The Truth (11 page)

“Luther, behave yourself,” Aimee scolded. “There will be no strippers. I’m not having you run off with some man in a thong three days before my wedding. It’s for your own good.”

Luther sighed and passed around the shots of tequila, raised his shot glass in the air inviting everyone to toast. Lexie slammed her empty glass onto the table, and greedily sucked on a lime wedge.

The band was setting up, the sounds of guitar strings plucking, microphones tapping, and directions being shouted out to the men setting the lights filled the room. Another group of Aimee’s girlfriends entered the private lounge, bringing with them another round of tequila.

The music played, champagne flowed, and high heels began to pile up on the side of the busy dance floor. Lexie swayed to the music, singing at the top of her lungs. She knew she was going to pay for her alcohol consumption in the morning, but tonight, she felt better than she had in days. Walking over to the bar, she ordered another round.

Marissa walked up beside her. “Lexie, don’t you think you’ve had enough?”

“Nope,” Lexie slurred. “Just about right, I think.” She pushed a shot glass into Marissa’s hand and clanked hers against it before emptying it. She reached over and lifted the still full glass from Marissa’s hand and emptied that as well. “Come dance,” she shouted, pulling Marissa behind her onto the dance floor.

When the band stopped to take a break, Lexie made her way into the restroom. She braced herself against the walls of the stall, trying to keep the world from spinning. She didn’t want to get sick. Marissa wouldn’t let her hear the end of it.

She heard the door open and the sound of rubber heels squeaking against the stone tiled floor.

“You know she’s a total fraud,” one of the female voices said. “Got to give her credit though, she did a much better job convincing Emily Sinclair she was her long-lost daughter than I did. I never thought to get Mark into bed.”

“Molly, you’re terrible. Why would you offer to work tonight? You knew who the private party was,” asked the other.

“I needed to see her in person. Aimee Morrison is my hero, working Emily over the way she did.”

Lexie felt the heat rise on her face. Her hands clenched as the urge to strike grew strong.

“Be careful.” She heard the sound of running water. “If Emily Sinclair shows up and sees you, you’ll lose your job, hell, you could even go back to jail. Isn’t it in your restraining order that you can’t go near her?”

“She’s not coming, or she’d be here already. She doesn’t leave her
palace
often anyway. She’s probably rolling around in her money wearing nothing but her diamonds.” The girl laughed at her own joke.

Lexie peeked through the crack of the stall door. She could see a brunette straightening her pony tail, and applying lip gloss. Lexie recognized her as one of the waitresses. She couldn’t see the other girl’s face, but she was blonde, also with her hair pulled up, and wearing a chef’s jacket.

When the girl came into view Lexie’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t believe it. Standing in the bathroom mirror was Emily Sinclair’s old assistant. The con artist who’d claimed to be Emily’s kidnapped daughter and embezzled a large amount of money from her. The girl had gone to jail, but she’d broken Emily’s heart and for that alone, Lexie hated her. She could feel the hairs stand up on the back of her neck and her blood pounding through her system. How dare she be here?

“I just can’t believe that she fell for the lost daughter routine again.” The girl chuckled. “I’ve got to hand it to Aimee Morrison, she’s good, real good. I wonder how much money she’ll squeeze out of ole’
mommy
before she bolts. I wish I could find a way to crash the wedding. Really see how a pro works.”

Lexie yanked open the stall door, heat creeping up her cheeks, fists clenched. She knew it was partly the alcohol in her system making her feel invincible, but Lexie liked the fear she saw in the girl’s eyes once she’d recognized her.

Without a word, Lexie lifted her fist and punched the girl in the jaw, causing her to stumble back against the bathroom counter. The brunette stared at her for a moment and bolted from the room. Lexie didn’t see it coming but felt the blow to her temple as her legs buckled and she fell against the stall door. She’d never been a fighter, but tonight, the urge to wipe the smirk from the girl’s face was too strong to ignore. Could it have been the tequila, or was it as simple as right versus wrong? Either way, tonight she didn’t care.

Lexie reached out, and grabbing the front of the girl’s jacket, pulled her closer, standing nose to nose with her. “You’re scum,” Lexie sneered. “How dare you insult Emily after all you’ve done?”

The girl threw her hands up. “Let me go, I’ll leave right now.”

