Page 22 of The Truth in My Lies (Secrets of Suburbi 1)

“You can take a seat right there,” the nurse said and gestured to a few chairs in the corner of the exam room we had just entered.

We sat down and Ben put his hand on my knee.

“I’m Joanne,” the nurse said. “Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Bell.”

Son of a bitch. I opened my mouth to correct her, knowing full well what might come out of it. I was a dependant on my husband’s insurance. She’d wonder who Ben was and why he was here. If she hadn’t already heard the damn rumors that I was sleeping with him.

“Nice to meet you,” Ben said, completely unfazed. His hand momentarily left my knee to shake the nurse’s hand. “My wife twisted her ankle on a jog last week. I tried to get her to come in sooner, but she’s stubborn. Right, doll?” he said and winked at me as he placed his hand back on my knee.

What the hell is happening? I was about to open my mouth again but he cut me off once more.

“We’re hoping to get it checked out. She’s in a lot of pain. I’m not sure Advil is going to hold her until it improves.”

“Oh, no,” I said. “That’s okay, I don’t want any medicine.”

He lowered his eyebrows slightly as he turned back to me. “Isn’t that why we’re here?”

No. I sighed. “Do you mind going back to the waiting room? I don’t want to bore you with all this,” I said.

Ben didn’t stand up. “I don’t mind.”

Damn it. I leaned toward him. “Sweetie, please. Don’t you have a call you need to make?”

“Nope. I have the whole day off. You know that.”

“But that important call.” I smiled hoping that would be enough to persuade him to go make his fake call as my fake husband.

He smiled back. “Of course it can wait. For you. Anything for you, Addy.” He reached up and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear.

This charade was ridiculous. He needed to leave. Now. But his fingertips trailing my cheekbone and behind my ear did feel nice. My body betrayed me and leaned into his touch.

“Let me get your vitals before the doctor comes in,” the nurse said and shoved a thermometer in my mouth when I was about to protest again.

I felt like a petulant child. Ben smiled at me. I tried to frown at him without dropping the thermometer. How could I get him to leave?

The nurse pulled the thermometer out of my mouth. “Normal.” She jotted something down in her notepad before grabbing my arm and attaching the blood pressure sleeve.

“Shouldn’t she change into a gown or something?” Ben asked.

Was he trying to see me naked? I slapped his thigh. God, he is trying to see me naked! I wanted to see him naked. That much was for sure.

He caught me smiling.

“If the doctor is just looking at her ankle, there’s no need to change,” the nurse said. I hated the restrictive feeling of the blood pressure monitor as it whirred to life. Really, I hated doctors’ offices in general. The only benefit of this one was that the doctor didn’t know me.

“Normal.” She un-Velcroed the sleeve. “Are you on any prescriptions?”

“Nope,” I said.

Ben squeezed my knee.

I glared at him.

“She was on a few, though,” Ben said. “She only just stopped taking them a couple days ago.”

Stop talking. “But I’m not taking them anymore. So she doesn’t need to know about that.” I laughed awkwardly and bumped my shoulder into his. He was terrible at taking a hint.

---