Lie, Lie Again(11)

Well, there’s a price to pay for all this beauty, Sylvia thought as she rolled into her assigned spot in the carport next to Embry’s ancient yellow Subaru. The window was down. Entirely irresponsible to leave a car window open. It was as good as asking for someone to steal your car. But nothing bad ever happened to Embry. It was like she walked with a protective cloud surrounding her, sheltering her and those darling babies from any harm. Some people were born lucky.

Sylvia wasn’t one of them.

But no matter. She made her own luck. After gathering her purse from the back seat, she walked toward her apartment, not in the mood to join the neighbors’ idle chitchat. Hugh had texted that morning saying he’d call at five thirty, and she wanted a minute to get ready. The week had been a busy one for him, so aside from some scattered texting, they hadn’t had a chance to talk. It actually worked in her favor. He would be itching to see her, and she would tease him just enough to put a halt to any thoughts of Lily.

Embry flapped an arm, motioning for Sylvia to join them. “Hey, come on over. You’re going to want to hear this.”

She swallowed a sigh and walked toward them, her heels wobbly on the rough asphalt driveway. This had better be worth it. She still needed to change into something casual but sexy. Perhaps her thin scoop-neck T-shirt with her black-lace plunge bra. The perfect answer for understated sexy. And of course, she would need to reapply her lipstick. That was a must. As she neared Riki and Embry, she said, “What’s this urgent news? Has Brandon become an overnight sensation?”

Embry tightened her ponytail assertively and leaned forward. It was hard not to like the woman, even though she wore rose-colored glasses on the daily.

“No, I wish that were true. It’s Jonathan.” She motioned toward the apartment above hers. “He’s here, and he’s been acting suspiciously. To be honest, I think he’s been there all night. I swear I heard footsteps. It’s like he’s hiding out.”

Riki leaned forward, her earbuds dangling at her shoulders. “He gives me the creeps.” She looked at Embry possessively, the way a middle-school girl who wanted to lay claim on someone as her friend would. What was that all about? Sylvia wasn’t a threat to their friendship. She watched with interest as Riki continued. “I was about to go for a run when Embry called me over. We decided we should ask what he’s doing in Nadine’s place. If he’s going to rent it out, we should be informed, right?”

Sylvia studied Riki’s earnest expression. Such a Debbie Do-gooder. The two were quite a pair. “He doesn’t have to tell us a thing about his plans for Nadine’s place as far as I know. But since he’s here, let’s ask. And I’ll remind him about the broken step. It’s ridiculous he hasn’t fixed it yet, but then again, he’s not the one nearly tumbling down the stairs every morning.”

Riki nodded in agreement. “It’s totally dangerous. If he doesn’t fix it, you should consider filing a lawsuit.”

Huh. That would be fun. She could imagine Jonathan turning beet red and hurling obscenities at her while she watched him calmly, like a parent waiting out a child’s tantrum. “Interesting idea.” Tapping a finger to her lips, she said, “Or better yet, I could lure him up with the offer of a nice glass of wine. I’ll conduct an experiment to see if the busted step can hold his weight. Although I’d hate for him to fall to his death on my staircase just so I can make a point. That would be tragic.”

Riki and Embry exchanged horrified looks. “Sylvia!” they said in unison. Once again, she was reminded of middle-school girls.

“You can’t do that!” Embry said, her hand fluttering at her neck.

She laughed. They were so cute. Had she ever been that sweet and naive? Well, no. Probably not. She’d developed thick skin at an early age thanks to her fabulous childhood. Not many kids were fortunate enough to have sat on a precipice, watching as their treasured collection of rare childhood joys went crashing down in a sudden landslide, all before the age of ten. “Lighten up, ladies. It was a joke. Really,” she added after a beat, knowing the emphasis would only cause them to wonder.

Embry’s eyes suddenly went wide. “He’s coming now!” She nodded toward Nadine’s door, where Jonathan was exiting, a paper shopping bag in hand. Blergh. Sylvia wished Johnny Cat had taken his cat-shit self to Europe for good. Embry flicked a look at Riki and squared her shoulders. Was she afraid of him? For God’s sake, the man was a complete idiot.

Jonathan neared, and Sylvia waved him over. “Well, if it isn’t the man of the hour. We were just talking about you. Do you have a minute to chat?”

He scrutinized his watch. “Only a minute.”

Because you’re such an important asshole, Sylvia thought.

Embry crossed her arms. “What were you doing in Nadine’s place?”

“Cleaning,” he said without conviction. The way his lips flapped reminded Sylvia of a weasel. How fitting.

She eyed the shopping bag. “Cleaning? Or stealing from your dead mother?”

“She left everything to me, so I can’t steal from myself.” He reached into the bag and pulled out a book. A yellow Post-it Note was stuck to the cover. “Here,” he said, passing it to Sylvia. “Mom must’ve wanted you to have this. I just found it.”

Touching the note with one finger, she traced the swirly handwriting. For Sylvia, with love. She lifted the note and read the title. It was Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou, the book Nadine had wanted them to read together. Her eyes stung with the foreign sensation of tears. Only Nadine could edge into Sylvia’s heart with such ease. “Thank you.” She tucked the book into her purse and steeled her emotions. “While I have you, I’d like to remind you about the broken stair. It’s lucky number seven.” Batting her lashes, she added, “Let’s not turn it into unlucky seven.”