Page 27 of The Truth in My Lies (Secrets of Suburbi 1)

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There was a correct balance. But I didn’t know what it was. If I wore too much makeup, the gawkers would talk. If I wore too little, they’d scoff behind my back. I tossed the eyeliner back down on the counter.

I was over-thinking it. All I had to do was march into their snotty meeting and make it clear that I wasn’t having an affair. Easy. I looked down at my ankle and sighed. Hobbling into the meeting didn’t seem nearly as effective. But it would have to do.

Even though I had told my husband I had been going to the civic association meetings on a regular basis, I had only ever been to one. I had been to a couple hoity-toity book club meetings too, and that was enough to show me that these women weren’t for me. I had feigned sick at first to avoid them and then they seemed to forget about me. I had tried to stay invisible for the past few years. And now I w

as willingly walking into the dragon’s lair. I was doomed.

Not only did I need to make them not talk about me and Ben, I also had to make sure they didn’t talk about me being at the meeting. Or else my husband would find out that I didn’t obey his request. That wasn’t an option.

I stuffed my swollen ankle into my boot and did my best not to cringe as I zipped it up. I would have worn yoga pants and sneakers, but I figured that wasn’t the correct attire for these pretentious meetings. Besides, I hadn’t bought new sneakers yet. I tried not to think of what my neighbor was doing with a random lone sneaker in his or her house.

Cheating. Lies. Scandal.

All of it was true. But it was on me. Not that poor, unknowing victim. Hopefully their marriage was strong enough to get through a women’s sneaker appearing with no explanation.

Maybe it would come up in today’s meeting. Item four on the agenda could be my sneaker. I tried to make an innocent face in the mirror and laughed. I was being ridiculous. Unless they had a neighborhood lost and found. Was that a thing?

I groaned and walked out of my bedroom. The boots kept my ankle straight, which made it a little easier to walk. But that didn’t make it any less painful.

I downed several Advil before stepping outside into the crisp autumn evening. Limping into the meeting would cause talk. I needed to pretend everything was perfect. That’s what the gawkers needed to think. That my life was perfect. That their lives were perfect. That everything in the world was freaking perfect.

What a lie. I crossed my arms in front of me. The air was chilly and I wished I had brought a jacket. But I wasn’t going to expend the extra energy to walk back. Not when my ankle was already throbbing. A pillow would have been nice too. Why was I so tired all of the time?

The soles of my boots crunched on top of the leaves. I don’t know what made me realize it, but the colors were breathtakingly vibrant and beautiful. Had I never truly seen autumn leaves before? Yellows, oranges, and reds of all shades. I smiled and I continued to crunch through them. I had been numb for so long. So long that I couldn’t ever remember seeing such beauty.

The meetings took place in the elementary school in our neighborhood. I thought I’d see more people walking, but only cars passed by me. It was probably smart. The sun would be completely set by the time the meeting drew to a close. I should probably try to catch a ride home with Charlotte. I had pretty much claimed that she was my new BFF. There were consequences in lying. Horrible consequences.

I opened the door to the gymnasium. High pitched voices greeted my ears in the most unwelcoming way. But none of the voices were directed at me.

I stared at the other women, all clustered together at the front of the room. Crap. They were wearing dresses. Of course they’re wearing dresses. I sat down in the back row before anyone could assess my jeans and sweater. My whole body seemed to expel awkwardness. I should have walked to the front of the room to socialize. Instead, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through meaningless emails. At least no one would talk if I was invisible.

I almost jumped when someone put their hand on my shoulder.

“Adeline, hon, how good to see you,” Charlotte said. “I hope you’re feeling better.”

“Oh, yeah.” I waved my hand through the air and stuffed my phone back into my purse. “Just a minor sprain. I can barely feel it anymore.”

“You’re lucky Ben Jones was there to help. Such a sweet man, don’t you think?”

“He’s fine, I guess.” I shrugged for added effect. The action made me wince. “I barely know him.”

“Huh.” She stared at me like she was waiting for me to say something.

Don’t bet on it.

“Well, I had a long chat with him the other day. I guess you were in the shower when I dropped off the lasagna…”

“Thank you for that, by the way. It was so nice of you to think of me.” It wasn’t nice. She was being nosy. And I wasn’t thankful. I was just trying to turn the conversation away from Ben. And the fact that I was in the shower when he was in my house. Kill me.

“Not a problem at all. But really, hon, you must spill. All the girls want to know what Ben is like. He’s so secretive. We’re trying to set him up with someone but it’s hard when we don’t know a thing about him”

Why are they all so interested in my gardener? I internally sighed. Mine? He wasn’t mine. And he was so much more than just a gardener. He was smart and kind and had the lips of an angel. “He’s just my gardener. I barely even know him.” It pained me to say the words.

“He was in your house.”

I wanted to slap her. Instead, I clenched my hand into a fist and smiled. “Like you said, I was just lucky he was there to help me when I fell.” This conversation was excruciating.

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