Page 90 of Sugar Coated Lies
I do the only thing I can think of and call Easton, asking him for help and for Sadie’s number.
Chapter26
Everleigh
Sadie bringsme a cup of honey and lemon tea. The warm scent touches my nose and soothes me.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.” She sits beside me on the couch in her apartment.
I’d only been to it once when she first moved in. I couldn’t stay for longer than one night because I had to get back to Grandpa. Carol had offered to watch him so I could help Sadie settle into her new place.
It looks different, furnished of course, but also lived in with an emerald-green couch and two light pink chairs, both retro and in velvet. She has plants on the ground near the colorful tiled fireplace and hanging from crocheted baskets. Jute rugs cover the wood floors, adding to the retro meets modern-bohemian vibe.
I sip the tea and let it spread through my body.
“Are you ready to talk about it now?”
I’d told her the story through tears on the drive here. She offered to meet me halfway, but I didn’t want to stop. I wanted to drive, which I realize was not responsible on my part, but I’ve been playing that role for most of my life. For once, I didn’t overthink my actions or how they’d affect someone else. I just drove—all the way to Atlanta—and regretted it the moment I got stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, which added thirty minutes to my trip.
My tears had dried by the time I arrived. I didn’t want to talk about it by then, either. So we drank wine, ate cookies, and watchedFlip or Flopreruns on TV. I hadn’t watched the show in a year, so Sadie had to catch me up on the gossip of the hosts' new lives.
A second marriage for Tarek, and a third for Christina, plus new illnesses for her and a custody battle with her second ex-husband. It was a beautiful disaster that left me feeling less shitty about my life.
I fell asleep on the couch. Sadie covered me in blankets and woke me this morning with a delicious cup of tea. The sun trickles through the open blinds, brightening the already happy space, and I still can’t bring myself to smile.
“I’m tired,” I murmur and add, “of life.”
Sadie draws her bent knees up on the velvet couch and drapes her arm over the back, facing me. “I bet.”
“I also feel needy, and I don’t like it. It’s not me.”
“It’s okay to be needy every once in a while.”
I nod and sip more tea.
“Want a biscotto?” She has a plate of them on the coffee table.
I would have had coffee too, but my stomach wasn’t into the idea of anything heavy or acidic this morning.
“No, thanks.” I stare at the blanket on the couch. “Do you think it’s true? That’s a dumb question. I know it’s true, but do you think it was all a lie?” A small part, probably inside what shred I have left of my heart, doesn’t want to believe it.
“I think there is truth to Benedict’s story, but I—we—also know he’s a master manipulator and can’t be trusted. Daire isn’t Benedict. Even if he met you under false pretenses, I don’t think his love for you, or his marriage proposal, is fake. I saw him with you. I watched the two of you together at the estate. Not even the best actor can fake that kind of chemistry and admiration. He’s so in love with you, he’s been calling me asking how you are and if he can visit. He’s sick about this. Easton says he beat the shit out of Benedict.”
Too many things hit me at once. “He’s been calling you? And he beat the shit out of Benedict?” I sound like a parrot. “I wish I could have seen that.”
“Easton said Benedict's lip was all bloody and Daire’s knuckles were busted.”
“Daire got hurt?”
A knowing smile lights up Sadie’s face. “You love him.”
“Of course, I love him.” I set down my tea. “I’m not the one who lied.”
“I know. He should have told you about Benedict. He wants to explain it all, but he understands if you don’t want to see him.”
“I trusted him.” I rub my hands together on my lap. “I opened up to him. I gave him my heart, and I don’t do that. You know I don’t do that.”
