I dug around in the pantry, eventually finding the thick cord behind some crackers. If Ralph had stocked the fridge with some cheese, I would be coming back for these crackers later. It would go perfectly with some wine.
I was looking at the bottles on the counter, wondering if we should go for the red or the white. Luke’s phone buzzed beside me where it was charging. It buzzed again and again, not like he was getting a phone call but like someone was firing off texts one after the other.
Curious, I saw it wasn’t his job, but several text messages from his brother, Troy. It was a total invasion of privacy but my eyes skated over the words before I could stop myself.
Troy:Tick tock, brother. The bet gets decided on Christmas.
Troy:I should have asked for more than your cabin. I know you’ll just lie to some bimbo and trick her into being your girlfriend.
Troy:Then you’ll dump her ass once you win.
Troy:Answer me. I know you’re there.
I stopped reading and took the phone with me outside. My whole body felt numb from the shock. Luke had told me I was helping him impress the people at the network, to prove he wasn’t too wild for a promotion. But that had been a lie.
All of this was about some fucking bet with his brother? And he’d be dumping me after Christmas?
Had I been a complete fool to believe Luke had real feelings for me? Had he just chosen me because I was an easy target? Awoman desperate enough to believe whatever flimsy bullshit he fed me?
Outside, he was focused on the tree.
My voice sliced the air like a blade. “Luke, we need to talk.”
CHAPTER 29
LUKE
Ibrightened up at the sound of Clara’s voice, although I didn’t really hear what she’d said. These branches were being annoying, fighting me at every turn. My fingers were sticky and sweat was dripping down my back.
I looked up at her with a smile, but it withered on my face when I saw the pain in her eyes.
“Clara, what’s wrong? What happened?” I dropped the shears I’d been using to prune the tree and rushed over to her. I put my hands on her shoulders but she took a step back, shaking her head.
“You got some texts.” She tossed my phone at me like she couldn’t bear to touch it anymore.
Confused, I caught it and looked at the messages. My brother had texted me to bust my balls, as was tradition, but it sounded really bad. “Did you see these?”
She nodded. “I didn’t mean to snoop. But they popped up and I thought you would want your phone. But that doesn’t matter. I need to know what’s going on here. Have you been lying to me, Luke?”
I took a deep breath, but it lasted too long. My hesitation was obvious, and it was as good as a yes to her. I saw it in her eyes,but I wasn’t going to just give up. “Okay, so technically I never lied to you. I might have left out a few details, though.”
Clara’s nose wrinkled in disgust. “Don’t try to talk around this. Tell me straight. Did you lie to me about our arrangement?”
I nodded grimly. “My brother and I made a dumb bet over Thanksgiving. I would bring a girlfriend home to cheer up my mom, since she worries about me never settling down and dying alone. If I didn’t, I agreed to give him my cabin.”
She looked behind her. “This cabin?”
“Yeah, I know it’s dumb, but I need you to know, when we made that bet, it had nothing to do with you. I hadn’t even run into you yet.”
She frowned in thought. “But it was Thanksgiving, and you just told me you were talking about me to your brothers. You’re telling me it was just a coincidence you came after me?”
“It wasn’t like that.” I reached out to take her hand but she pulled away again, shattering my heart.
“Why didn’t you tell me it was for a bet with your brother? Why did you pretend it was about getting a promotion at work?” Clara’s voice was filled with anguish and I hated it.
“It was about both,” I said, the words feeling too small. “I figured you didn’t need to know about the bet. I thought you’d be mad.”
She snorted. “You’ve got that right, buddy.”
