Liar (a FAUX-MANCE novel)

by Stephanie St. Klaire

  “Hmmm, must be,” he replied with a shrug.

  “Long story short, Phillip and I were engaged by senior year. He was always good to me when it was just us. It wasn’t until after that I realized he was hiding me, keeping me a secret. I never really met his family or spent time around any of his friends.”

  “After?”

  “After I caught him and Winnie, at our apartment, in bed.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Yeah. The worst part was it was like they wanted me to figure it out, I mean…the apartment? Anyway. Better to find out then than after the wedding, I suppose.”

  “That’s…awful. I’m sorry. So, what’s with the Paws in The Park thing?”

  “Who knows? They probably knew I would be there. I think she likes to rub it in. She got the guy, it’s been years, and they are getting married in a few months. You’d think that would be enough, but she manages to pop up every now and again to tell me something fabulous about their life together.”

  “So how would they know you were there? Portland is a pretty big place. The park — a fundraiser no less — is pretty specific,” he questioned, fully invested in her story now.

  “Oh, I work for Thorne Industries. Our company was the sponsor today. A lot of the employees were there either volunteering or showing their support.”

  “So, what were you? A volunteer?”

  “Oh, God no. I have far too much work to do to spend my weekend doing something like that. I was just there to be seen.”

  “To be seen? That sounds a little…”

  “Obnoxious? I guess it does. I’m one of the sales and marketing team managers. I’m working toward a VP role with this big proposal we each have to present as our interview, so to speak. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to be seen participating at the event,” she admitted, finishing her beer and moving to water.

  “Makes sense. It’s a nice day to take your dog out anyway.”

  “Oh, this isn’t my dog. I don’t have time for a dog. I borrowed her.”

  “You borrowed a dog…to impress your boss?” he asked with a confused grin.

  “Yes and no. I borrowed her, but she was already staying with me. I watch her for my neighbor when he has early auditions and such. And no, not to impress the boss. He probably wasn’t even there…a little beneath him, I think.”

  “Beneath him? Why do you say that?”

  “Because he’s…I don’t know…rich. Rich people just throw their money at people and things, they don’t actually show up for them. I hear he’s a jackass playboy type. Never even met him, or seen him, and I’ve been with the company for several years now. Trust me, this isn’t his kind of thing. I’m surprised he even sponsored something like this. I guess he does have a heart — probably bought it, gold and diamond encrusted.”

  Nick leaned forward, matching her stare. “Well, it must be if he sponsored the thing. It’s a pretty big foundation, does a lot of good. That doesn’t sound like a jackass to me.”

  “Oh, the foundation is amazing. He’s not. Just another spoiled rich kid who hit the golden trust fund age and was handed a corporation or two. I saw on one of those T.V. shows that he’s a womanizer, too. Different blonde every night, buys out the club every weekend. Party boy.”

  “Blondes, huh? Interesting. So, he wasn’t there today I take it? Is he part of…you know…choosing who gets the job you’re shooting for? Might be wise to meet the guy, run into him somewhere, and introduce yourself.”

  “I don’t think so. Like I said, in all the years I’ve been with Thorne, I’ve never even seen him. I don’t even know if he has an office there. Maybe he does. Has to take the bimbos somewhere, right? You know, so they don’t run into each other at his place.”

  “Makes sense, I guess.” Nick looked down at the two dogs, sleeping nuzzled together. “I think these two hit it off. He doesn’t normally take to other dogs, especially big dogs.”

  “Really? He seems taken by Bronco. She’s pretty irresistible, though.”

  “Yeah, Bunny…is an asshole,” Nick replied, nodding at his tiny pup.

  “Bunny? You have a tiny male dog named…Bunny?” She began to giggle. He had to be a handful of inches past six feet tall, with shoulders the width of Portland’s famous steel bridge, and muscles that had a hard time staying in his nearly too tight t-shirt. To say his dog was a contradiction was light.

  “Oh, he’s not mine. He’s my sister’s. She couldn’t make it today and asked me to take him. He was in the…puppy…pageant.”

