The Truth in Lies (The Truth in Lies Saga)

by McDonald, Jeanne

  “Sorry, it’s just me.”

  A flash of disappointment crossed Amy’s face, but she didn’t skip a beat. “Would you like your usual?”

  “Yeah, that’s fine.”

  “Here or to go?”

  Drew turned to Jared and me. “Would you mind if I sit with you?”

  Heat flooded my face as Jared extended a hand toward the empty seat. “By all means, please do.”

  Drew pulled the chair out. His stance and demeanor was to the point of gracefulness as he slid into to it. “For here, please,” he requested.

  Amy nodded and darted off toward the kitchen. Jared and I stared at Drew expecting an explanation.

  Drew turned to me and smiled. “I come here a lot.”

  “I see that,” I teased, gently nudging Drew’s shoulder with the palm of my hand. “And it looks like you and Gavin have a fan club as well.”

  It was odd how comfortable I felt with him. Being near him made all of the numbness disappear.

  Drew grabbed my hand and looked deep in my eyes. Hummingbirds began twittering around in my chest again, leaving me breathless and enraptured by his smile. The way his eyes crinkled around the edges, and his dimples became exposed with the spreading of his full lips would drive any woman to swoon.

  “Jealous?” he teased. My eyes cut to him. A playful smile burned his lips and mischievousness tickled his eyes.

  I swallowed hard. My mind felt like mush. The inward struggle of my own silliness raged inside my head. I didn’t know this man. There was no way for me to be jealous. But I was indeed jealous of anyone that knew him better than I did. I cleared my throat. “You really are one arrogant son-of-a…”

  “Here’s your sandwich, Drew,” Amy interrupted me. She placed the plate down in front of him with finesse. Drew looked up at her and smiled. “Wow! That was fast. Thanks, Amy.”

  Amy giggled. I rolled my eyes at her flirtatious giggle. “My pleasure, Drew. I kind of started it when I saw you standing outside the window.”

  “Well, it looks great,” Drew said.

  Pleased by his acknowledgement, she skipped off in an almost a childish manner. Once Amy disappeared, Drew returned his attention back to me. “As you were saying…”

  “I believe I was calling you an arrogant son-of-a-bitch,” I stated with a nonchalant air.

  Drew laughed hard. “You think?”

  “I don’t think, I know. Besides, why would I be jealous?” I pulled my hand away and wiggled my eyebrows at him, reinforcing his laugh.

  “That’s a good question,” Jared included. I caught a glimpse of the all knowing smirk plastered on Jared’s face. I hated that smirk. It always meant trouble for me.

  Drew picked up a half of his sandwich and took a bite, completely ignoring Jared’s comment. He glanced over at my plate and scowled.

  “Mickie, you do realize this is a sandwich shop, don’t you?” Drew asked through a mouthful.

  “What?” I exclaimed. “I like the salads here. They make the best in town.”

  “But it’s rabbit food. You’re human. Humans eat meat.” Drew gave a manly grunt causing me to laugh. Once again, I was laughing around him. It occurred the night before as well. All these months, since I’d lost my baby, I thought I would never laugh again, yet, a few minutes around Drew, and I’m rolling in it.

  “Thank God someone agrees with me,” Jared piped in.

  “Does she always eat like this?” Drew questioned.

  “Not normally, but it’s like she’s afraid of me knowing her sandwich type. I keep trying to get her to order one, but she simply refuses.”

  “Women.”

  “Tell me about it. It’s not like I haven’t seen her chow down a Big Mac before. I just don’t get it.”

  “Excuse me, fellas, but I’m sittin’ right here, ya know?”

  The reason I didn’t order a sandwich was because my sandwiches are just like eating a salad. I always order a veggie sandwich. I loved eating meat, but cold cuts on bread never appealed to me.

  Drew and Jared began to laugh. “Have you noticed that her accent gets thicker when she gets aggravated?” Drew insinuated.

  “Just wait. This is only beginning,” Jared assured him.

  “Good,” responded Drew. “I happen to like her accent.”

