Page 17 of The Lies I've Told
I grinned. “See, it’s like a window to the soul.”
She paused a moment before making a sour face. “All right, so why don’t you tell me about your siblings?”
I nearly choked on my drink before composing my features once more. “Can’t. Nothing to tell.”
“Only child?”
I bit the inside of my lip before responding.Right now, I am. “Something like that. Anyway, it’s only a theory. Something I use when a client asks for something stupid or impossible.”
“Like?”
I flagged Billy for another round of drinks, and he nodded before I continued, “A long while back, I had a couple who wanted me to etch their love for each other into stone.”
“Okay. Kind of corny but not really stupid.”
“Not stupid, no. But completely impossible, considering he was banging the nanny and she’d checked out of the marriage ages ago.”
“And you figured that all out based on your little sibling game?”
“Well, no. The last part was pretty obvious when she came on to me in my office; but the rest, yeah. Although, instead of siblings, I asked them to tell me about their kids.”
“Why?”
“I needed to pull the love from somewhere. And seeing their eyes brighten and melt when they spoke of their sons, it was enough to get the job done. They saw love shining back at them when they saw the finished piece.”
“Even if it wasn’t for each other? Wow, that’s kind of sad.”
“It wasn’t sad when I deposited that big, fat check they had written me. I’d been living on rice and black coffee for months.”
“Mmm, been there. When I landed my first job out of college, I made enough to barely cover my rent. Pretty sure I subsisted on ramen and coffee for the majority of that year.”
“And, now, you’re running the whole place, am I right?”
She gave me a hesitant smile as she finished off her drink. “Something like that.” Looking up at me, those baby-blue eyes met mine, full of determination and wicked intent. “You want to get out of here?”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I thought you’d never ask.”
My eyes bolted open as sunlight from the windows glared down at me.
Where am I?
This was a common question of mine when I woke, having lived the better part of the last three years constantly in transit. But today felt different.
I looked around, somewhat recognizing the room that had once been my parents’, growing up. It had changed quite a lot, having gone through some recent major renovations. Since my sister and brother-in-law no longer lived here, having renovated Jake’s family home for their own, there was no need for family quarters anymore.
It was sort of sad really.
The end of an era.
I sat up, quietly stretching as if I had all the time in the world.
Because I did, right?
No job. No responsibilities.
Responsibilities…
Shit!
