Page 96 of No Headlines Please

I forced a smirk. "So, you got a good earful, huh?" With a casualness I didn't feel, I leaned against the doorframe and said, "Eh, it was only a matter of time."

She stiffened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean it's not my fault if you believe everything you hear."

She looked ready to slap me. "Oh, so I'm just a big sucker, huh?"

Yes. She was. Because whatever the woman had told her, at least half was almost certainly bullshit. "Hey, you said it, not me."

She gave a choked little laugh. "And to think, you let me go on and on about myself like you really cared."

My mouth tightened. "Who says I didn't?"

But Delaney was on a roll. "You sat there and listened to me ramble about my family. My money. My sister." Her voice cracked around the edges. "You were probably laughing at me the whole time."

Her words hit like a punch. "Trust me, I'm not laughing."

"Trust you?" she scoffed. "Are you freaking crazy?"

The way she talked, you'd think I was the one who'd stolen a few grand from her account – and maybe spent it on hookers and blow while I was at it.

As she continued to glare, I recalled all the slack she'd cut everyone else. She'd made a point of looking at all sides before pronouncing judgment. And even then, she'd been way too nice.

But me? I'd been pronounced guilty without a trial.

She shoved a hand through her hair and muttered, "I can't believe I fell for it."

I snorted. "Yeah, me neither." I didn't mean it the way Delaney meant it. What I meant was, if she was kicking me to the curb after hearing a few stories from some rando in the elevator, she wasn't the girl I thought she was.

Did I explain this to her?

Hell, no.

Why give her the satisfaction?

And besides, the role of villain suited me just fine.

She threw up her hands. "And why would you lie about your name? What, you thought I wouldn't find out?"

I hadn't lied. Sure, I hadn't given her my last name, but it wasn't the way she made it sound. "That's quite a reach."

"What?"

"It's not like I told you my name was Bob."

Her voice rose. "Hah! It could be Bob for all I know."

What the hell did that mean? As I stared across the threshold, it suddenly struck me that her cute little sundress was no accident.

She'd actually dressed up for this.

Who does that?

Sure, I'd seen my share of crazy, but not with Delaney. Until now, she'd seemed perfectly sane.

When I replied with nothing but stony silence, she said with a little huff, "So you're not even gonna try to explain?"

Something cold and hard settled in my gut. "Why bother?" I held her gaze. "Looks to me like you already know."