Page 61 of Cakewalk

“The beginning is usually a pretty fucking good place.”

“Everything I told you was true—”

“Except it wasn’t, Gigi! Is that even your real name?” he shouted.

He didn’t know what to believe. She had lied to him. Just how much was a lie? A story concocted so he would take pity on her? Had she known who he was this whole time? Known that he had money? Who his family was? Had it all been some clever ploy to deceive him?

“Yes, my real name is GeorgiaGrace Elyse Shaw Hawthorne. When I was little, I had a nanny who called me Gigi, and I always liked the nickname, although my parents and Bradley insisted on calling me Georgia. It was less “cutesy,” they said. Everything I told you about my childhood and how I met Bradley was true,” she explained. “He and I met when I was twenty-two, married when I was twenty-four. About a year into our marriage, he became abusive. None of that was a lie. All the stories about the things he said and did to me were true. Including the story about the night you won your championship.”

He could see the tears welling in her eyes, and part of him wanted to run to her. To take her in his arms and tell her it would be okay, that he was here for her. But another part—a bigger part—couldn’t believe that she had lied.

“That was the first time I considered leaving him. Except, it wasn’t as easy as that. Everyone thought we had the perfect marriage. No one would believe me if I told them he was abusive. I was afraid for my life. I knew that he wouldn’t stop until I was dead. So I slowly started to funnel money out of my trust fund and figure out a plan. Bradley was insistent that for our tenth wedding anniversary, we throw a big to-do—vow renewal, reception, the whole shebang. So, we planned the whole thing,” she continued. “Bradley was a stickler about tradition, so he insisted we spend the night before the renewal apart. So that’s when I made my escape. I bought a secondhand car, with cash, and got a pay-as-you-go phone. I told no one. I just left.”

“And came to Vermont?”

“No. I was headed to Canada. Montreal, actually. I thought I could make a new start up there, find myself. Then I got lost and ended up taking the long way through Vermont, and ended up with a flat tire, which landed me in the Busy Bean. I overheard Zara and Audrey talking, and the rest is history.”

“You lied to me. You’ve been lying to me this whole time. How do I know you’re not lying to me now?” he shouted. He didn’t want to be that guy, the same one he’d been on Thanksgiving. But he couldn’t help himself. He was so angry it was almost hard to see at this point.

This wasn’t happening. He blinked over and over again, trying to make everything come into focus. Reaching over with his right hand, he pinched himself—hard—just trying to make sure that this was real. That this wasn’t some nightmare. That his subconscious wasn’t fucking with him. He felt the pain caused by his fingers and knew that he wasn’t asleep. This was all really happening. His beautiful, sweet Gigi was a liar.

“I’m not! I promise! I didn’t plan for this. I didn’t plan for you!” she exclaimed, the tears starting to roll down her cheeks. “When they offered me the job, I thought maybe I could make a small town work, because everyone in small towns has secrets, right? I made up a story about my husband being dead so that no one would ask questions. I was afraid that if he found me, he would kill me. That’s why I left everything behind, so he couldn’t track me down! I was afraid for my life. I didn’t plan on making friends, much less meeting you and falling in love. I meant everything I said last night, Holden. I love you. You have believed in me like no one else. You helped me figure out who I am!”

“And who is that, Gigi? A spoiled, real housewife? A widow? I thought I knew you. But the Gigi I thought I knew wouldn’t lie to me. The Gigi I thought I knew poured her heart out to me about her abusive husband and all the hopes and dreams he stole from her. She and I bonded over the loss of our spouses and what it was like to grieve in a way no one else understood.” He turned and walked into the living room, unsure of what to do. The betrayal he felt clung to him like a wet blanket, weighing him down to the point he didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. Maybe both. He needed to do something with all these emotions before he exploded even more than he already had.

“I’m still that Gigi! Bradley has been dead to me since the second I drove out of Atlanta. I left him and all that behind. I was mourning—the loss of my marriage and the life I knew.”

“You’re a fucking liar! That’s what you are.”

“I only lied about Bradley being dead. That’s it,” she pleaded, as if all she had done was tell him they were out of cookies because she was saving the last one for herself.

“That’s it?” he scoffed. “That’s kind of a big deal, Gigi! Telling people your husband is dead when he’s not! Fucking another man along the way.” He saw her wince at his accusation, taking in his harsh words.

“I was afraid if he found me, he would kill me,” she told him again, her voice shaky even as she tried to steady it. He wanted to believe her, but he just couldn’t. How could he have been deceived so easily?

“Did you know who I was when I walked into the Busy Bean that day? Know about my connection to Caulfield or about my wife? Was I just some unsuspecting widower that you thought you could con?”

“How could you think that I could do such a thing? No, I had no idea who you were, who your family was or anything. When Kirk introduced us you were just some grumpy guy who was willing to take pity on me.”

Holden didn’t know if hearing her say that made him feel better or worse. Would he have felt better if he had been some kind of a mark, rather than someone she just happened to be able to take advantage of? Probably not. Either way, her actions were manipulative, and he was still having a hard time wrapping his head around it all.

“Were you ever going to tell me? Or were you just going to let me make an ass of myself?”

“Yes!” she answered, rushing toward him. He backed away from her again. He couldn’t touch her right now. Her touch had always been so calming to him, but now he was pretty sure the only thing it would do was anger him more. “I was going to tell you today. So that we could plan our future.”

“Future? You think I want a fucking future with you after that?! After you lied to me? After you took advantage of me all these weeks?”

“Holden, that was never my intention.”

Her words fell on deaf ears. He wanted to believe her, wanted to know that he hadn’t fallen for someone who would do this kind of thing. But she’d already admitted to the lies. If she was guilty of that, what else had she done?

“I need to know. Did you kill him?” Even as he asked the question, he wasn’t sure he really wanted to know. He wasn’t sure he could live with himself if he found out he’d fallen for a murderer.

“Bradley? No! I was already here in Vermont! I left him, that was it. I ran away, hoping to disappear. That was all I wanted, to disappear. Holden, you have to believe me. I love you.”

“No, stop right there,” he said, raising a hand. “You betrayed me and my trust. I don’t want to hear any more from you. Get out.”

“Holden…” she sobbed.