“Perhaps I can convince you otherwise.”
Before I had time to react, Liam leaned forward and his lips pressed against mine.
I jumped off my barstool immediately and pushed Liam away. “Oh no!” My eyes flashed angrily. “There’s no way we’re—”
A movement a few paces behind us made me turn my head, and I saw Neve staring at me. Her jaw was slack, and her eyes wide with disbelief. She took a step backward, and I said, “Neve.”
Immediately, Neve turned around and walked off rapidly.
I grabbed my purse and ran after her, maneuvering my way past a large group of people who had just walked in. Neve continued to walk briskly, not stopping or turning around, and I emerged from the dark bar onto the well-lit pavement, blinking in the bright light.
“Neve,” I said as I caught up to her. “Please. Stop.”
Finally, Neve looked at me. “What?”
“What you saw—it’s not what you think. I never wanted Liam to kiss me.”
Neve’s eyes narrowed. “Of course. Like you kept repeating, you don’t like him. You’re glad things are over. You think I should break up with him. Everything makes sense now.”
“No, you really don’t understand. Liam and I—”
“Liam and you have no future together.” Neve was still walking briskly down the street, and I made sure to keep up with her. She reached into her purse, found her keys, and unlocked the car we were standing next to.
“Liam must’ve misunderstood what was happening,” I said. “You know I’m not interested in getting back with him.”
Neve turned the full extent of her angry blue eyes on me. “I misjudged you,” she said in a frosty voice dripping with forced calm. “You’re too ambitious for your own good. But don’t worry, I’m going to make sure your life is miserable.”
Before I could say anything further, Neve stepped into her car and drove off.
I walked slowly back to the restaurant, feeling dejected and angry.
I knew there was no way I could convince Neve as to what had really happened, and Liam would certainly play into the lie that I had been the one who had kissed him.
I felt sorry for Neve, that she believed Liam’s lies, but I also felt sad that any chance of a friendship with her had now been ruined. I didn’t want to know what kind of tricks Neve would come up with to try to make my life miserable.
By the time I got back to the restaurant, Liam was nowhere to be seen. I wanted to give him a piece of my mind, so I texted him, telling him that he needed to tell Neve the truth. I didn’t expect him to reply to my text, let alone follow the instructions.
A few minutes later, Beth arrived, and our table was ready. As we perused the menu, I quickly filled Beth in on what had happened between Liam, Neve and me.
Beth made the appropriate sympathetic noises, but we both knew that there was no way to undo what had happened.
We ordered our dinner, and soon after the waitress left, my phone beeped with a text. I looked down excitedly, wondering if perhaps Liam had come to his senses and had agreed to tell Neve the truth. But it was from a number I didn’t know.
I read the text, and then I gasped and smiled happily. “You won’t believe this!” I said. “You know that drawing to win a yoga and spa getaway? I won it! That means we can go to the Harriett Spa Retreat next week.”
Beth squealed softly. “That’s so exciting! We’ll have so much fun!”
I forgot about Liam and Neve for a few moments. “I can’t wait! A long weekend of pampering and fun—that’s just what we need.”
At that moment, I had no idea that instead of being relaxing and indulgent, the free pampering getaway would turn out to be a desperate chase for a dangerous, cold-blooded killer.
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Slippery Solicitors: A Piece of Cake Mystery (Piece of Cake Mysteries Book 4) Page 12