  Laughter erupted so uncontrollably, she may have snorted. She didn’t know because she couldn’t hear over his boisterous laugh. “Pu-puppy pa-pageant? Are you serious?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. She had a last-minute engagement on a yacht somewhere with a sheik, or something, in the south of France and couldn’t make it. Since I was coming, she sent him with me, which means I now own…the littlest dog known to mankind.”

  “Oh no, she ditched him with you? Poor little guy.” As if he knew he was the topic of conversation, Bunny popped his head up and looked at Cori briefly before snuggling back into his new friend.

  “My sister is a little…free spirited.”

  “Ah. Gotcha. Yacht, South of France…sounds free spirited all right. So, here we are, strangers, newly engaged, you with your tiny male dog named Bunny, and me with my borrowed beast of a girl named Bronco. Who ever said Sundays were boring didn’t know how to live!” she joked.

  A beeping sound came from his shorts pocket, prompting him to check his messages. “Oh, wow, looks like I’ve got to get going. So, Memorial Day…”

  Cori gathered her purse with one hand and waved her free hand in his direction. “Oh, I’ll just send an oops, scheduling conflict email a few weeks before and be done with it.”

  “Are you sure? I mean, I know we just met…sort of, but maybe we can meet for drinks again?”

  “Nick, I’m sorry if I sent the wrong message, but I’m totally not looking for anything right now. Relationships and I don’t really mesh, so I’m just super focused on my career. It’s all I really have time for anyway.” Her body language had changed. She was more rigid, while scooting her chair away from the table, and seemed a little panicked. It wasn’t that she didn’t have time for a relationship; she was afraid of them. This was a girl who had been hurt more than once — it was obvious.

  “Oh. Well, okay. I understand. Maybe I’ll see you around sometime.”

  “Yeah, of course! And thanks again…for earlier. I better go. My ride is here.”

  Cori stood from the table and threw some money down before walking off, Bronco in tow, toward a black town car. A well-dressed and groomed man, who seemed happy to see her and Bronco, held the rear door open. Nick’s gaze followed her as she got in and gave him one last look, her emerald eyes shining. She flashed him a final megawatt smile and offered a quick wave. Nick nodded in return and watched her disappear down the street before dropping a few bills of his own on the table, scooping up his tiny dog, and leaving.

  The black town car parked along the curb in front of an old red brick building in the suburb known as the Washington Park District, just outside the city where rent was affordable when you had a mountain of student loan debt. The driver, James Jarret, played the part of driver even then. He opened the door for Cori, then left her leaning against the building, checking her phone, while he ran in to grab the take-out he’d called in to the Chinese place that took up the street level portion of the old building. This was something they did often — best friends and neighbors, each occupying a second-floor apartment above the Chinese restaurant.

  “So, how was your audition?” Cori asked of her friend, the aspiring Broadway superstar, as they made their way upstairs.

  “I nailed it. It’s an off, off Broadway production, but it could lead to other things. Anything to pad that resume,” he said, full of confidence, something he wasn’t lacking in the least. “If I get it, can you take Bronco for a while? It will mean a lot of long days, a
nd I’ll probably end up staying near the theatre. It’s…um, it’s in Ohio.”

  “Ohio!” she laughed. “That is pretty off Broadway all right. I thought Portland was off the beaten path, but Ohio?” she laughed. “You know I’ll watch Bronco.”

  “Don’t worry. You’ll still have a ride to work. I have a friend arranged to take over my Uber route. Too many regulars in the city to let that go.” James was an Uber driver in the city when he wasn’t acting. He had to pay the bills somehow.

  Since Cori was working in the city, they drove in together — his way of thanking her for watching his dog so often. It benefited Cori because it meant she didn’t have to ride the city rail system serving as public transportation, and it helped her sell that polished image she wanted everyone to buy. It appeared she had a car service — a very elite luxury that suggested she was a pretty big deal. Just part of the façade she was nurturing.

