First to Lie: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Unraveled Book 1) Read online

  Eggs were piled onto his plate. She plucked some grapes out for each of us.

  “Voila.” She sat in the chair opposite me, tension dulling her eyes.

  “Where does she live then?” I should quit asking. Her mom’s health obviously bothered her, and I no longer doubted her mom was really in the hospital.

  “A nursing home one of my customers recommended. It’s been excellent for Mom. Her health is better with routine care and a steady diet.”

  We ate in silence. I thought of my mother and how she’d kill herself before she allowed me to put her into a home. She threatened suicide all the time. I suspected she thought of new and unique ways to off herself. The typical ways people killed themselves would be too gauche for Jennifer Robson.

  Dehydrate herself and sit hours in the spa’s sauna. Fabricate a parasailing accident in the Bahamas. Pufferfish poisoning. Crushed by a rack of designer clothing.

  It’d be in a way that wouldn’t appear to be her fault. People would utter that poor woman and talk about her for weeks, months if my mom planned it right. If she wasn’t in therapy, I’d be more concerned her comments were more than a ploy to control me.

  “What do your parents do?” Mara’s question was hesitant. Was she searching for family money?

  My mom is a viper who lives off of whoever will feed her gourmet handouts. “My dad passed away and my mom…does whatever. We’re not close.”

  Sympathy filled her gaze, but it didn’t make me uncomfortable. It wasn’t the I’m sorry your dad wanted nothing to do with you and passed away look. Or the poor kid left with the bat-shit crazy mother one. She genuinely felt bad I’d lost the parental lottery.

  “I didn’t know my dad.” She shrugged and stabbed at her eggs. “Sperm donor.”

  “I feel like you’re fortunate. To know your dad and then lose him…it’s hard.” I wasn’t talking about Sam’s death, either. Going from spending all weekend playing games, watching movies, and hanging out to almost zero contact hit a kid where it hurt. I didn’t know what I’d done wrong, what my mother had done that was so horrible a man would cut off his child without explanation. Only as I had gotten older had Sam treated me more like a business partner and probably only because Sam had had no one to leave his empire to.

  “I can’t imagine how hard it must be. That’s what I’m going to experience with Mom and—” She sniffled and pushed back from the table. “Sorry. I don’t want to ruin a wonderful morning by bawling. Finish your food. I need to grab a few items before we go.”

  My appetite was gone. At least I’d eaten most of my food. Her plate was half full, but she carried it to the sink anyway and left.

  I picked up my plate and went to set it beside hers, but paused. Should food be left sitting on the counter? It never sat on mine, but all I did was heat my portions. Ms. Gibbons took care of the rest and my counters sparkled when she was through. And my kitchen sink didn’t leak like Mara’s.

  Locating the garbage, I dumped the remnants and went in search of her.

  I found her in the only other room of the house I hadn’t been in. Another square room, only with superhero posters lining the walls. Mara was sifting through the DVDs lining a shelf.

  “Got a thing for Batgirl?”

  She spun around with a gasp. “For a big guy, you move quietly.”

  Four disk cases lay in a pile and a portable DVD player was at her feet.

  “Wouldn’t a tablet be easier to cart around and watch movies on?” I wandered around the room, studying the posters.

  “Yes, but these are already purchased and I can send them back to the nursing home with her.”

  Why didn’t her mom have her own tablet with movies on it? They only cost a few hundred dollars.

  Her cupboards were full of cheap food and the house barely broke four digits in square footage. A few hundred dollars meant more to Mara than to me. I could go out and buy all the tablets sold in the Twin Cities and not even flinch, yet Mara couldn’t afford one.

  For the first time, I felt a twinge that I’d done something wrong. My bottom line wouldn’t miss the strip mall that much, and I’d recover the loss with my other endeavors quickly enough. The tenants who’d move into the high-end condo I had planned would be financially well-off whether or not I built them a luxury home, but Mara would be out of an income stream. And that not only affected her but her mother.

