The old lady next door is back at the window. She hesitates and then smiles.
I give her a wink.
If Elijah tries to go to the cops after I free him, he sure as fuck won’t find any cooperative witnesses. It’ll be his word against mine, and I know how to be convincing.
Maybe this is exactly what I need to do to survive in this place.
Let myself have some innocent fun here and there.
I’m halfway across the street when I spot Blake standing on her porch, staring at me. She’s in a pair of jeans and a tight beige T-shirt that’s snug around her chest. Her tits look fucking perfect. Does she know how cute she is?
There’s a mug in her hands. Another one sits on top of the wooden balustrade. I wonder who she’s expecting. Bit early for guests.
When I get closer to her, I give her a wave. “Top of the mornin’.”
She takes a sip out of her mug and nods in the direction of Elijah’s house. “How did you manage that?”
I grin. “I asked nicely. You should try that sometime.”
The scowl that appears on her face is priceless. I kind of get off on how she glares at me like I’m a piece of chewed-up gum on the bottom of her shoe.
“Yeah, right. You’re really telling me you just asked him to turn it down, and he listened?”
I stop at the foot of my porch. “Sure did. I know this might come as a surprise, but I tend to get along with most people.”
“That’s because most people are hopelessly swayed by appearances.”
My grin widens. “That’s an interesting statement. What exactly are you saying about my appearance?”
Pink spots bloom across her cheeks. “The other day I picked up this book because the cover was eye-catching. It stood out on the shelves. You couldn’t miss it, you know?”
I place my hands on my hips. “Uh-huh.” Where is she going with this?
“But when I got home and started reading it, the story sucked. Behind that pretty cover, there was no substance.”
Oh.
She gives me a thin smile. “In my experience, people are often like that too.”
Irritation fans through me. “What can you possibly know about my substance when we’ve barely spoken to each other?”
She stands up straighter and takes another sip of her drink. “It’s a small town, Rowan. I know enough.” And then she spins on her heel and goes inside her house, leaving the extra mug on the balustrade.
CHAPTER 6
BLAKE
Here’s the thing with getting cheated on—it doesn’t just hurt, it pulls the rug out from under you. You start questioning your judgment. Wondering if you can ever really know a person. Suddenly seeing all the signs you missed.
Obvious signs, signs that a smart person would have surely picked up on.
But not you. Because you’re a damn idiot. Andeveryoneknows it.
Given my family history, you’d think I’d have seen the signs of a liar from a mile away. My deadbeat dad lied every time he said he’d see me on my birthday. My mom lied when she said the doctors told her everything was fine. My brother lied when he said he’d only go to California for a year.
Naively, I thought Brett was different.
Pushing a wisp of hair out of my face, I glance around. We open for lunch in half an hour, so the dining room of Frostbite Tavern is empty now. I wet a sponge and crouch down to clean a spill onthe floor that Melissa should have taken care of last night at the end of her shift.