  “My accent isn’t that strong. Jeez!” I noted.

  “Sweetheart, you can’t hide those Texas roots.” Jared took sip of his cola.

  The rush of heat flooded my face. I couldn’t believe he was antagonizing me like this.

  “Texas? What part?” Drew asked. He sounded generally interested.

  “I was born and raised in Amarillo.”

  “How’d you end up in Florida?” he inquired, munching through his food.

  “I went to Florida State, and fell in love with the ocean. How about you? How did a Yankee end up down here, in the south?”

  Jared laughed hard at my boldness. “Be careful with this one. She’s a spitfire,” he warned Drew.

  “I can see that,” Drew said. He chewed through the bite he had taken. “As you obviously know, I was born and raised in Boston.”

  “Yeah. So, you went to law school here I take it?” I inquired.

  Drew looked down at his half eaten sandwich. His smile faltered for only a second. “I went to Harvard Law like every other man in the Wise family has.”

  I nearly choked on my drink. “You went to Harvard?”

  Drew caught my eyes. “Yes ma’am. So did Gavin, although, my marks were much higher than his.”

  “Well, if it wasn’t school, then what led you here to the fair city of Sarasota?”

  Drew picked up his napkin, swiping it over his mouth. “Many reasons, but the main one was my father opened a branch of the family firm here. He put Gavin in charge. A couple years after graduation, I decided I needed a change of scenery, so I followed him.”

  The look on Drew’s face told me there was much more to that story than he was telling. But being one with my own battle scars, I figured it was better to leave well enough alone.

  “Did Andie go to Harvard too?”

  “Only the men are required to go to Harvard. She was the lucky one. Andie attended Julliard.”

  “Julliard?” Jared questioned.

  “Andrea is Andy’s twin sister. She’s a ballet dancer on Broadway,” I explained.

  Without looking, I could feel Drew cringe at the nickname. This was becoming more fun with each passing second.

  “Ballet?” Jared breathed. A dreamy smile lighted his lips and a dazed look clouded his eyes.

  “We just lost him,” I teased.

  “What do you mean?” Drew’s forehead wrinkled in confusion.

  “Jared loves the ballet.”

  “Really?” Drew snarled.

  “Absolutely,” Jared countered, horrified by the expression on Drew’s face. “How could you not love it? Ballet is graceful and refined.”

  “It’s bloody boring, that’s what it is,” Drew protested.

  “Boys! boys!” I exclaimed, raising my hands between them.

  “What, sweetheart?” Drew asked. “We’re just having a healthy debate here.”

  “Exactly,” Jared agreed.

  I laughed at the expression on both men’s faces. “Whatever you say, fellas.”

  Dropping my hands, I returned to my salad. Drew and Jared relaxed in their seats, each working on the remainder of their food. The sounds of other patrons’ conversations haloed around our now quiet table. The lunch rush was in full swing.

  Breaking the silence, Drew pushed his empty plate toward the middle of the table. “Mickie tells me you’re a music therapist?” he inquired of Jared.

  “That’s right,” Jared replied.

  “She told me a little about it last night. It sounds very interesting. How does it work?”

  Jared proceeded to explain to Drew about music therapy as we continued to enjoy our meals. I was very aware of Drew’s presence next to me. To say I wasn’t bothered by i
t would have been a lie.

  I couldn’t begin to tell you what Jared was saying, since I was entirely focused on Drew. All thoughts of Nate had disappeared; replaced by the feeling of warmth radiating from the man dressed in an expensive suit, sitting next to me. I tugged gently at the collar of my shirt, hoping Jared didn’t see how Drew’s closeness was affecting me.

  “Very fascinating. It’s been said that music tames the savage beast. It sounds to me, that you have also found away to use music to tame the mind as well,” Drew stated.

  “That’s my thoughts exactly. Music therapy is a great tool for these children. We’ve seen vast improvement in how they respond to social interaction because of it.”

  I smiled at Jared’s enthusiasm. His nephew suffered with a severe form of autism. Having to watch his sister struggle with raising a special needs child caused Jared to really reach out to her. Because of his nephew, he gave up a promising career in the music industry. That was why he was unwilling to sell his music. He threw himself into his work, much like I did, but it was his passion for music that drove him further.

