First to Lie: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Unraveled Book 1)

by Marie Johnston

  As I sat for the movie, I asked the question that’d plagued me for over a decade. My mom. The realtor. Mara. Had Sam been gullible his whole life? The only person in Sam’s life not out to use him had been me and he’d dumped me a hot second after the divorce.

  Chapter 9

  Wes

  I stared dubiously at the clothes Helen had picked up at my request. Bless the lady, she hadn’t batted an eye.

  It’d been a good idea at the time.

  I have plans to take Mom to the TC Comic-Con this Saturday. Want to go? You get a discounted entrance if you dress up. Mom always goes as Leia from Star Wars. I’m going to dig out an old Batgirl costume. Wanna come?

  The red jacket with black shoulders and black slacks didn’t taunt me so much as the Star Trek com badge.

  I’d been out of my damn mind when I’d agreed. Dress up?

  The line of thought I’d run away with was that I could dress like Wesley Crusher and get a little satisfaction from being Wesley when accompanying her as Sam.

  Walking around in a costume didn’t drum up anxiety like meeting her mother, however. Not just meeting her, but busting her out of the home and carting her all over town. Give her sick mother an afternoon to remember before bringing her back… No pressure.

  I jumped into the shower only because I needed wet hair to slick over like I remembered on the character from the show, but it’d been many, many years since I’d watched it.

  Satisfied with my appearance, I thought I looked more like Number One, Captain Picard’s first officer, with his black hair, but there weren’t enough pips on my collar for the rank of commander. Besides, that crowd would know who I was.

  I packed an overnight bag and headed to Mara’s. She was driving because she knew how to load the wheelchair in her car and didn’t want to find out my trunk wasn’t as chair friendly. Her offer to pick me up was dissuaded by me plainly telling her I was overnighting.

  No way could she see my obnoxious house. She’d know I was no normal sales dude when she drove up to my multimillion-dollar mansion.

  I parked in my normal spot and trotted up to her door, feeling ridiculous in a costume. Twenty years ago it had been a different story.

  All thoughts vanished when Batgirl answered the door wearing knee-high, shiny black boots, and a miniskirt that allowed a peek of thigh. I’d grown used to her baggy shirts, so the yellow utility belt cinched at her waist induced fantasies about what our sleepover would entail.

  “Wesley Crusher! Awesome. I love costumes that are a little more obscure.” She grabbed her mask and stepped out.

  I found my tongue. “Aren’t you cold?”

  “I’ve got a cape.” She grinned and sashayed away.

  We climbed into her car and she backed out. “You know what you’ll have to do? The Picard Maneuver.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Every time you stand up, pull the front of your jacket down.”

  Yeah, I remembered the move, but leave it to Trekkies to give it a name.

  “I don’t want to break character.”

  She laughed, but our banter didn’t break up the case of nerves I’d suddenly developed. I had a vague idea of where Golden Meadows was and the closer we got, the more my hands trembled.

  “What’s your mom’s name again?”

  “Wendy.” She glanced at me, at the road, then back at me. “You sure you’re okay with this?”

  “Of course, but come on, it’s meeting the mom.”

  She smiled and her next words seemed timid. “I’m sure I’d feel the same way if I met yours.”

  “I wouldn’t do that to you.” And I wouldn’t, no matter how much resentment and suspicion I harbored.

  She sobered and turned her gaze back out the window.

  “It’s not you, Mara. She’s…a different creature. Doesn’t make people feel good about themselves.”

  “I understand.” She didn’t sound like it.

  A sprawling brick building with timber framework came into view. With startling honesty, I determined my place was bigger.

  “Are they ready for us?” I meant to lighten the mood, but I didn’t know if that was more for myself than her.

  Meeting a parent. I’d known dates’ parents from my social circle. But dressed for Comic-Con? That was a first.

  “They’ll love it.”

  I followed in her wake as she smiled at the staff that randomly appeared from offices and residents’ rooms. She waved to other residents as they meandered by, some with no assistance, many in wheelchairs, and a smattering of walkers. I nodded in greeting. Mara was right, they enjoyed the show.

