Page 25 of The Liar

“Great.” She pushed to her feet. “Then it’s time for wine.”

I chuckled despite myself. “You couldn’t be more right.”

I followed her to the kitchen and emptied my mostly full mug of tea down the sink. It had been a nice idea, but now that I didn’t have to worry about muddying my thoughts, I really would prefer something to take the edge off.

Hallie popped the cork out of a bottle of white wine and filled two glasses. I took one and we chinked them against each other.

“Cheers to a miserable Valentine’s Day,” I said.

She tipped back her glass. “I’ll drink to that.”

We returned to the sofa, and I checked my phone again. Now, there were several messages from West.

“I’ve got one too,” Hallie said. “He wants to know if you’re all right.”

I huffed. “Just leave it. I told him where I was going, and he knows I can take care of myself. I don’t owe him anything more than that.” Not after what he did. I angled myself toward her and leaned against the arm of the sofa. “So, are there any dating prospects on the horizon for you?”

Hallie rolled her eyes. “Believe it or not, guys aren’t lining up to date a female bodyguard. If the irregular work hours don’t put them off, then the fact I could put them on the ground in under thirty seconds usually does the trick. For some reason, men seem to find that threatening to their masculinity.”

My lip curled. “Men are ridiculous. They should be glad their partner is capable of defending themselves, not put off because their fragile ego makes them want to be the most physically powerful person in a room.”

Hallie sighed wistfully. “Maybe one day I’ll find a guy who doesn’t mind that I can bench press as much as them, but that day hasn’t come yet.”

I patted her leg. “You’ll get there.”

She deserved love. Hallie might be strong, with the kind of muscles obtained from years of martial arts training, but she was also sweet, kind, and completely loyal. She was a closet romantic, just like me. Or rather, like I’d been. I suspected I wouldn’t be quite so naively optimistic about love in the future.

“Want to watch a movie?” I asked.“Maybe a comedy?”

She perked up. “Absolutely.”

She grabbed the remote so we could choose one, and within a few minutes, we were snug on her sofa, sniggering at a movie with an outrageous premise.

When the movie ended, we cleaned up, brushed our teeth, and said our good-nights. I plugged my phone in to charge. The screen lit up, displaying the collection of messages from West. With a sigh, I opened them and looked at the most recent.

West:Please just let me know you’re okay and when I can expect you home. I’m worried.

A tendril of emotion curled in my chest. It wasn’t fair that he could affect me so much when he’d lied about everything.

Joanna:I’m fine. I won’t be back tonight. Not sure when I will.

He replied almost immediately.

West:I love you. Sleep well.

I scoffed as I placed the phone face down on the nightstand.

He loved me. Yeah, right.

As I closed my eyes, an image of the blond woman from the coffee shop flashed into my mind once again. He still hadn’t explained who she really was to him.

Was she his actual wife, waiting patiently for him to come home?

7

WEST

Finally, a little after dawn the next morning, my phone rang. I snatched it up, already dressed and sweaty from pounding out my frustration on the treadmill. A hollow pit formed inside me when I saw the number was private rather than Joanna’s.

---