Lie, Lie Again(77)

“People suck.”

He sat back and laughed—a wholehearted burst. There was something empowering in knowing she had caused it.

“People do suck. Except us.” He looked her in the eye.

“Damn right.” She lifted her glass to his and offered a smile. What would his ex-wife say about him? That he was a worthless sloth with no upward mobility? Hmm . . . But he’s an accounting exec at Stone-May, she mused. Well, maybe he found his way after breaking free from the one who was unknowingly holding him back.

Then again, he could be a sloth. It didn’t matter. He was only a means to an end.

Shifting in his seat, he went for a casual tone. “Speaking of people who suck, how’s the ex? Is he still pestering you?”

“I don’t think so.” She frowned but said nothing more.

“What do you mean by that?”

She took a slow, intentional sip of her drink. It was important to appear unsettled by the question. Setting her glass back on the table, she attempted a smile. “I’m sure it’s nothing more than a strange coincidence, but I’ve had the feeling that someone is following me.” Laughing, she said, “I’m sure it’s just my imagination.”

He sucked in a breath, causing his shoulders to rise up to his ears. It made him look very masculine, like a linebacker. Would he like that comparison? Probably so. “Tell me what’s happened.”

Peering at him from beneath her lashes, she said, “Promise you won’t think I’m crazy?”

“I promise.”

“Yesterday after work, I had to run some errands at the Coffee Cart shopping center.”

“Okay,” he said, nodding.

“When I was in the market, I kept seeing a guy who was dressed in black jeans and a hoodie. He literally appeared in every aisle I was in. It didn’t bother me. Sometimes that happens, right? Like you’re on the same path. But when I was in the parking lot, a car started to back up. I thought the driver saw me because I was a big target with my cart, but he obviously didn’t, because he bumped into me.”

“What? Oh my God!”

“It’s fine. He wasn’t going fast. It really was just a bump. But then the guy in the hoodie was right there. He grabbed my arm,” she said, gripping her upper arm with her good hand. “He acted like he was trying to help me, but it felt like he was trying to knock me over. And then the driver got out of the car.”

Sal’s eyes were dark with worry, and he inched forward in his chair. “I don’t like the sound of this at all.”

“The driver apologized, but it felt like they were surrounding me. I don’t know. It was all so weird.” She shook her head. “All I could do was plow past them with my cart. He tried pulling me back, but I twisted and pushed the cart away from me.” She laughed. “That got the attention of another woman in the lot. She grabbed the cart and came over to help. By then, the guys were both gone.” She waved a hand. “Anyway, it was probably nothing.”

Sal’s arms were now crossed, and the look on his face reminded her of a frustrated television police officer. “I’m having a hard time understanding how this is nothing. It sounds like these two guys were trying to take you in plain sight and claim they were helping you. Did either one look familiar to you?”

“No.” She shifted her eyes upward, seemingly lost in thought. “The one guy had his hoodie pulled up, and he had dark eyes and facial hair. And the driver was wearing a baseball cap. I can’t even remember what he looked like. But my ex wasn’t a bad guy. I can’t imagine he’d have shady friends who would agree to scare me. It’s ludicrous.”

Rubbing a hand on his neck, Sal said, “I hate to point this out, but he lied about being married. He’s not a good guy.”

She looked down at the tablecloth. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

“Hey,” he said, reaching for her hand. “I don’t mean to frighten you. I just think you need to be very alert when you’re out. Look, it could be a strange coincidence, as you said, but what if your ex is paranoid that you’ll talk to his wife? It’s possible he’ll stop at nothing to prevent you from doing that. Do you get what I’m saying?”

Slowly, she looked up to meet his gaze with watery eyes. “Yeah. It makes me so mad that I didn’t see through him. I feel so stupid.”

“Don’t blame yourself. Has he texted you again?”

“Just a few times. He wants to talk in person.”

“You can’t do that.”

Before she could respond, the waiter arrived with their food. While his speaking abilities weren’t great, his timing was. She was ready to move away from talking about Hugh. It was best to let Sal mull things over. People often created worst-case scenarios in their minds, given enough time.



An hour later, Sal slid his arm around Sylvia’s waist as they left the restaurant. “Do you want to walk a while, maybe find a place to get some dessert?”

“I’d love to.” She infused the right amount of warmth into her voice.

They headed up the street, passing two storefronts before he spoke again. “Do you like ice cream?”

“I’m allergic.”

He stopped, turning to her. “To ice cream?”