Lie to Me

by Verdenius, Angela

  Okay, that didn’t tickle his sense of humour. Ryder still looked like he could chew nails and spit them out. At her. Probably wanted to nail her to the spot, and not in the sexy way.

  Time to offer an olive branch. “I’m sorry she took it upon herself to take our conversation and spread it around naming you.”

  “Because you named me!”

  “Ah - no, actually I didn’t.”

  A muscle ticked in his jaw. “So how did she put my name to the dry rot?”

  Removing her free hand off his chest - her other still being in Ryder’s grip against the wall - Dee nibbled the tip of her fingernail. “Let me see…”

  His eyes narrowed, his nostrils flared, and his gaze bored into her as he waited.

  Seconds ticked past as she simply enjoyed having him so close, but when suspicion again entered his eyes, she dragged her thoughts to the situation at hand. “I said-”

  “I can’t wait.”

  “No, I didn’t say that.”

  “Not what I meant.”

  “What did you mean?”

  “Dee.”

  “Yes?”

  “Get to the bloody point.”

  “Fine. I said that someone in this town, a handsome devil and heartbreaker, possibly has a case of dry rot in his morning wood.” She smiled widely. “See? Didn’t name you at all. In fact, I have no idea why she’d even think I meant you.”

  “So you didn’t name me.”

  “Nope.”

  “You didn’t mean me.”

  Looking him right in the eyes, she lied. “No.”

  He wasn’t fooled. After several seconds of just glaring at her, Ryder’s shoulders slumped, his forehead dropping onto her shoulder. “Jesus.”

  Oh God, that was so nice. And unexpected.

  “But you wanted her to think it was me.”

  “Why would I do that?” Looking down at that thick black hair, she resisted the impulse to tunnel her fingers through it.

  “Because you live to torment me.”

  “Now that’s not true.” She lived for something else, too, but he’d never know.

  That was sobering, making her heart clench just a little so that when he lifted his head it was to find her regarding him soberly.

  He studied her, his eyes not so furious, more just angry, but she felt the lick of heat when he dropped his gaze to her nose and then her lips before he lifted those sinfully long eyelashes and once more met her gaze.

  She looked back at him.

  The silence between them lengthened, the only sounds that of their breathing in the quiet. From upstairs came the sound of the CD playing, Cher singing something about a woman wanting to be lied to rather than face the truth.

  Dee knew the feeling, only her story had never even properly begun before it was over.

  Ryder pushed back suddenly, straightening so that she had to tilt her head back to keep their gazes locked. Rolling his shoulders, he eased some of the tension from his body, looking away as he backed off.

  She felt the loss of his body heat and presence keenly, but hid it. “Feel better?”

  His eyes cut to her. “No. I had a date that turned sour last night because of you.”

  “I’m surprised you waited this long to see me. How come you didn’t come tearing over here straight away to accuse me?”

  “Never you mind.” That muscle again jumping in his jaw, he stuck a finger under her nose. “I’m warning you, Dee. One day you’ll go too far and…”

  “And?”

  His jaw clenched, his eyes narrowed, an odd gleam appearing briefly in the dark blue depths before he abruptly swung on his heel. “You set this straight, babe. And I mean it. You don’t want me back here about this again.” He strode out, the screen door clicking shut behind him with a firm, decisive pull.

  Slowly, Dee followed, stepping out to watch Ryder jog down the back lot to disappear into the side street. Her amusement faded, replaced with the usual yearning that accompanied his disappearance. Would she ever get over it?

  Nope.

  Loving someone who didn’t love you back wasn’t just plain bloody hard, it was heart-wrenching. And stupid.

  With a sigh, she leaned back against the wall and looked around.

  The back lot of the shops was mainly blue metal stones with some parking bays. No one else lived above the shops, the newsagency the only one that was double-storied. A wide footpath ran the length of the back of the shops, shaded by the long, bull-nose veranda. To the right and left of her back door were big pots of geraniums. Climbing roses grew up the lattice work on her walls only. Directly opposite her shop backing onto the back fence stood the only garage containing her car and pushbike. A pull-out clothes line was attached to the side of it. Along the back fence lantana grew wildly, kept in check by Ian, owner of the furniture store. Every now and again he got his chainsaw out and had fun massacring it, but it still grew back. Personally, Dee liked lantana. Sure, it mightn’t smell good when the flowers were picked or the leaves crushed, but it was pretty and it made the back lot colourfully cheerful.

