Page 25 of Married With Lies

And all I need to do in return is sell my soul.

All right, that’s a tad melodramatic.

Cale isn’t exactly Ursula the sea witch. But I would have to set aside my principles. The ones that swore I would never marry a man for the wrong reasons.

I can hear water running somewhere. And the sound of doors opening and shutting. One of the other suites in this wing of the house is being occupied by my sister. Hadley and her fiancé were too drunk to return to the city last night.

Spurred to action, I jump off the bed and dash to the adjoining bathroom. I really need to catch my father alone this morning. Hadley has a habit of demanding all the attention whenever she’s in a room.

In record time I’m both showered and presentable. I even add a dash of lip gloss and mascara for some extra sparkle.

Downstairs, last night’s cleanup crew performed magic. There’s no sign that the house was packed with people twelve hours ago. Arlena floats into view, wearing a voluminous blush-colored silk robe with enormous sleeves. She beams at the sight of me descending the staircase.

“Happy Christmas, Sadie, and don’t you look cute.” She kisses the air on either side of my head. “There’s a breakfast buffet waiting in the dining room.” She gestures vaguely down the hall, her hands hidden in the bell-shaped sleeves. “Oh, did you enjoy the party and the vegan chocolate fountain?”

“I did. Thank you. Is my father in the dining room?”

“Your father.” Her lovely face dims with confusion as she thinks. It’s apparently a challenge. “No, I don’t think so. But maybe he is. I’m sure I saw Asher earlier but I can’t remember where.”

When I first met Arlena I thought she might be drunk all the time but now I think this is just her personality. Kind of flighty but harmless. A former Miss America who is now a spokesmodel for air freshener.

Arlena excuses herself. Now that I’m alone, a twinge of nerves strike as I walk down the hall to the dining room. The nerves turn to something else when I reach the dining room entrance and see my sister sitting alone at the table and scowling over an untouched croissant and a glass of something fizzy.

Hadley, wearing sunglasses, looks up. “Do you have any Zofran?”

“Nope.” I head for the silver pot of coffee at the far end of the table. “But Merry Christmas.”

She grunts. “Alka-Seltzer is better than nothing.” She chugs the contents of the fizzy glass and hiccups.

There’s plenty of food to choose from. Platters of sliced fruit, bowls of granola, a tray of avocado slices. But my appetite is nowhere to be found, especially when I realize I’m standing in the same spot where I was last night when I heard the voice of Cale Connelly.

“Hello there, Scraps.”

“Where’s Griffin?” I ask as I pour a cup of coffee.

Hadley leans on her elbows and rubs her temples. “He needed to go see his mother for some reason. He expected me to go with him. How could he ask me that when I’m in this condition?”

It’s not a question I’m expected to answer, which is good because I have nothing nice to say. Hadley can’t understand why her fiancé would want to visit his mother on Christmas. She’s simply annoyed that her hangover isn’t taking priority.

She raises her head, flips her sunglasses up and peers at me with bloodshot eyes. “I saw you flirting with Cale Connelly last night.”

Flirting? That’s rich. But I don’t feel like denying it, particularly because the idea seems to annoy her.

I sip some coffee and smile at my sister. “So what?”

“You’re such a child,” she scoffs and flips her sunglasses back down. “You’d never be able to handle a man like Cale. Don’t even try. You’ll just make a fool out of yourself. Of course, I say this out of love.”

Hadley still has the power to cut me with her words but the wounds aren’t nearly as deep as they used to be.

“Where’s Dad?” I say, ready to move on.

“How should I know?” she snaps.

Forever pleasant, my sister.

“Have you seen him?”

“Check his study. And don’t try to make me talk anymore. It only worsens my migraine.”

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