  We turned into a sunny, quiet room where a thin woman who looked no younger than my mom waited in a wheelchair. Wendy Baranski had hair a similar color as Mara’s natural hue, only with a sprinkling of gray. Her eyes radiated kindness but were wary as if every day was a struggle.

  “Are you all set, Mom? Oh, we have to do your hair.” Mara went straight for a narrow closet door but stopped before she dove inside. “Mom, this is Sam.”

  Her mom smiled and held out a frail hand for a shake. “Nice to meet you. Call me Wendy.”

  “Likewise, Wendy.” I grasped her hand lightly. Wendy’s skin was soft and warm with more strength than I expected, but when I let go, the subtle tremor of her hand returned.

  Several things ran through my mind, but all sounded like inane dribble. I talked up girls at my club, prospective buyers and sellers, and my friends during a few get-togethers. But I’d never…just chatted, not without an agenda. Wendy wasn’t the guys I hung out with, neither was she Franklin or Helen, not that I small-talked those two.

  Wendy’s gentle smile eased my case of what-do-I-say. “Have you been to TC Comic-Con before?”

  “It’s been a while. I don’t believe I’ve ever been in a costume as an adult.”

  She chuckled. “This is an annual tradition for Mara and I, as long as I’m up for it.”

  “Found it.” Mara popped out of the closet. In her hands was a wig with stereotypical Princess Leia buns and a draping white dress.

  “I’ll step out.” I scurried around the corner, but instead of hiding, I’d made myself the center of attention.

  A young nurse’s aide walked by with a demure smile, gazing at me under hooded eyes. Her hips kicked out more as she passed me. An older aide trailed behind her, but her look had a maternal quality that I rarely saw in my own mother.

  “You two look delightful,” she said as she charged past Wendy’s room.

  I threw her a “thanks” and nearly jumped out of my threads when an elderly man spoke behind me.

  “Busting Wendy out of here today, eh?” The man’s wizened hands leaned on his metal walker.

  “Yes, sir.”

  A grin lifted the man’s wrinkled face. “Good. Good. Too young to be stuck with us old people. You kids have fun.”

  “You as well.”

  He shuffled off.

  Was Mara able to bust Wendy out of here often?

  After the convention, I could treat us all to dinner. Even if Mara was trying to use me, the simple cost of a meal was nothing. I’d be starving and convention snacks wouldn’t tide me over. And…we were busting Wendy out of a pretty boring place. I wasn’t in a rush to bring her back.

  Mara wheeled a giddy Wendy out into the hallway.

  “Do I need to bring the car up front?” I asked.

  Mara lifted a shoulder without removing her hand from the handles of the chair. “There’s no snow so the parking lot is no issue. They tend to make the parking spots wider here. Kinda nice.”

  Exiting was the same as entering. Mara and Wendy were wished well by nearly everyone they passed. Did the whole facility know?

  I sat in the backseat. Mara had offered to let me drive, but the idea of sitting up front with her mother must be what my staff experienced before a board meeting.

  Oh god, what do I say? What’s she going to say? How do I respond?

  Plus the back had the a
dded bonus of watching the profile of a pink-haired Batgirl.

  “Mom, can you get the handicap parking pass from the glove compartment?”

  A task that should’ve taken seconds took a few solid minutes as Wendy worked the latch, dug the pass out, closed the cubby, and hung the pass up.

  I glanced at my own hands, so strong and competent, then at Mara’s young and healthy body. A new respect for Wendy bloomed.

  What Mara had tried to do to Sam wasn’t okay, but…it was more understandable.

  As she found a spot to park, I stared at everyone walking by. I might’ve stood out anywhere in Minneapolis, but here, I was the norm. Underdressed even, as every superhero imaginable, aliens, monsters, and other unidentifiable creatures strode by. When I turned forward, Mara had donned her facemask.

  More fantasies about what the night entailed.

