The Liar Next Door by Nicola Marsh

Thirty-Five

Saylor

By the time Friday night comes around, I’m a wreck. I haven’t been sleeping well, envisaging all sorts of scenarios where this dinner party ends in disaster. Maybe I haven’t thought this through? Trying to extort someone over the phone is one thing, but faking it to their face while upping the ante? I never thought I’d be capable of something like this but whoever is blackmailing me has left me no choice. I need to protect what’s mine.

As for Ruston, he’s a complication I don’t need but I’m counting on his discretion. He won’t deliberately hurt me, though that’s exactly what he’s done countless times before. But this is different. We’re not involved and he knows I’m happily married so he won’t reveal our past. But I know sitting across the dinner table from him and pretending like we’re nothing more than acquaintances is going to be difficult. Am I that good an actress?

I know the answer when Lloyd catches sight of me and his eyes light up, like I’m a goddess. If this good man remotely suspects what I’ve become embroiled in he’ll be devastated. I hope when I tell him the truth he’ll forgive me but is he that much of a saint? Sadly, I fear that once he discovers my treachery, I’ll be left a poor single parent in debt to a monster that has the potential to ruin my life: more precisely, the lives of those closest to me.

If my secret gets out, it won’t affect me much. People who know me would glance at me sideways, gossip, maybe avoid me, but ultimately my life would go on. My parents on the other hand… having a well-known pastor who runs a church with branches in Syracuse, Buffalo, Poughkeepsie and Saratoga Springs, and broadcasts his sermons to hundreds of thousands more, mired in disgrace because of me… my family will be ruined.

Growing up, my parents had insisted I know the responsibilities that came with being a pastor’s daughter, one of them being to avoid scandal at all costs. I’d rolled my eyes at the time and snuck around behind their backs every chance I got in our hometown of Syracuse, until I witnessed firsthand the kind of damage a kid can wreak on their parents. A pastor in a nearby town had a son who got caught selling weed and the entire congregation turned on the pastor, abandoning his church, leaving him with nothing but a tarnished reputation.

After that I’d been more circumspect in the forbidden stuff I got up to—sex, drugs, drinking, the usual—until I finished school and left Syracuse as fast as humanly possible. Though even at college I’d been more careful than most, determined to do my folks proud. I saw how hard they worked, how much they supported the community and those less fortunate, how utterly selfless they were and no way in hell did I want to be responsible for ruining all that.

Since then my father’s popularity as a pastor has only grown. I never imagined his weekly services would be broadcast let alone watched by so many. Not that I’m terribly religious now but I do occasionally tune in because he’s a good dad and I love him for not forcing his beliefs down my throat. He’s a dynamic speaker and can hold a congregation spellbound, and together with my mom they do a lot of good for many people.

If my secret ever gets out, it will destroy them. I can’t be responsible for that. I won’t.

“You look amazing.” Lloyd plants a soft kiss on my neck. “Tell me again why we have to entertain these virtual strangers?”

“They’re not strangers, they’re our neighbors and we may need their help when this baby comes, that’s why I’m doing this.”

“You think that pretty boy from across the park is going to help us with our son?” He studies my face and I manage a smile, wondering if Lloyd has a sixth sense. He never teases me about other men but there’s something about Ruston that’s making him edgy. It convinces me I’ve done the right thing in not telling him about my past. My husband’s a calm man but I have a feeling he’ll be shattered by my deception if he discovers how big a role Ruston had in my life.

“He might.” I playfully slap his chest, desperately trying to blot out the appealing image of Ruston bouncing my baby on his knee. “Already told you, those pregnancy books terrify me so I’ll need all the help I can get when this one puts in an appearance. I want to make friends with the women at least.”

I take his hand and press it low against my belly, knowing he melts every time I do this. His goofy grin has me biting back a relieved sigh. He’s been suitably distracted.

“Just don’t sit him next to me, okay? I don’t need you making comparisons between the two of us.”

“Don’t be silly.” I force a light laugh and place my hand over his, and as his moves in a slow caress I really hope I’m doing the right thing.

Two hours later, I’m not so sure.

The steaks have been grilled and consumed, the salads demolished and I’m slicing the cheesecake to serve as dessert when Lloyd comes into the kitchen.

“Need a hand?” My husband’s handsome in a navy polo and jeans, his hair uncombed, appealing in a rumpled kind of way, but nothing on the perfection of Ruston, who’s incredibly sexy in black slacks and silk shirt, and I hate myself for making the comparison.

“Thanks, but I’ve got it covered.” I slide the server under a slice and place it carefully on a plate before adding a swirl of whipped cream on the side. “Though you can help me take these plates in once I’m done.”

“Anything for you, sweetheart.” He presses a kiss to my lips. “And before you say ‘I told you so’ later, I take back what I said about Ruston making a play for you.” He points to the dining room. “He seems very enamored with Frankie.”

I’m relieved my acting skills are better than I thought, and Lloyd has dropped the idea I have some kind of connection with Ruston. It will make things easier when the truth comes out.

“They’re sitting next to each other at a dinner party making small talk, big deal. Stop being such a gossip.”

Lloyd shrugs, his grin bashful. “Maybe moving into a close-knit community is making me a gossip, but I don’t think Andre likes Ruston chatting up his wife.”

I brandish the server toward the dining room, waving away his concern. “Frankie’s being polite. What do you expect her to do, ignore him?”

“No, but she’s hanging on his every word and I can sense the tension.” He grimaces and swipes a hand over his face. “I’ve actually been enjoying myself but now, I think we should wind it up.”

“Good idea,” I say, sliding the last piece of cheesecake onto a plate. I agree with my husband. Nothing has gone to plan this evening and rather than put more pressure on the person I’m blackmailing, I’ve ended up feeling on edge. “Let’s have dessert, then gently nudge them out the door.”

“Sounds good to me,” he says, and chuckles as I hand him a few dessert plates. “I’m just glad the lovely Frankie is melting in a puddle when Ruston talks to her and not you.”

“The lovely Frankie?” I pretend to pout. “Are you trying to make me jealous?”

He grins. “Is it working?”

“You’re a one woman man and don’t you forget it.” I waggle my finger at him before picking up the remaining plates, balancing two on my opposite forearm and holding one in my hand, mimicking his expertise.

“Duly noted,” he says, amusement glinting in his eyes at the thought of making me jealous. “For what it’s worth, I think you did a good thing here tonight, inviting the neighbors over.”

“Thanks.” I melt under his admiration. “Your support means the world to me. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” He squares his shoulders, striking a pose. “I also know you find me irresistible.”

I smile, wishing our relationship could always be this good. But I know it’s futile, because when I tell him the truth, it will change everything.