Page 74 of Tangled In Lies

It’s just for show. You’re engaged, remember?

“Evie.”

Phoenix stops at the voice, and I almost bump into him.

Tyler runs around the glass case, holding a small brown paper bag with the café logo. “Your favorite cookie for the road?”

I try to disentangle my fingers from Phoenix’s, but he’s keeping a death grip on my hand.

Not knowing what else to do, I awkwardly attempt to face Tyler.

“You didn’t have to, Ty.”

He winks at me and hands me the bag. “It’s nothing. I know how you can get without your sugar high.”

A smile spreads across my face, genuine this time. “Thank you.”

He returns my smile, then shifts his attention to Phoenix. “Hey, man, I heard you’re back.”

Phoenix lifts his chin, his eyes narrowing as he takes in Tyler. “Do I know you?”

I stare at Phoenix. “Seriously?”

He regards me and shrugs, oozing nonchalance.

I sigh. “Tyler went to school with me. You’ve seen him a gazillion times at the house and the pool parties.”

Phoenix stiffens when I mention pool parties, but Tyler only chuckles.

He touches my arm. “Don’t worry about it, Evie. It’s all good. He was gone for a while, and we have no connection except you.”

I huff, unable to hold back my irritation. I don’t even know why I’m reacting like this. If Tyler says it’s not a big deal, it shouldn’t be to me either, but somehow it is.

Because if he doesn’t remember Tyler, does that mean he doesn’t remember other things either? Like the kiss we almost shared in the pool house? When he fractured my heart for the first time of many.

“Turn around, birthday girl, so I can give you your present.”

He’s so close, his breath ghosts over my neck.

“Lift your hair.”

I barely manage to gather it because my hands are shaking so badly.

Something cool touches my collarbone, and I grasp it with my hand. “A compass?”

He walks around me and nods. “It’s supposed to be a reminder to keep moving forward, to follow your dreams.”

My breath leaves me in a whoosh.

I stare at him. “I love it, thank you.”

He pulls me in for a hug, leaning down enough for his mouth to graze my ear and cheek.

“Happy birthday, Angel.”

His lips move toward my cheek at the same time that I shiver, and his lips hit the corner of my mouth instead.

My gasp is loud, and Phoenix draws back.

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