  Jared took the last bite of his sandwich and stretched. “If you two would excuse me for a moment, I need to visit the little boy’s room.” He stood up from the table, patted my shoulder and smiled, before heading to the men’s room.

  The silence between Drew and me was overwhelming. Amy arrived back at the table with the bill. Before I could reach for it, Drew had a credit card in his hand, and handed it to Amy.

  “Since I crashed the party today, lunch is on me,” he said.

  “Thanks, and just so you know, I’m not mad at Liv. I’m used to her blabbing everything to the world. It would take a miracle for her to keep a secret.”

  Drew chuckled softly. “She does have a habit of telling everything, doesn’t she?”

  “More than you realize,” I said, thinking of my conversation with her and Morgan.

  “Are you okay though?” Softness filtered through his tone, his eyes peering at me to match. Once again, I felt comfortable talking to him. His eyes told me he understood where others might not.

  “Not really. I keep thinking I made the wrong choice.”

  “If you did, you’ll find out quickly. Life has a funny way of putting us on course to correct any mistakes we might’ve made.”

  “Talking from experience?” I asked.

  “More than I care to admit.” He twirled his napkin around his finger. “I know you feel alone right now, but you’re not. You have Olivia, and from the looks of things, you have Jared too. Lean on them. That’s what they’re there for.”

  “They’re both very good friends, but they have their own lives to lead. They don’t need me snotting all over them when I break down over my own stupidity,” I whispered.

  “Then you have me for that.”

  I stared at him incredulously. “You barely know me.”

  “And yet I feel as if I’ve known you my whole life. You still have my number?”

  My heart leaped into my throat. I felt the same way about him, and to hear him confirm the same feelings was all too exciting.

  Amy returned with Drew’s receipt. He completed the tip portion, and from what I could see, he left her a sizable donation. When he was finished, I reached over and took the pen from him. On the back of the copy receipt, I wrote down my phone number.

  “I would feel more comfortable if you called me though. I hate feeling like I’m intruding.”

  I pushed the receipt toward Drew, along with the ink pen. He reached for the piece of paper. Our fingers touched momentarily sending that wonderful feeling coursing through my veins. He smiled acknowledging the feeling was mutual.

  I watched as he folded up the receipt and placed it in breast pocket of his jacket. “I can respect that.”

  “Sorry about that, folks,” Jared announced in a loud boom, as he resumed his seat. The chair screeched across the floor sending chills up my spine.

  “Ugh, that’s worse than nails on a blackboard,” I complained.

  “Sorry, McKenzie.”

  Drew looked down at his watch and gasped. “Well, you two, I have to head back to the office. I’m sure my secretary is probably on a warpath wondering where the hell I am.”

  I looked at my watch and realized Drew was right. It was nearly one in the afternoon. Jared and I were already late getting back to work ourselves. “Thank you for joining us today,” I said, as Drew stood up from his seat. He looked down at me and smiled.

  “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” he replied. He turned to Jared and extended his hand. “Jared, it’s been a pleasure meeting you.”

  Jared shook his hand. “It was nice to meet you as well.”

  Drew leaned over the back of my chair, lowering his lips to my ear. “I’ll call you,” he breathed, sending my whole body in an uproar of excitement.

  “Then call me,” I teased, giving him a wink.

  “Count on it,” he laughed.

  With that, Drew glided out of the sandwich shop. To my amazement, I realized he could see me through the shop window as he passed by. He must have been watching me before he had even come inside. Then Amy’s words resurfaced, “I started it as soon as I saw you standing outside the window.”

  “Where’s the check?” Jared questioned, lifting napkins and plates from around the table in search of the receipt.

  “Drew covered it,” I replied in a hushed breath, staring at Drew’s delectable backside.

  “I see,” Jared muttered.

  Turning around on his heel, Drew’s eyes met mine through the glass. He began walking backwards in order to maintain eye contact with me. Unfortunately, he wasn’t paying attention to what was behind him.

