Tell Me No Lies

by C. Morgan/Chloe Morgan

  Once we got to the Heights, I realized my view was going to be even better. “Can you believe this?”

  It must have cost him a fortune, and when we checked in, we were led to our room. The young man was handsome, and he wore a big sappy smile as he caught Karen winking at him in the elevator. “You’re cute. What’s your name?”

  “Finn,” he said, checking her out.

  “Well, Finn, do you have a girlfriend?”

  Finn laughed. “Actually, no.”

  “What do people like to do around here?”

  “Lots of things,” he said.

  “Well, that’s kind of vague,” said Karen. “Maybe you could show me around later when you get off of work?”

  I couldn’t believe her. She was the tourist, and she was still playing her game. At least I didn’t have to worry about her being bored.

  Finn looked like he was mulling it over and nodded. “Sure, if you want.”

  “That sounds fun.” She walked him to the door and gave him a big tip, flashing enough cleavage at him to make him grin again.

  She shut the door and joined me at the sofa, where I placed my things. She plopped down as if she was glad to be on solid ground. “Isn’t he cute?”

  “He’s at least six years younger than you are. If not more.”

  “I’m okay with being the older woman in the relationship. We can’t all find perfect men like you. But Finn’s a start. Someone to keep me company my first night in town.”

  I walked to the bedroom and checked out the bathroom with the big tub, just like the brochure had promised. “This place looks new, doesn’t it?”

  “Newer than the Golden Flower,” she said. Our hotel was a lot newer than most in Vegas, or at least newly renovated.

  “Zane called this place a boomtown. The oil industry is really popping around here.”

  “Lucky you. You said he’s a foreman, right? Maybe he’s earning a good living. You need a rich man.”

  “I’m not with him for his money. I’d like him regardless of what he made or has.” I took out my phone and turned it on. I had turned it off at the airport, knowing no one was going to be able to reach me on the plane.

  My heart sank as I realized he had called me. “Oh no. I missed him!” I tried to call him back, but there was no answer. “Shit. Shit.” I raked my hand through my hair as I felt like crap.

  “It’s okay. Calm down.”

  “What if he thinks I didn’t answer on purpose? What if he thinks I don’t want him?”

  “You’re here. I’m pretty sure as soon as he sees you, he’s going to get it.”

  “I need to go and see him. I can’t put it off any longer. I’ll just go to his place. It can’t be far.”

  “You can’t go looking like that,” she said, looking me up and down. I had traveled for three hours in a plane and read a book, not rolled around in the mud. “Change and freshen up. He’s probably going to fuck you stupid as soon as he sees you.”

  “I’m sure he won’t do that. Besides, if he has a kid like he says, then she will probably be there.”

  “Oh yeah. I forgot about her. Are you sure you want to share Zane with another person? He’s always going to want her around, and she’s going to be in the middle. You know how it was when your mom dated. You hated the men like I did my mom’s boyfriends. What do you think will happen? She’s going to be a little stink, just watch. You need to tell her that you have her number right away.”

  “She’s a child, and that attitude is precisely why I hated my mother’s boyfriends. They were always quick to tell me who was boss and try to put me in my place. I don’t have to be that person, and I’m pretty sure Zane wouldn’t want me to be that way to his daughter.”

  “Well, it’s inevitable. There will be problems.”

  “That’s not true. It’s all how we make it, and it’s going to be wonderful.” I was trying to psych myself up, and all the while, I remembered hating my mother’s last boyfriend so badly that I still got angry every time I thought about him.

  “Great. Now I’m afraid to go.”

  Karen made a face as if she realized her mistake. “Sorry. I guess I was projecting. Just because I was a little shit to my mom’s boyfriends doesn’t mean this little girl will hate you. I’m sure she’s cute. And sweet.”

  I let out a long breath. “What if she hates me?”

  “She won’t. You’ll be the coolest woman her dad has brought home. I’m sure you’ll be best of friends.” It was amazing how her tune had changed, all because she was trying to cheer me up.

  I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. Then I swiped on a little more lip gloss and brushed out my hair, which fell in waves to my shoulders. When I looked for something to wear, I went for something simple, jeans and a shirt. Nothing fancy, just casual comfort.

  I had no idea how long I would be there or if I’d sleep over. I decided to pack my toothbrush just in case. It was a bold move, and maybe it was a bit too much.

  I decided it was better to be optimistic. After a quick goodbye to Karen, who wished me luck, I headed out to catch my ride. Next stop, Zane’s house, and then I’d know whether or not I’d just made the biggest mistake of my life.

  Chapter 33

  Zane

  After figuring out I’d lost my phone, I searched the house high and low and decided I must have left it at the stream.

  By the time I got Mila loaded into the car to go and look for it, my father drove up in the drive, blocking my exit.

  “Looking for this?” he asked, getting out of the car. “I heard it ring and thought I’d drive it out.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Yeah, I think it’s your girl from Vegas,” he said with a wink. “You might want to check your messages.”

  I glanced down and realized she hadn’t left one. “Thanks. Sorry you had to drive back over.”

  “Can you stay and play a while, Pop-pop?”