  Again, Mara sent my gold-digger radar off-kilter when she produced three tickets as we entered the convention center.

  Sam had brought me here when I was a kid, but I still looked around with the wonder of an eight-year-old boy. Things had grown—on a much larger scale, with more variety. Costumes ranged from furry to cosmic to barely there. Many were obviously handmade or thrown together. Several people walked by in getups that must’ve cost hundreds of dollars. The age range of attendees varied more than I remembered. Every age was represented and groups roamed, either families or college-aged kids, along with a ton of couples.

  I smirked. The couple that dresses up together stays together?

  “It’s something, isn’t it?” Mara whispered as we wandered shoulder to shoulder.

  She pushed Wendy, whose grin was infectious to all who passed.

  “So what are your plans?” I tried to remember what me and Sam used to do. Panels, new toys, shows, there had to be all that and then some now.

  “We mostly walk around. It’s the costumes that are our favorite.”

  I had to tell Flynn about this shit. Because while Mara’s costume was sexy as hell, there were women aplenty who strutted by in barely-there costumes. My friend would tear through the convention and leave with triple digits in phone numbers, and maybe a quick hookup in a secluded spot.

  “Oh look, Mom. That guy with the vintage action figures is here again.” Mara plowed through the crowd, apparently unafraid of using her mom’s chair in the same manner the prow of a ship cut through water.

  She talked excitedly with her mom as they perused old merchandise that had never been removed from its box. I hung toward the edge, more than mildly interested but not wanting to show it.

  The booth next to the action figures was fan art and I went over for a look.

  Two women were whispering next to me. Their giggles drifted over the din.

  Weren’t they cold in those outfits? One wore full-body spandex in powder blue. No clue who she was supposed to be. The other was in black spandex with holes randomly torn through, mostly across her rounded butt cheeks.

  Flynn would love this.

  Mara glanced over toward me, then bent to speak to Wendy. As I was turning away to meet up with them, one of the girls called to me.

  “Wes?”

  My eyes widened and my feet stalled. The floor could be wet concrete for as well as my legs worked. My right eye twitched.

  “Wes, right?” Her pitch rose in excitement.

  Mara had noticed the exchange, her glance going between me and the girls.

  I pivoted back and pointed to the small, round pip on my collar. “Yes, Wesley Crusher. Good eye.”

  The ass-less girl stepped toward me, her mouth stretched in a seductive grin. “No, not Cr—”

  My sharp glare made her smile falter.

  “Don’t you remember me, from my friend’s”—she indicated blue Lycra girl—“bachelorette party…at Canon?”

  Aww, damn. If I tried hard, I might remember her.

  I kept my demeanor pleasant, didn’t sneer like I wanted. She could ruin everything. But it wasn’t her fault I thought my partners were nothing more than passing entertainment.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m escorting two lovely ladies around today and I must go.”

  I spun back to Mara as she approached. “What would you like to see next?”

  Wes

  It was all I could do not to stare at the girl with her ass hanging out of her costume. She was sexy and sultry…and incredibly hurt by what appeared to be a brush-off from Sam.

  An ex? A former fling?

  Current fling?

  Whoever she was threw a disgusted look at Sam’s back as she walked away with her friend.

  Sam was watching me, waiting for an answer, but I so badly wanted to sate my curiosity.

  “Well, there’s a huge line where they’re giving out swag T-shirts, or I’d give it a try.”

  My mom raised my face to them. “If we’re going to wait in line, we might as well try to get into a panel. Unless you want to walk around and get ideas for Arcadia?”

  My eyes shot to Sam, who arched a brow but didn’t say anything.

  “No, I think there’s some interesting panels.” I handed the schedule of events to Sam and wove my way out of the exhibition hall.

  He was subdued for the rest of the afternoon. No, that wasn’t right exactly. He wasn’t saying much, but he walked with tight shoulders and scrutinized everyone who sat by us or walked past.

  We found seats at a panel of graphic novel artists. Sam sat on one side of me and Mom on the other.