  She could do with some cheer. Her earlier relaxed mood was gone. Now she just felt forlorn.

  “Don’t be an idiot.” She toed a blue metal stone around with her sandaled foot.

  Truthfully, she did feel a little guilty. Not totally, but a little. The bimbo not getting bedded by Ryder was an unexpected bonus, but she hadn’t meant for him to be humiliated. She might tease him, bait him, but deliberately humiliate him? She’d sooner cut off her own hand.

  Frowning, she folded her arms and leaned her head back against the wall. It had just been a joke between her and Del, something she did to hide her own heartache, but she hadn’t realised that Yvonne had overheard. Damn it, now she had to do damage control.

  Maybe she better see the town slut and sort her out.

  Going back indoors, she ran up the stairs, grabbed her small shoulder bag and slung it crosswise over her chest before running back downstairs, locking the door behind her. Crossing to the garage, she opened the door and retrieved the pushbike, slipping the helmet over her head and fastening the strap under her chin.

  Part of her missed the wind blowing in her hair as it did when she biked as a child, but the law was the law. Not to mention that Ryder and Kirk had caught her out biking one day without her helmet and both had torn strips off her. The ambo and the cop had seen their share of accidents involving head trauma and they weren’t about to let her become a statistic.

  Not that a helmet would help if she rode headfirst into a truck, but when she’d unwisely pointed that out to them, she’d thought Ryder was going to stroke-out. Kirk had just eye-balled her until she’d squirmed on the spot.

  Lesson learned, especially when Ryder’s kid brother and his friend had come into the newsagency the next day all agog with the news that some twit had been gallivanting around town setting a bad example for kids everywhere, and whoever it was, was supposedly a responsible adult. They didn’t know who it was, but lesson very well learned. No doubt Ryder had fed them that tit-bit in retaliation for her refusing to allow his kid brother to buy Ryder’s superhero comics, making him come in himself to get them.

  Man was devious at times, no doubt about it.

  He was also majorly pissed at her and for good reason, so time to right some wrongs.

  God, aren’t I just little Miss Do-Good. Swinging her leg over the bike, Dee settled on the seat. Feet to pedals, she rode from the back of the shops onto the street, heading for Yvonne’s place.

  The streets were quiet, only the odd car or ute out and about, and she waved back at them all. The perks of living in a small town, she knew everyone and they knew her.

  Yvonne’s house was a sweet little house surrounded by a sweet little garden that she paid a gardener handsomely to keep sweet. She was sitting on the front veranda with her friend the bimbo, aka Jaci. Both of them watched in surprise as Dee rested her pushbike against the fence and walked up the path.

  Without b
othering to take her helmet off, Dee stopped at the veranda. “Been hearing things.”

  “Hello to you, too,” Yvonne drawled.

  Jaci smiled brightly. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” Dee switched her gaze back to Yvonne. “Apparently you told Jaci that Ryder had an STD.”

  “Did I?”

  “Sure as shit you did.”

  Jaci nodded. “Yep, that’s what you told me.”

  Yvonne glanced at her friend, but obviously wasn’t surprised. “Okay.” Her attention returned to Dee. “That’s what I heard you say.”

  “No, you didn’t. You heard me say that some heartbreaker in town possibly had some dry rot in his morning wood.”

  “Yeah. Ryder.”

  “No. I didn’t name names, and I never said he did have it. You just took what you overheard and spread around what you thought was true.”

  Picking up the frosted glass of drink, Yvonne took a sip. “I know what I heard.”

  Oh boy. Time to pick this up a notch. She hadn’t planned on telling what she really knew of Yvonne’s nature - the truth wasn’t always nice - but when it concerned Ryder getting hurt, well, there wasn’t much Dee wouldn’t do to stop it. “Ryder doesn’t have dry rot. His morning wood is fine.” She looked at Jaci. “You missed out on the shagging of your life because your friend was jealous of you dating him. Congrats.”

