Page 62 of The Lies I've Told
The day after tomorrow was the anniversary of my little brother’s death. No one, outside of James and me, even knew about it.
And I’d just invited a virtual stranger to the party.
She’s not a stranger, and you know it.
“I’d love to!” she said, standing up on her tippy-toes to kiss me on the cheek.
“Great!” I said, faking enthusiasm, and I swallowed down a ton of dread.
James was going to kill me.
We’d only just landed in New York an hour ago, and I already felt on edge. I hadn’t realized it before, but North Carolina, with its laid-back calm and chill atmosphere, had already begun to grow on me.
I’d always thought of myself as a city person, growing up on the streets of London and then translating myself to a busy life in New York, but less than a week in Ocracoke, and suddenly, the cars were too many, the horns were too loud, and the people were too overwhelming.
“How long have you lived in New York?” Millie asked as we sat back in the cab while it drove us to my downtown apartment.
“Fifteen years. I moved here when I was still a teen to study art.”
She turned to me, a knowing smile on her face. “That would explain it.”
My brows furrowed. “Explain what?”
“Your accent.”
Curiosity got the better of me, and I pressed further. “What about my accent? I thought you found it rather sexy.”
“Oh, I do. But it’s not quite as pronounced as I’d expect.”
I chuckled. “And you would be the expert on British accents then?”
She puffed her chest and stuck her chin out. “I do watch a lot ofGame of Thrones.”
I let out a laugh. “It’s true. I have lost most of the slang of my youth, but I’m all right with that.”
“Why don’t you miss it?”
“England?” I specified, shrugging. “I’ve moved on. This is home now.”
I knew she was looking for a deeper answer, but this was all I could give at the moment. Being back here, so close to the day we’d lost Ben, I felt raw and wounded.
“What about you?” I asked, changing the subject. “When was the last time you were here?”
She blinked several times, maybe a little caught off guard from my topic change but decided to go with it. “Um, last month,” she answered.
“Last month?” I found myself saying, slightly amazed that this remarkable woman had been roaming the same streets as me only weeks ago.
“Yeah. I’m actually here quite often for work. But, if you asked me when was the last time I was here without a phone glued to my ear, the answer would be never.”
“You’ve never really been to New York then.”
“Technically, no. I’ve been to several lovely hotels, a dozen fashion houses, and a couple of really nice restaurants. But, no, I’ve never been to New York. Not outside of work.”
“Well then, I guess I’ve got my work cut out for me,” I said, lunging forward in my seat to get the attention of our driver.
“Could you stick around?” I asked as he pulled up to the curb of my apartment building. Turning to Millie, I gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “Don’t move.”
“But where are you going?”
