The (Half) Truth

by Harper, Leddy

  “I just can’t with you right now.” She shook her head in disappointment, and I silently took it because it was the least I deserved for doing the one thing she’d asked me not to. “Clearly, you’re not being smart about this, because if you were, you wouldn’t have climbed into Michael’s bed the same day he suspended you from work.”

  She stomped out of my room before my shock subsided.

  I fell onto the mattress, closed my eyes, and wondered how I’d managed to get myself into this.

  I technically hadn’t lied to her. And considering she’d run out without giving me a chance to say anything, I couldn’t really be held accountable for not clearing it up, either. It didn’t mean she wouldn’t still be livid if she ever discovered the truth, but for the time being, I chose to find comfort in her confusion.

  Sleep never came, probably because my mom decided that seven thirty on a Friday morning was the perfect time to call and fill me in on Dad’s colonoscopy. When she got to the part about the actual procedure, I told her I had to go, and by then, there was no way in hell I could close my eyes and think of anything else. So I decided to give up and take a shower.

  “Shouldn’t you be gone by now?” I asked when Kelsey stepped out of her bedroom to join me in the kitchen.

  She nudged me out of the way with her hip so she could pour another cup of coffee, forcing me to butter my toast over the sink. “Where would I be?”

  “Gee, let’s see . . . work?”

  “And what exactly do you think I would be doing before eight in the morning?”

  “Uh . . . moving furniture?”

  “Good thing you know how to cook. It’s pretty much the only reason you’re still here, because you’re not very funny.” The lack of humor in her blank and bored expression was almost convincing, yet the glimmer in her eyes gave her away—that tiny flare betrayed her impeccable poker face every time.

  All I had to do was smile or show some indication that I’d acknowledged her teasing commentary as it was intended, and we’d pick up where we had left off.

  “I have to get ready for an open house tomorrow.” She brought the mug to her lips and blew on the steaming liquid. “They had one last month and got no offers. I told them it wouldn’t sell the way it is—the old woman who owns it has knickknacks all over the friggin’ place. They finally agreed to let me come in and do an overhaul, but the woman wanted to get her things boxed up first. She must be senile, because if she thinks I want any of that crap, she’s sadly mistaken.”

  “When are you doing that?”

  “She won’t let us in until eleven, which means I’ll be there all day, and more than likely, early tomorrow morning as well. Trust me—that was not how I planned to spend my Friday evening.” She took a sip of her coffee and then leveled a stare at me. “What are you doing tonight?”

  Just then, my phone rang, and I said a silent thank you for the interruption. That was, until I noticed the name on the screen. I grabbed it before she could see it, fumbling with the device until I had it up to my ear. Answering the call seemed easier than ignoring it and having to deal with Kelsey’s questions . . . though at the time, I hadn’t stopped to consider the entire picture.

  “H-hello?” I figured if I played it off, then she wouldn’t find it odd that my phone rang and I picked it up. I blamed the lack of logic on the early hour.

  “Mmm, hello to you, too. You must’ve snuck out early . . . I woke up alone.” His voice was even sexier first thing in the morning. I nearly swooned at the sound of it. Thank God I didn’t, because when I glanced up, I caught Kelsey eyeing me with considerable interest.

  I only prayed she couldn’t hear him—or that it was a him.

  “Yeah, just getting a head start. You know how traffic is.”

  His laughter rumbled into my ear and ran through me until the vibrations settled between my legs. This man had turned me into a nympho. “Well, I was just calling to see how things went when you got home. Did Kelsey give you a hard time?”

  “Yup, sure did.”

  Kelsey’s curiosity morphed into concern as she continued to watch me.

  “Let me get out of bed and shower. I have to drop off some paperwork at the office later,” he mumbled. “Maybe we can get together? I don’t know if you’re much of a coffee drinker, but there’s a place on the way into Samson we can meet at. Or if lunch would be better, I can do that, too.”

