodded. “You mind givin’ me and Kris a minute?”

Logan’s shoulders fell as he turned and walked inside. “Yes, sir.”

I waited until the door shut to say, “If I’m being honest, I really don’t feel like talking to you right now.”

My phone vibrated again with Will’s umpteenth call.

I was home. Since I didn’t have to worry about missing a call from the kids if they were having an emergency, I turned the dang thing off.

“Yeah, you made that pretty clear,” he said as he rounded the car. Steve opened the passenger door. “But it’s fuckin’ cold, so do you mind cranking this thing up so I can talk at you without freezing my balls off?”

I raised an eyebrow. “You’re gonna talk at me?”

“Well, I figured you’re not gonna talk to me. Knowing how stubborn you are, you’re probably gonna pretend like you’re not listening. So yeah. I’m gonna talk at you and if you hear something you wanna talk at me about, I’m all ears.”

Begrudgingly, I cranked the car up and blasted the heat.

Red dresses weren’t made for cold December nights. They weren’t made for heartbreak. They were meant for happily ever after and riding off into the sunset.

That was, unless Prince Charming turned out to be a fraud.

“What happened tonight, Kris?” Steve asked as he adjusted his massive frame inside the tiny coupe.

“Like you don’t already know.”

“I’ve got a hunch, but apparently I don’t know as much as everyone else. Why don’t you fill me in?”

So, I did. I told him everything from meeting Will while he was staying at the inn to Elena outing him tonight. Part of me—a very small part—felt bad for Will. I knew he was a private guy, so being put in the spotlight had to suck.

I also believed that he probably did intend to tell me.

Unfortunately for him, thoughts rarely counted.

When I was finished, I turned to Steve. “So, you’re really gonna pretend like you didn’t know he was the one who bought the inn? You know everything that’s happening in that town. Hell, no one sneezes without you being told about it.”

He shrugged. “Like I said, I had a hunch. I ran a background check, and nothing came up.”

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