The Innocent Liar (2 page)

Chapter Three

F
iona couldn’t believe she was actually willing to do this. She was either the weakest, most pathetic creature in the world or the bravest to face Eli again. She truly had no idea which. She couldn’t stand the idea of seeing him again, but short of panhandling on the streets of Jackson, Wyoming, she didn’t know what else to do.

She’d spent a cold night huddled in a small outbuilding on his property. She’d returned after walking aimlessly around the streets, having spotted the loose door rattling in the wind earlier in the afternoon. The shack provided next to no real shelter, and she hadn’t slept one minute of her torturously long night. She found a small café not far from there first thing in the morning, and after buying a cup of coffee, she changed her shirt in the bathroom, washed her face, and applied some Chapstick she hoped would make her dry and cracked lips actually look like lips. A generous amount of deodorant masked the fact there wasn’t a warm shower in her immediate past or future, and she twisted her hair back in a knot at the side of her neck to hide her dirty strands.

Her tote was oversized and passed easily as a large purse; otherwise, people might actually realize she was homeless in this town. She sat in the small café, drinking the dark coffee and thanking God they had free refills. Of course, it didn’t stop her stomach from growling as she watched others devour homemade cinnamon rolls she could only dream about at the moment. She stayed in the café until her limbs were warmed through and she no longer felt the chill of the cold night still coursing through her veins, and then she set off toward the workshop.

The shop was an interesting historic brick warehouse that sat a few blocks off the town square. She’d decided she loved this town, even if she didn’t have a place in it yet, and Eli’s workshop was one of the reasons why. It was a cool and eclectic building, yet completely authentic with large arched windows. The town was quaint, and she was almost desperate to fit in here, but none of that made the walk any easier.

Facing Eli could go bad. In fact, she had little reason to believe it wouldn’t, but she sucked it up. She took a deep breath as she reached for the handle of the door. There was no reception desk, nor a receptionist to greet her. The main entrance opened into a waiting room just as quaint as the building, with warm mahogany furniture and stained concrete floors. The trim work surrounding the adjacent door was wide and well restored, and her hand trembled as she approached the interior door, and reached for the doorbell beside it. Moments later, the door was pulled open, and a large hulk of a man stood before her.

“Well, hello there,
perty
gal. Now, what can I help—?”

“Chris, back to work. She’s not interested in the likes of a married man.”

“Shit, boss. She didn’t know I’s married. Whadya have to go and say that for?” He turned back to her. “Wife doesn’t actually like me, see, so it’s not like a real marriage or nothin’—”

“I said get back to work.”

And there he was, standing in front of her, eyeing Chris with the same authority he’d shoved down her throat the day before. Chris left, mumbling and complaining to himself as Eli slowly turned back toward her.

“Well, well. If it isn’t my new friend, Fifi.” He smirked.

“That’s not…it’s not Fi—”

He turned from her, cutting her off with his body language and leaving her to figure out if it was appropriate to follow or stay put. She chose to follow whether she was welcome or not, and as he moved through the equipment—table saws, band saws, belt sanders, and contraptions she wasn’t even familiar with—eyes watched her. Every pair belonged to a man she didn’t know. Some regarded her curiously, some just studied her every step, and some, those belonging to Chris, stared at her tits the whole time.

She followed Eli into what she could only assume was a break room that sat along a wide corridor off the workshop. He poured himself a cup of coffee. When he offered her some, she refused, but then he sat at a table that conveniently had a box of bagels sitting in the middle of it, and her stomach started trying to reach through her navel to get one. Her guts twisted into knots she could hear tightening as she sank into a chair across from him. She eyed the box with what had to be a pained expression, and it did not go unnoticed.

“Help yourself.”

She shook her head and clamped her mouth shut tight to keep the word
yes
from popping out. She wasn’t sure she could control her voracious appetite if she let herself indulge in front of him, and she needed to keep her wits about her at the moment.

“Very well. What can I do for you?”

“You can give me a job.”

