Page 5 of Revealing Mark

“Implying I can’t?” I felt winded and hurt.

He shook his head. “It’s not like that.” He stepped forward.

“Then explain it to me.”

“Your absent-mindedness makes you vulnerable and I don’t want someone to take advantage of that.”

I frowned at him. “I’m not vulnerable and no one has taken advantage of me,” I stated, suppressing the feeling that I was fibbing a bit.

So I didn’t have a handle on everything. Jack was something that hadn’t gone to plan and I was still trying to sort the mess out, but that didn’t put any truth to his words.

“Fine,” he conceded with an inclination of his head. “I don’t want to argue with you.”

“Then don’t.”

He openly studied me. “Just promise me that if you need any help with anything, you’ll call me?” His expression was earnest.

“Like if I need things nailed into walls and stuff like that?” I raised an eyebrow at him.

He smiled. “Yes, even stuff like that.”

Luckily I had a handyman in my building who helped me out when I needed guy-things done around my apartment. It was something I would have normally called Matthew for, butwhen he was gone for long periods of time, I’d found an alternative. Jack had been useless with that type of stuff. Thinking about it now, there wasn’t much he had been good at.

“Let’s be honest, Mark.” I rubbed the back of my neck. My muscles were stiff and tired. “You work all over the country, so chances are you aren’t going to be around to help me with anything.”

“If I’m around, I’ll help, and if I’m not, I’ll get someone to do it for me.”

He had an answer for everything. He already had it all figured out. I wanted to argue with him but he would persevere and I just wanted him out of my room before I let something else slip. I wasn’t good at keeping secrets and I knew it was only a matter of time before I revealed something I shouldn’t. Like worrying about him. I hadn’t meant for him to know I thought about him and his safety every time he took a job.

“Fine.” It was the only way I was going to get him out of my room. I had spent enough time squabbling with him and I was tired.

He nodded. “Good night.” He turned and walked out while I watched him leave. The door closed quietly behind him and I sighed as I sank down to sit on the bed.

Telling one lie had led to many more and it was becoming more difficult to keep track of what had or hadn’t been said.

One thing was for sure: I wasn’t built for a criminal career.

I was so mad, I wanted to hit something. That asshole. I curled my hand tightly around my phone and resisted the urge to throw it. I should have known he would make things more difficult.

A call to my landlord had informed me that Jack hadn’t returned the keys to my apartment. Before I had left, he’dpromised he would, and I had naively believed him. I was such an idiot.

Mark’s words from the previous night echoed in my thoughts.Damn it!

“Is everything all right?” my mom asked, jolting me back to reality.

I smiled. “Yeah, everything’s fine.” My voice was breathless and unconvincing. It didn’t help that I caught Mark’s curious look from across the other side of the bar where he was talking to my father.

“Are you sure?” my mom persisted. She could tell something was up.

I nodded. “As right as rain.” I attempted another strained smile. My mother frowned slightly before she let it go.

A day at the spa while the men had played golf should have relaxed me but I was so tightly wound I felt like I was going to explode.

My aunt distracted my mom while Sophie pulled me to the side, away from the main group.

“What’s going on?” she whispered.

I put my hand to my temple. “He didn’t return the keys.”