  But that was how women like Mara worked. Prey on men’s sympathies, tug their heartstrings. I shook myself out of my musings. I wasn’t responsible for Mara’s financial decisions and I’d never condone conning hard-working people out of their property.

  “As for Batgirl,” Mara retrieved her items and dropped them into a tote, “this used to be my old room and I was all about girl power growing up.”

  “Explains Supergirl, too.” I indicated the other poster hanging up.

  “Exactly.” She flashed me a smile and I saw the impish little girl who used to envision herself in powerful female superheroes.

  “Then why Star Wars?” I indicated the disks she’d packed.

  “Remember, I’m named after Mara Jade Skywalker.”

  I broke out in a grin. “You, too. I was named after—”

  Whoa. I’d almost said my real name.

  Her head tilted as she waited for me to finish.

  “Uh, I lost my train of thought. I can’t remember the story of where I got my name, but it wasn’t from Star Wars.” Star Trek and I didn’t dare say even that. She was smart enough to connect the dots. Named after a Trek character, a rich guy in sales with a driver, and a dad who’d recently passed away. Had Sam ever told her he’d named his son after Wesley Crusher from The Next Generation?

  “Sam. Hmm.” She tapped her chin. “I can’t think of where that could be from, either. I’d have to know your parents’ tastes. Lord of the Rings? Samwise Gamgee, perhaps?”

  My parents’ tastes had been wildly different. Why my mom hadn’t insisted on naming me Bentley or Tommy Hilfiger, I couldn’t guess. Maybe Jennifer had loved Sam once.

  “Before we get going, do you want to go out one night this week?” What did people do on real dates? My dates knew sex was all I was interested in, but I needed to see Mara again—but not at work. Would she keep storming into my office building, demanding a meeting?

  Her eyes brightened. “Sure. Catch a movie or something?”

  The way she hung onto the tote, gripped in front of her in both hands, she looked so girlish and full of hope. Like she thought this might be a relationship that was going somewhere. On my end, nothing had changed. I wanted answers—why Sam? Had she targeted him from the beginning? Had her run-in with my dad at the convention truly been a coincidence? Had the location of her comic book shop been a calculated move because she’d known a single old man owned the place?

  “What movie?” I hadn’t been to one in years. Sometimes, Flynn came over to watch a show in my home theater, but it was rare for us to have time off together.

  “I’ve been wanting to see the new Avengers.”

  I cocked an eyebrow and scanned her posters. “A DC girl wants to go to a Marvel movie?”

  “It’s my job.” She started for the door and I followed her out to the car. “Have you ever been into Arcadia?”

  “I haven’t. My work doesn’t take me by there too often.” I almost went as far as saying I’d never heard of Arcadia, but I’d been obsessed with it since going through my father’s documents after he died. The lie would be too easy to slip up on. Until my father’s passing, that whole strip mall had been nothing but an eyesore I couldn’t believe Sam had hung onto.

  She tossed me the keys. “You’ll have to stop by so I can show you around before it closes.”

  “I think I will.” For the satisfaction of seeing her clearing her shelves and filling packing boxes.

  Chapter 7

  Mara

  I blasted the display case with cleaner. If it weren’t for the fact that 60 percent of the clientele were grown-ass men, I�
��d swear fifteen preschoolers had been pawing the glass.

  I scrubbed the greasy prints off and blew a pink bubble half the size of my head with my gum. It made the most satisfying smack when it popped.

  “Good one.” Chris, my only employee, was sorting and organizing titles behind me.

  “Thank you.”

  We were both subdued. I’d just had the shut-down talk with him before we opened.

  I eyed my work. Stalling, that’s what I was doing.

  “I guess I’d better go make those signs.” I straightened and wrapped my arms around myself. My store wasn’t chilly, but a gray cloud hung over me now when I was in it. No more orders. No more excitement about opening more days, hiring more workers, thinking of new ways to expand and stock, and broaden our services.

  “Mara.” Chris shoved a comic into a box. He must be upset. He never mistreated a comic book.

  I studied him while I waited for him to continue. Normally, he could pass for late twenties, with his rich brown eyes and shaggy blond hair, but his pensive expression aged him until he looked every day of his thirty-seven years.