He stared at her for a moment, his chiseled jaw working as he contemplated. He picked up a bagel and started tearing bites off and popping them in his mouth, and she thought she might cry. He was taking his time thinking, and all she could do was wait.

“What’s your name?” He cocked his head to the side, refusing to let up with his intense dark stare.

“Fiona.”

“I Googled you last night. You know at first I thought maybe you were involved in something shady, criminal even, but then it occurred to me if you were any sort of decent criminal you’d know better than to pick such a unique moniker. I mean, if you really wanted to disappear into obscurity and you knew what you were doing, you’d pick the most common name in the world. As it is, I couldn’t find a single Fiona Finley, and that’s just not a terribly common occurrence this day and age. Unless, of course, you grew up under a rock.”

She shook her head slowly, refusing to give him more than that.

“North Pole? Deep-sea sub? I mean, come on, no one is so off the grid as that today. So…that means not only are you lying about your name, you’re not very experienced at disappearing. It should be a relief to me, really, but then again, it was still a lie.”

He studied her as she forced herself to look back at him.

“So, here you are again, begging me to give you a job, yet you’re still not being forthcoming with your personal information. Why is today any different than yesterday?”

The man had an amazing talent for oration, she’d give him that. He nearly gave the impression he didn’t have to think before he spoke at all. The words simply materialized from his mouth, perfectly timed, perfectly inflected as though rehearsed. He’d had the same cool and calm demeanor the day before. He had an ability to open his mouth and simply let his rebuttal flow like an easy river of bitch-slapping words. His oratory talent was enviable—not to mention intimidating. He made it impossible to argue effectively, and she almost wanted to ask if he’d been a lawyer in his pre-woodshop owning days. Instead, her brain choked to figure out the best response.

He waited for an answer, and her eyes kept shifting to the damn box of bagels that were taunting her. This had been a bad idea. She most definitely should not have come back. Her stomach twisted painfully, and she thought for a moment she might vomit. She couldn’t seem, for the life of her, to focus on him and not the sight of that box. She hadn’t eaten in days. She’d been surviving on coffee alone. Her head started spinning, and her mouth went dry. Pushing up from the table was a struggle, but panic was coursing through her brain now, and she stumbled two steps as he stood and watched her.

Her knees buckled, and it was all over. Her body sank to the floor, and she was powerless to stop it. The darkness closed in, and then nothing—blessed nothingness.

“Well, that was interesting.”

Eli’s voice was infiltrating Fiona’s brain even though she couldn’t see him. She blinked, and she tried to push herself up, and that’s when he came into focus, sitting beside her as she lay on a leather couch. She was in his office—the same room she’d been in the day prior. He was at her hip, his thigh right alongside her body. She tried again to push herself up, but his broad hand met her stomach, pressing her back gently. “Give yourself a minute.”

“What happened?” She blinked as she looked up at him.

“You fainted. When’s the last time you ate? Slept?”

She shrugged.

“I see. So, you either don’t want to tell me because it’s been a long time, or you don’t recall because it’s been a long time. Neither bode well for the sake of your metabolism.”

She didn’t have a clue how to respond to him. Her mouth was hanging open. She needed to respond, but every time she tried to say something, she swallowed over the grating sandpaper in her throat instead.

“How about you take me up on the offer for a bagel, and perhaps some orange juice as well?”

She nodded as he stood.

He disappeared, and she sat up. She held her head in her hands as the buzzing and throbbing pain pulsed through her. By the time he returned, it had died down to an ache. He brought her a blueberry bagel that still felt slightly warm and a large glass of orange juice. When he sat beside her on the sofa, her eyes flashed to his, and she tried for a weak smile. “Thank you.” She barely heard her own voice as she spoke, and he nodded.

“When you’re finished, you can nap for a while. You look exhausted, and I’m guessing you’re as sleep deprived as you are food deprived.”

“That’s really not nec—”

“Once you’ve had some time to rest, we can discuss your new position here.”

Her eyes popped open wide as she looked at him and sucked in a quick breath.

