The Lies That Save Us (The Broken Heart Series) Read Online Free

I was passing through Startup and stopped for some breakfast and there you were.  Hadn’t planned on returning to your diner, but then I saw you and I was hooked.  You really dress up this town, you piqued my interest.  So, here I am.”
    His eyes were penetrating hers, clear to the back of her head.  He made her want to forget every promise she’d ever made to herself.  She wanted him to pick her up and carry her into the bedroom--.  She shook her head, forcing her thoughts back to the present.
    “I don’t need friends, Cayman.  I have my diner and my friends there, and I don’t need anything else.”  She tried very hard to sound convincing. 
    “You’re wrong, Alexa.  I’m sticking around for a while, so you may as well deal with it.  I’m going to keep asking you out until you accept.  Maybe after one date we’ll decide we’re not interested in each other after all.  But I’m not leaving until I know that for sure, and right now, I don’t know for sure.”
    “Well, I can answer that little question for you right now.” She said her voice a pinch more sarcastic than she’d planned.  “We’re not compatible, we’re not ever going out and there’s no need for you to ‘stick around’, especially on my account.  You’re free to leave.  I give you my permission, as if you need it.”
    The hurt on his face made her stomach clench.  He looked down at his food, the smile fading slowly from his face, laid his napkin beside the plate and stood up.  He looked around the room, walked to the door where his coat was hanging on the knob, picked it up, looked at her and left, closing the door quietly behind him.
    Alexa hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath since her little speech and with the closing of the door she let all the air out of her lungs.  She wanted to run after him and tell him to come back, that she was sorry to be so rude.  The look on his face killed her, and she had the gnawing fear she would never see him again.  What had she done?  Was it the right thing? 
    “It was the right thing for me,” she said firmly to herself.  She slowly picked up the plates of untouched food and carried them to the sink, scraping the uneaten food into the disposal.  As she turned it on and watched it disappear down the drain, she said again, “it was the right thing for me.”
     
    ***
     
    “You did WHAT?”  Tahleah was clearly stunned.
    “Listen, Tahleah,” she said with warning in her voice, “don’t ever do that again.  Don’t EVER let a complete stranger into my house, or anyone for that matter without my permission.  Do you hear me?  That had better never happen again.”
    “He may be gone for good now,” said Tahleah, ignoring her.  She was clearly exasperated.
    “I can only hope so,” Alexa looked down the counter to the spot where Cayman usually sat.  It was breakfast, and his chair at the counter sat empty.
    “Oh for crying out loud Alexa!  What were you thinking!  How could you let a fish like that get away?  I saw how you looked at him. I thought if I let him in there you might just acknowledge those feelings and give it a go.  I can’t believe you chased him away.”
     
    “Believe it.  I feel great.”
    “No you don’t.  You can’t even decide if you did the right thing.  It’s on your face plain as day.”  Tahleah stomped off in a huff.
    Alexa wondered how Tahleah could know her so well.  Still, there was a clear void inside her and no amount of stomping, fussing or being hard to live with was going to change it. 
    Just then Keith came through the door and headed to his seat.  He stopped when he saw her and said, “Why, Alexa, what’s wrong?  You look like you lost your best friend.”
    “Oh good grief!  Have you been talking to Tahleah?” 
    She grabbed the coffee pot and a menu and followed Keith around to his booth.
    “Well, no, did she quit?”  he asked, obviously confused.
    “No, she didn’t quit, but I told that Ham