Lexie shoved her back against the counter and lifted her arm to strike again. She didn’t get the chance. Marissa stood behind her, holding tightly to her arm.

“She’s not worth it, Lex,” Marissa said calmly.

“Do you know who she is?” Lexie swooned, suddenly feeling dizzy. “She deserves much worse than this.”

Wrapping her arm around her, Marissa led Lexie from the bathroom and sat her in an empty chair. “You’re a feisty drunk.”

“I am not drunk.” Lexie stated, before realizing that her words were actually slurred. “Well maybe I am, but she still deserved it. Do you know who that was?”

“I do. The waitress came out and told me what was happening.” Marissa filled a napkin with ice and placed it against Lexie’s temple. “Does it hurt?”

She reached up and held the napkin against her cut. “No, it doesn’t hurt. That’s bad, huh?” Lexie leaned her head on Marissa’s shoulder. “You mad at me?”

“No, I’m not mad at you, but you’re going to be mad at yourself in the morning.” Marissa gently rubbed her back. “Jordan is on his way to pick you up.”

Lexie shot upright and groaned when the world began to spin. “You didn’t tell him I was actually in a fight did you?”

“Of course I did!” Marissa laughed. “I wouldn’t have missed hearing his reaction for the world, and I’m excited to hear the lecture he’s come up with during the drive.”

Lexie snarled and laid her head onto the table awaiting her brother’s wrath.

Grayson took a deep breath. This was not going to go well. He was sure of that. When Jordan called and asked him to rescue Lexie from the bachelorette party, he hadn’t hesitated. He also didn’t consider the fact that Lexie hadn’t spoken to him in over a week, or that she was clearly intoxicated, or even the fact that he had someone in the car.

“Stay here,” he told Darla Mae. “I’ll be right back.”

“But I want to say hello to Aimee,” she pouted. “I don’t want to wait in the car.”

“Stay here. I mean it.” He’d picked her up from the airport less than an hour ago and was already fed up with her.

Heading for the entrance, he was suddenly blocked by a large man with a bald head and a don’t-mess-with-me growl. “We’re closed tonight; private party.”

“I realize that,” Grayson continued, taking a step back so he could look into the man’s face. “I’m here to pick up one of the guests. It seems she’s had too many glasses of champagne.”

“The guest’s name?” His eyes drew together, and his voice was deep and gravelly, not to mention a bit intimidating.

“Lexie Wayne.”

Grayson hadn’t thought it possible, but the man stood even taller, pushing his chest out. “And who are you?”

From the looks of it, this man had a crush on his girl. Was Lexie still his girl? At this point, he wasn’t sure.

Deciding it best to leave out the details of their relationship he replied, “I’m a friend, and her brother’s partner. He asked me to pick her up because I was already in town.”

The bouncer looked over his head and seemed to relax when he spotted Darla Mae sitting in the car. “Lexie is a spunky one,” he said. “She let some girl have it in the restroom.” His laugh sounded like a high-powered chain saw. “I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of her wrath.” He looked Grayson up and down again, before stepping to the side. “Go on in, and let me know if you need any help getting her to the car.”

Nodding his head, Grayson strode into the dimly lit room and followed the noise into another section of the club. He watched as the women danced in a circle around Aimee’s best friend Luther. Most of the women were barefoot, some had drinks in hand, and by the looks of it, the majority of them were passing tipsy and headed straight for drunk.

Not seeing Lexie, he wandered closer to the bar itself. His heart pounded when he spotted her sitting beside Marissa, her head down against the table. He knew he’d missed her, but until he saw her, even he didn’t realize how much.

He recognized the moment Marissa spotted him. Her expressive face portrayed a combination of relief and worry. He wished he had time to find out if Marissa would confide in him what was going on with Lexie, but he knew he didn’t. Darla Mae wouldn’t sit waiting in the car much longer, and it was already going to be an interesting ride home once Lexie met her.

“Hello Grayson,” Marissa greeted, a smile pasted on her face. “I thought Jordan was coming to pick up Lexie?”

“He was, but I was already in town and offered to save him the drive.” Watching Marissa’s face, he knew that whatever happened with Lexie was worse than he thought. He wished he had at least a small clue of what he’d done wrong.

