Tell Me No Lies Read online

  “Don’t ask me.” I shrugged, though I had a pretty good idea. My friend and favorite party girl, Karen, was usually doing her walk of shame this time of the morning. Why Ben had just now cared to ask about her showed how much he really cared.

  Karen was his favorite, and not only because she called him Benny. But because she was the type who could draw in a crowd and work it. She could make you feel good with a smile and talk you into just about anything if and when she wanted. It was her gift, and Ben saw the profit in it.

  She usually got away with murder. I wasn’t so lucky.

  About that time, the kitchen door swung open, and she sauntered out as the first customer walked in and made his rounds quietly, piling the waffles onto his plate.

  “Where have you been?” asked Ben with a tone so hard the customer glanced up and made a face before going on with his business.

  Karen looked like she had stuffed her uniform in that beach bag she called a purse and dragged it all around the city last night before putting it back on this morning.

  “Take it easy. I didn’t have time to iron my uniform.” The white cotton blouse, which was designed to show off her rack, was rumpled and full of creases, as was the black skirt.

  “It smells like you didn’t have time to wash it either,” he said. “You smell like booze.”

  “That’s me,” she said. “I’m still riding the last wave of drinks from last night. I haven’t had much sleep.”

  “Then maybe you should go home early and get to work earlier. I have a buffet to run.” His tone was steeped with disappointment until she pinched his cheek.

  “Come on, Benny Vinnie. You know you aren’t mad at me.” She gave him a wink. “You wouldn’t know what to do without me around.” She had a way of working people, a way I’d never had. And while I worried about her sometimes, she never let anything slow her down.

  “Maybe that’s true.” He gave a shrug and hurried to the back when the phone rang in the kitchen.

  When Ben was gone, I walked up to her to get the real scoop. “So? Where were you really?”

  She gave me a big smile. “I met these guys last night, two of them. They were in town and wanted the grand tour. Well, who does that better than me?”

  “Two of them? Are you talking about those guys who were at the back table last night? The ones you called nerdy?”

  “Yeah, well, nerdy equals money, honey. I know I’ve told you that.”

  “And you spent the night with them both?”

  Her grin got bigger. “You really do think the worst of me, don’t you?” She gave me a playful slap. “Not hardly. I waited for them to pass out and left.”

  “Just like that? You left?” There had to be more to the story, but somehow, Karen always managed to surprise me.

  She laughed. “They were nerds. I outdrank them. That’s why I’m still a bit buzzed.”

  “I don’t see how you have the money to do all of that.”

  “You really need to go out with me sometime. I keep telling you that I can teach you the ropes, including getting the men to pay for everything.”

  She claimed that she never had to pay for so much as a drink but I found it hard to believe. But then, money didn’t come easily to me, so I wasn’t looking for extra ways to spend it. “So, those nerdy men paid for your night?”

  “Every drink, every morsel of food. Even gambling. I won three hundred dollars.”

  “I wouldn’t have that luck.”

  “You’re the only person in this city who doesn’t enjoy it. I swear, to live in Vegas and not gamble? I think you need your head examined.”

  “Not everyone here is a gambler. Some of us are just trying to make it.” I had ends to meet, not money to throw away. I lived in a simple economy apartment with one bedroom and a bathroom that was just big enough to be functional. I had stayed in motels that were bigger when I was a kid with my mother. But it would do. It suited my needs and would until I could find a way out.

  “You want to leave. The one place in the world people want to go, and you can’t even appreciate living here.”

  I was more of a nature girl or wanted to be. One time when I was younger, my mom and I took a road trip and stayed in a camp in the forest. When we finally settled in Vegas with her boyfriend, we never went anywhere again. It had been my dream since to go back. And I didn’t even really know where it was.

  “Want to go to the pool later?” She knew I loved the pool, and that was one of the perks of working in the hotel. That and the free food from the buffet leftovers.

  I ate pretty well for someone who was barely getting by. Admittedly, I was mostly roughing it to save money and I tucked away all I could. Although it wasn’t much since I had dipped in to buy the little Nissan that got me to and from work with great gas mileage.

  “That does sound good.” I always kept a bathing suit and towel in the car, and we used it quite a bit.

  “Okay then. It’s a date. Maybe we’ll pick up some hotties.” No sooner than she had the words out of her mouth than two older men walked into the buffet. One had salt-and-pepper hair, and the other was balding, but to Karen, they were a sure thing. They caught her eye immediately, and she caught theirs, earning a big smile.

  “Oh, lucky me. Look who just sat down in my section. Those look like winners to me.”

  “They’re a little old for you, aren’t they?”

  “I swear, you don’t know anything about men. Men like that love to spend money, which means free dinner and drinks. I’ll see you later.” She hurried across the room to them, and I went over to check on the first customer who was making slow work of his waffles.

  “Can I get you anything, sir? Refill? Extra napkins?” He had syrup on his fingers, which he proceeded to lick off.

  “No, thanks. I’m good, miss.” He went back to stuffing his face while reading through his phone.

  After looking around the room for comparison, his behavior seemed to be the norm. If they weren’t working on a plate of food, they were lost in the hypnotic glare from their own phone screens.

