The Lying Game Complete Collection - Sara Shepard Page 0,352

he can’t handle dating Sutton Mercer.” Laurel gave her a playful body check, then ripped off the dress without even glancing at it in the mirror. “Let’s check out the shoes.”

Emma ditched a sequined Badgley Mischka dress and followed Laurel across the store. Shoe boxes, tissue paper, and crumpled disposable nylon socks were strewn all over the footwear section. A blond woman with skin so tan it looked like leather modeled a pair of leopard-print six-inch heels, while a balding middle-aged man in an Armani suit held her purse. A gaggle of preteen girls giggled and took pictures of one another in Lanvin platforms they clearly weren’t going to buy.

Laurel reached out hungrily toward a pair of velvet Louboutins. She slid them onto her small feet and cocked her hip critically.

“Mom and Dad would kill me,” she said, looking at the price. “But at least I’d die happy.”

“They look …” Suddenly Nisha trailed off and grabbed Emma’s arm. “Uh-oh,” she said under her breath.

Emma followed her gaze across the store. Just twenty feet away, standing in front of a rack of silk scarves, was Garrett Austin, Sutton’s ex-boyfriend.

Emma stared back. Garrett was wearing a crisp, striped oxford shirt and a pair of perfectly broken-in J Brands. He’d grown out his sandy blond hair, trading the preppy cut he’d had while dating Sutton for a longer, more tousled look. All in all, he was pretty cute … except for the fiery expression on his face.

Emma recoiled and looked down, surprised to see him so angry. She knew that Garrett harbored a lot of ill will toward her, both for rejecting him the night of Sutton’s birthday party and for breaking up with him soon afterward. He’d practically attacked her at the Halloween dance. If it hadn’t been for Ethan interrupting them, who knew what would have happened.

At that moment, two girls approached Garrett, their arms full of overstuffed shopping bags. “We’re all done,” said a girl in a fedora and black lace miniskirt. Emma was pretty sure she was Louisa, Garrett’s little sister. The other girl was Celeste.

“Thanks so much again for the ride, Garrett,” Celeste cooed, touching Garrett suggestively with her long, multiringed fingers. “It’s so sad that people in Tucson waste gas going in separate cars. In Taos, everyone carpools everywhere.”

Nisha made a noise at the back of her throat.

Garrett blushed, smiling bashfully at the new girl. “I totally agree. We’ve got to, like, preserve the earth’s resources. But some people are selfish, I guess.”

I snorted with laughter. This, coming from the guy who begged his dad for a gas-guzzling Hummer.

Emma looked at Nisha. “I guess this means you and Garrett aren’t together anymore?” she murmured.

Nisha looked like she was choking down laughter. “Please. We weren’t ever really together. He’s still kind of hung up on you, but he won’t admit it. Even I got tired of hearing about what a bitch you were.”

Emma poked her. “How charitable of you.”

Nisha grinned. “Plus, he’s kind of a crybaby.”

Emma eyed Garrett and Celeste again. “That’s exactly right,” Celeste was saying, squeezing Garrett’s hand. “There are a lot of selfish people around here.” She glanced back at Emma, Laurel, and Nisha, shooting them a pinched smile.

“Excuse me!” Laurel said, stepping forward, her shoulders tense.

Celeste blinked innocently. “Oh, I didn’t mean you, obviously.” She brightened when her gaze landed on Emma, as if noticing her for the first time. “Sutton! Hi!” She eyed Emma’s empty arms. “What’s the matter? Can’t find anything that fits?” Garrett snickered.

Emma jerked back, like she’d been slapped. “As a matter of fact, she was just about to buy this,” Laurel jumped in, holding up the yellow dress Emma had tried on earlier.

“Oh, no,” Celeste pouted, her large eyes blinking dopily. “But yellow so clashes with your aura. I wouldn’t wear it, if I were you.”

Nisha scowled. “Who died and made you the new age fashion police?”

Garrett frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. His sister looked between all the girls and took a tentative step back.

“Oh, please.” Celeste laughed, all innocence. “I would never claim to be the police of anything, let alone fashion. I don’t believe in anything so … fleeting. Meaningless.”

“Then why are you here?” Laurel asked, not bothering to hide her sarcasm.

Nice one, little sister, I cheered silently.

“Just to keep my friends company and pick up a few gifts,” Celeste explained, draping an arm around Garrett’s shoulders suggestively. “But you’re right, it’s time for me to leave. My chakras are extremely sensitive to all this