Read Online Uncovering You 6: Deliverance by Scarlett Edwards - Free Book Online

essential.
    Jeremy lowers himself beside me. “Hello, Thalia,” he says. She shifts, in almost a disdainful way, and offers him the briefest of nods. “Jeremy.”
    Shit! I thought it’d be Fey I had to worry about, not her mother! But Thalia seems to have some inherent grudge against Jeremy. I only hope that he won’t overreact and blame it on me. He is not a man used to being addressed that way.
    But thankfully, the dismissive greeting brushes off Jeremy like water off a duck’s back. He just smiles at her, cordially, and picks up the menu. “Have you already eaten?” he asks.
    Thalia huffs. “Waiting so long, of course we’ve eaten!”
    “Then you must have recommendations,” Jeremy says smoothly. I actually find myself feeling quite proud of how well he’s taking Thalia’s attitude. “Neither Lilly nor I have eaten anything since last night. We’re both starving.”
    Jeremy calls the server over, and orders two plates of lunch and an extra round of drinks for everyone
    I look at Fey. “Where’s your dad?” I ask.
    “Oh, Daddy came here with us but was called away before you arrived.” Fey smiles apologetically. “He would have loved to see you, though. And to meet Mr.—um, Jeremy.”
    “Speaking of,” Thalia butts in. “I never did get the story of how you and Lilly met.” Her eyes flash at Jeremy, full of mistrust and something close to disdain.
    Her behavior towards Jeremy has me on edge. Why is she being so standoff-ish? She couldn’t … she couldn’t suspect anything, could she?
    I give myself a quick shake and try to dismiss the thought. No, of course she couldn’t suspect any of the things Jeremy is actually guilty of. How could she? No one knows but him, Rose, and me.
    Yet, she definitely is suspicious of something. Maybe it’s just a motherly worry for my well-being, or my choice of men. The age difference might be something Thalia disapproves of.
    Jeremy smiles at her, taking in Fey and me, as well. “That’s actually quite the fascinating story,” he says, and launches into the alibi he’d made for us.
    As I listen to him speak, I’m fascinated by how real he makes the story sound, how authentic. Hearing him describe our introduction, our first interaction, and the way things proceeded from there all sounds so genuine that I find myself nearly believing the story myself. If I hadn’t lived the truth, I wouldn’t have known any better.
    But listening to him sparks a new realization in me: Jeremy is an accomplished liar. The words slip from his tongue with the same ease as any version of the truth.
    When he’s done, the story is enough to dampen at least some of Thalia’s hostility. And Fey, who’s listening to the whole thing with a rapt attention, says, “Wow. I wish you’d have told me about all this as it was happening, Lilly! I would have loved the play-by-play. Why didn’t you call?”
    “Oh. Uh . . . ” I look over at Jeremy. We’d discussed what I was to say to a question like this. I open my mouth to answer—and then change my words.
    “Fey, look, I’m sorry. I’ve been busy. But obviously that’s no excuse. The truth is…” I glance at Jeremy once more. I can see his jaw tightening. I can feel his eyes boring into me. This is not what we had planned. “The truth is that I didn’t want to speak to you,” I finish in a rush.
    The tension that’s been building in Jeremy evaporates. Fey looks taken aback at my words. I continue quickly.
    “Not after disappearing for so long. Work took over the minute I started at Corfu. Weeks would pass without me realizing it. Everything was just so busy, so rushed… I always wanted to call, Fey. But by the time I met Jeremy, so many months had already passed that I thought… I thought…” I look down, hoping desperately that my lies sound as believable as Jeremy’s, “… I thought that, at that point, we’d just drifted apart. I didn’t think you’d be interested. I thought you might have forgotten all