Free Bride by Mistake by Marilyn Shank

seen question marks in his eyes.
    No doubt he’d never seen an out-of-place cushion in Liza’s condo, much less a trashed room. But since Meg hadn’t planned on Zach coming over, pizza in hand, she wasn’t prepared.
    Tell him the truth
, her common sense urged.
The pretending’s gone on long enough.
Meg knew it was past time to set the record straight. When Zach discovered she wasn’t Liza, he’d understand all the inconsistencies.
    But what would Zach think of her when he learned she’d tricked him? Denise’s deception had led to divorce and a broken heart.
    Meg sighed. She’d tell Zach soon, but not tonight. He’d had a rough enough day.

    Zach sat on Liza’s couch, wondering how his day had spiraled out of control. He’d been blindsided by the lost account and stunned when the Lexus got creamed. But Liza’s condo in chaos was the biggest shock of all. His neatnik friend never left a glass sitting on the counter. Yet when they had walked in, the condo had looked like the aftermath of a high-school party.
    She returned with plates, napkins, and sodas and joined him. “I’m starving,” she declared. “Shall we indulge?”
    “You mean we’re eating in here?” he asked, dumbfounded. Once, he’d brought over submarine sandwiches and asked if they could eat in Liza’s living room while watching football. “Civilized people don’t eat in their living rooms,” she’d replied. “That’s why God created dining room tables.”
    Liza shrugged. “Of course we’re eating in here. Houses are meant to be lived in.”
    Zach watched in amazement as Liza dished up their pizza, popped the tabs on the sodas, and handed him his plate and drink.
    “I brought your favorite,” he said. “Vegetarian Delight.”
    “Wonderful,” Liza replied. Her eyes seemed slightly glazed over and her smile rather stiff.
    Zach watched in disbelief as Liza began picking each and every mushroom off her pizza. “What’s wrong with the mushrooms?” he asked. “I ordered extras, like I always do.”
    “Huh?” Liza turned toward him with a blank expression.
    “Why are you taking off the mushrooms?” he repeated.
    “Recently I’ve, um, developed an allergy,” she said. “An allergy to fungus. I must have eaten too many of them and now I’m allergic.” Liza’s pupils seemed larger than ever, and her eye had started twitching again.
    “You mean eating a lot of something can make you allergic?”
    “I think so,” she murmured. “But I read that on the Internet, so it’s not an absolute fact.”
    Zach’s tension headache kicked up a notch. Tonight hadn’t turned out the way he’d hoped. Liza could always help him regain perspective after a troubling day. And when he’d recalled the great massage she gave him earlier, a repeat performance had sounded appealing. But that wasn’t going to happen.
    Zach still couldn’t believe he and Liza were munching on pizza in her living room. Just days ago he’d have bet his life savings that that would never happen. And the sight of this room when they had walked in was branded in his memory.
    Maybe he was asking too much of Liza, with all the planning and pretending. Maybe he’d put too much pressure on her, and she couldn’t deal with it.
    Zach vowed that tomorrow he’d back off. He’d give his good friend some space. Then maybe, just maybe, things would return to normal.

CHAPTER 5

    Z ACH SPENT ALL morning networking with his top clients. Maybe more personal contact would keep everyone happy. At least he hoped so. He stretched and yawned, then headed for his assistant’s cubicle. “I’m going to the coffee shop,” he said.
    “Good idea,” Monica replied. “You’ve been working awfully hard lately. And I know yesterday was a rough day.”
    “Today will be better,” Zach replied, hoping that was the case. “But if a crisis occurs, come and get me,” he said, only half kidding. Crises seemed the order of the day.
    As Zach walked past the showroom that displayed