Susan Schussler
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 Susan Schussler
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-9890333-2-9 (Print)
Library of Congress Control Number 2015944757
Rocky Shore Media LLC, St. Paul, Minnesota
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Sneak Peek
Acknowledgements
About the Author
LIES
We all tell them—little white ones, ones of omission, giant jawbreakers that are impossible to swallow, ones where only our best friends know the truth, and others that cover realities too dark to share.
Chapter One
Sarah
THE TEXT READ, Call me when U have time 2 talk—ASAP. Sarah pressed send and set her phone on the table next to the couch. She curled up her legs next to her and opened her laptop. The text was to her best friend and someday sister-in-law, Jessica. The “someday” came from the fact that Sarah’s brother, Jeff, and Jessica had been talking about getting married for almost a year now, and Jeff still hadn’t given her a ring. He was waiting for just the right moment to make it official. This detail had put the slightest rift in Sarah and Jessica’s relationship. Not that anything could ruin their friendship. They had been best friends since middle school, and their friendship could withstand much worse. Sarah knew Jessica’s ring was a sore point, so she tried to avoid mentioning engagement rings or wedding plans when talking to her, though this was getting more and more difficult to do.
Sarah missed Jessica. She missed all her friends. It seemed like so long since she had seen them. Several months had passed since Sarah left her family and friends back in the Midwest for her new life in Los Angeles. When she made the choice to leave, she hadn’t really known what to expect once she got to California. All she really knew was that she couldn’t live apart from Will any longer. Being with him was the only thing that mattered. She still called him Will sometimes, though lately she had gotten used to calling him Jon. It was just easier. No one knew him by his nickname except his good friends, and they weren’t around that often. She equated it to adopting an accent. The people she interacted with every day called him Jon, and she picked it up like a drawl or Valley speak. Besides, she was tired of explaining who Will was as he stood next to her laughing.
She logged on to the Internet while she waited for Jessica’s response. She buzzed through a gossip site’s pictures of her movie star fiancé coming out of a hotel, followed by Natalie Lipka. The caption read, Boys will be boys.
She knew Jon had gone to dinner with the gorgeous Ukrainian actress as part of a business meeting for an upcoming film, but why did it have to be at that particular hotel? The Hotel Freemont was known for celebrity hookups, and the photos of them walking out separately and then getting into the same car just made them look guiltier. Sarah knew it was just dinner, but she also knew she would have to explain the pictures to her family and friends—like so many pictures before—and this week the whole world would think Jon was cheating.
At least it wasn’t Mia Thompson. A picture of Jon with his ex would take much longer than a week to blow over, and it would drive Sarah crazy. She could imagine Mia staring back with her “I’ve got a secret, and you’re so screwed” expression. Mia made her completely irrational. She didn’t know how to explain it. Maybe it was the way Mia carried herself around Jon, as if she owned him, or maybe it was that the fans hadn’t fully accepted Sarah and still wanted Jon and Mia together. Sarah could put up with any other woman flirting with Jon, but if Mia was in the same room, sirens blared in her head.
She took a deep breath and glanced at her phone—nothing yet. She still had time. She maneuvered her way to the one site where she wasn’t supposed to go. She couldn’t save the site on her desktop or in her favorites because he would see it, so she made the extra effort to key in the address by hand. Then she typed in the user ID and password she remembered from when the account had been set up. A smile spread across her face as she caught up on the site’s activity. He had been to the Mall of America and rode the roller coaster last week. He took the light-rail train to Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis and bought some tulips from the Danish vendor who always gabbed too much. Sarah could almost smell the flowers. And last night, he ate dinner at Sarah’s parents’ house. The picture of him sitting at the table with her mom and dad made Sarah laugh.
Just then, Sarah’s favorite song began to blare from the table next to her—or it used to be her favorite, until she set it as a ringtone. She picked up the phone and slid her finger across the touch screen.
“What’s up? You haven’t been abducted, have you?” Jessica’s voice rang with mockery.
“No, not this week,” Sarah said with a chuckle. “I see William was at my parents’ for dinner last night.”
“Well, you know how much he likes your mom’s lasagna.”
“No. Jon really likes my mom’s lasagna. Plastic dolls that look like him don’t eat, but I liked the picture with Mom and Dad. I miss you guys. I miss school. I even miss our old, run-down rental house. Do you want to go out for drinks on Friday? You can bring the doll.”
“Are you going to be in town?”
“No, I wish! I won’t be home until graduation. Jon has a bunch of commitments, and you know how he is about me traveling by myself.”
“I don’t blame him, Sarah. Look at all the garbage that has happened to you, and that was before you announced the engagement.”