“I need you rested and alert when I show you around. There are plenty of dangers on the shop floor, and I don’t need you injuring yourself. I’m quite sure my insurance company would throw a fit if an undocumented employee were to get injured on the premises, so do us both a favor and stay intact and out of trouble.”

She nodded.

“Now, I’m going to help get the guys caught up on some projects. I’ll check back in a few hours. There’s a restroom across the hall out the backdoor of the office. I suggest you eat and then take a nap because if I’m going to hire your lying ass, I’m sure as hell going to work it.” He turned from her, paused at the door, and then turned back. “That last sentence came out wrong.” He smirked. It was as close to a smile as she’d seen from the man. He shrugged his shoulders, and then he was gone.

She ate so fast she nearly threw it up, but after her stomach decided it knew what to do with food after all, she took Eli’s advice and curled up on his couch. She didn’t know how to feel about sleeping in his office when she’d only barely just met him, but she was so exhausted that her brain shut down quickly, and she gave up worrying about the awkwardness of the situation. It was warm here, and she finally had a full belly. It wasn’t as though she was starving, and her body had enough curves to keep her from withering away too quickly, but it had been a few days. It was amazing how fast she could miss something so much. She had no idea where she’d get her next meal, her next shower, or where she would sleep that night, but at the moment, she was comfortably curled up on a sofa in a handsome man’s office. He wasn’t a very nice man from what she’d gathered, but she was still here, and he apparently intended to hire her. He’d fed her, and he’d cared for her. Neither were his responsibilities, and he’d made it clear he had little interest in making her his responsibility, but she was still here…

She drifted off to sleep with the sounds of the workshop below her.

Chapter Four

E
li didn’t bother going up to his office until the men had left for lunch. “Fiona” could be robbing him blind for all he knew, but he was banking on her being entirely too tired to pull it off. He was infinitely glad she’d returned that morning, not that she could likely tell from his behavior. He wasn’t good at being so open with strangers. Hell, he wasn’t good at being so open with anyone. He was guessing she knew something about that.

He crouched beside her. She was breathing quietly as she slept. She was really quite stunning. He’d never seen skin so smooth and pristine. She was wearing the same jeans she’d been in the day before, and while her hair was fixed differently, he could see by the shine on her hairline that it was dirty. Her lips were dry and cracked, but they were a perfect light pink against her milky pale skin and dark hair. He knew the moment she opened her eyes the brilliant blue color would sparkle and pop against her light complexion. He wanted to see those eyes again.

There was something very bold about her spirit, regardless of how soft spoken she’d so far been. She had guts coming back after the way he’d treated her the day before…or maybe it was desperation that drove her back to him again. Either way, it took backbone. She was fighting something—some war, some threat, some fear that was pushing her forward—and he wanted to solve the mystery of her more than anything. At the moment, he was going to settle for hiring her cute ass, keeping her close, and watching the hell out of her like a hawk until he could crack her story open.

He touched her shoulder, feeling her body jolt under his hand, and then her eyes popped open, and he stared into the bright blue. She sucked in a breath as she sat up. She looked embarrassed, and as her eyes blinked back to wakefulness, he studied her.

“Ready for a tour?”

She nodded as she stood, and he led her back down to the shop floor. He’d purchased the warehouse nearly nine years before. He’d restored it, renovated it into a large woodworking studio, and then spent two years fighting to make it profitable. He now employed three skilled woodworkers, an inventory specialist, and a manager for the showroom on the town square, and apparently, he now employed a secretary/janitor as well. She was going to be the only female working in the shop aside from the occasional visit from Candace, and he wasn’t quite sure how that would go over.

He led her down the side corridor where the cleaning supply closet was, an often ignored room, and he showed her where the men’s shower room and bathroom was. A woman’s restroom was in the corridor as well, but the shower room portion had not been used since he purchased the warehouse, and it was completely nonfunctional as a result.

“You have a shower room for the men?”

“It’s more for the wives. Too many complaints about the guys tracking sawdust home with them.” His eyebrows shot up as he watched her, and she tried for a smile. “The warehouse already had shower rooms attached to the restrooms, so a couple years ago, I had the plumbing redone in the men’s room. Mostly it’s used by Chris to wash off the stench of whatever woman he happens to be fucking on the side before he goes home to his wife.”

