Lie, Lie Again - Stacy Wise Page 0,54

both kids so she could lay her throbbing head on a pillow. Just for a few minutes. Maybe sip some bubbly water. But he didn’t. She closed the door and clambered outside with the children, understanding for the first time the old expression about the fine line between love and hate. She knew in her heart she didn’t hate him. Of course not. But she hated how he was acting.

As Embry stepped onto the long driveway, she looked up to see Riki loaded down with her work bag. Goodness, she seemed to have a never-ending stack of papers. Embry smiled as Riki jogged toward her.

“Hey! Good morning, Em. Hi, Kylie. Hi, Carson.”

Embry couldn’t help but return her smile. Riki was always so cheery. Brandon had commented on it once. That girl’s always smiling. Have you noticed that? I don’t think she’s had one bad day. Her smile dropped from her face as she recalled Kylie’s words from yesterday, but she quickly shook the bad thoughts away. Ky was three. And besides that, Riki would never make a move on her husband. “Good morning. Off to school?”

“Yep,” she said, fumbling with her purse. “I’m totally running late. Fingers crossed there’s no traffic,” she added with a laugh. “Now if I can only find my keys.” She yanked her purse open wide, and something familiar caught Embry’s eye.

It can’t be. She stepped closer, not even trying to be subtle about looking into Riki’s purse. “That’s Brandon’s headshot! Why do you have it?”

“Huh?” The color seemed to drain from her face. “What? Where?”

“In your purse.” She pointed. “It’s right there.”

“Omigod! Right!” She slapped a hand to her forehead before taking it out and handing it to Embry. “I meant to return this to you guys, but I honestly forgot all about it. I’m thinking it must’ve gotten mixed in with my papers when I babysat. I found it in a pile of spelling tests. Funny, huh?”

Embry took the photo. “Yeah. Funny,” she said without humor. “Thanks for returning it.”

“Sure,” she said, still digging in her purse. She lifted her keys. “Found them! I better run. Have a great day!”

Embry shuttled Kylie to the car, her mind still tangled in the conversation. Had Riki been acting weird, or was she just flustered because she was running late? Probably the latter. And she was probably embarrassed that she’d accidentally taken something from the apartment. Riki was a nice person. Very nice. But seeing Brandon’s photo in her purse coupled with Kylie’s comment was making her stomach ache. Embry knew Riki thought he was handsome. Everyone did. It was just something she accepted. But she would not put up with someone coming after him, and especially not a trusted friend. That would hurt more than she could bear.

Sylvia sat at her kitchen table with a mug of hot coffee and pressed “Play” on the video she’d made. The pregnancy test sat on her kitchen counter.

A blur of pink washed through the window as a dizzying euphoria coursed through her. Maybe she should’ve set the video to music. It would’ve been such a nice touch. Delight settled in her belly as she watched the first pink line appear followed by the magical second line. She sighed happily, her body limp with joy.

It had been so easy. She’d dipped the stick in Embry’s pee, but of course hadn’t needed to record that, because presumably, she had peed on the stick in the privacy of her own bathroom. Hugh wouldn’t expect her to document that on film.

She’d placed the stick on a paper towel on the kitchen counter and used time-lapse video to capture the moment. It had felt so real, happy tears had formed in her eyes as she’d watched the two lines appear. Would Hugh tear up when he saw the video? Or would beads of sweat form along his hairline as his stomach rumbled and lurched? The father of two babies. Irish twins! Oh . . . she would have to use that in her message to him. Not today. No, she had to carefully construct her plans. First things first. And then she’d blast him with the delightful video. It would be a veritable kick to the crotch.

Riki sprinted up the steps to campus, her pulse racing. How could she have forgotten to move the headshot? She reviewed the conversation in her mind. Embry had believed her. Jeez, she hoped she’d believed her. She adjusted her tote and hurried into the main quad.

“Riki?”

She pivoted to