“Well, it’s not like him being with me makes it any easier to travel. He’s always recognized. It takes twice as long as it should to go anywhere. At least I can slip in and out under the radar usually—not yesterday, though. Some idiot followed me all day long when I was meeting with the wedding planner.” Sarah caught herself. She’d almost started talking about the wedding, and she had told herself she wasn’t going to do that.
“That’s exactly why he’s so worried about you. There are crazies everywhere. He feels responsible for you being in danger all the time.”
“It was just paparazzi. I’m not in danger. It’s not like I’m
ever alone, anyway. We have a whole team of security now, not just Sam. I mean, I can’t even use the bathroom by myself.”
“Ew, too much information.”
“No, I just mean there’s always someone standing outside the door, as if I’m going to be knifed in the bathroom stall or something.”
“He’s just worried about you.”
“Shut up! You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I am on your side, but I think Jon’s right. You need to be cautious—at least until after the wedding. I read somewhere that the pop star Fretti got into her car one day and some psycho fan was waiting in her backseat with duct tape. If her boyfriend hadn’t been three cars down and heard her scream, who knows what would have happened?”
“I’m not a pop star, and you know that ninety percent of what you read about celebrities is fake, right?”
“Yeah, but I saw her talk about it in an interview, too. I know you would like to deny it, but most gossip is spawned by seeds in the real world.”
“You’ve been cyberstalking us with my mom, haven’t you?” Sarah could tell by Jessica’s tone that she was holding back.
“Your mom isn’t that bad, and yes, I see her all the time. She’s worried about you.”
“Did she see the pictures of Jon with Natalie?”
“Yeah,” Jessica said in a subdued voice.
“You think that’s why I called, don’t you? He’s not cheating on me. It was just a couple of business dinners. That’s all. There were a bunch of people with them. They’re going to be doing a film together.”
“So, what’s up, then?”
“I don’t know. I’m bored—or lonely?” Sarah declared, not really sure what she was feeling.
“I know you and Jon go out all the time. I see you on Celebrity News every other night. The press wants more public displays of affection, by the way, just in case no one has told you.”
“We really don’t go out much because Jon is always mobbed. We definitely don’t go out as much as I did back home, and I’m not PDAing on camera just so the press can dissect our every lip and hand movement. I love Jon, but I just need to hang out with the girls once in a while.”
“No girls in California?”
“No, I just don’t have any friends—not that I trust, anyway. Everyone acts like my best friend, but it’s just because of Jon. I can talk to Leslie, but I never know how much is filtering back to Jon. Not that I keep secrets from him,” Sarah assured. “But it’s girl stuff, and his cousin shares everything with him.”
“So come for a visit. Bring a bodyguard.”
“Actually, I was wondering if you, Alli, and Megan could come out to LA for the weekend. I’ll send you the plane tickets, and you can stay at the house with us.”
“So you and Jon stopped arguing about money, then?”
“Yeah, I caved.”
“So did he give you a credit card or something?”
“Yep, but that’s not all. Jon added my name to all his bank accounts, and I added him to mine—like that mattered. It almost killed his accountant. The accountant wanted to set up an expense account for me like Leslie’s, but Jon said no. He says we’re equal partners, and we need to mesh our lives completely. He doesn’t want me to have to ask him for money, so I have full access. He says that I just have to accept that I don’t really have an income right now, and since we’re getting married, I have to get used to sharing. Besides, I know I’ll never make as much money as he does, and everything is so expensive out here. He keeps telling me to stop worrying about money and just enjoy life. He’s been bugging me to have you guys out. So what do you say?”
“I’m up for it, but let me ask Megan and Alli,” said Jessica. “Sarah is on the phone and wants to know if we can come out to the coast for the weekend—on Jon’s dime.”
“Are you kidding? Yeah! I’m there,” answered Megan. Sarah could hear her clearly in the background.
“Let me talk to Sarah.” Alli grabbed the phone from Jessica. “Sarah, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong. I just miss you guys.”
“So, you gave up on the money thing?”
“It was futile. Can you come on Friday after class? We could go to the beach or just hang out at the pool. It’s in the seventies and sunny. And the shopping is unbelievable.”
“That sounds great. I think it was twenty-six this morning when I caught the bus. I had to wear mittens and my winter jacket. I’m putting you on speaker, OK?”
“Megan, you have the last class at two thirty, right?”
“No, I dropped that class. I didn’t need it. Besides, I hate having class on Fridays, and the TA was a douche,” admitted Megan.
“All teaching assistants are douches,” Jessica proclaimed, and Sarah could hear the smile on her face.
“Hey!” Alli protested.
“Alli is dating her TA from organic chemistry. He’s Indian,” revealed Jessica.
“I’m pretty sure TAs aren’t supposed to date undergrads. How did that happen?” asked Sarah.