  “Oh, absolutely. That sounds awesome. I’d love to come see you.” Had I not been so worried about what Kelsey could hear or who she thought I was on the phone with, I might’ve been more perceptive about what I was saying. Unfortunately, I was incapable of doing and thinking at the same time.

  “Really?” He didn’t sound convinced.

  “Of course. Just tell me when to be there, and I’ll . . . well, I’ll be there.”

  Jason was quiet for a moment, likely thrown off by my intense excitement. “Oh, okay. Give me a couple of hours to deal with the office, and I’ll call when I’m on my way home. We can make plans then. Sound good?”

  “Sounds great!”

  “See you later, Tatum.”

  “See you then.” I disconnected the call with an exaggerated smile burning my cheeks. It took far more muscle strain to fake a grin than it did to showcase a real one.

  Kelsey raised one brow and tucked her chin slightly—the “what are you not telling me” expression. When she realized I wouldn’t offer her anything, she asked, “Who was that?” Her singsong tone pissed me off.

  “My mom.” It was the only person who came to mind, thanks to the call that had kept me from falling back asleep this morning.

  “You’re going to see your parents?”

  “Sure am.”

  “Didn’t you just see them a couple months ago?”

  “Yup. But Dad had a colonoscopy. I need to be there again.”

  She nodded, and by the heavy creases in her brow, I could tell she struggled with whether to believe me or not. “When are you going?”

  “Today.”

  “Really? Don’t you go back to work in a couple of days?”

  “Monday morning.” Then I actually broke it down in my head and realized why she was so confused. “It’s just for the weekend. I figured I’m off anyway, and since I rarely get the opportunity to go, I took her up on the offer.”

  “To fly there and back for . . . what? Two days?”

  “Well, I’m certainly not going to drive.”

  “When’s the flight?”

  I stuffed half the piece of toast into my mouth, needing a moment to formulate this new lie before I got caught. “In an hour,” I said, particles of bread spreading through the air.

  “Your flight leaves in an hour?”

  I shook my head, then nodded, unsure what the right answer was. But as soon as I understood her concern, I shook my head again. “No. Have to be there in an hour.”

  “Oh, thank God. I was gonna say . . .” She shook her head, stepping away from the counter. “Let me drive you to the airport. There’s no sense in you wasting money on parking. That shit’s expensive.”

  “No, really. It’s okay. I can totally drive myself.”

  She shooed me off and stepped around the counter. “Nonsense. Let me finish getting ready, and I’ll take you on my way into Langston. It’ll give me a chance to make sure everything is on the truck before I head over to the hoarder’s house.”

  Before I could stop choking on my toast and argue with her some more, she was in her room with the door shut. I didn’t know how the hell I’d get out of this one, but as I packed a small suitcase—by that, I mean I mindlessly shoved stuff inside the rolling carry-on—I frantically ran through my options.

  Turns out, I didn’t have any.

  “You know . . .” Kelsey spent the entire drive from Samson to the international airport in Langston talking, to which I did a lot of humming and nodding. “I think this weekend will be good for you. It’ll get you away from Michael and the crap he’s trying to pull.
Maybe when you come back, your head will be clear, and you’ll be in a better place.”

  “Mm-hmm.” I stared out the window, only halfway listening to her. It was damn near impossible to pay attention to her while contemplating what I would do once I got to the airport. Not to mention, if she doubted my weekend plans at all, I wouldn’t put it past her to walk me in and wait until I’d made it through the TSA checkpoint. If that happened . . . I was screwed.

  “Speaking of . . . when do you get back?”

  “Oh, I’m not sure.”

  “Didn’t you buy a ticket?”

  Only a moron would get this far into a lie without realizing the issue of a plane ticket. “No. My mom bought it for me.”

  “Well, when you find out what time your return flight lands, let me know, and I’ll pick you up. Maybe it’ll get me out of going to my parents’ house on Sunday. She’s making some kind of pasta, which would be fabulous if you were going to be there to make sure she doesn’t mess it up. But since you won’t be . . . I’m kinda scared.”

