Page 89 of Nothing But the Truth

She hesitated, not really sure she wanted to play along.

“Something easy,” he offered when he picked up on her nerves.

“Okay, fine.”

“Okay. Will you go out with me this weekend?”

A laugh popped from her lips. “Of course I will. Why would I lie about that?”

“I was giving you something easy! All you had to do was say no.”

“I don’t want to say no.”

“I don’t think you understand the rules here.”

“I understand them perfectly. I’ve just decided that even if I can lie, I don’t want to anymore.”

He stroked his chin like he was contemplating her declaration. “Ever?”

She studied the planes and angles of his handsome face. She had only known him for a day, but her heart was already cartwheeling at the thought of where they might go together, what they might become. The rush of opportunity and unfettered anything could happen excitement whipped through her veins. The start of something new, something fresh, to go with her new, honest lease on life. She couldn’t promise she would never lie to him, even something small and innocent for his benefit, because relationships got messy, she knew that. But the hope in his eyes, the promise, and the feeling of his kiss, she knew deep in her heart that she would never want to lie about the way she felt about him.

“Not to you.”

His grin widened into a warm smile, and he kissed her again. He kissed her like a movie ending in the rain. Her head spun; her heart raced. For the first time since she woke that morning, she felt like she was having a truly happy birthday. He released her politely, but she could feel the reluctance in his grip.

Adam leaned on the bar like he needed support. He nodded toward the table. “So, I’ve already met your parents. Are you going to introduce me to everyone else—is that Lily Chu?” He balked when he recognized her.

Lucy smiled, wondering what he would say if she told him she had a hundred-thousand-dollar check from a rock star in her bra. “It is, and yes, I will. But I just realized this is the first time we’ve been on the same side of a bar. Let me order you a drink.”

He turned to her with a knowing if not slightly wary grin. “You sure that’s a good idea, you know, given how this all started?”

He made a fair point, and Lucy could not be sure that the drink he served her the night before had not played a role in her wish coming true. But she did know that the drink and the wish had changed her life, so what was the harm in testing the theory on him?

She gave him a smile and shrugged. “Let’s find out.”