Free Tell Me No Lies by Rachel Branton Page A

lips again, and I was glad.
    Tossing down the phone, I stood and walked over to him. “I like you without the beard.” The light was bright enough to see the scars on his cheek. “Bet it itches less.”
    “You got that right.”
    Though there was no change of tone, I sensed unhappiness in the words. Was he thinking of Kingman and everything he’d left behind? I wanted to ask about his fiancée, but the hard line of his mouth forbade me. It’s none of my business, I told myself.
    “What will we tell your sister?” I asked.
    “I think sticking as close to the truth as possible will be best. You know, we were together with Serenity, and you realized you couldn’t go through with your wedding, and one thing led to another, and here we are.”
    Somehow I didn’t think it would be that easy in practice. “Okay, give me a few minutes, and I’ll be ready.”
    Gage headed toward the door. “How about I get you breakfast while you dress? Don’t worry about looking fancy. Mia’s not big on fashion.”
    I hadn’t been worried in the least until he’d said something. Did that mean he wanted me to look nice? Was there something he wasn’t telling me? Did he have some secret rivalry with his sister? Why didn’t men just spit it out?
    I glared at the door after it had closed. Well, I wasn’t getting all dressed up—so there! I would have to wear my nice black pants because my comfortable jeans were dirty, and the blue top with the black pinstripes only because it matched the pants, not because it made my waist look smaller and my hair less orange.
    After I changed, I called Mark Carson, the attorney, to talk about my inheritance. “I received your e-mail a few hours ago,” Mark said, sounding a little stiff. “Your mother called me as well. Needless to say, I was a little surprised that you, uh, changed course so abruptly.”
    “Me, too,” I admitted. “But yesterday I realized Julian wasn’t the right man for me. Better before marriage than after, I always say.” The lump I’d felt in my stomach since the day before had turned bitter.
    “Well, congratulations.” His voice warmed considerably. “Your husband is a lucky man. You make a nice couple, though I would never tell that to your mother.”
    I laughed. Could it be this easy? “Thank you. What I need to know is how soon can I obtain my funds? I’d like to help my sister, and you know how my mother is. She’s not at all happy right now.”
    “No, she isn’t, but it was your choice, wasn’t it? As for the trust fund, there are only a few formalities we have to go through. I’ll need copies of the marriage license and certificate and all relevant information. I can obtain all that on my own, which will take longer, or you can send me what you have.”
    “No problem. I’ll send it right away. There isn’t a waiting period for the trust fund, is there?”
    “Not unless someone contests the validity of the marriage, which is supposed to have been entered into in good faith. Your grandfather figured if you were old enough to get married, you’d be old enough to handle your own funds.”
    That made me feel guilty, even though I would have come into the inheritance anyway if I married Julian tomorrow as planned. In my book, good faith could mean a lot of things. Thankfully, I wasn’t required to produce an heir.
    “Great. I’ll send you what I have,” I told Mark. I hadn’t seen the marriage certificate, but Gage probably had it.
    “You sure everything’s okay?”
    I laughed. “Of course. I’m actually heading over to Gage’s sister’s house right now. Lot of catching up to do. She’s not happy about the eloping thing, but hopefully we won’t have to stay too long and can leave for our honeymoon.”
    “Well, I’ll keep you apprised of how it’s going with the funds.”
    “Thanks.” I hung up feeling happier than I had since Sadie had broken the news about Julian.
    I’d almost repacked my few belongings when Gage came in with several