  We pulled up in front of the departure doors, and she shifted the car into park. This was it. Time to grab my suitcase from the back and head inside as if I belonged. With my luck, the security would think I had a bomb in my bag and arrest me.

  “Thanks, Kels. See you Monday.” I closed the door and waved, standing on the curb with my carry-on next to me.

  She continued to sit there and watch me.

  And I continued to wave.

  “Ma’am . . .” An older man approached me, and my heart sank. This was it. He was about to ask what I had in my bag. The FBI were already on their way with the SWAT team. I was about to hold up my hands in surrender and tell him I didn’t have a bomb when he leaned into the car window and said to Kelsey, “Goodbyes are hard, but we have to keep it moving. There are others who need to be dropped off as well.”

  I sighed in relief, took the handle to my bag, and stepped away from the curb. I had no idea what to do once I’d made it inside, but I’d have to figure that out later.

  I wheeled my suitcase through the airport, following every exit sign I could find. And once I made it down to baggage claim, I did my best to fit in with the other travelers. After all, I didn’t want to look suspicious. I couldn’t have possibly been the only person in the entire world who came to an airport to get out of telling someone the truth.

  Sitting on a bench outside the arrivals gate, I thumbed through the contacts on my phone in search of someone to pick me up. Granted, I needed someone who wouldn’t question why I was here or why I needed to be dropped off at a hotel so close to home, so that narrowed my options . . . considerably.

  Down to one. Jason.

  Amanda would have too many questions. Anyone in Kelsey’s family—aside from her cousin—would be too risky. There was a good chance someone would say something about it, and it’d get back to her. Not to mention the whole Sunday lunch thing made calling her mom a bit messy. And as much as I would’ve liked to believe I could call Carrie or Rebecca or any of the other people I worked with, there was no way I could without either getting caught in my lies or forming new ones.

  So, Jason was it.

  “Hey, have you by chance left yet to deal with that thing at the office?” I asked after he answered his phone.

  “I’m on my way now. Why? What’s up?”

  “I was just wondering if you could pick me up while you’re out.”

  He hesitated for a moment. “Uh, sure. Is there something wrong with your car?”

  “I guess you could say that.”

  “What’s wrong with it?”

  “It’s at my apartment.”

  Silence met me, followed by his tentative question, “And . . . where are you?”

  “The airport.”

  He laughed for a second, but when I didn’t join in, he grew quiet. “Why?”

  “Because Kelsey was standing in front of me when you called, and I somehow gave her the impression I was flying out to see my parents for the weekend.”

  “How’d you do that?”

  “I told her I was flying out to see my parents for the weekend.”

  His laughter returned, louder than before. Normally, this would be the time I’d feel stupid and pray for a cloak of invisibility. Instead, I let the hilarity of the situation roll through me.

  “I’ll pick you up, but it might be half an hour before I get there.”

  “That’s fine. Thirty minutes sure beats all weekend.”

  His chuckle flowed through me. “How exactly are you going to explain being home instead of at your parents’? Don’t you think she’ll notice it if you’re in your room?”

  “Not if I’m really quiet.”

  “Yeah . . . how about we discuss this when I pick you up.”

  I told him where I was and then disconnected the call. While I waited, I called my brother, since I hadn’t returned his text from yesterday. I woke him up, but that didn’t stop him from talking to me until Jason pulled up to the curb almost forty minutes later.

  Jason stepped out and helped me with my bag while I said goodbye to Tanner.

  “Who was that?” His husky tone could’ve been perceived as jealousy—probably because he’d heard me tell someone I loved them—though the slight hitch at the end conveyed curiosity. And since I was stupid enough to believe he’d be upset at me for talking to another guy, relative or otherwise, the meaning was clear.

  “My brother.”

