I follow Leo through the expensively furnished house.
“Heather’s still upstairs in her room.” Leo removes a folded newspaper from an armchair and settles himself onto it. “Shall we chat for a bit before I call her down?”
Taking a seat opposite him, I force a smile, resigning myself to suffer through the proverbial grilling. “Sounds good.”
Sounds like I’d rather stick hot needles in my eyes.
Before the questions can begin, though, Heather’s mom walks in. I see echoes of her beauty in the strong cheekbones and kind brown eyes. I stand, remembering the manners Joel drilled into me.
“Lynn, this is Justin. He’s afriendof Heather’s.” Leo raises his eyebrows. “Have I got that right, Justin? You’re a friend?”
I fight the urge to roll my eyes. The man doesn’t believe in subtlety. I look him straight in the eye and because I honestly don’t know what we are to one another I lie through my teeth. “We’re friends, yes.”
Although it didn’t feel so friendly when I kissed her.
Heather’s mom steps forward to shake my hand, her warm smile defusing the mild tension. The resemblance to Heather is strong. “Please call me Lynn.” She glances over at Leo. “Honey, have you offered him something to drink?”
“No.” At her pointed look, he grumbles, “The interrogation’s more effective if the suspect’s dying of thirst.”
I let out a rumble of laughter, enjoying the father’s unexpected sense of humor.
“What would you like to drink, Justin?” Lynn asks.
“A glass of water, please.” I settle back in my seat.
Leo keeps the conversation light until Lynn returns. He waits until she’s seated before he asks me, “So, Justin, have you known Heather long?”
I sip my water. “About a week.”
They exchange a glance I can’t interpret.
“How did you meet?”
“We know each other through work,” I reply evasively.
“Are you also working for SolomiChem?” Lynn asks, her eyes bright with interest.
“In a way.”Working to bring the company down. “Contract work, mostly.”
Leo straightens his glasses. “Justin, Lynn and I are a little old-fashioned in the sense that we like to get to know the friends our children are spending time with. This means I’ll be asking you a few personal questions. I want to be upfront with you about this.”
I offer a wry smile. “I’d probably do the same if I had a daughter.” In truth, I’d keep her well away from someone like me.
“All right, then. Do you drink, Justin?”
I shake my head. “My fitness is too important for me to indulge.”
“Do you smoke?”
“No.”
“Do you do drugs?”
“No.”
But Leo must hear something in my tone for he says perceptively, “Have you ever done drugs?”
The gentle question undoes me. Not many people know about my druggie past. The lie is on the tip of my tongue. What does another lie matter in a life filled with them? But seeing the unflinching honesty in Leo’s eyes, I experience a baffling compulsion to come clean.
