23. Clara
CLARA
“So…what exactly happened?” Mav asked, scratching the back of his neck as I tried and failed not to stare at my husband, who was talking with River.
“Um…” I laughed lightly, trying to appear as if this was all a terrible mistake by an old woman.
“Clara,” Mav sighed heavily. “I need to understand how your car ended up in the gym.”
“Well, it was strange, really. I’m not exactly sure. I think my shoe must have gotten caught.”
He stared at me, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Your shoe got caught.”
“I think so. Oh, Mav. You know how it is.”
“Actually, I’m not sure I do.”
I waved him off as the paramedic took my blood pressure. With any luck, it would be sky high, and I’d have to go to the hospital to be checked out. Only then would my story truly hold.
“I was driving down the road and…well, I just couldn’t stop. I panicked and turned the wheel. I guess I thought the curb would stop the car.”
“Uh-huh.”
He didn’t believe me. If there was one thing Maverick Wynne was really good at, it was sniffing out bullshit, and I was full of it at the moment.
“Honestly, it was so frightening. I’m not sure I even remember what happened.”
“Have you been drinking?”
I gaped at him, surprised that Mav would go down this route. “Maverick Wynne, in all the years I’ve known you…I’ve had you over for family dinners, and you think I would drink and drive?”
Okay, I might have been laying it on a little thick considering what I just did in an absolute state of hysteria. But still. I was practically a second mother to him.
“I really hope not,” he muttered. “How’s she looking?”
“Her heart rate is still a little erratic, but otherwise, she seems to be okay.”
That wasn’t good. If I was going to get out of this, I was going to have to play up my strengths, and one thing a man could never ignore was a woman in distress.
Did I feel bad about it? Awful. But I had just crashed my car through the window in a moment of insanity. Thankfully, Georgia was on my side, and always would be. She was the best at laying it on thick, and I knew she wouldn’t fail me.
Mav flipped his notebook shut, sighing heavily. “Give us a minute,” he said to the paramedic.
With a nod, he walked off, leaving me alone with Maverick.
“Look, Clara. I know things have been rough between you and Ben lately. And whatever is going on with you, it’s okay to be upset, but…just don’t let it get out of control.”
“I have no idea what you mean. Things are going great with Ben.”
He shot me an amused look. “It’s all over town.”
“Well, gossip is never one hundred percent accurate,” I mumbled.
“Make sure that whatever’s going on with you… just be careful.”
I smiled tightly at him, refusing to give him any more ammunition. “If that’s all, I’m going to talk with Ben and see if he can give me a ride home.”
“Sure.” Stepping aside, he tipped his hat.
And now it was time for the performance of a lifetime. Getting to my feet, I made it only a few steps before I stumbled and then let my body weight carry me to the ground.
“Clara!” Maverick shouted, catching me just before I hit the pavement.
I let my eyes roll around before focusing on his face.
“Hey, are you alright?”
The key to the deception was to pretend I was fine. If I acted like I was hurt or sick, he would never believe me.
“Of course I am,” I pushed at his arms. “I just tripped.”
“That wasn’t a trip.”
I shoved to my feet, still gripping his arms. “I’m fine. Really.”
I lied through my teeth, determined to pull this off.
“Just take it easy. Sit down for a moment.”
I let him push me back onto the ambulance, but continued to fight him.
“Really, I’m fine. I just stood too soon.”
“Have you been feeling dizzy lately?” he asked, whistling to the paramedic, waving him over.
“No. Honestly, stop fussing. I’m fine.”
“You collapsed and would have hit the ground if I hadn’t caught you.”
I gave him my best glare, knowing it was the only way to preserve my cover. “Maverick Wynne, are you trying to make me mad?”
“I just—”
“I told you I’m fine.”
“You fell—”
“I said I’m fine, and—”
Right on time, my husband stomped over, his face filled with anger and concern. “What the hell is going on?”
“She almost collapsed. Says she’s fine,” Mav said, quirking an eyebrow at me.
“I am fine.”
“That’s it. I’m taking you to the hospital.”
“I am not going to the hospital!” I shouted at my husband. “I am perfectly fine, and if you don’t believe me—”
“No, I don’t fucking believe you!” he snapped. “You just drove your car through a fucking window!”
“My foot got caught!”
“Is that the story you’re telling?” he argued, his eyes narrowing dangerously on me.
I snapped my lips shut, playing my part just a little too well. There was no room for error if I wanted to get out of this without a jail sentence or looking like an idiot.
