Page 6 of True Fate

A shatter had them jerking apart. Lainey looked down to find Justin’s wine glass in pieces at their feet. With a curse, he stooped, gathering shards in his cupped palm.

She crouched beside him, her pulse as unsteady as the muted moonlight flowing in the windows. “Justin?”

He glanced at her, and she shrank from the fury in his gaze.

Her fingers tightened around a jagged shard before she set it carefully on the floor. “There’s a wine tasting tomorrow night. Fontana and I are going. I thought?—”

“You thoughtwhatexactly?”

“I thought we could catch up. Talk.” She let out a sigh, raising her hands in surrender. “Bring the tall brunette who was clinging to you like a vine as chaperone. Friends, okay?”

“This isn’t a high school reunion, Lainey.” He placed the final shard of glass in his palm and, bracing a fist on his thigh, pushed to his feet.

“I’m trying here, if you’d quit being such a stubborn ass.”

His eyes narrowed, and a muscle jumped in his jaw. He’d shaved earlier, but stubble shadowed his face, giving him a rough, almost sinister look—one that made her want to do things to him she hadn’t knownhowto do back then.

“Not a chance,” he murmured, voice rough. “If you’ll excuse me, Lainey, I’ve got a tall brunette waiting. Nice seeing you.”

Then he walked away, with the same sharp finality she’d once used on him.

chapterthree

Heart-Shaped Box–Nirvana

LAINEY

Lainey jogged past the courthouse,its red brick facade gleaming in the sunlight. A pickup idled in the circular drive, the tailgate down as a man hefted wooden crates onto the pavement, each landing with a sharp crack. She’d forgotten about the Saturday morning produce market—her father’s favorite weekend ritual.

Back then, a trip to town meant lingering among aisles packed with peaches and tomatoes, the air thick with the scent of fruit and homemade candles. It meant lunch at the Bluff Dinette or an ice cream sundae at Holworth’s, her father’s rasping voice humming in approval as he peeled the paper off his cone.

Funny, the things that stuck with you.

It was only later, when the drinking and gambling started, that her role switched from daughter to warden.

Lainey only realized she’d paused when the produce guy turned with an appreciative smile. She returned it—reflex more than intent—then pushed forward, falling back into stride. Adjusting the foam-covered headset of her Walkman, she matched her pace toSay It Ain’t So, the steady thrum of Weezer pulsing through her. Sweat slicked beneath her cotton tank, the heat of the day settling into her skin.

She hoped the run helped her sleep.

Last night, she’d been unable to, her mind locked on the image of Justin in a passionate embrace with someone who wasn’ther. She’d left him for his own good, and from the looks of it, he’d made a success of everything. Which had always been the plan. Sitting at the top of their high school class, even if he’d seemed more like a thug about to rob a convenience store, he’d been anything but. The Trues were old money, blue bloods, despite Justin’s father’s efforts to ruin the legacy. His addictions had taken his wife and three sons to the brink of hell and back.

It was a wonder the True boys had survived at all.

At the intersection of Pine and Maple, Lainey stopped to jog in place. Decision time. Maple ran past the high school, Pine past Justin’s house. Someone had mentioned he was renovating the old Myer cottage when he was back from New York.

She’d done a bit of gentle snooping.

Coward,she thought, turning down Maple.

The school’s parking lot was crowded with vendors setting up rows of tents, and at the back, a group was assembling a stage. Fontana had mentioned that the wine tasting would be followed by an outdoor concert. Jimmy Mallard, of all people, was playing with his band. He’d kissed her behind his father’s barn in eleventh grade, and now he was in a band? She laughed, dragging a hand across her cheek. She hadn’t known him to have any musical talent and wasn’t expecting much.

At the end of the block, she slowed to walk, done with her run. It was time for coffee—a cappuccino if she could find it. She’d kill for a bagel and cream cheese, too. Crossing the street, she found herself face-to-face with Pine again, grinning at her like a Cheshire cat.

She chewed the inside of her lip, debating her next move.

Last night had ended badly. Feeling like an intruder at someone else’s party, she and Fontana left the gallery shortly after her altercation with Justin. Watching him cozy up to Miss Sophistication had been more than Lainey could pretend to endure. She knew she was losing her mind—and quickly—but she couldn’t shake the possessiveness she felt where Justin True was concerned.

Insanity,yes. But there you had it.

---