Page 44 of Sugar Coated Lies
“Oh, if you’ll excuse me. Your father is beckoning me over.” She waves to him. “Coming.”
“It was lovely to meet you.” I give her my sweetest smile.
“Likewise, my dear.” She pats Daire’s cheek. “You behave and take good care of this one. She’s special.”
Her sincere words and genuine tone caress my heart like warm syrup.
“Your mother is amazing. No wonder you are the way you are.”
He tilts his head to the side, his brows drawn with obvious confusion.
I elaborate. “Kind, caring, intuitive, thoughtful, genuine.”
He stiffens, as if struggling to digest what I said.
“You have to know this about yourself. I can’t be the first person to have pointed it out. You are…unlike anyone I’ve ever known.” Add in his looks and I’m shocked that he’s not married.
His gaze lingers on my face, but it’s as if he’s seeing through me rather than at me. A frown touches the corners of his mouth.Oh no. This isn’t the reaction I expected.
Should I stay? Excuse myself? Go home?Why does he look so torn?
“Daire?” I touch his arm.
He blinks as if coming back from where he was in his mind. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
Laughter draws our attention. We both turn our focus to the room and an exquisitely dressed blonde. Tennessee. She talks animatedly to a few dashing young men, one of them Easton. I might not have recognized him in his suit looking like a Harvard law student.
“Want to see more of the property?” Daire asks, seeming as eager to flee the scene as I am.
“Yes.” I nod, and he guides me to the steps on the right side of the terrace.
We walk across the lawn to a paved area set off on its own. A stone wall surrounds half of the space, lamp posts glowing at each end, and Adirondack chairs encircle a fire pit. No fire burns. It’s too hot out.
“Want a drink?” Daire asks.
I raise my glass. “I have one.”
“A real drink.” He walks behind a raised section of the stone wall, which appears to be a hidden bar and grill. Daire pours a dark liquid into two small glasses. He takes my champagne flute, setting it on the stone counter, and hands me one of the drinks he poured.
“Try this.”
I sip the dark liquid, tasting smoky flavors and something sweet. “It’s good.”
“It’s one of my favorites.” He sips his own drink, then raises his glass to mine. “To taking risks.”
“Huh?”
“I took a risk on hiring you and it was well worth it.” He smirks.
“I’m happy you did.” I clink his glass, and we have more of the delicious liquor. The warm night combined with the alcohol have me roasting. Time to strip. I slip off my cardigan and pull my long hair over one shoulder. Much better.
I set the sweater over the back of one of the Adirondack chairs. When I turn to Daire, his gaze eats me up from head to toe.
He wipes his mouth and slams the rest of the drink in his glass. “Want to see the lake?”
“You have a lake?”
