Page 66 of Married With Lies

“If you dye your hair blonde then I’m not going.”

“Have it your way. I won’t dye my hair.”

“Then you’ve got yourself a date,” he says.

Hearing this from him is such a relief. Hadley’s wedding is sure to be another calamitous Wingate family encounter. No matter how many passive aggressive insults are flung into the air I need to try to hold my tongue. The only thing more depressing than going to the wedding would be going alone. Knowing that I’ll have an ally by my side takes the sting out a little.

Actually, it takes the sting out A LOT. I’m also not dreading the prospect of seeing Cale again.

Because I like him.

I REALLY LIKE HIM.

The feeling is way more intense than ‘Gosh, I wouldn’t mind grabbing a burger with that guy’.

It’s been years since I’ve had a crush. Well, unless you count lusting over fictional characters from romance novels but that’s not the same.

Now I have a crush on Cale. It seems to be growing by the minute. And I’m really wishing he wasn’t my fake husband so I could sort out those emotions a little more clearly.

The power abruptly flickers and then blazes back on.

What a bummer.

Especially because this isn’t the most attractive I’ve ever looked. I’m wearing faded plaid jammies paired with cowboy boots and my hair is falling in curtains of untidy ringlets.

Cale, however, is perfect with the sexy scruff on his jaw and his muscles ready to bust out of his Sleepy Rock souvenir hoodie. The sight of him creates a ticklish storm of butterflies in my belly. I’m still busy checking him out when he wordlessly lifts Ginger from my arms and returns her to the kennel. She curls right up in her bed and shuts her eyes.

Now that life is back to normal in The Doghouse, the other residents are equally sleepy. Cale and I leave quietly and I double check the lock on the door before stepping out into the yard.

There are still trickles of rain falling from the sky but the drops feel pleasant on my face and the smell of the cool air is fresh and inspiring. Peggy’s kitchen light is on and the curtains are open to show that she sits at the table, awaiting our return. Knowing Peggy, she’ll have the kettle on for some tea.

“I’m not bored,” Cale says out of nowhere.

We face off in the darkness, although I have to tilt my head back to look up at him.

“You said my time here must be boring for me. It’s not boring, Sadie. Not at all.”

“I’m glad to hear it, Cale.”

In my twenty four years on this earth I can’t recall ever having the experience of swooning before.

I’m in very real danger of swooning right now.

18

CALE

It’s been two whole weeks.

That’s long enough. My side is still a bit sore but I’m more than capable of hitting the road in my overdue rental car and getting back to business.

Before I can second guess myself, I send a message to Baines in Santa Fe to let him know the delay is over and he can expect to see me tomorrow. Then I call Richie to share the news that I’m back in action.

“I’ll be back in the city by Thursday,” I say. “All I need to do in Santa Fe is drop off a bag and extract a promise. We can catch up on current events when I return, unless you’ve got something that can’t wait.”

Richie started to cough while I was talking. Now he clears his throat. “Nah, you picked a good time for a break. Nothing but quiet around here.”

Richie can be sketchy at times when it comes to handing out information on the phone. And I have no idea who is in the room with him. Still, it’s odd that Bill Barone’s name has never come up.

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