Page 30 of The Lies I've Told
“Kind of like a sketch.”
“What?” His eyes turned toward me once again.
“In design, we work up a sketch first. And then, before we cut the fabric, we’ll pin. And pin some more. Because, like clay, fabric is not so forgiving after it’s been cut.”
“I forgot you were in the fashion industry.”
My eyes rose as I briefly turned to him, the Ocracoke sign passing by us as we entered town. “I don’t remember telling you I was in fashion.”
His forehead furrowed briefly. “I, uh, don’t quite remember either, but I do remember you told me. Just chalk it up to another mystery from our evening together.”
“The evening we shall never speak of,” I reminded him.
“Right,” he agreed, clearing his throat before I pulled off the road into a small gravel parking area surrounded by several ancient oak trees.
“We’re here! Just in time for your meeting with Dean,” I announced a little too loud for the small space we were in. Sharing pretty much any space with Aiden felt too small. I wasn’t sure what it was—maybe it was his personality or perhaps it was the raw sense of curiosity I had for the man, but he just seemed to swell up and envelop any space we were in.
Until I felt like I was gasping for air.
Aiden looked out the window, immediately recognizing the restaurant I’d taken him to the night before. It obviously looked different during the day, the water from the bay glistening from the bright noonday sun as kayakers swam up to the dock to order lunch.
“Right then,” he said, sounding very English all of a sudden. “Are you sure you don’t care to join us? I’m quite certain Dean wouldn’t mind the company.”
I shook my head back and forth. “No, you go ahead. I have stuff I need to catch up on back at the inn. I don’t want my sister to think I’m falling asleep on the job.”
I sounded like an absolute idiot.
No, I sounded like a phony.
Because that was exactly what I was.
An absolute fraud.
But I couldn’t help it. I needed to get away from him.
Something about Aiden completely threw me off-balance. He was too perceptive. Too intuitive. And, if I weren’t careful, I’d end up right back in his bed.
And, this time, I didn’t think I’d ever leave.
I should have floored the engine the minute Aiden stepped foot out of the car.
But I didn’t.
I made the mistake of thinking like a Floridian instead of remembering where I was.
I was in Ocracoke, a tiny blip on the map where everyone knew each other and you couldn’t go two feet without running into half of the town.
I thought I’d be safe, grabbing a to-go order before heading back to the inn.
God, what an idiot I was.
I barely made it to the bar before I heard Dean shouting my name.
“Silly Millie McIntyre! Don’t think you can sneak in here without saying hello!”
I pressed my lips together, cursing myself for not being content with a can of soup or leftovers from breakfast this morning.
No, I cursed Billy for making the world’s best French fries.
