Page 100 of These White Lies

“You get used to it.” Reaching under the table, I place my hand on her knee and squeeze. Her eyes fly to mine, and I hold her gaze for a second before she inhales a slow breath and then exhales. I stroke my thumb over her knee as much to show her support as remind myself not to lunge across the table at her relatives.

“Dang it, Charlie!” Caroline suddenly exclaims, jumping to her feet chasing after the herd of children, one of whom is brandishing a large stick.

“I know you from somewhere.” Caroline’s husband, Todd, points his beer at me, squinting like he’s just hit the jackpot.

Elizabeth eyebrows lift. “You do?”

“Yeah.” The wrinkles in his forehead deepen before clearing. “Holy shit! Worthington. That’s right! You’re that boxer.”

Great.“A million years ago.”

“Holy shit! I can’t believe it’s you. I saw you fight a bunch of times.” He elbows the man next to him almost causing him to drop his beer. “Dude. He was a fucking animal.”

“Language,” Aunt Frankie snaps, but Todd is too excited to stop.

“I saw you win the amateur belt. We were at UGA at the same time.” He turns his excited eyes to the man next to him. “Don’t you remember? It was that title bout senior year. That guy came out all mouthy, and he,” Todd says, jabbing a finger at me, “knocked him out in the first round.”

I can feel Elizabeth’s eyes on me. “I spent some time in the ring.”

“Some time?” Todd laughs. “You were a damn beast. I thought for sure you’d go pro or MMA. You destroyed in the ring.”

Another man leans forward. “Why didn’t you?”

“Wasn’t good enough,” I offer casually.

Our roles are suddenly reversed, when I feel Elizabeth’s warm hand cover my hand still on her knee.

Todd shakes his head, incredulous. “Hell, you were better than half the pros I’ve seen fight. You still box?”

“Every now and then.” My tone makes it clear I’m not going to say anything more, and Todd wilts.

Ashley, Elizabeth’s sister-in-law, chooses that moment to walk up. “Beth, I’m glad you’re here. Your parents really miss you. Rob does everything he can to take stuff off their plate, but it’s hard.”

Jesus. I think I’d rather be in a knife fight than face the gauntlet of her family. No greeting, just straight into the passive aggressive attacks. They’re relentless.

Elizabeth mirrors her sister-in-law’s smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “I’m glad Rob enjoys the shop. I’ve been busy. It’s hard to get away.”

“Hmm, so I’ve heard.”

I narrow my eyes at the woman. There is a definite edge in her voice. I can’t understand her family’s problem. If Elizabeth’s brother didn’t want to work at the florist, then he shouldn’t. But his decisions aren’t Elizabeth’s responsibility.

“It must be exciting with all those celebrity clients and parties.”

Elizabeth licks her lips before forcing another smile. “It’s work. Not as exciting as it sounds.”

“Doesn’t sound like much of a life,” Aunt Frankie points out. “You’re lucky, sure, but I can’t imagine trading this for all that noise of a big city.”

Elizabeth’s jaw flexes. “Not sure what you mean bylucky, but I like my life.”

The remaining quiet woman at the table drops her own little grenade. “I heard about your ex, Keith. He died, right?” She flicks a glance at me before looking back at Elizabeth. “You seem like you’re doing okay?”

The conversation dies, and everyone seems to hold their breath waiting for Elizabeth’s breath.

Fucking jackals.

Todd, fueled by beer, answers for her. “Beth’s fine. Right, Beth? They divorced years ago. We all know once Beth’s done with something, she’s done.” He takes a pull from his bottle and leans back like he’s just made a clever point. “She’s too important now to worry about the little people.”

That’s fucking it.