Fat Cat Liar

What I wasn’t preparing for is this. She can’t learn about me tonight. There is no way I can clean up the ruin and devastation.

“Lawson?” Clay waves his hand in front of my face, bringing me back to the present.

“You’ve got to help me here, Clay.”

Without any further explanation, he nods in understanding. For the first time in my life, I’m suffocating with an unfamiliar helplessness.

He straightens, pulls his phone from his pocket, and goes back to pacing.

“Janice, it’s Clay. I’m here with Lawson, and it’s not looking good. I think he’s come down with a form of the flu. He’s pale, clammy, feverish, hasn’t eaten and is a complete wreck.”

Everything he says is true, except for the flu. Slowly, I make my way to the sofa and grab my own phone, scrolling through the messages.

Clay’s name is everywhere—missed calls, texts, and several personal emails. Janice sent a few, too. The only one that I dare to open is a message from my dad.

Son,

Clay’s coming to you. I’ll be there as soon as possible.

Love you

He’s a man of few words, but those words say it all. He’s still disappointed, but he’s coming.

There’s too much at stake for me to dwell on Dad. I glance back at Clay in time to hear him wrapping up the conversation.

“I’ll see what I can do, but don’t expect much. You have Lawson’s full permission to spin this anyway you can. Work your magic,” he tells her.

I chuckle half-heartedly to myself. Janice never waits for my permission for anything. She’s probably freaked out he would even suggest she needs permission.

He hangs up and sits across from me, dropping his phone on the coffee table. “She’s going to Grandpa and Rob to inform them you won’t be attending tonight.”

“She knows about Greer. Well, she knows I’m in love.”

“I figured. I could hear it in her voice. She doesn’t believe for a second you have the flu. Her reaction was a dead giveaway.”

“That means she’s put it together that there’s a connection with my girlfriend and this project.”

“Yep.”

“I have to get to Greer,” I say blankly.

“Yep.”

I continue to stare at my phone then force myself to dial her number. It rings three times until there’s a rustling noise and the line goes dead. I immediately press resend, and Haley answers on the first ring.

“Sorry, Lawson, I saw you calling, but somehow, my cheek hung up on you. Greer’s phone is a lot more advanced than mine.”

“Haley, it’s fine, but can I talk to Greer?”

“She’s not here. The limo already picked them up, and Greer forgot her phone.”

“They’ve already left?” My panic rises.

“Yes, Kevin even showed up. I’ve never seen him this excited. They were headed to get Enrique and Jonas, then to the dinner.”

“Fuck.” I jump up, Clay’s eyes growing wide at my reaction.

“Is everything okay, Lawson?”