  Still not old, but not the guy who normally came to work with the enthusiasm of a seven-year-old.

  He stared hard at the box in front of him, his hands settled on his hips. “Would you mind if I did some checking?”

  “On what?”

  If Chris wanted to check on something, I’d let him. He was only the third person I’d ever hired, but he was fantastic. Smart, organized, knowledgeable, responsible. The two employees before him had possessed one or two of those traits. No application had been required for Chris. He’d come in to shop, we’d gotten to talking, he’d wanted a lower-stress job—boom. Employee of the year.

  “I still know some people on the city council. One of my good friends is in zoning and planning. Let me talk to her.” He blew out a breath and raised his gaze.

  “Still know? You used to work for the city?”

  He nodded. “I was on the council, but life got in the way. I finished my term and had to step back. Anyway, it’s a long shot, but it wouldn’t hurt to ensure Mr. Robson has the permits he needs.”

  Don’t get my hopes up. “Because he’s planning housing along with a new retail center?”

  Chris bobbed his head. “With his money, I’m sure his people know what they’re doing, but what-if?”

  Yeah, what-if?

  The door dinged and Ephraim breezed in. “Hey, guys.”

  I mustered a smile for Ephraim.

  He slowed and glanced back and forth between me and Chris. “Y’all okay? There’s a heavy vibe in here.”

  Chris looked at me, waiting for my lead. I explained everything to Ephraim, including the almost-papers that would’ve handed me the mall.

  “So the three stores in this place, Arcadia, New Treads, and McGuilley’s Drink have to shut down or find new locations.” Shaking my hair out of my face, I continued. “I can’t afford to relocate, so Arcadia’s doors are closing.”

  Chris’s brows shot up. “What about if you and I went into business together?”

  My heart slammed, then raced as if the men had backed me into a corner. I covered my reaction with a sad smile. “Thanks for the offer, but I put everything I could spare into this place. The rest is dedicated to medical bills. You could strike out on your own.”

  As much as I liked Chris, a partnership with any man would give him the chance to use me again. Not enough capital and he’d have the upper hand. If I ran into problems with my mom again and Chris had to take over, what would I have to do to get my share of the store back?

  We need to talk about your grades, Mara. You can’t complete your degree without this class and you mentioned not being able to afford another semester. Let’s go to my office and talk.

  Chris wasn’t my college professor, but I hadn’t allowed myself enough therapy to go into business with him. Being a business owner was more than a professional endeavor, it was survival. Sam Robson had almost restored my faith that a man could have an authoritative role over me and not abuse it, but his son had torn it back down.

  At least Wesley Robson wasn’t degrading my body while he did it.

  Chris’s face fell, but his expression turned contemplative. “If I did open my own place, I would pick your brains for advice. But I wouldn’t move forward unless you were sure you couldn’t reboot Arcadia.”

  “That’s considerate, but I need to think about what I want to be when I grow up.” Get a job. Have a boss. I’d look for a female boss. But what if the female supervisor was replaced by a male?

  Ugh. I might have to kick in a few bucks for a couple more therapy sessions before I started interviewing.

  During our exchange, Ephraim hadn’t said a word. Nor had he moved. His intent brown eyes were narrowed on nothing. “How close was Sam to completing the paperwork to give you this building?”

  Mara frowned. “No clue. He was going to sell it to me, actually. For a dollar.”

  Ephraim’s eyes flared wide. “You could file a lawsuit against Robson Industries for falling through on the deal. If he told his closest advisors about his plans and reasoning, just maybe the judge would be sympathetic.”

  “That’d cost a fortune.” Chris’s dubious expression had to match my own. “And it’s almost guaranteed she’ll lose.”

  My heart ached at the loss. Sam would’ve been so disappointed my store didn’t survive.

  “Sam loved this place.” My voice was almost a whisper.

  “Why?” Ephraim’s eyes were bright. “Did he tell you? It’s the why that matters most.”