  Dad shook his head. “I wish I could pumpkin, but Pop-pop has to get back home. Nana is cooking me dinner.”

  “Okay.” She hung her little head in disappointment as she stepped back from his truck.

  Dad shut the door and drove away.

  “Come on,” I said. “Let’s get our own dinner. We can order out if you want.”

  “Chicken nuggets?” she asked as we went into the house.

  “I think we can do better than that.” I wasn’t driving into town for fast food when I could order something in. “What about that pasta place you like?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  She ran ahead of me to the kitchen and found our menus we kept in a basket. “Here it is,” she said, pulling out the right one. “I want this.” She pointed to the picture of her favorite baked macaroni and cheese with chicken.

  “How about a salad on the side? That’s what I want with my spaghetti.”

  “Okay, but I’m not eating those sprouts. You can pick them out.”

  “We’ll make it a house salad. That one doesn’t have sprouts. But you have to eat it.”

  There was a knock at the door.

  Mila’s eyes widened. “Pop-pop came back!” She ran to the door, and I couldn’t get around the counter fast enough to stop her.

  “Honey, wait!” I called.

  She threw open the door, and I heard her little voice say, “You’re not Pop-pop.”

  Before I could see who was there, I heard Tara’s voice. “Hello, honey, is your daddy home?”

  When I rounded the corner, she was standing at my door. “Mila, go play in your room. I need to talk to my friend.”

  “Okay.” Mila smiled and waved at Tara. Then she ran to her room, and I heard the door slam.

  “What are you doing here?” I wanted to hear what was on her mind.

  She got a look of surprise on her face. “Um, I got your letter with the tickets.”

  “I guess I just didn’t think you’d use them to come and see me.”

  “Oh, I thought that was the point. Was I mistaken?�
�� She had a look of disappointment in her eyes. “I could leave.”

  “No!” I stepped back and tried to blink away all of the thoughts in my head. “Sorry, come in. I’m just a little shocked you actually came.”

  “Me too,” she said, walking into my house. She looked around, and I could tell it was more than she expected. “But I knew I had to say I was sorry for what happened. I should have heard you out. I made things worse by jumping the gun.”

  “When my mom called, I wasn’t trying to hide anything. It’s just my life, my problems? They were personal, you know? And I didn’t know if we were at that level yet. Or if you wanted to be.”

  “So it was your mother who called?”

  “Yeah. My ex, who is Mila’s mom, was causing a bit of trouble here. I had to come and deal with it.” I gestured for her to have a seat on the couch, and I took the chair beside it, not sure how close she wanted me. I knew how close I wanted to get, but pulling her to my lap at this point seemed a little too bold.

  “And I just made it all better, didn’t I? I’m so sorry, Zane. I was just so scared of getting my heart broken that I didn’t want to hear any big secrets. I had no idea you had a daughter. That wasn’t even on the list of horrible things you could have been going to tell me.”

  Her comment sent a charge through me that sat me up about five inches taller. “Well, I don’t think having a child is a horrible thing.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant it’s not horrible. I like children.”

  “But you don’t want any?” She didn’t have to spell it out.

  “No, I’d love to have some of my own one day. But I guess I just can’t see raising them in Sin City.”

  “Oh,” I said, realizing I might have misjudged her as well. “I was trying to protect my girl. And that’s the only reason I didn’t bring her up. I love Mila, and she’s the most important thing in my life.”

  “I get it. I just don’t really see why you didn’t tell me sooner.”

  I moved to the couch with her. “I didn’t realize at first that I wanted to let you into that part of my life. But now that I know, I wanted you to know all of me. Even the baggage that comes with me. I figured if you knew and still stuck around, you might really want to make this work.”

  “I do, Zane. I wouldn’t have come here to work things out if I didn’t.”

  I moved to kiss her so quickly that I was sure I’d taken her breath away. She moaned a little, accepting my tongue, and I moved her back against the cushions before realizing my five-year-old was just down the hall.

  “I’m so glad you showed up.”

  “Well?” she asked. “Can I meet her?”

  I grinned ear to ear and stole another kiss before getting to my feet. “Come on. You can see her room.”

  I took her hand, pulled her to her feet, and walked her down to Mila’s room, where I knocked on the door. “Noodle?”

  “Daddy?”

  I opened the door. “Hey, Noodle. I have someone I’d like you to meet.”

  Mila peeked up from the coloring book and smiled. “Is she your date?” she asked.

  Tara’s smile faded. “You had a date?”

  “No.” I shook my head and hoped she’d give me time to explain. “She means you. She overheard my parents talking.”

  Tara nodded. “Hi, you must be Mila,” she said. “I’m your daddy’s friend, Tara.”

  “Are you his girlfriend?”

  Tara was clearly put on the spot.

  I folded my arms and gave her a hard look. “Well? Answer her.”

  Tara let out a deep breath. “Well, I’m a girl, obviously, and I’m your father’s friend, so sure. Don’t you have friends who are boys?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t want to kiss them.” She gave Tara a matter-of-fact look.

  “She’s got you there,” I said.

  “Daddy, can we go fishing again before it gets dark?” The days were a bit longer, but I knew Tara was tired from her long trip.

