Page 24
“You thought I was . . .” Not-Travis cackles so hard, air wheezes in and out of his lungs.
Horrified by the dawning realization, I nod.
“And Mandy warned you to steer clear of Travis, right?”
My head buzzes as I search the room in a daze. “Mandy?”
“The lady with the baby?”
I nod again. “I saw her by the bathroom earlier.”
Another bark of laughter. “I knew it! They’re related—somhow. I haven’t figured that out yet, but she was bitching up a storm when I got here. Spilled all the dirty deets about Travis James Masterson.” He pulls a napkin from the holder and a pen from his back pocket and then furiously scribbles words I don’t bother to decipher.
As if invoking his name conjures him from the back, Travis—a.k.a. T. J.—strolls to the booth with a big smile. “Okay. All set. Ready to roll?”
“No.” I blurt the word.
“Awesome!” T. J. does a slow double take. “Wait. What?”
“I think . . .” I shoot daggers at the-stranger-formerly-known-as-Travis, also known as Clark Kent.
Clark shoves his ink-covered napkin into his pocket, trying and failing to hold himself together.
I blow out a breath. “I should stay here.”
T. J.’s eyebrows form a deep V as he studies Clark, still snickering in the seat across from me. “Did I miss something?”
My attention drifts to the contents of my tote scattered across the table, and suddenly T. J. is the least of my worries. “I can’t do this. I don’t know what I was . . . I guess I wasn’t thinking at all, was I?”
“I see.” Arms folded across his chest, T. J.’s gaze drifts from Clark to my stuff before settling on my face. He nods, eyes tight, smile stiff. “Well played. I’m, uh, gonna take off. You’re welcome for dinner.”
“It wasn’t like that,” I call after him as he storms out of the diner.
With T. J. gone, the fog slowly lifts, leaving anger in its wake. Whether he deserves it or not, I direct the venom toward Clark. “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t him?”
“What?” He chokes on a chuckle. “How was I supposed to know you thought I was? You never said anything.”
“Why would I?” I snap.
Despite my glorious display of fury, he laughs again. “Is that why you’ve been mean mugging me since you sat down?”
“I thought you were someone else! But that doesn’t explain why you were giving me nasty looks. I didn’t do anything.”
His laughter dies down, every trace of humor fading from his expression. “I figured you were another empty-headed idiot willing to ignore Mandy’s warning.”
“Well, I’m not.”
His lips twitch. “Good to know.”
The T. J. situation behind me, I shove my stuff back into my tote, trying to remember the last time I saw my wallet. A sudden memory of white teeth and green marble turns my stomach as the puzzle pieces fall into place. I am an idiot. But not for the reason Clark thinks.
“That slick sonofabitch took my wallet!”
Clark’s head snaps up from his book. “Travis? I would’ve seen—”
“Not him.” I wave my hand. “Junior.”
Clark scans the room. “Who’s Junior?”