  His curiosity turned to confusion while he continued to stare at me. “For some reason, I thought you were an only child. Then again, maybe it’s because I am, so I just assume everyone else is, too.”

  “I might as well be, considering Tanner was seventeen when I was born.”

  “Damn. Talk about starting over,” he said, laughing to himself as he pulled away from the curb. “I always thought the six-year age gap between me and Kelsey was hard . . . I can’t imagine almost two decades. Are you very close with him?”

  “Yeah. We don’t get to see each other much, but we talk all the time.”

  “Where does he live?”

  “Alaska.” I sighed, and for the first time, I actually wanted to talk about Tanner to someone else. “He moved there about eight years ago to get away from the close-minded idiots who came after him with pitchforks.”

  “Pitchforks?”

  “Well, more like an investigation.” My heart still broke every time I thought about the things he had endured. “Tanner doesn’t have a . . . conventional marriage. And apparently no one could understand his choices. Rather than try to get to know him, people slung accusations around and chased him out of state.”

  “Does he have more than one wife or something?”

  I laughed, not because I found it funny, but because I was sure Jason wasn’t expecting the answer I was about to give. “Four.” I waited for his mouth to fall open, and when it didn’t, I added, “And two husbands—used to be three.”

  That got a reaction, though not what I was used to. Rather than shock, he appeared more contemplative. With a slight smirk, he kept his eyes on the road and slowly nodded, as if making sense of it in his head. “Why are there only two now?”

  Yeah . . . not the question I thought he’d have. Nor was it an answer I wanted to explain, yet I gave it anyway. “The authorities opened an investigation on their family because they thought it was a cult. I think the stress got to Richard.”

  “He left?”

  Tiny needles stabbed the backs of my eyes when I said, “No. He had a heart attack. That was when Tanner decided they needed to get away. And you can’t really get much farther than Alaska. But they’ve been happy there. Lots of privacy, which is what they needed.”

  Jason was quiet for a moment, making me almost desperate to hear his thoughts—I just knew they wouldn’t echo the criticism I’d heard most of my life. And he didn’t disappoint when he asked, “Does he have any kids?”

  He seriously amazed me.

  “Uh, yeah. He h
as five with Melinda, three with Peggy, one with Loraine, and three with Vikki. But they’re all called Mom and Dad. They’re just one big happy family; although, they kind of have to be in order to raise a dozen kids. In their eyes, they all share the same DNA.”

  “I get it. Bill was my stepdad, but I never looked at him like that. To me, he was my father. He called me his son, treated me like his blood ran through my veins, and loved me like he had created me. The heart doesn’t know the difference.”

  God, he really did get it.

  “Yeah.” I nodded, almost speechless over how easy it was to tell him about Tanner. When I’d told Michael, he’d seemed put off by it. And the few times they’d been around each other, Michael had been standoffish. I’d questioned him multiple times, yet he always told me I was “reading too much into it.” That might’ve been true, but after seeing Jason’s immediate acceptance of my brother’s lifestyle, I doubted it.

  He continued to drive toward the airport exit, clearly contemplating something. Coming to a stop at a red light, he finally asked, “Where to?”

  “I figured I’d just get a room at a hotel or something.”

  He narrowed his gaze, which looked very much like the expression Kelsey used when she heard something ridiculous. “That sounds expensive.”

  “You’re right. I should totally make you pay for it.”

  “Me?” Somehow, the feel of our entire interaction changed with his phony, exaggerated reaction.

  “Yes. I mean, this is all your fault. I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for you.”

  “You’re right. You’d still be on a bench waiting for someone to pick you up.”

  I shook my head and released any residual hesitation through soft waves of humor drifting past my smiling lips. “Except I wouldn’t have been at the airport. You see . . . had you not made me stay over last night, I would’ve still been asleep this morning when you called—not standing in front of Kelsey. Actually, if you want to get technical here, you probably wouldn’t have even called at all. So really, this all comes down to the fact that I slept over . . . which was your idea.”