  “Hey, who was that guy you were talking to when I picked you up? You managed to change the subject when I asked in the car.”

  “Oh, just my fiancé.” Her nonchalant answer had him spitting soda out of his mouth in surprise.

  “Whore, what?” Flamboyance was James’ best trait as far as Cori was concerned. He kept things light and fun, and it didn’t hurt that he was pretty to look at, even if he wasn’t interested in her — or women in general.

  She laughed at his guffaw. “My fake fiancé. Ran into Winnie and Phillip, and I just…I don’t know. She just gets under my skin and makes me do stupid stuff. When she pulled out the pity pout, asking if I was still single…I may have quickly grabbed a fiancé.”

  “I don’t know how your hand doesn’t hurt. I’d have slapped that crooked bitch just for looking at me.”

  “Yeah, well…jail. Not on the agenda. I have way too much work to do, and an assault record might interfere with said work. Besides, I think I won this time. Bronco ruined her pretty little loafers. She drooled all over them.”

  “Extra treats for you, B,” he said, scratching the sprawled-out dog’s belly. “So, you just grabbed some guy?”

  “Yep! Literally. He was walking by, and I pulled him into my lie — something I’m getting entirely too good at. Oddly, he didn’t run. This one played along.”

  “He was gorgeous. You’ve got good taste, kid.”

  “He sure was.” Her mind wandered for a moment, thinking back to just how easy he was to talk to and how willing he was to play along. Her kind of guy. “But it doesn’t matter. I won’t be seeing him again.”

  “Did that pampered little gremlin whore buy it?”

  Laughing, she answered with pride. “Yep. Even invited us to the San Juan Islands to celebrate their engagement over Memorial Day weekend. They have a place there, I guess.”

  “Stop! The islands! You’re going, right?! People like that don’t just have a place, they have rolling estates and probably own the whole damn island!” With his hand dramatically placed on his chest, James scooted closer, closing the gap between them, completely invested in her latest debacle.

  “Uh, no,” she said with an ounce of snark, scooting away from him and reclaiming her personal space. “I don’t know this guy, and I don’t have time to get to know him. That’s a pretty big lie to pull off, even for me. I need to focus on my proposal and landing that promotion.”

  “I think you need to focus on landing that guy…in your bed. You’re too uptight. You need a good romp in the sack with a sexy beast like that. I bet he’s good at—”

  “Oh my God. Stop. I’m so not like that, and you know it. I…don’t do relationships anymore. They never work out. I’m a company girl — career driven. I’m good at that. I’m going to email Winnie—”

  “Whore,” James corrected, referring to Winnie.

  “Okay, the whore, in a few weeks and tell her Nick and I aren’t going to make it.”

  “Nick…even his name sounds sexy. I bet he has a big—”

  “James!” She laughed. “Seriously! Aren’t we supposed to be working? How about we run through my proposal a couple times, then we can spend the rest of the night running your lines.”

  “You’ve got it. But I do bet he really has a big—”

  “James!”

  “Heart! I was going to say heart. I saw his sweet puppy. The way he was sitting, it was hard to miss through those shorts.”

  “You’re impossible.” She laughed, as she smacked his arm.

  CHAPTER 3

  Like a typical Monday morning, James dropped Cori off in front of Thorne Industries. She knew he would slap his Uber decal in the window as soon as he was out of sight. He was a good friend and did it to help her keep up the ruse. As part of her morning routine, she made a quick stop at the coffee shop on the outside of the building to grab two small white chocolate mochas. Her budget allowed for a large, but she opted for two smalls so she could treat her favorite security guard, Tony.

  Tony Moretti was an older gentleman, the kind and fatherly type, and he treated Cori like his own kin. Each morning, she arrived thirty minutes early, just so they could have their coffee together and stay caught up on each other’s lives. Her odd encounter was the topic of discussion this Monday morning.

  “Well, it sounds like you had a bit of an adventure. Can’t say we had anything quite as exciting happen.” Tony laughed. “So, are you going to see the young man again?”

