Down to the Liar(23)

Bryn bumps me with her shoulder in an almost friendly way. “You did make the posts stop,” she says quietly. And I nearly trip over the thank-you behind her words.

To distract myself from the surreal feeling of Bryn being nice to me, I change topics. “I probably owe Garrett an apology. I called him a psychotic, abusive loser.”

She rolls her eyes. “He’ll get over it. Besides, he has bigger problems right now.”

I push back thoughts of all the people who have left me when I say, “Skyla’s lucky to have him.”

Bryn shrugs. “He loves her,” she says, as if it’s that simple.

I shake my head. “People say ‘love’ like it’s the answer to every question, but love is just another wire game. It sets you up with a tale about something that doesn’t exist. Then it shuts you out, just to drive you crazier for it. The second you go all in, it takes you for everything you’re worth, leaving you with nothing.”

Bryn stops walking and turns a sulfuric glare on me. “Bullshit,” she says.

I blink at her in surprise. I think it’s the first time I’ve ever heard her swear.

She tosses her head. “You think because you can manipulate people that you know everything there is to know about love?”

I never said I knew everything about anything, but she’s waiting for an answer.

“Maybe I don’t know everything about love,” I admit. “But I do know that it usually causes the problems I end up having to fix.” Like hypersuspicious fiancés, for example. Or my own ruined heart.

Bryn’s expression morphs into something that looks suspiciously like pity. But she lowers her voice so I’ll listen.

“Murphy buys me mint-chocolate-chip-flavored gum every time he sees it, because I once said I liked it. I have an entire desk drawer at home full of gum now. I open it sometimes just to look at the piles and piles of gum he’s given me over the last few months. Because I know what love is, Julep Dupree. And it’s not some two-bit con.”

I drop my gaze to the sidewalk. The sad thing is, I envy her.

She storms up to the door of the Ballou, her heels clicking on the pavement. She grabs the handle but turns back to me before pulling it. “Maybe Tyler’s death made you jagged-edged and bitter. But love didn’t kill him just to piss you off. And if you really believe that crap you just said, then you didn’t care about him at all.”

She walks into the Ballou without me, letting the door swing closed behind her. I stand there awhile and think about Murphy’s happily ever after and how I was wrong about his broken heart. If I was wrong about that, then perhaps I’m wrong about other things. And if I can be wrong about things, then perhaps there’s hope for me yet.





Praise for Trust Me, I’m Lying





“A sexy love triangle and madcap mystery…I loved this book.”

—Jennifer Echols, author of Dirty Little Secret

“Julep isn’t just another high schooler beset by the usual drama of boys and academia. Nope—she also happens to be a con artist and master of disguise, which comes in mighty handy when her father mysteriously disappears. Determined, she delves into the underbelly of Chicago to find him (bringing a bunch of fresh plot lines and unexpected twists along the way).”

—TeenVogue.com

“Summer creates a standout character in Julep. She lies and cheats with so much confidence and skill that readers will cheer her on, but she also adheres to her own strict moral code….A memorable debut; here’s hoping for a lot more from Summer.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“Entertaining.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Well-paced, well-plotted.”

—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books





Someone wants Julep to pay for her mistakes…with her life.





If you enjoyed this special Trust Me story, look for Mary Elizabeth Summer’s novel, Trust Me, I’m Trouble, the sequel to Trust Me, I’m Lying. Staying out of trouble isn’t possible for Julep Dupree. Murders, heists, secrets and lies, hit men and hidden identities…if Julep doesn’t watch her back, it’s her funeral. No lie.

Here’s a sneak peek.





If I could give fledgling con artists one piece of advice, it would be this: tacos.

Specifically, Cemitas Puebla tacos.