  “He keeps walking like that, he’s sure to hit that traffic sign,” Jared pointed out.

  In a gasp, I started to wave frantically at him trying to make him stop, but instead, he took it as if I was playing with him. He turned around and ran right smack into the pole.

  Jared burst into laughter, and I jumped from my seat, worried he might have hurt himself.

  Drew took a step back, staring at the pole with a startled expression. Realizing that we were still watching, he rolled his shoulders, grabbed the pole and twirled around it in a Gene Kelly manner.

  Holding tight to the sign, he extended his arm out as if to say he was okay. I sat back down laughing at him. Red faced, he smiled, and wiggled his fingers at me before walking away.

  Ignoring Jared’s examining eyes; I leaned back in my chair, and followed Drew until he was out of sight. “Interesting,” he muttered.

  I threw my hands open in a defensive manner. “What?”

  He opened his mouth to reply when the sound of my phone interrupted him. I pulled my phone from my purse. It was Drew.

  I lifted my index finger. “Hold that thought,” I told Jared. I pressed the accept button on my smart phone. “I see you survived,” I answered, my timbre light and playful.

  “Survived?” Drew questioned.

  “Yeah, your head on collision with the traffic sign,” I reminded him.

  “Oh, that. I meant to do that. I wanted to show you how great of a pole dancer I am. I got the moves, girl.”

  A loud laugh exploded from my chest. People in the restaurant stopped their conversations to stare at me. “Um, I’ll take you at your word on that. What’s up?”

  “You said to call you, so here I am.”

  “You do realize you just saw me, right?”

  “Your point?”

  I bit my bottom lip trying to think of something coy to say, but nothing came to me.

  “You sure you’re okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”

  “Me? Hurt? Nah. I’m resilient. How do you southern girls’ say it? ‘Takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin.’ Well, that’s me.”

  “Makin’ fun of me now, are we?”

  “Not at all. Like I said, I like your accent.”

  I rubbed my hand over my face, trying to wash away the
permanent blush that inflamed my skin. “What did you need?”

  “Nothing. I just wanted to hear the smile in your voice. Did I make you smile?”

  What a silly question. Of course he made me smile. His mere presence made me smile, which made me feel a twinge of jealousy toward Olivia. Having barely known him twenty-four hours, it was clear to me why she fell for him so easily. He had a magnetic personality. No one was safe from his charm.

  “You did. But now I have to go. I gotta get back to work.”

  “Me too. Have a good day, Mickie. I’ll call you later.”

  “You too, Andy,” I replied.

  Drew’s groan reverberated through my phone, as a loud horn resounded around him. “I really hate that name.”

  “I know you do, that’s why I use it.”

  “Ugh, fine. I guess I’ll endure it.”

  Triumphant, I giggled. “Talk to you later, Andy.”

  “You bet you will.”

  He hung up the phone and I felt Jared hovering over the back of my chair. “Someone’s got a crush,” he intoned.

  “I do not!”

  I got up from my seat and followed Jared out of the restaurant. “Yeah, you do.”

  “Oh, hush. I haven’t known him long enough to develop a crush.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “If you say so, but you should know you’re not the only one with a crush.”

  I tilted my head, cocking an eyebrow. “You have a crush on Drew?” I responded almost too innocently.

  “Psh.” Jared waved me off. “I meant Drew has a crush on you, silly woman.”

  For the space of a heartbeat, my mind allowed me to consider that as a possibility. Reality filtered back in reminding me that it wasn’t possible for more than one reason. He was in a relationship, and since he was with Olivia, I obviously wasn’t his type of girl.

  “Nah. I’m not his type. He like girls like Liv.”

  Jared laughed. “Not from what I just witnessed. The Gila monster is definitely not his type. Take it from me, that man likes you.”

  “Pft, whatever. Liv’s every man’s type.”

  “Not mine,” he argued.

  I shot him an evil eye. He raised his hands in self defense.

  “Fine. She’s gorgeous. I won’t deny that, but so are you. You need to see that in yourself.”