She looked over at Lexie and then quickly back to him as if she were somehow reluctant to let her friend go with him. Grayson put his hand on Marissa’s shoulder and waited for her to look up at him. “I will drive her home. That’s it.”

“Grayson, what are you doing here?”

They both spun around at the sound of Lexie’s voice.

“I’m taking you home. Jordan called me because I was already in town.” He hated that he felt the need to immediately explain his presence. Walking over to her, his chest tightened when he met her wary eyes.

“I can’t get on your motorcycle in this dress.” Lexie snapped. She stood up, swaying from left to right. “I’ll be fine. I’ll just wait for Aimee and ride back in the limo.”

“I didn’t bring the bike.” Grayson struggled to keep his voice calm. He wanted to scream and yell, demand she tell him what was happening. More than that, he wanted to pull her into his arms, and feel her head against his chest.

Lexie plopped down on the chair and let her head fall back. “I don’t feel good.”

Grayson looked at Marissa, and without a word, they each took one of her arms and lifted Lexie from the chair. Her knees buckled, and Lexie jerked forward, causing Marissa to lose her grip. Grayson caught her and swung her into his arms like she were a small child.

Exiting the lounge, he nodded to the bouncer and waited for the large man to open the back door of the car. He slid Lexie onto the seat and fastened her seatbelt. Her head was bobbing up and down, her eyes closed and her hands grasped tightly on her lap.

Suddenly, her head shot up. “My shoes, Grayson, I need my shoes.” Finally focusing on Darla Mae, Lexie’s eyes drew into slits. “Didn’t mean to interrupt your date,” she sneered.

Grayson paused in the open door, and crouched down. “I’m not on a date, Lexie. You know me better than that.”

“Do I? Do I really know you, Grayson Hunter?” Lexie barked.

He snapped back as if she’d slapped him. Her tone was accusing, but her eyes filled with unshed tears. What was going on with her?

“This is Darla Mae Pruitt from Kentucky. She lives with my folks. Remember, I told you about her?” Grayson reached over and laid his hand over Lexie’s. “I just picked her up from the airport. She’s in town for the wedding.”

Looking from Lexie to Darla, he cringed at the look of disgust on Darla’s face as she watched Lexie.

Obviously, still drunk and looking for a fight, Lexie glared back at her. “What’s your problem?”

Darla Mae’s mouth opened in a perfectly formed O, as she sat there incredulous. Grayson cleared his throat in an attempt to cover the snicker that slipped from his lips. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Darla Mae speechless.

Trying to regain some control over the situation, Grayson stood and closed the door to the backseat before climbing in behind the wheel. “Marissa is bringing your shoes. We will drop Darla Mae at her hotel, and then I will drive you home.”

Grayson looked over his shoulder when the back seat remained silent. Lexie was sound asleep; her head tilted back, her mouth slightly parted. Even drunk, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

Darla Mae sighed, “Really, Grayson? That’s the type of woman you want?”

“Don’t,” he spat, turning to her. “I will not have you say one more word, is that understood?”

She crossed her arms and turned to stare out the window, not speaking until they pulled up at her hotel.

“Thank you for the ride,” was all she said as she walked through the glass doors.

Lexie was still asleep when they arrived at her condo. He fished her keys out of her purse, and lifted her into his arms again.

Stirring, Lexie looked up at him before laying her head back against his shoulder. “I wish I never met you,” she mumbled, her eyes still closed. “I want my heart back.”

Grayson felt the sting behind his eyes as the pain sliced through him.

The day of Aimee’s wedding was warm and sunny, with a faint breeze blowing the scent of roses through the air. Lexie, in a scarlet colored silk dress and strappy silver heels, walked through the yard in search of Emily, the mother of the bride, and one of her dearest friends.

White chairs sat facing a large arbor decorated in white lights, tulle, and thousands of white roses. Lexie skirted around a long white runner creating an aisle that ran from the back porch between the chairs and ended at the platform beneath the arbor. Emily was adjusting the flower arrangements that sat on tall white pillars on each side of the platform.

“It looks beautiful,” Lexie said, stepping up beside her.

Emily turned to her, tears of joy glimmered in her eyes. “It really does, doesn’t it?” She smiled. “My little girl is getting married today,” she said more to herself. “I still can’t believe it.”