  “Oh, no. I don’t even know his last name. I don’t have time to see anyone. I’m too busy here,” she offered.

  “You know you’re like a daughter to me, right?” She carefully nodded, sipping her coffee. “You’re going to have to get back out there eventually, darlin’. You’re too young and have too much to offer a special man to just hide here.”

  “I’m not hiding, Tony. I’m just…focused. For now.” She shrugged and took to her feet, gathering her bag to head upstairs to work.

  “You know my Raquel knows plenty of fine young men from good families,” he said of his wife. “She’d love to find you a special one of your own.”

  Cori giggled. The Morettis were so good to her and always had her best interest at heart. “I’ll call her when I need a date, Tony.”

  Halfway across the corridor, on her way to the elevator, she turned to say, “And you know I love you too, Tony!”

  She blew him a kiss as the elevator doors closed, which made him blush and shake his head in laughter. Tony had a point. She couldn’t live the life of a nun forever, but for now, it was working for her. She was satisfied with her handful of family-like friends and her work. One day, all of her hard work would pay off, and then she could think about a relationship.

  Though she grew up five hours away, in a small mountain town, McKenzie Ridge, she was meant to be a city girl. Cori firmly believed she was destined for big things, including a successful business career, just like both of her parents before they passed. She worked all through high school at a restaurant called The Pump House, and saved every penny so she could head for Portland the day after she graduated. So far, it was paying off.

  She was a mover and a shaker at Thorne Industries, starting in the mail room through college, then moving up the ladder quickly to management, strictly with hard work and merit, beating out many colleagues twice her age, and with twice the experience. She had reached a ceiling, though, with executive level opportunities her next to conquer, and that’s exactly what she planned to do.

  Her focus this morning was her proposal. It would serve as an interview for the company board of directors. With many successful marketing campaigns under her belt, thanks to the team she led as manager, she knew she had a good chance at the vice president role up for grabs. That role could change her life completely, and she wanted it more than anything.

  Taking a seat at her desk, she wasn’t surprised to see a box of chocolates waiting for her, addressed to Cordelia. Cordelia Daschel was her legal name, but it lacked luster and sounded like that of a small-town farm girl from the mountains with a slow roll. Cori Dash, however, sound
ed like a motivated powerhouse — a go-getter. It just fit.

  Gifts like this had been showing up randomly for months. They never said who they were from, just that they were for her. Since very few people knew her as Cordelia, the list of senders was narrow. When she asked Tony, assuming he was the sender, he seemed surprised by it. All deliveries passed through security, and he had been completely unaware of the items in question.

  After seeing Phillip this weekend and recalling his grabby hands hugging around her ass, she wondered if they could be from him. But why? He was due to be married in a few short months, not that engagements seemed to sway his wandering eye, but still…why her? He’d dumped her.

  Phillip’s family used to own Thorne Industries, when it was Chancellor Industries, but lost it in a hostile takeover, years ago, to the Blackthornes — an affluent family who owned businesses and industries all over the world. She had been working for Chancellor Industries at the time of the takeover, which also happened to be when her engagement fell apart. She stayed on with Thorne just to spite him.

  No longer owning the company didn’t mean Phillip didn’t still have access. He could come and go without passing things through security. It didn’t matter, though, she wouldn’t take him back, if that’s what he was after. Not for all the chocolate in the world.

  Tossing the chocolates aside, uninterested in their sender any longer, she prepared for her team lunch meeting that was to start shortly. They had a lot to cover. They were hardworking, like she was, and supportive of her play for the VP job because they knew she would get to bring her own team to the executive floor, and they all wanted in.

  The lunch hour had come and gone, and her team was finally wrapping their meeting, feeling confident in the direction the proposal was going. They were gathering their leftover lunch wrappings and trays, cleaning the space so they could all go back to their cubicles and get to work, when the elevator pinged, catching their attention. From Cori’s glass office walls, they watched as a tall, dark, and handsome man in an expensive suit headed straight for them.