Lie, Lie Again(72)

He clapped his hands together and turned to her. “Okay. Where’s that step stool you mentioned?”

“Right there.” She pointed a shaky finger. “I’ll grab the light bulbs.”

He set up the step stool and positioned it beneath the light. “Okay, lady. Stand right next to me, and I’m going to pass you the cover in a sec.”

“Sure.” She held tight to the package of light bulbs and forced herself to focus on his shoes. It’s just Principal Rosenkrantz on the step stool, she tried to tell herself. But her body mocked her mind, sparking with the electricity Brandon created.

“Here you go,” he said, passing her the glass cover.

She set it on the ground and took the bulbs from the packaging.

“Trade?” He handed her one bulb and then another as she gave him the new ones. His arms reached above his head as he worked, which resulted in his shirt riding up, revealing a glimpse of his perfectly muscled stomach. If anything could be in a magazine, it was his abs. They were cover-worthy.

Her eyes drifted to the bulge in his back pocket, and her heart slowed. He was such a good dad. How many guys would carry their son’s pacifier in their pocket? It’s the most attractive thing about him.

“Okay, I’m ready for that cover.” He pointed to where she’d laid it on the floor.

“Right.” She handed it to him. “Thanks so much for doing this. I really appreciate it.”

“Anytime. Want to flip the switch and make sure they all work?”

She flicked it up, and the lights went on. “Yay! You did it.”

He swiped his hands together as he climbed down. “Mission accomplished.”

“I owe you one.”

“Nah. That’s what friends are for, right?” He touched a hand to her back as he followed her from her room. If he knew how his touch affected her, he would pull it back like she was on fire.

“You guys are the best,” she said, stepping ahead to open the front door. “I couldn’t ask for better neighbors.” She said it more for herself than for him. If he knew what she’d almost done, he’d . . . he’d gently move my hands away and tell me no. That was the thing about Brandon. He was always kind. No matter what.

“All good. I’ll tell Embry you said hi.”

“See you later.” She closed the door behind him and pressed her hands to her face. I love you, Brandon. I love Embry too. And I’m an idiot. Maybe I should drop everything and move to Australia, she thought. It would solve everything.



Embry peered through the window to see what was taking Brandon so long at the mailbox. He’d been acting strange since he’d gotten home from the extra lunch shift, and now it was just about time for him to leave for the bar, and he was taking ten minutes getting the mail. But he wasn’t at the mailboxes. She frowned. Had he left for work without saying goodbye? Motion at Riki’s apartment caught her eye. Brandon was smiling as he walked out her door. Embry could feel the color draining from her face. What is he doing at Riki’s?

Her mind raced to the day she’d met Lily, who had strangely told her about Sylvia’s cheating boyfriend. What an odd thing to tell someone you’d just met. And when Embry had returned the license, Sylvia had kept asking her what she would do in her shoes. It had struck her as odd that day, but she’d brushed it aside. What if Sylvia had recruited her friend Lily to “accidentally” bump into Embry? Sylvia knew they often went to the park in the mornings. Embry tried to remember if she’d said hi to her on that morning. But would Sylvia have created such an elaborate scheme to hint that Brandon was cheating? Well, she’d concocted a harebrained plan to get out of drug testing, Embry thought. But why wouldn’t she just come right out and tell her if she suspected Brandon and Riki were having a fling?

Her heart slammed to a stop at the thought. He would never. Would he? The door rattled, and he walked in.

She forced a steady voice. “That sure took some time.”

“Huh?” He set the mail on the table. “Oh, yeah. Riki texted me and asked me to help her change some bulbs on a ceiling light. She couldn’t reach them.”

“Oh!” Of course it was that simple! But she itched to sneak his phone and read the text. She squeezed her eyes shut, hating that she couldn’t just trust what he said. “How is she?”

“Who? Riki?”

“That’s who we’re talking about, right?”

“She’s fine, I guess. You talk to her way more than I do. She seemed okay, though. Why, is something going on with her?”

“No, I just was asking after her in general.” And trying not to lose my mind, she thought.





CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Friday, March 17

Friday was finally here. Riki had jumped out of bed early, eager to get her day started. With all the drama surrounding the trap projects, she wanted to prove to the parents that it would be a wonderful day. She gently turned three of the traps on the Penguin Table upside down, as though the leprechaun had outsmarted them, but she was careful not to damage the traps. Unlike Mrs. Trainor. Her classroom phone rang, and she rushed to answer it. “This is Riki.”

“Hey, it’s Amelia. Do you have some green glitter I can use? I can’t find any in the supply room. The kindergarten team must be hoarding it again.”