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Back The Lying House Save as PDF
Chapters (103)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover Text
  3. Praise
  4. Booklist
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. 70
  77. 71
  78. 72
  79. 73
  80. 74
  81. 75
  82. 76
  83. 77
  84. 78
  85. 79
  86. 80
  87. 81
  88. 82
  89. 83
  90. 84
  91. 85
  92. 86
  93. 87
  94. 88
  95. 89
  96. 90
  97. 91
  98. 92
  99. 93
  100. 94
  101. Epilogue
  102. Acknowledgments and a Personal Note
  103. Excerpt

Can there be such a thing as a white lie, a little lie? The lie is absolute evil. There can be no small lie; who lies, lies wholly.

—Les Misérables, Victor Hugo

1

Lisa Taylor clawed through the torpid fog between sleep and consciousness, unease pinging in a corner of her mind.

What was that noise? Is someone in the house?

But by the time she’d blinked awake, she heard nothing in the stillness of her bedroom but soft, rhythmic snoring. She turned to her husband, Jeff, the obvious culprit.

She nudged him.

He shifted, grunted into silence but was still out.

Lisa closed her eyes and tried floating back to sleep, but it was futile. Jeff had resumed snoring. She fought the impulse to take a sleeping pill—a bad habit she was trying to break. The digital clock on her night table displayed 2:13 a.m.

She could wake Jeff, but he was exhausted. Sometimes he got up in the night to work in his office while she slept. So much had changed for them in the past weeks: Jeff’s big promotion and its accompanying pressure to perform, their whirlwind move, leaving her job and everyone in Cleveland. The company had wasted no time getting him rolling on a major project that involved leading a big presentation tomorrow.

Let him sleep.

Lisa propped against two pillows, reached for her book, clipped on her book light and returned to Raskolnikov’s psychological torment in Crime and Punishment. After a few pages her concentration shifted back to her own life.

Was this sudden move to Florida going to work out? She’d given up a great position and people she loved back in Ohio.

“Florida is where we’ll start the next chapter, the best chapter, of our lives,” Jeff had told her, implying that they would start a family here, something he, being ambitious and so driven to succeed, had always put off whenever she’d raised it. Still, Lisa had always envisioned that they would have children in Cleveland.

So much for the best-laid plans.

But now that she was thirty-four with her clock ticking, and having sacrificed her career for his, she expected motherhood as promised. She looked at Jeff, her hardworking snore machine.

You’d better be on board to make some babies, buddy.

Through the dim light, Lisa saw the unpacked boxes in the corner and sighed. It had been a little over three weeks since they’d taken possession of their house and they were still settling in. She was awed at the price of their huge new Spanish-style home, way more than what they’d paid for their little brick colonial in Shaker Heights. It was such a financial stretch for them.