Page 21 of The Liar's Wife
“We had no idea until today,” I said.
At the same time Ben said, “We didn’t exactly install them ourselves.”
“Right,” Hendricks said, and I winced as he closed his notebook. He already wasn’t taking us seriously, and my husband’s attitude wasn’t helping. “Well, we can dust for prints, but I have to be honest with you. In a building this size, prints are going to be all over the place, and if the perp just knocked and never touched the door, aside from whatever he may have used to try to pry the door open, he most likely didn’t touch anything. There’s a good chance his prints aren’t here at all.” He nodded to Malone, who immediately got to work. “Do you have a security system installed?”
“No,” I said, casting my eyes to the ground.
He inhaled, directing the rest of the conversation directly at me. “Well, I’d suggest you get one. If this guy does come back, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Chapter Twelve
“It’s so good to see you, Palmer,” Ty said, his dark skin crinkling around his eyes as he smiled and pulled me into a hug. I reached for Dannika next. “I’m sorry Ben and Gray couldn’t come. I was hoping to meet your little guy finally. Dannika just raves about him.”
It had been more than a month since our last double date with Dannika and her husband, Ty, and I couldn’t help feeling sad that I’d had to lie about the pretenses for needing to see them as well as why Ben couldn’t join us.
Ty pulled Dannika’s seat out, letting her sit before he did. “Yeah, he wanted to be here. He just had some errands he had to take care of this morning. Life as a stay-at-home dad doesn’t leave much room for free time.”
Ty’s brow shot up. “I’d imagine so, and I can’t say I envy him.”
The waitress approached our table and took our orders. When she left, we carried on.
“I think he enjoys it, actually, and I can’t say I’m not alittle jealous myself.” I unfolded my napkin and placed it in my lap.
Ty leaned back in his chair with a deep, warm chuckle. “Wait ’til you have three. Trust us, you’ll be aching for a chance to get to work.”
Dannika nodded in agreement, casting a joy-filled glance at her husband. “She doesn’t know about that yet. You just let them enjoy the fun honeymoon phase while it lasts.” She patted his chest lovingly.
Ty lifted his fingers from the table, keeping his wrist in place. “Fair enough. Just, like she said, enjoy it while it lasts because itdoes not.”
I laughed. “How are things at the firm, Ty?”
Having my best friend’s husband be a divorce attorney hadn’t been planned, but using it to my advantage was definitely a perk.
“Well, like I said, that honeymoon phase doesn’t last, and that just happens to make me a whole lot of money.” His eyes grew wide with pleasure as he spoke, his thin, black mustache bouncing with each word. “We’ve been busier than usual even, I think it’s the summer heat, but I can’t complain.” He elbowed Dannika. “Even if I wanted to, she wouldn’t let me.”
“I told him about your big client, Palmer. About what it could mean for us,” Dannika said, her teeth bared with hope.
“Dani’s been bragging on you. I know how hard you’ve both worked to get where you are. It sounds like you’ll be ready to open up shop soon, huh?”
“That’s the hope,” I said, taking a deep breath. “I’m always the cautious one, especially with Gray now.”
“Hey, I get it,” he said, his expression serious. “It took meyears to pull the trigger on going out on my own. Dani was always the one pushing me to do it.”
“And I was right, wasn’t I?” she asked, lips pursed. “Just like I’ll be right this time.”
“Yeah, you were. You’re always right.” He leaned over, pressing his lips to hers. When they broke apart, the waitress appeared with our food and drinks. Ty leaned back, letting her place Dannika’s plate in front of her, then Ty’s, and finally mine. We were stark opposites: Dannika and Ty with their salmon and salad and me with my BLT and fries. I really should’ve attempted to learn some good habits from them.
“So, I have a question.” I popped a fry in my mouth, trying to appear more casual than I felt. My hands were shaking, and I hoped he wouldn’t notice. I’d been rehearsing the question all morning, trying to decide the best way to bring it up. Best case, he’d ask me if I was considering divorce randomly, as a sales pitch, which of course didn’t happen. So we were going with the worst case now.
“What’s that?” Dannika asked, already cutting into her meat.
“It’s for Ty, actually. A friend of mine is…well, she’s considering getting a divorce. I was wondering if I could get some free legal advice for her?” I winced.
He took a bite, a closed-mouth grin growing on his lips. When he swallowed, he said, “Sure thing. Whatcha got?”
“Who’s the friend?” Dannika asked as she popped a bite into her mouth. “Anyone I know?”
“Just someone I went to school with,” I said, probably too quickly. “You don’t know her.”