  “Maybe another time when we don’t have company.” We had just gotten back from the long day of riding, and I had figured she’d be exhausted. “How about tomorrow?”

  She sighed and gave that pouty look, but Tara smiled. “I’d like to go fishing in the morning,” she said. “I haven’t been since I was about your age. Do you think you could show me?”

  “Yeah,” she said. “We go to our special pond. It’s right through the woods.” She gave me another pleading look.

  “Tomorrow, okay?”

  “Yes,” said Tara. “I’m a little tired from my flight, but if you’d go in the morning, I’d love to see a special pond.”

  “You can show her your tackle box,” I said to Mila.

  Tara’s eyes widened with excitement. “You have your own tackle box? That’s so cool. I wanted one when I was young, but I was told no because of all of the hooks.”

  “Hooks are sharp,” said Mila. “I can’t play with those.”

  I chuckled. “She has one that doesn’t have any hooks in it. I keep all of the hooks in mine.”

  “I think it’s great that you fish together.”

  “Well, we have tea parties, too. She’s got to even things up a bit.”

  “Tea parties? Now I have to see that.”

  “I have a tea set!” Mila ran to the other room to get it.

  “You don’t have to agree to fish just to please her,” I said.

  “I know, but I’m ready to see some of this beautiful state you’ve offered to show me. And thank you by the way. I needed a getaway.”

  “Well, I’m glad you were able to get off work.”

  “Ben is pissed off. Karen came with me, so I’m sure he’s feeling abandoned.”

  “She came too?” I was shocked they had both gotten off work at the same time. Ben didn’t seem like the kind of boss to let that happen without consequence, and I hoped I didn’t make problems for her at work.

  “Yeah, she did. And if I know her, she’s already entertaining the bellboy at the hotel.”

  I laughed but wasn’t sure I liked her having men over to the hotel room. Hopefully, the woman would have better judgment when Tara was around. From what I could tell, she was about as wild as Clay, and I didn’t want Tara involved in anything like that. But I couldn’t exactly say it. She was her friend, and I was glad Tara hadn’t had to travel alone.

  Mila finally came out of the back with the tea set. “I can make you some tea if you want. Or coffee. I can make coffee too.” She placed the little set on the little table in her room. “How do you like it?”

  “Hmm,” said Tara, giving me a glance. “Dark roast is my favorite.”

  “Okay, I’ll make us some for tomorrow too. Daddy likes to drink coffee before he goes fishing.”

  Tara smiled. “Are you going to catch lots of fish?”

  Mile smiled and nodded. “Yeah, you can even use my pole if you want. Its name is Lucky.”

  Tara laughed. “Well, that’s the perfect name for a fishing pole.”

  “Do you want to go out and sit on the porch for a while? We could see the sunset from there.”

  “I’d like that,” said Tara. “I’ve never seen a North Dakota sunset before.”

  “First time for everything,” I said.

  “I like sharing my first times with you.” She met my eyes, and I wanted so badly to hold her and kiss her. We had so much to discuss, and the little remarks were only reminders of that.

  We headed out to the porch, and the girls managed to talk more than I thought they would.

  Tara walked over to the railing and looked out across the field and past the old barn I’d meant to tear down when I bought the place. “This is so beautiful,” she said. “It’s just so lovely. And colorful in a natural way.”

  “Who needs neon, right?”

  “I want to paint it,” she said, wrapping her arms around her middle.

  “You should.”

  “I didn’t bring any paints with me.”
/>   “Daddy won’t let me have any paints, so you are out of luck.”

  Tara met my eyes. “You should get her a paint set.”

  I hung my head as if I got the point. “I’ve been looking for one. I thought watercolors would be nice.”

  “Watercolors are fun.”

  “They have pencils, and all of the reviews said they were less messy. Mila hasn’t had the best luck with paints.” I glanced at my daughter, who walked over and hopped up in the swing as if she didn’t hear me.

  “The pencils are great for detailed work, but let’s face it. She needs to have freedom with her expression.”

  “She’s wearing the same sparkle tights she’s had on for three months. I think I’m allowing room for expression.”

  Tara giggled. “That’s not what I mean. I just mean that the paints are more fun.”

  “See, Daddy? I told you I need to paint.”

  “She painted all over her headboard and walls the last time she had paint. I’m not sure she’s ready.”

  “Daddy, I was four then. I’m five whole years now. I know how to use paint. I’m not a baby.”

  Tara winced. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to start World War Three. I just know how much being able to paint has helped me.”

  “Fine, I’ll get a simple paint set, and if you can manage it like a big girl, then we’ll add to your colors.”

  “Thanks, Daddy. I can do it. I promise I’ll be good.” Mila got up and went further into the yard, where she tried to catch a cricket.

  I took a deep breath and let it out. “Can you help me get the right paints? Maybe we’ll find you a set too. You can paint the North Dakota sky.”

  “I’ll just snap a photo and do it when I get back home.” She took out her phone and captured a few different shots. “You weren’t kidding. This place is incredible.”

  “You should see my stream,” said Mila, who I wasn’t aware was listening. “We were there today. You missed it.”

  “We can take her again sometime if she is interested.”