Page 23 of Switching Places

“Who did that?” Emma asked, her interest captured once again.

She enjoyed listening to Logan Beckett’s strong, resonant voice. He could probably read a telephone book and she’d find it fascinating. She wondered if he’d ever tried acting.

“My ex-wife.”

“Oh, of course.”

Caught by surprise, she didn’t know what to say. Lily probably knew all about his ex-wife. Unless he didn’t talk about her often.

Emma wondered what the woman had been like to attract Logan, and why they’d divorced. If she ever married a man like Logan, she’d never let him go.

With sudden clarity, she stared at Logan Beckett and realized she could never marry David. She didn’t feel about him as she should to be a proper wife. He would stay her friend, if he still wished to after she refused his proposal. But he was not the love of her life. She knew with certainty that until she found a man she loved passionately, she had to remain single.

Smiling in sudden relief, she felt almost giddy. The trip to the West Coast had accomplished what she wanted. The question was settled. A huge weight lifted from her shoulders.

“Crystal was a liar and a cheat. I told you about her, when you asked about why I’m so adamant against lies—even polite social lies. She went into our marriage for the money and excitement.Prestige, if you like. But not for love of me. You must wonder about some of the men who date you, cupcake. You’re beautiful and wealthy. Don’t you wonder if you are being courted for yourself or for that money? Or to gain entry to Damien Carter’s world?”

It was a complaint her sister had voiced once.

She shrugged, his words echoing.A liar and a cheat.

Emma swallowed hard. She was both. She was lying by pretending to be Lily, and was cheating him of the trust he held in her sister. Emma shifted uneasily in her chair, glancing around at the crowd in the restaurant. Would Logan make a scene if she confessed her identity?

Better to wait, avoid it all together if she could. They were merely having dinner. When he took her home, she’d make an excuse to avoid seeing him in the future and he need never know. She didn’t want him to learn that she had lied. He’d be furious and she wanted to remember him as fun and intriguing, and for him to think well of her. Just this one night of playing a role, then she’d be herself again.

“Tell me more about working with special effects,” she said brightly.

He smiled and leaned back in his chair, his eyes lazily tracking down her body.

“How much can I explain with your lack of computer knowledge?”

Emma started to interrupt. She knew quite a bit about computers—from setting up the new computerized catalog system in the library, to researching on the Internet. She clamped down on the urge to tell Logan about her understanding.

She realized Lily knew nothing about computers, so another near miss.

Logan explained how his programming resulted in the appearance of magical things, the different kinds of animation tools used to simulate actual people and events. Even talked about incorporation some AI functions.

He stopped when Emma wished he would delve further into the intricacies, but knew Lily wouldn’t have understood and was flattered he took the trouble to make sure his explanations were clear to someone he thought totally computer illiterate.

“Lily. I thought it was you. Hi.”

A vibrant, red-haired woman dressed in black leather stopped by the booth, her smile wide and friendly. “I told Dolly it looked like you, didn’t I?” She turned to the petite brunette beside her who nodded in agreement.

“Thought you were heading for Mexico for that film,” she said.

Emma’s mind went blank. She stared at the women, noticing two men joining them, their faces friendly, open, smiling widely. Oh, no, these were friends of her sister’s. Darting a quick look at Logan, she frantically scrambled in her mind for something to say. Was she to be exposed like this, in front of Logan and four of Lily’s friends?

“Hi, Logan. Do you remember us? We met at Lily’s party a few months back. I’m Sally McGuire. The handsome dude behind me is Toby Stanton.”

Logan nodded and smiled easily.

“I remember, and you’re Dolly who works in advertising and your friend is Mark Harmond, in real estate, right, Mark?”

Emma breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn’t have bluffed her way through any introduction. Now what?

“The film?” Dolly asked again.

“Canceled,” Logan said. “Just coming in?”

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