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Back One White Lie Save as PDF
Chapters (59)
  1. COVER
  2. About the Author
  3. DEDICATION
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. Acknowledgments
  59. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

I raised an eyebrow. It was the first time she’d ever hinted at what had happened with Vera and John. ‘So I guess that means you know about all of that?’

‘Everyone knows about that,’ Al said, rolling her eyes. ‘Small town, you know.’

She flitted down the bar, off to take another order, and I was left staring at the cracks in the wooden countertop, realizing John and Vera were right – it was impossible for them to continue on like normal here.

I lifted the glass to my lips, wondering again if there was any way to make the plan work. But that’s when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

When everything I’d built so carefully came crashing down.

Penguin walking logo

FIFTEEN

Some things are instinctive:

Lifting your hands to block an incoming blow.

Averting your eyes at the sight of blood.

Turning when your best friend says your name.

In spite of the shock, her voice sounded bubbly, as it always did. The sound was baked into my bones.

Ellie stared at me. ‘Holy shit.’

Al stared, too, her eyes narrowed, questioning, but she quickly averted her gaze.

‘What are you doing here?’ Ellie demanded. Her dirty-blond hair was tucked beneath a teal knit cap. Her cheekbones looked more prominent, as if the ten pounds she’d always been going on about losing had actually been lost over the last month and a half.

My eyes flitted around the restaurant, hunting for signs of Davis.

‘Ellie,’ I said, swallowing the name as soon as I said it, my tongue already thick in my mouth.

‘What are you doing here?’ she asked again.

Darkness crept at my periphery, blurring my vision. Around me, people continued with their lives, perusing menus, ordering craft beers.

‘What are you doing here?’ I asked, realizing too late that I should have gone to Seattle; I should never have attempted to hide in plain sight.

She blinked. ‘We came up for a long weekend.’

‘“We”?’ I grabbed the counter, squeezing it so tight my knuckles turned white, imagining Davis hovering outside, ready to walk in at any moment. Hey, babe.

‘Me and my boyfriend,’ she said. ‘The one I would have told you about if you’d answered a single one of my emails. If you hadn’t changed your number and disappeared.’

I released my grasp on the counter, trying to understand. She had a boyfriend, so he was the other half of her terrifying we. Part of me wanted to throw my arms around her, ask her to tell me everything. She’d spent the last few years bouncing from one bad date to another, meticulously working through a string of guys who never wanted to commit, a devout Catholic praying over rosary beads. You’re so lucky, she was always telling me. You’re so lucky you have Davis.