Her cheeks turned crimson. Saying “fuck” in front of his newest female employee must be breaking some rule or law, but he didn’t often filter his mouth, and he resented her enough that he certainly wasn’t going to start worrying about her sensitivities now.

“Upstairs is just an open loft. It’s empty for the most part.” The stairwell leading up to the second floor loft from the corridor was pitch dark and silent as it always was. They returned to the shop floor just to see the men coming back. “Guys, I need to introduce you to someone.”

She suddenly tensed beside him, and he looked down at her.

“You bought us a—”

“Stow it, Chris.” Chris’s comment could only be going in one direction, and Eli wasn’t in the mood, not that he supposed he had to worry about sexual harassment claims. Fiona didn’t technically exist in this place, at least not as far as the Department of Labor was concerned, so he couldn’t imagine she’d be too quick to point the finger at his womanizing dick of an employee. “This is…Fiona.” He cleared his throat. The men likely thought it was nothing, but her eyes flashed to his quickly. “She’s going to be working here. I’m thinking she’ll cover secretarial duties Monday through Wednesday during the day, and janitorial duties Thursday and Friday evenings. She’ll be responsible for the phones, payroll, invoicing, drawing up bids, and keeping track of my schedule.”

Mike stepped forward, offering her his hand, and she took it. “Name’s Mike. Good to meet you.”

She nodded and responded in kind.

Aaron approached next, and when he grabbed her hand, he started pumping it hard in a frenzy of excitement. “Sure am glad to see you, darlin’. I’m Aaron, the inventory manager. Got my hands full keeping these boys supplied for their orders, and I ain’t got time to be sweeping up after their messy asses.” Only when he was done speaking did he finally stop yanking her arm around.

“Good to meet you too, Aaron.”

“Well, howdy, pretty girl. I’m Chris. Don’t think we been introduced formally, but if you need anything at all, you come see me.” He winked at her, and her startled expression said she wasn’t impressed with the man’s charm. Eli, on the other hand, knocked him up the backside of his head. “Shit, boss. I’s being nice.”

Eli leaned down to her ear. “Stay away from that one, or he might hump your leg.”

She actually smiled in response to that.

“Hey, I’m Jake Sanders. It’s good to meet you.” Jake was Eli’s youngest woodworker, and as he stepped forward, he flashed his sweet smile. He was the only man, besides Eli, who was unmarried. “New in town, are ya?”

She nodded.

“That’s everyone, aside from Candace who manages the showroom on the town square.”

Fiona looked almost overwhelmed by the group of them staring at her.

“So, you had something of a fainting spell this morning?” Mike’s expression looked concerned.

“Yeah. I don’t know what happened, but I’m fine now.” She was trying to shake off Mike’s concern as if it was nothing, but she still seemed nervous.

“Where ’bouts you from?” Mike was still pushing for information.

“Oh…around.”

She was tense again, and Eli watched her closely. He was just as curious as Mike was, so he was going to let this interrogation play out.

“Uh…Midwest. Around…around Kansas City.”

He didn’t need to know her style of lying to know she was, in fact, lying. She swallowed over a lump in her throat, her eyes shifted quickly away from them, and she started gnawing on her lower lip.

“That’s enough questions for today, guys. I’m sending her up to the showroom, so Candace can start bringing her up to speed on the payroll processing.”

“I have some shipping tickets for Candace, so I can walk her up.” Jake interjected just a bit too quick, and Eli suddenly felt like punching the man in the face. Odd reaction to say the least. He liked Jake just fine, but he didn’t like him liking her. Jake didn’t know her, and Eli didn’t either. He didn’t need Jake getting tangled up with her and causing problems for them all, and for some damn reason it made him want to kick Jake’s ass. Jake watched her expectantly, and she nodded shyly.

“I’ll call Candace and let her know you’re coming.” Eli turned abruptly and headed up to his office.