Page 32 of The Liar in Room 5

I looked down.

Oh my gosh.

“Henry, you are insane. I just want you to know that,” I said with a muffled laugh.

Written in chocolate across the rim of the plate were the words:

Please say yes to a fourth?

Henry burst out laughing, and I couldn’t help joining him. The people at the surrounding tables glanced over with amused smiles, but neither of us cared. Even our server chuckled before slipping away.

“I can’t help but notice you still haven’t answered,” Henry said once he’d finally gotten himself under control. He leaned back in his chair with an easy smile on his face. He looked less like a powerful lawyer lounging in a suit and more like an eager boy with his crooked grin.

“Do you really want a fourth?”

“If you mean a fourth date, absolutely. If you mean a fourth person, not so much. I like to focus on one thing at a time, and that includes people because I’m not a great multitasker.”

“I’m not gonna lie. That kind of surprises me.”

“The not wanting a party in my bed or the multitasking?”

“The multitasking. I would’ve thought you’d be really good at it.”

“You know, I would’ve thought so too, but unfortunately, I know my limits, and that’s a hard one.” He smiled. “Again…still haven’t gotten an answer.”

“I’d love to go on a fourth date with you.”

“Outstanding. Excellent choice. You’ve got great taste,” Henry assured me.

“This isn’t how I thought our evening would go.” I smiled before the memory of my earlier mini-meltdown made it fade. “I’m sorry for being a baby earlier.”

“Don’t apologize for that. After the last six months you’ve had, I think it’s perfectly reasonable to be worried. My preference would be to let me take that on.” He reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “You let me worry about it, okay?”

“I just…” I sighed. “I don’t know. I feel useless.”

“Why?”

“When I was with Jonathan, or whoever came before him, I kept myself busy shopping and going to spas and making sure my hair looked perfect and my body looked good. I haven’t even been to the gym in months.” I shrugged helplessly. “I did all those things so I’d have something to do. Something to talk about over dinner. Those things are fine. I mean… They’re fun, right? But when that’s all you have, it doesn’t feel very fulfilling.”

“Did you ever want to do something outside the house?”

“Sometimes. I’d mention that I’d like to find something to do… Heck, even volunteer somewhere regularly. Maybe it wouldn’t be a job, but I’d have somewhere to go and be useful.”

“What did they say?”

“That keeping them company was my job, and they needed me at home. Except they didn’t really because I didn’t do anything there either. I should’ve realized what was really happening, but it just… I don’t know… I thought they liked having their boyfriend around. Ugh, I was so dumb.”

I looked down at the melting scoop of vanilla ice cream beside the cake.

Crap.

I was ruining this.

“And now I don’t know what to do with myself.”

“That isn’t a problem you’re going to solve in one day,” Henry said quietly. “But even without knowing everything about you, I already know you’re kind. You’re compassionate. And there’s so much more to you than you give yourself credit for.”

He said it so simply that I didn’t have a response. It was a solid minute before I found the words.