  Yvonne jolted upright, the drink spilling in her hand to splash onto her white linen slacks. “How dare you-”

  “Pretty easily.” Dee arched one brow at her. “Want to make something of it?”

  As usual when faced with a bold dare that would only end badly for her, Yvonne turned to Jaci. “I’m not jealous! You don’t believe that, do you?”

  Jaci looked uncertainly at her. “You said it was Ryder.”

  “I thought it was, I-”

  “You thought?” Jaci was incensed. “I missed out on a great night with Ryder!”

  “He’ll ask you out again,” Yvonne soothed.

  “No he won’t! I accused him of trying to give me an STD!”

  Wow. Dee smothered a grin. Jaci was right, Ryder wouldn’t be asking her out again, not after that. Everyone knew he’d never put anyone in harm’s way and to openly accuse him, well, Jaci had certainly burned that bridge. Bonfire, in fact.

  Yvonne glared at her.

  Dee met it levelly. “Whoever you told, you set them straight. If by tomorrow morning I hear you haven’t - and trust me, I’ll find out - I will be telling anyone who cares to listen how you eavesdropped on a private conversation, added your own names and assumptions, and used it to deliberately ruin your friend’s date with Ryder because you were jealous.”

  Jaci’s lips were tight. “I can’t believe you did that, Yvonne.”

  “I didn’t,” she snapped. “Dee’s making it up, as you should know. Jaci, we’ve been friends for a long time, you know me. Have I ever done that to any of my friends?”

  Oops, wrong thing to say. Dee grinned at the same time Yvonne realised what she’d said and tried to back-pedal.

  “I mean - I haven’t-”

  “You told me how you broke up Shazza and Larry just because you wanted Larry!” Jaci was on her feet, her hands clenched. “You’ve done this to plenty of your friends!”

  Time to add another element of truth. “Would Ryder really risk giving anyone an STD?” Dee asked Jaci. “And would he even risk getting an STD himself? He’s careful, he’s clean, and he uses protection. He also gets regular health checks. The man is an ambo, for God’s sake, and a bloody decent bloke. If he had anything he’d go to ground, not spread it around.”

  “You’re right.” Jaci stabbed a finger in Yvonne’s direction. “She’s right! You were trying to break up my date with Ryder!”

  Now Yvonne looked guilty, though she was trying to hide it by fluttering her hands around and giving little cries of distress. “Oh, Jaci, I didn’t - I would never! Jaci!”

  Time to leave while the going was good.

  Walking back through the gate, Dee grabbed her pushbike, calling out cheerfully, “Be sure you let everyone know, Yvonne.”

  “Don’t worry,” Jaci called back angrily, “If she doesn’t, I will!”

  Heh heh.

  “And then I’m going over to personally apologise to Ryder and see if he’ll give me another chance!”

  Dee looked at Jaci. She looked so sweet, all petite and pretty, slim and sleek, all girly. But she’d believed the worst of Ryder and that he wouldn’t take.

  Mind you, Jaci was harmless. It wasn’t her fault she was silly enough to believe everything she was told. Poor dumb sheila. She really needed to re-evaluate her friendships. With friends like Yvonne, she certainly didn’t need enemies. That witch had back-stabbed a lot of her friends, hence the reason she didn’t have many left.

  Shaking her head, Dee got on the pushbike and pedalled back down the street.

  Right, deed done. Now what? Definitely in no mood to go home, she decided to bike over to her parent’s place and see what they were up to.

  They lived on the other side of town but it didn’t take long to get there. As she approached she saw two cars parked in the driveway, a mini van on the nature strip in front of the house. Biking past them, she heard children’s voices shrieking from behind the house.

  The herd was obviously present. She looked forward to seeing them.

  Leaving the bike propped against the shed, she pulled the strap under her chin free, taking the helmet off as she walked around to the back of the house.

  No sooner had she registered that there seemed more kids than normal than she was charged by several nieces and nephews of varying ages, her legs grabbed as she wobbled for balance.

  “Aunt Dee! Aunt Dee!”

