Page 101 of The Lies I've Told
Doubt.
The word resonated with me so much. Ever since I’d gazed down at that valid driver’s license, a tiny piece of mistrust had been lodged in my heart.
“How do you ignore it?” I asked.
“That’s just it; you can’t. By ignoring it, you allow that doubt to grow and fester inside you.”
“So, you face it head-on,” I said. “Why am I not surprised? Is there anything you’re bad at?”
She smiled, ignoring my question. “Jake and I talk about it sometimes, yes. It helps reassure me that he’s not going to up and leave again.”
“If he did, I’d be the one running after him to kick some ass.”
Her smile widened. “I wouldn’t expect any less. Now, what is this news I didn’t hear?”
“Oh.” My gaze turned to the shed. “Daddy and Aiden hit it off so well after their talk at the party the other day that, apparently, he’s become kind of an apprentice to Aiden.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I really wish I were,” I said.
“Our father, the one who has basically made napping in hammocks a full-time profession?” She laughed.
“Don’t forget golfing. That man loves his time in Myrtle Beach.”
“Right,” she agreed. “How could I forget? So, where are they?”
“Well, that’s the other part of the news. Daddy felt bad that Aiden had been working so long out in the sun.”
“Meaning Daddy didn’t want to work out in the sun himself.” Molly laughed.
“That’s probably more accurate. Anyway, he went out and bought an air-conditioning unit for the shed—one of those window units—and put it in himself, so they’d have somewhere to rest because, up until now, Aiden would just sit out in the shade, refusing to come inside because of all the dust. So, now, the shed is like their little man cave.”
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
“That was pretty much my reaction as well,” I said, leaning back in the seat.
“Does it bother you that your boyfriend and Dad are so chummy?”
I thought about it for a moment, picturing Aiden as a little boy with no family to speak of for so long. “No,” I finally answered. “Aiden doesn’t have a father; he never did. He’s more than welcome to share mine. That is, if it’s okay with you.”
Looking up at her, I saw a warm smile spread across her face.
“Perfectly okay,” she replied. “Now, what is all this?” she asked, pointing to the sketches I’d been working on all morning.
It was about time she noticed.
“Oh, just some ideas I’ve been playing with,” I said, waving my hand in front of me like I didn’t care that she’d taken a whole ten minutes to ask.
In reality, I was dying to show them off.
She reached for one of my favorites, a long maxi-style dress with cutout detailing on the sides and a stunning back. “This is gorgeous,” she said. “Very beachy. Is that what you were going for?”
My eyes drifted to the view in front of me. “I guess I was just inspired by my surroundings.”
“It reminds me of that dress—do you remember the one I’m talking about?”
“My homecoming dress?”