“We’re not dating, and he’s not from India—his parents are.”
“You meet him for coffee almost every day, and he calls you all the time. Most TAs don’t do that, especially when you’re not in their class anymore,” Megan remarked.
“Well, at least I’m not back together with a guy I’ve been avoiding for four years,” Alli stated.
Sarah groaned. “Please don’t tell me you’re back together with Chase. Megan, what are you thinking?” She got up and started pacing through the house. She couldn’t believe Jessica and Alli could let this happen.
“We’re not back together. We were just catching up,” claimed Megan.
“Yeah. I thought you said you would only meet with him in public. Your room with the door closed is not public,” Alli snapped.
“Megan, how many times did you say never again? You can’t get back with Chase. You promised,” said Sarah.
“I’m not. I was tempted, but I’m not.”
“Really? You’ve already given him more chances than you should give any guy. He’s going to hurt you again,” Sarah said.
“It’s not the same.”
“Just be careful. He’s your kryptonite,” Sarah warned, exasperated. She pulled her long, dark hair into a loose bundle at her neck before sitting down at the kitchen table. She looked out into the courtyard at the shimmering pool, trying to figure out why Megan would even go near Chase after all the crap he had put her through.
The courtyard was blissful with stone paths methodically designed to look natural as they weaved their trails from one gathering spot to another. Jon’s parents purchased the house when Jon was eight. Jon’s dad had received a large monetary payout from a big studio movie he directed at the time and put almost all of his earnings toward the purchase and remodel of the house. The entire estate was gorgeous, but Sarah’s favorite place was the courtyard.
She thought about her life back home. It still snowed this time of year in Minnesota—not that often, but she could remember at least a couple of big snowstorms in April in her twenty-one years. Her life was so different now, but part of her wished it wasn’t.
“It’s a good thing you guys are getting away for the weekend. It sounds like all hell is breaking loose there,” she said.
“I can’t wait to tell you everything. We can be at the airport any time after two on Friday, our time,” said Jessica.
“Great, I’ll get it all set up and get back to you this afternoon,” said Sarah. She listened to her old housemates chatter about what they were going to wear on the trip and what they needed to pack. She liked to hear them interact. It made her feel like she was back at home.
As she listened, she looked up to see Jonathan crossing the courtyard from the main house. He had been working out with his personal trainer for the last ninety minutes in the main house’s weight room. He wore athletic shorts with no shirt and had a white towel draped over his shoulders. His dark hair curled up in its damp st
ate, and he pushed it out of his eyes as he passed the pool’s diving board. His well-defined muscles glistened with sweat, and Sarah forgot she was on the phone for a second as she watched him. His ice-blue eyes brightened when they met hers through the glass french doors, and when he opened the door, a warm breeze blew in with just a hint of the fragrant orange blossoms from the trees up on the hill.
Sarah held her hand over the mouthpiece for a second and mouthed, “It’s the girls.”
Jonathan leaned into the phone and said, “Hi, ladies,” before touching his lips gently to Sarah’s neck just below her left ear—her favorite spot.
Sarah chuckled as Jon continued to kiss her. “Jon says hi.”
The girls all responded in unison. “Hey, Jon.”
“So I’ll talk to you guys soon.” They said their good-byes, and Sarah set her phone on the table as she turned to Jon. “You are very distracting.”
He smiled his perfect smile, revealing the single dimple on his right cheek. “Want to hit the pool? The water is warm, and I didn’t see anyone at the gate.”
“There are no paparazzi outside?”
Jon shook his head. “No one’s at the main house, either. I’m going to rinse off and grab my trunks.”
Sarah needed to line up the flight for her friends before she went swimming, so she was going to call Jon’s assistant first for some help. “OK, I’ll meet you out there after I call Leslie.”
“In your bikini?” he pleaded with wide eyes. “Please?”
Sarah hadn’t worn her bikini since the car accident that almost took her life. She didn’t feel comfortable showing the ugly scars on her abdomen. She scrunched her nose and scowled just a little. “Not yet.”
This wasn’t the first time Jonathan had specifically asked her to wear her bikini and she refused. He sighed and walked into the living room without another word.
Jonathan
Jon knew that she was still self-conscious about the scars. He wished she wasn’t. He felt responsible for the accident that had disfigured her, and it hurt him to see her so insecure.
He made his way toward the bedroom to change and paused when he saw her silver laptop open on the couch. Colorful bubbles danced across the screen, but he could see the website behind them. He stared at it a moment, picking it up to get a closer look. His engagement photo was clearly visible on the wall in the dining room at Sarah’s parents’ house. With his hands fisting tighter on either side of the keyboard, it took all his restraint not to smash the computer against the wall.
Between the Lies (Between the Raindrops #2) Page 1
