Lia really sat with that question for a moment, sipped her wine. “No, I still hate them. I’m just not sure it’s the healthiest feeling so Itrynot to. In their warped way, they tried. They never treated me like theirs, but I still went to the private school their kids went to, and those damn etiquette classes.”
“Private school and etiquette classes,” Gard echoed. “You’ve been holding out on me.” He pointed a fork in her direction. “Lia Blair was raised with money.”
He was lightening the moment, and it made her smile in spite of herself. “Charity money, it was made very clear. Although if I had been a fine, upstanding ward they might have happily used me to marry someone who could give them better social standing or whatever the hell it was they wanted. But I just…couldn’t be that. I wouldn’t even answer to my full name they insisted on using.”
Which was the wrong thing to say. A slipup of…too much real.
“And what is your full name?” he demanded. “Please tell me it’s as stuffy as Gardner Elliot Fairhurst theFourth.”
She didn’t have a clue as to how he made her want to smile in this awful moment where she’d have to lie to him. She could hardly give her real, full name to acop. No matter how hard she was falling for said cop.
Some of his amusement in his expression turned to concern when she didn’t answer. “Did I strike a nerve?”
“No.” Not the way he meant. She couldn’t give him the realrealname, but couldn’t she at least…give him a little? Liawasthe only part of her Hope Town name that was real-ish. So the full name of that couldn’t be a mistake. “Cornelia.”
He made a noise, kind of like a snort, but he tried to cover it with a cough.
“Are youlaughingat my name?” she said, shocked at how bad he was hiding it.
“No! No, of course not. Cornelia is…” He covered his mouth, made another coughing sound—clearly meant to cover up a laugh. “It’s a name.”
He didn’t even have a clue. Herrealname was even more ridiculous. And for some insane reason, she wanted to tell him. She wanted to see him try to hide laughing atthat.
What’s the harm? He wouldn’t know your real last name.
He cleared his throat, even with amusement dancing in his eyes, his expression was serious. “Okay, what’s the middle name then?”
“Oh, no. I don’t think so, Mr. Laughy.”
“Come on. Cough it up. It can’t be that bad.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. It was a dare, and she couldn’t resist a dare. “Edwina.”
He just stared at her. “You’re messing with me.”
“I am not.”
“Your name is Cornelia Edwina Blair?”
No, her name was Edwina Cornelia Pitt, but that was a hell of a lot closer than she had a right to be telling anyone. But Gard was grinning, and she just couldn’t hold on to all theshoulds. “That’s not nearly as stuffy as being afourth.”
“I beg to differ.”
“That’s only because you’re afourth,” she replied, grinning at him. The waitress came by with the bill and Gard paid and they got up to leave.
They walked out, and Gard took her hand in his, entwining their fingers.
It just felt normal. Better than normal actually, because her lifecouldbe lonely, just as Sammy had once accused her of. It was a lonely of her own making, which meant sometimes it wasn’t so bad, but Gard made it feel…
Well, like she wasn’t all that interested in being alone.
They got in his truck, and he took her hand again, holding it the whole drive back to her house. They talked about the restaurant, their mutual fear of Sarabeth, and Gard told her about how he was thinking about getting Sammy a dog for her birthday in the spring but was worried neither of them really had the time for it.
When he pulled into her driveway, he let her hand go and pushed the truck into Park. But he didn’t turn off the ignition. He just turned toward her.
“Well, I didn’t track Sammy’s phone for hours, and I have you to thank.”
She chuckled at that. “Any chance that lasts through the night?”