  “Aunt Dee’s here!”

  “Come play with us, Aunt Dee!”

  “Jesus.” She shook first one leg then the other. “Get off, you mob of drooling ankle-biters.”

  “Oh, look who’s arrived,” said one of her brothers from his perch on the veranda rail. “The football lover.”

  “Football!” screeched Harry, grinning up at her to show his two missing front teeth.

  “Thanks, Bill.” Hiding her laughter, Dee dragged her feet across the yard, the delighted kids still clutching her legs.

  “Play footy with us, Aunt Dee,” Kyle pleaded, only to squeal in delight when she swung her leg.

  Stopping by the veranda post, slightly breathless from actually having dragged four kids across the yard, Dee scowled up at her brother. “How many of these things are yours anyway?”

  “I don’t know. I kind of lost count.” Eyes sparkling, he took a mouthful of iced coffee. “I just kind of bung any kid hanging around in the car and come over.”

  “I think some of these might belong to someone else.” Dee looked down at the faces beaming up at her. Two nephews, two nieces, and a couple of extra kids she recognised as their friends. “I think you got them on your last trip to the tip. Are some of you from the tip?”

  This was received with a chorus of ‘nooooo!’ and ‘Aunt Deeeee!’.

  “Yeah, I think they’re all from the tip.” She gestured to her other brother, Vic, who was sprawled back on the cane sofa with a basketball on his lap. “Chuck that here, would you?”

  He threw it with unerring accuracy and she caught it, holding it up above her head while the kids released her legs and started bouncing up and down around her, shouting out excited orders.

  “Here,” she yelled. “Fetch!” and threw the ball as far as she could down the back of the yard.

  The kids scattered after it, squealing and shoving.

  “They’re not dogs, dear.” Her mother exited the back door with a tray containing a jug of orange juice and plastic glasses.

  “You mean Bill can’t leave them in the car in the shade of a tree with the window open? What a shame.” Going up the steps, Dee ruffled Bill’s hair and kissed her mother’s cheek. “Janet stay home, the sensible woman?”


  “Janet’s taking the opportunity to do some baking and freezing.”

  “You started something now,” Vic observed lazily as the kids fought for the basketball. “That herd’ll be back any second.”

  “You’re a dad-in-training, you sort them out.” Dee winked at Martha who was sitting beside Vic, her hand on her rounded belly.

  “I keep telling him that,” Martha said. “He says he’s conserving his energy until our baby arrives.”

  “That sprog will keep you up all night,” Dee told him.

  “You sound so happy about that.”

  “You’re such a neat freak and yet any day you’re going to have a screaming shit machine popping out. What’s not to be happy about?”

  “Dee,” her mother admonished gently. “Language.”

  “The sprog can’t hear yet, Mum.”

  “It gets your vibes,” Vic said.

  “I’ll give you vibes.” Dee poured orange juice into a glass and flopped down onto one of the chairs. “Where’s Dad? Headed for the hills when he spotted Bill’s mob?”

  “He went to the supermarket to pick up more milk. Sally and Des went with him.”

  “Sally always was the smart one of us. Poor old Des must have been beside himself.”

  “Des loves the kids and you know it.” Smiling, Mrs Miller sat down at the little table and started pouring glasses of orange juice for the kids. “Sally’s pregnant, did you know?”

  “She’s cooking a bun in the oven, too? Must be something in the water.” Dee grinned at Bill. “Sure you want to drink that?”

  “I’ve had the snip. Four’s enough. Besides…” He winked and leered. “No more condoms. No more pill. Just shag whenever and wherever we like.”

  “Ugh.” Dee shuddered. “Please. The thought of you - it’s just wrong.”

  “Decorum, dears.” Mrs Miller took a sedate sip of her drink.

  “Not happening, Mum.” Martha shook her head at her mother-in-law. “Even I know that.”

  Dee was diverted by the kids standing at the bottom of the veranda begging her to throw the ball.

  “Cripes. Okay.” Getting up, she stood at the edge of the veranda, taking the ball Harry passed to her. “Line up, you lot. Straight line. Oy, you! The redhead at the end!”