  “Is everything okay?” I murmured to him.

  “Just thinking about where to take you two for dinner.”

  My brows shot up. “Oh, you don’t have to.”

  His piercing gaze brooked no argument. “I’d like to.”

  Dinner out sounded divine and, ordinarily, it’d be a treat, but eating wasn’t the easiest for Mom.

  I turned to my other side. “Sam wants to take us out for dinner. Would you be okay with that?”

  Mom had the same reaction. She wanted to be thrilled, buuut…

  “I think I’ll be fine, as long as I order something soft like mashed potatoes. The tremors aren’t terrible today.”

  I gauged the truth of her words. She often mentioned how frustrating her meals could be. Many of the foods she loved were too hard, too chewy, or too gooey for her to enjoy anymore. And with her tremors, soup was best sipped out of a cup.

  Mom leaned in close. “Are you sure you two wouldn’t rather be alone?”

  I couldn’t fight my grin. “He invited the two of us.”

  “Well, okay. But you know what I always say.”

  Don’t let him break your heart.

  “Can’t forget.”

  After the panel, we exited the convention center. I missed my jacket, but it wouldn’t have done much good with the bitter breeze blowing up my skirt.

  “Where would you like to go?”

  We sat in the idling car and I twisted around. “Where do you usually go?”

  His expression froze. Tough question?

  “I don’t get out much.”

  I narrowed my gaze on him. Another girl might not question his behavior, but he was acting odd enough to set off my spidey sense.

  Giving myself an invisible shake, I brushed it off. Not every male interested in me was deceitful.

  Maybe that’s why I’d gotten along so well with Sam Robson. Not once had I gotten anything other than a friendly vibe from him.

  “I’ll drive and Mom can shout out a place she’d like.”

  Mom chuckled. “Sure, put the pressure on me.”

  A simple family restaurant won out.

  I didn’t miss the subtle lift of Sam’s forehead when he scanned the menu. He might not get out much, but I was confident that when he did, it wasn’t to places like this. With his nice car and sharp clothes, he likely ate at more expensive places.

  He ordered seamlessly and as I relaxed to enjoy the meal, I couldn’t help but think of how little I knew about him.

  Chapter 10r />
  Wes

  “And where were you all weekend?” Flynn stepped inside my office at Canon and shut the door. “I gotta wait until Monday night to see my boy. You left me hanging.”

  I shuffled papers around on my desk and opened a file on my computer. Wrong one. I closed it. I couldn’t concentrate until my friend left. Flynn wasn’t going to quit until he pried out everything I was willing to share.

  “I was kidding, but were you with her all weekend? The comic book store owner you’re ‘fooling’?” Flynn gave the last word air quotes.

  I pushed back and crossed an ankle over my knee. “I am fooling her. I hung out with her and her mom.” Ignoring Flynn’s gaping mouth, I continued, “Guess what? She’s on such good terms with some of her customers that one is representing her pro bono to contest Sam’s contract.”

  “I’m going to ignore the mother part because, dude, you don’t do family—yours or anyone else’s. But the lawsuit? A fool’s errand. Why bother?”

  “To be a nuisance.”

  “And you and her are doing what this whole time?”

  I didn’t answer. I didn’t appreciate being put on the spot and I wasn’t going to share my sex life with Flynn.

  Flynn’s eyes narrowed and he huffed. “So you’re hooking up. Don’t like repeat performances, my ass.”

  I didn’t like repeat performances, they just led to complications. Mara was a special exception. I tapped a pen while Flynn loomed on the other side of my desk. I thought of an answer that wouldn’t incriminate me with Flynn.

  “I need to know why my dad was so into her.”

  Flynn gave me the duh look. “Why are you so into her? Answer that and there’s your answer. Have you drawn up any contracts with her name on them lately?”

  “Fuck, no.”

  “Really? You met her mother. Prove she doesn’t have you brainwashed. Go out there and pick up that blond hot thing that goes by the name of Hailey but doesn’t mind what you call her when you’re balls deep.”