Beloved Liar (The Reed Rivers Trilogy 3)

Henn rolls his eyes. “Okay, I’m ninety-nine percent sure you’re not stupid enough to start searching the dark web for a hired killer. But just in case: don’t do it. You will get caught. And from what I’ve heard about prison, you wouldn’t like it. No Egyptian cotton bedsheets and the veggies, if you get them at all, come from a can.” He sighs sympathetically. “I’ll get into his devices, okay? And when I do, the odds are high I’ll find something we can use to sink him.”

“But, see, I don’t want ‘high’ odds. I want a guarantee.”

“If that’s code for ‘I want you to plant evidence,’ then fuck off. You know I’d never do that. Will you please just trust me? I’m amazing at what I do. Let me do my thing and stop acting like Tony Soprano.”

I lean back in my chair. “I have to do something with this manic energy. If I don’t focus it on taking down Gates, then I’ll have no choice but to focus on what a fucking idiot I am. And I don’t want to think about that. I can’t believe this is a self-inflicted wound.”

Henn looks sympathetic. “What, exactly, did you do? I’m so confused. One minute, you were making breakfast for Georgina and telling me she’s breakfast-worthy. And the next thing I know, Hannah is telling me Georgina stormed out of the party, looking distraught over something you did.”

Midway through Henn’s comment, Josh walks up, holding his one-year-old, Jack. “You’re talking about Georgina?” He looks at me. “What happened?” He settles himself into a chair. “I don’t get it. One minute, you were cannonballing into the pool and kissing her in front of everyone, and the next thing, Kat was telling me you’d done something to make her cry her eyes out.”

I groan. “I don’t want to talk about it, guys. Suffice it to say I fucked up, royally. And I regret it from the depths of my soul.”

Kat appears, out of nowhere. “Exactly how did you fuck up? Spill it, Reed. Whatever you did to my beautiful Georgina, I could strangle you for it. I liked this one. I wanted to keep her!”

“I was just explaining to the guys I’m not interested in talking about this.”

“Too bad. Tell me everything.”

“News flash, Kitty Kat. That’s not my ring on your finger.” I point to the baby on Josh’s lap, and then to Kat’s baby bump. “And those aren’t my kids. Which means I don’t have to tell you jack shit.”

Kat doesn’t flinch. She’s a girl who’s grown up with four brothers, after all. Plus, she’s long since learned to take me in stride when I’m in one of my bad moods. “It’s in your best interest to tell me everything. Have you forgotten Georgina will be staying at my house when she comes to Seattle to interview Dax and the Goats? Well, when your name comes up, which it surely will—because that’s what women do: we shit-talk the idiots we love—don’t you want me to know your side of the story, so I can gently try to steer Georgina toward saintly forgiveness?”

Feigning shock, Josh says, “Wait. Women shit-talk the idiots they love?”

“Oh, honey.” Kat pats her husband’s thigh. “It’s our favorite sport.”

Damn. I think Kat has a point. She’s uniquely positioned to influence Georgina’s opinion of me. Plus, Kat’s fiery temperament and personality are a lot like Georgina’s. Kat’s the only person I know who’s as gifted at twisting people around her finger as Georgina, not to mention ripping them a new asshole with a smile. Come to think of it, yeah, I should probably use Kat as a sounding board—as a proxy for Georgina—to help me figure out my best strategy for winning Georgina back.

“All right. I’ll tell you everything. But this stays between us, guys.” I look at Henn. “Although, of course, you can tell Hannah.” With that, I proceed to tell Kat and my two best friends the whole story. Everything from the panel discussion to the grant, and how it came about, to my conversation with Alessandra, to my regrettable kiss with Isabel in the garage. “The irony,” I say, in wrap-up, “is that kissing Isabel made me realize I only want Georgina.”

Kat snorts. “Good luck convincing Georgina of that.”

“Why? It’s true.”

“Maybe, but that’s the thing cheaters always say after they get caught. ‘Yes, baby, I cheated on you. But it only made me realize how much I only love you.’”

My shoulders slump in defeat.

Kat asks, “Before the party, did you and Georgina exchange ‘I love yous’?”

“No. Is that good or bad for me?”

“It’s a double-edged sword. On one hand, if you’d already exchanged the magic words with Georgina when you cheated on her, she’d think those words meant nothing to you.”

“Can we not say I ‘cheated’ on Georgina? I feel like that’s a bit dramatic for what I actually did. It was nothing but a stupid goodbye kiss.”