  I clamped down before I said why. Guessing only from what Sam had said, it was because of his son and what had gone down during the ugly divorce, and I wasn’t the person to fling dirty laundry in public.

  “He didn’t give me specifics. I think it reminded him of better times, and he sympathized with my situation.”

  Ephraim waved it off. “We’ll be a pest regardless. As for the cost, let me approach my firm about taking it on pro bono.”

  My eyes widened and I stepped back. “No, I couldn’t.”

  He’d grown to be my friend, and I knew he was a lawyer, but not that he was the top dog of a law office. Ephraim and Chris were not Dr. Johannsen, and I couldn’t let another man’s actions define theirs. Besides, they were more like surrogate brothers, like my old friend Sam had been a father figure. But being beholden to a man sent fear racing through me. And what about Ephraim’s job?

  I shook my head. “Wouldn’t angering Wesley Robson be a bad career move for you and the lawyers you work with?”

  His expression hardened. “Keeping greedy people like him in check is exactly what my firm’s objective is. Did you hear about New York?” At their blank looks, he continued. “He had eight people arrested and rumor has it, he’s in a bidding war for the property next door. I hope someone’s richer than him, otherwise he’ll control that whole neighborhood.”

  Chris snapped his fingers. “Is that the place with the low-end housing? He has big plans to revamp the neighborhood. No one currently residing there could afford to live there anymore.”

  Ephraim turned a beseeching look on me. “I’d love to say I have altruistic goals, but it’d be a career-high if I could raise Wesley Robson’s blood pressure. That man has more money and power than he deserves.”

  I contemplated my options. Do nothing or go down swinging. How much would I owe Chris and Ephraim? They had both offered to help. I could walk away at any time. But I wouldn’t. I might not have a leg to stand on, but I didn’t need to make it easy.

  Wes

  I stood, glaring out the window of my office. Arcadia had two cars parked in front of it. The shoe store had just as many and the pub didn’t open until the evening. What had Sam been thinking, letting that place stand?

  “It would seem we have a slight problem with one of the permits.”

  I spun around to face Franklin.

  Unperturbed, Franklin pushed his
glasses up and refocused on the documents in front of him. “It’s a minor matter, but it may push the demo date back.”

  I snorted. I didn’t care. Arcadia had to evacuate in less than five weeks regardless. “You’ve taken care of all involved?”

  “I have. There will be fees.”

  A hazard of the business. “What’s the rest, Franklin?”

  My somber assistant had been especially subdued all morning. If Franklin weren’t the best at what he did, and trustworthy, I wouldn’t have kept him on. For something to bother Franklin, it bothered me—only if it was about work.

  Franklin sighed and folded his hands. “I’ve been contacted by a legal firm. Johnson, Harwood, and Crest have launched a lawsuit against Robson Industries about the unresolved sale of the Heart of Downtown Mall.”

  My head spun. Unresolved sale. Sam had been planning to give it away. For a dollar. “That’s absurd.”

  I’d been in danger of softening toward Mara and now she was suing me? Not seeing her for four days messed with my mind, like I was in withdrawal from her addictive taste. Her body rocked me only because of the deceptive game she was playing. Franklin’s news had reminded me of that, and tonight’s movie date with her took on new meaning.

  Franklin adjusted his glasses, a tic often preceding bad news. “It is absurd. However, it might give a judge pause.”

  “But it’s missing his signature.” Incredulous, I stormed back to the window. Nothing had changed at Arcadia. “How the fuck is she paying for this? She lives in a hovel.”

  Franklin cleared his throat. “You’ve seen her place?”

  If I told Franklin what I was doing, would the guy stay with me? Would he notify Mara? I couldn’t tell Franklin. Despite his loyalty, something about my assistant’s dismay unsettled me.

  Why? My mom would fist-bump me. Then she’d interfere and ruin it. She’d become Mara’s worst nightmare. It’d be like high school on ’roids. Name-calling. Shunning, though who Mara had in her inner circle to shun her, I didn’t know. Plus, that’d be the end of enjoying Mara’s company—no. Her body. I was enjoying the sex, that was all.