  I went back around to stir the gravy and made sure that everything was presentable while the customers filed in.

  The line grew longer as, table by table, they filled the place up. After about thirty minutes of flirting, Karen walked back into the kitchen as I was getting refills on the waffles and fruit.

  “Hey,” she said. “About later. I got invited to go out with those guys. They asked if I had a friend and said they’d love to show us a good time.”

  “I bet they would. They are old enough to be our fathers. What happened to lounging by the pool?” I knew the prospect of having two men falling all over her was much more appealing, especially by the look she gave me.

  “You cannot be serious. This is a perfect chance for you to come out with me and see how it’s done. I can train you, Grasshopper. I’m a master. And these two? They’re harmless. Just looking for a nice girl to show them a good time in the big city.”

  Some of her behavior scared me. I waited for the day she would end up dead in a dumpster somewhere or buried in the desert. “Nah, you go on ahead. I’ll just go to the pool alone or see if one of the other girls wants to hang with me.”

  “Sorry, Tara. It’s just that the pool will always be there. These guys? They are once in a lifetime, and look at the tall one.” Her eyes lingered on Mr. Salt and Pepper, who was actually really good looking for his age. “Dear Lord, that daddy can give me a spanking anytime.” She gave a sultry growl and licked her lips.

  My eyes widened as my face turned red. “Karen! He’s probably someone’s husband.”

  “Calm down. I’m not going to sleep with him if he’s married. And besides, I’ve told you it’s not always about sex. These men want attention—a little flirting, something to slap, grab, and tickle for a few hours. And if they throw their money at me in the process, lucky me. It’s all in fun. I let them know where I stand.”

  “It’s just not for me. I’m sorry, but
no.” I had never wanted to be with that kind of man and certainly not on a whim. I wanted someone who was strong, a working man, not some old man wanting to slap and tickle me. He could keep his money. I didn’t need a man wanting to make it big in the city either, ready to strike it rich. I needed a man who, like me, wanted to get out of the city. “I go for the more rugged, outdoorsy type.”

  “You want a redneck,” she said, making a face. “No thanks.”

  “More like a working man,” I corrected. “There’s nothing wrong with that kind of man. My grandfather was that kind of man.” From what I remembered at least. I also thought he probably would want better for me than one-night stands and pimping myself as some sort of tagalong escort.

  It wasn’t that I thought I was better than Karen, but men who wanted girls like that, they didn’t like girls like me. I wasn’t flashy or glamourous enough.

  “You should just try it once. Let go now and then. Trust me. You’d thank me if you followed my advice. You’d get the bug, and then you’d never get enough of the Vegas nightlife.” She wagged her brows, and she went back out to their table.

  As I walked out and spotted them glancing over, neither seemingly disappointed that I couldn’t come along and both looking at Karen like they’d share, I felt like I’d never find my place in the world.

  But I could rest easy knowing one thing. I wasn’t going to be an old man’s one-night stand.

  Chapter 3

  Zane

  When I showed up at my parents’ house in the late afternoon, my father met me at the door.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “I didn’t tell your mother what happened this morning.” He glanced down at my arm that was still bandaged from my afternoon trip to the hospital.

  I had left him hanging and only briefly called back to tell him I was on my way after shutting things down for the day. It turned out I’d been on the phone with the hospital and even went to donate a pint of blood to the poor kid after finding out I was a universal donor.

  “Yeah, just had a kid lose his arm today. He stuck it in the machine, and I’m still not sure how he managed that. I gave him a pint of my own blood.”

  “Damn, son. I’m sorry to hear that. You think they can save it?”

  “It was so mangled. I doubt it.” I took a deep breath. I didn’t want to repeat that image all day. “Where’s my girl?”

  “She’s in the house with her nana. She’s still trying to convince me about paints. I think there has to be a compromise somewhere.”

  My father had bargained with her before. “Dad, she can’t have paints because she found some of Mom’s, brought them home to her room, and painted her headboard. She had paint from one end of the bedroom to the other by the time I found it.”

  “You should have been paying attention to her.” My father was never going to blame his precious angel.

  “It was after lights out.” I wasn’t going to stand there, debating it with him. I headed into the house. “Is there anything left over from dinner?”

  “Might be something. Ask your mother. She’ll feed you.” As I started in, Dad stayed on my heels. “I just think you’re going to squash her creativity. She’s a good girl, and this is a healthy outlet. Set some rules, and she’ll follow them.”

  “I’ll think about it.” I wasn’t giving up on the paints.

  I walked into the kitchen and found Mila with her back to me. She stood on the step stool, making cookies with my mother. The brown curls that normally went down her back had been tied up out of the way.

  I had intended to sneak up behind her, but hearing my footsteps, she thought I was my father. “Pop-pop! I made a bird.” She turned around with the cookie dough in her hand. “Daddy!” She jumped down and hugged my legs, then held up the smashed dough. “See!” Her big brown eyes that were just like my mother’s stared up at me.

  It didn’t look an awful lot like a bird to me after she squished it, but I wasn’t going to disappoint her. “I see that.”