“That’s what I thought. Hospital. Now.”
My nostrils flared in anger, and when the paramedic tried to shove me into the back, I stood my ground. “Then you can drive me. We’re not wasting any money on an ambulance.”
“Fine,” Ben gritted out. Taking my elbow, he guided me out of the ambulance and over to his truck. It wasn’t difficult to pretend I was mad. Yes, I had nearly run over someone out of anger, but he was flirting with her, and I wasn’t sure I would ever get over that.
When I decided to play the part of the damsel, I hadn’t considered that Ben would be the one to escort me to the hospital. I should have known, but I was trying to think ten steps ahead while frantically trying to keep my story straight.
I was a mess, and my husband knew it.
Sitting beside me, scowling at the road, I knew I was in for one hell of a lecture. It was best to get as far away from him as possible.
“Really, I’m fine. We don’t have to do this.”
But as he slowly turned and glared at me, I knew there was no way I’d talk him out of going to the hospital. Maybe I’d overplayed my hand.
“What exactly happened back there?”
“I told you, my shoe got stuck.”
“Uh-huh. And how exactly did your shoe get stuck on the accelerator?”
“What?” I stuttered.
“Was it glued there? Did you happen to step in the world’s stickiest gum? Or maybe you have secret magnets in both your shoe and the pedal!”
“Benjamin Parker—”
“Don’t you double name me, woman. You just smashed a perfectly good car through a window, and you’re coming at me with your shoe got stuck?”
“It happens!”
Luckily, I’d had the time to quickly look up the statistics when the paramedics went back to grab a few things.
“Woman—”
“Do not call me woman!” I shouted, turning in my seat to face him. “I’ll have you know that nearly sixteen thousand shoe-related accidents happen every year!”
Smirking, he shook his head at me. “And you just happen to have that number handy, do you?”
I gaped at him, seeing now that I had overplayed my hand. “I couldn’t believe it actually happened,” I said stiffly. “So, I looked it up while they were prying the door open.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Are you calling me a liar?”
At the dangerous look I shot him, he backed down slightly. “Clara, I’m just saying that something’s not right here. I know you’ve been pissed at me, and I can’t blame you. Hell, you already kicked me out, but this…this is taking it too far.”
Confusion washed over me as I studied the tormented look on his face. “What are you talking about?”
“Look, I would never tell Mav. I know you didn’t mean to do it. Call it a fit of rage or— menopause rage. Hell, I don’t know.”
Menopause rage? Was that even a thing?
“You’re pissed at me. I get it. I just never thought you’d try to kill me because of our fight.”
Wait—
“You think I tried to kill you?” I nearly laughed at his words.
He shot me a disapproving look. “You don’t have to hide it, and I would never tell Mav that you tried to murder me. I’m not that vengeful. But this can’t happen again. You could have seriously hurt yourself. Not to mention the damage to the car and the gym.”
He sighed heavily.
“And I suppose our insurance will go up now.”
I sat there, completely stunned. He’d worked it all out. Well, all aside from the actual intended target. But that worked in my favor. He actually thought I tried to kill him.
I huffed out a laugh, only realizing how bad that looked when he glared at me.
Oops.
Still, Ben had unknowingly come up with the perfect cover for me.
If the town found out, it was better for them to think I tried to murder my husband in a fit of rage, rather than River.
That could get me thrown in jail. But Ben would never turn on me.
He’d lie his ass off for me, burn the world down if he thought I was in danger.
And somehow, I’d convinced myself that he was cheating on me. God, I was such a mess.
“I’m sorry.”
And I truly was. Not because he thought I tried to kill him, but because I had lost faith in my husband. Yes, we were going through hard times, but he didn’t deserve this from me.
“That you tried to kill me?” he smirked at me.
“I deny everything.”
“Of course you do,” he chuckled. “So, how are you really feeling?”
My heart was still pounding, and there was this nervous energy humming through me since the accident, but other than that, I was fine.
“I’m okay.”
“I still want you to get checked out,” he grunted. “Believe it or not, I really don’t want to lose you.”
I did believe him. Worse, I sighed as if I was irritated, all because it went along with my cover. I was such a bad wife, and I was most definitely going to hell.
So, I put aside my anger for the rest of the day, refusing to think about him or his mistress.
It would do no one any good, especially not with the potential criminal charges looming over my head.
And even though I was still uneasy in his company, knowing the potential doom of our relationship, it was nice to have his full attention.
For however long that would last.