Page 33 of The Fragile Truth

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Please let Denise be wrong!That was the thought that kept running on a loop through Ian’s mind. He punched Sadie’s doorbell and waited. Her silver Honda was parked beneath the carport, so he knew she was home. When she didn’t answer, he rapped against the door with his knuckles. Finally, she opened the door, her eyes widening.

“Hey, I wasn’t expecting you so soon.” She stepped back and motioned. “Come in, but you’ll have to overlook the mess,” she said with an embarrassed chuckle. He stepped into the living room, where open moving boxes sat on the floor. Books, clothing, bedding, and other household items were scattered over the couch, spilling onto the floor.

Sadie offered a sheepish grin as she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “I figured since Mike gave me the day off that I’d make good use of it.” She’d changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt. Even dressed down, she looked terrific. A dozen emotions pummeled Ian at once. It was very possible that Denise could’ve been playing him. Maybe he should’ve just gone to his office and plugged Sadie’s information into the system. He’d come here first because he wanted to give Sadie the benefit of the doubt. Also, it wouldn’t look good for the sheriff to be investigating the woman he was dating. Ian didn’t need any more negative PR. It was better to handle this privately.

She motioned to the folded square of paper in his hand. “What have you got there?” She went over to the couch, scooped up an armful of clothes and books, walked a few paces, and deposited them beside the wall. “Cleared you out a spot,” she grinned.

He went over and sat down, his mind spinning a mile a minute, trying to figure out the best way to approach this. If Sadie were innocent, then she wouldn’t appreciate him coming into her house and accusing her. On the other hand, if she were guilty of some sort of subterfuge, then there was no telling how she would react.

“Can I get you something to drink?”

“I’m good.”

She studied him, the edges of her eyes creasing. “What’s going on? Are you okay?” She moistened her lips. “Did something else happen after I left the restaurant?”

He pushed the clothes beside him back against the arm of the couch to make a space for her. “Come and sit down.”

She blinked several times, her tongue darting over her lower lip. “Okay,” she said warily. “This sounds serious.” After sitting down, she pointed at the folded paper, a trickle of humor streaking over her features. “Do I get to find out what’s inside it?”

He handed it to her. She opened it, her eyes registering surprise. “My personal information. Why do you have it?”

He took in a breath. “After you left, Denise came out to my car. She told me that she doesn’t trust you. She thinks you’re up to something.”

Sadie’s eyes bulged. “And you believe her?”

“I’m not sure what to believe,” he answered carefully. “Denise claims that you’ve been asking a bunch of questions about me, Lina, and even Brent Allen.” He watched Sadie’s expression, hoping to glean some information from her body language. Her lips tightened, as did her shoulders. He continued, “According to Denise, you were watching Talon and Effie while they were in the restaurant. Denise said that as soon as they left, you asked Rachel to cover your tables and hurried out after them.”

“From the minute Denise realized that you and I were dating, she’s had it in for me,” Sadie said hotly, her eyes flashing with irritation. “I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but Denise is in love with you. The relationship might’ve been a rebound thing for you. But for Denise, it was something more.” She grunted out a hard laugh. “She’s trying to turn you against me.”

“That was my first thought,” Ian answered.

Hope flickered over Sadie’s features. “Really?”

“Yeah, but then I started thinking about something else Denise said.”

“What’s that?” Sadie snapped.

“She spoke of how you and I met, questioning if maybe there was more to it than mere coincidence.” Shock flashed over her face, or was it guilt? Ian’s heart lurched. This wasn’t going as he’d hoped. “Denise got ahold of your employment information and suggested that I look you up.”

Sadie’s face paled. “Did you?”

“No, I came here first to get your side of the story.” His eyes cut into hers. “When I do look you up, what will I find?” Time stood still as he waited for her to answer. His heart beat a heavy cadence against his ribcage. His stomach was tied in knots, making it hard to breathe.

Her shoulders sagged. When she spoke, her voice was devoid of emotion. “If you look up Sadie Thomas, you’ll find that everything will sync up with what I’ve told you …” She swallowed, clasping her hands in her lap. “At least on the surface.”

His heart dropped as a searing anger cut through him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She gave him a pleading look. “I wanted to tell you the truth.” Her voice lost air as she cleared her throat and then pressed on. “In fact, I planned to tell you. I was just waiting for the right time.”

He clenched his teeth. “Who are you?” The room began to spin as Ian sucked in a ragged breath, willing himself to get a grip. For a split second, instead of Sadie sitting in front of him, he saw Lina. He felt the scorching shame and humiliation of being deceived. Was he destined to keep repeating the same mistake over and over? Sadie had given him hope for a new future, but now that was ripped away, leaving Ian right back where he’d started.

Sadie straightened her shoulders, jutting out her chin. “My real name is Robyn Allen. Brent was my younger brother.”

The air whooshed out of Ian’s lungs as surely as if he’d been punched in the gut. “W—what?”

She nodded, her expression sad and apologetic. “I wanted to tell you,” she said gently, placing a hand over his arm. He jerked away from her grasp like he’d been burned.

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