  She had on her sparkly leggings, but instead of her princess costume, she wore a T-shirt with a unicorn in rain boots with them.

  “I’m glad you’re home, Daddy. I have to show you something. Look at the fridge.” She pointed across the room.

  I walked over and looked at the picture on the door. The drawing of the birdhouse on a tree branch had amazing detail. It seemed almost a little too good for her age, and for a moment, I wondered if my parents had helped her. “This is really advanced stuff, Noodle.”

  I had called her Noodle since the minute she was born. She wiggled like one and was just as slippery. Heather had done the whole water birth, and I was eager to entertain her whims back then when she was clean.

  My mother turned around, wiping flour from her hands. “Yeah, she’s been improving a lot since I let her use the app on my phone. It teaches kids to draw.”

  “I told you,” said my father. “Not something you want to waste.”

  Maybe he was right. “Okay, okay. I’ll find a compromise. But let’s keep it under wraps for now.” I gave my father a pointed look. I didn’t need her getting too excited.

  “Okay, okay.” He held up his hands, mimicking me.

  “So, what are you baking? Dessert?”

  “Cookies. The sugar kind. I wanted to make funny shapes.”

  “We’re supposed to be making a farm scene,” said Mom. “I thought she could play with the animals once we make them.”

  “She’s got a toybox full of toys in the next room, in case you forgot buying them.”

  “But you can eat these when you’re done,” said Mom.

  “When you tell me to clean up my toys, I’ll just eat them. Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.” Mila pretended to eat the raw dough.

  My parents had spoiled her terribly from the moment she came into the world. It was like they were making up for the time they had missed with me, being working parents. My mother was a retired school teacher, who after three years of retirement still missed her classroom, and my father was a semi-retired electrician, who still wished I had gone into his line of work.

  Mom laughed, and they put the dough on the pan, and she took it to the oven. When she walked back over, she leaned against the counter as Mila ran off with my dad to the living room.

  “Guess who I saw the other day?” She gave me a grin and waited for me to guess.

  “Tell me.” I hated guessing games.

  “Clay Whitmore. He looked pretty rough. He had a black eye. I asked him what happened, and he said he got thrown out of the piano bar he was working in downtown.”

  “That’s Clay. Always in trouble.” The man just didn’t take the world as seriously as he should.

  My mother nodded. “He’s always been the most rambunctious and immature of your friends. You might want to go over and check on him. He needs a good friend, someone like you with a good head on your shoulders.” She had said the same thing to me when Clay announced that he was going to join me at college. He was my oldest friend and the closest thing to a brother I’d ever had.

  “I wouldn’t go calling my life perfect, Mom.” It wasn’t that in any way, but I was trying my best.

  “No, but it’s better than his. He’s got to grow up. I heard Beth kicked him out.”

  “Seriously? I thought they just had a kid.” I couldn’t believe what I heard. Beth and Clay were like salt and pepper. You rarely saw one without the other close by. “How’s he taking that?”

  “Well, he had a black eye, so you tell me.”

  “I should go see him.” Clay had been there for me when Heather had gone off the deep end. “I’ll put Mila to bed here and head out if that’s okay?

  “Sure,” she said. “Your room’s all made up. I’ll put her in there. Just don’t wake her up when you get back. You should just stay the night. I’ll make a big breakfast before you go home.”

  “Sounds good.” I owned my own house about two miles away, and while it was nice to have, I felt like I didn’t spend enough time there. Most of
the time I was home, I spent at my parents’ and I would only go home to clean up to go downtown. I wasn’t going to go anywhere dressed in my work clothes, though my daily attire was not much different.

  Mom lowered her voice. “We could postpone the trip tomorrow, now that you’re home. We understand if you want to spend some time with her. What happened must have been pretty bad if they sent you home. I assume that was the protocol?”

  She knew what was up. She was a smart lady. “Yeah, but no, I think you should go. I’ve got some work to do around the house.”

  She gave me a concerned look. “You should get out, maybe take a nice woman out to dinner.”

  Mom had only recently started to hound me about dating. She didn’t necessarily want me to get too serious, but going on a date now and then seemed healthy to her.

  “I’d have to meet one first.”

  “Exactly. And I’m sure she’s not hiding out in your house.”

  “That would be convenient,” I said while wagging my brows.

  Mom rolled her eyes and walked away, giving me a moment to myself.

  I went down the hall to the bathroom, stripped off my work boots, and cleaned up a bit. Then I found something to eat while I searched for better options than “real paint” for Mila. I finally settled on watercolors. They even had watercolor pencils available, which sounded even better.

  I tucked Mila into bed and read her a story. I hadn’t gotten off the first page when she nodded off. After I kissed her goodnight, I sneaked out to go home and change.

  I couldn’t wait to get a drink and see my old friend. Maybe I would meet someone, but then, it wasn’t likely in Williston, where most people knew Heather. Women didn’t want to date someone with baggage, especially when my baggage included a crazy ex who was in prison.

  After a short drive into town, I found Clay down at the club, the one my mother had told me he had gotten kicked out of and the only one in town that had the right kind of feel for a smart-ass piano player with a drinking problem.