Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
HALLIE
I’ve never been more terrified of dropping a pie plate in my life. A pie I didn’t even make.
It wasn’t hard to convince Maggie to help me with the apple pie, but the whole time I was at Haven House with her, guilt churned in my stomach.
Because I was lying , and using her son to do it.
Sure, I wasn’t lying to her , but I also wasn’t being outright about Gabe pretending to be my fiancé.
About him coming with me to the dinner that requires this pie.
“You ready?” Gabe asks beside me.
I take a deep breath, then nod. “Ready.”
Or not . But it’s too late. Gabe has already rung the doorbell, and Kevin is already standing in the threshold, a cautiously optimistic smile on his face.
“Hi,” I say. “I brought pie!”
Tone it down seven hundred notches, Hallie . You sound like you sucked on a balloon full of helium .
“Looks delicious,” Kevin says. “Come on in.”
Gabe and I step inside, and then we do the awkward shuffle of removing our shoes and shedding our jackets. Somewhere along the way, the pie transfers to Kevin, and I realize I have nothing left to hold on to for support.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Kevin says, holding out a hand. The other safely holds the pie. “You must be Gabriel.”
Gabe returns his handshake. He’s wearing a button-up, but he has the sleeves rolled up, which means his tattoos are on full display. “Gabe is fine. Nice to meet you, too.”
Kevin gestures to the woman standing off to the side. She’s tall and slender, dressed in slacks and a cashmere sweater. Her light brown hair, threaded with some grey, is fastened into a neat chignon. Her lipstick complements her fair skin.
“This is my wife, Dana.”
I offer her a sheepish smile. Awkward tension hangs in the air. Still, I push through it. I want to make this work, so I exchange pleasantries with her.
“And your daughter?” Dana asks Gabe.
“She’s at her mom’s house this week,” he replies.
And thank goodness for that . I love spending time with Abbie, but the last thing I want is to drag her into this mess. It’s bad enough I’ve got her dad tangled up in my web of deceit.
My eyes drop down to my hands. There, they latch on to the ring on my left hand. Cubic zirconia looks surprisingly real—if you don’t look too closely. But I don’t have the money to waste on a real ring, and I certainly wasn’t going to ask Gabe to get me one.
I know you’re already lying to strangers on my behalf, but can you buy me a diamond ring, too?
“Can I get you both a drink?” Kevin asks.
Gabe sets a hand on the small of my back. “I’m alright with water,” he says. “Foster?”
“Hmm?” My head snaps up. “Oh, I’m good with water, too. Thank you.”
While Kevin heads to the kitchen, Dana leads us into the living room. Scratch that, a sitting room. There doesn’t seem to be much life in here.
The furniture is pristine, as if it were delivered from the store today. Merely stepping into the room feels like an affront to it. I might have even retreated if not for Gabe’s steady presence at my side, his hand guiding me forward.
Gabe and I sit side by side on a tan-coloured love seat, leaving the couch for Dana and Kevin.
“You have a lovely home,” I say to Dana, to break the awkward silence. Everything about this situation is awkward .
“Thank you,” she replies. “We were lucky it came on the market when it did. Serendipitous that we were leaving Kip Island at the time.”
Her gaze couldn’t be more pointed if it tried.
My stomach drops. Clearly, I don’t have a friend in Dana.
But can I even blame her? I’m the product of her husband’s affair.
It can’t be easy having to interact with me.
I’m nothing more than a reminder of a painful period in her life, one I’m sure she thought was far behind her.
Thankfully, Kevin returns swiftly with our waters. He sets them on coasters on the glass coffee table, where they already have glasses of wine. I reach for mine, taking a wobbly sip. Then I clench my fingers around the cup to stop them from shaking.
From the front hall, the sound of the door opening echoes. Three voices carry through the rooms, and I stiffen in preparation.
They round the corner into the sitting room, stopping short.
Two women and one man. Instantly, I recognize the blonde woman and the man as siblings.
They look alike, and they both resemble Kevin enough for me to know who they are.
The second woman, with tight black curls and umber skin, is holding the blonde’s hand.
“Hallie, Gabe,” Kevin says, “this is Bryan and Caitlyn. And Caitlyn’s fiancée, Amara.”
Amara offers me a smile, but my half siblings are studying me.
I fight the urge to squirm. They’re both a few years older than me, and for a brief flash of a second, I wonder if this feeling is what it would’ve been like if I’d grown up with them.
Constant scrutiny because of the decisions made by their dad and my mom.
I swallow. “Hi.”
Caitlyn is the first to approach. Her smile is a little unsure, but it puts me somewhat at ease. “Hi,” she says. “I really love your hair.”
I relax a fraction. “Oh, uh, thank you.”
“The food should be about ready,” Kevin says. “We can head to the dining room.”
The dining room that turns out to be equally as fancy as the living room we were just in.
As the food gets passed around, I begin to realize something. Almost everything has some kind of meat in it. Even the Caesar salad. The bacon bits aren’t those artificial ones either. They’re real, crispy pieces of bacon.
“Honey, where is the quiche?” Kevin asks. “Hallie doesn’t eat meat.”
“Oh, gosh ,” Dana says. She shakes her head forlornly, looking anything but sincere. “I’m so sorry, I forgot to make it. It totally slipped my mind.”
Beside me, Gabe goes rigid. It appears her tone isn’t lost on him either. He tightens his grip on his fork as he looks over at me, a silent question in his eyes. I set a hand on his knee, giving it a quick squeeze.
“That’s okay,” I say with a small smile. “I can stick with salad.”
I’ll have to eat around the bits of bacon, but it’s fine.
I don’t want to cause a scene. It’s not a big deal anyway.
It’s just food, and I have options. It’s not like I’m going to starve.
Besides, it isn’t like I can’t eat meat.
I’m not allergic. I’ve just been opposed since one of my teachers showed us a documentary about beef production in elementary school.
“I’m sorry, Hallie,” Kevin says with a frown.
“It’s really alright. I’m super easy.”
Dana offers me a razor sharp smile. “Of course you are.”
Gabe shifts in his seat, looking even more agitated. It takes me a moment to register what just happened—the double entendre—and then I blush furiously.
Caitlyn sends me an apologetic look, but she doesn’t say anything. Bryan stares at his plate.
Beneath the table, Gabe takes my hand, forcing my attention to him. I’m thankful for it—it gives me a second to collect myself after Dana’s verbal jab.
She’s uncomfortable. My presence makes her uncomfortable. And when people are uncomfortable, they lash out .
Kevin clears his throat.
“So,” Caitlyn says, changing the topic, “you can say no, but Amara and I have been talking, and we’d like you and Gabe to come to our wedding in a couple weeks.”
My mouth pops open. I notice Dana is wearing a similar expression, which means this is news to her, too.
I fiddle with my napkin. “That’s very kind. Are you sure? I don’t…” Want to ruin anything .
My half sister nods, a small smile on her lips. “Yes. I know it’s short notice, so it’s alright if you can’t or don’t want to. But I thought I’d offer.” She glances at Kevin, then turns back to me. “We’ve all missed out on so much, and I don’t want to miss any more.”
You’re a terrible person, Hallie. She’s so sweet, and you’re so awful . How can you sit here and lie to her face? Lie to all of them.
“I’ll be there,” I say. “I’m not sure about Gabe’s work schedule, but?—”
“I’ll make it work,” he declares. Because he knows going alone would be too much for me.
The guilt sinks its claws in deeper. But of course, I won’t refuse his help.
“Perfect.” Caitlyn smiles fully now. “I’ll get your number from Dad and send you the details.”
Her casual use of Dad throws me off, and I’m unable to form a reply.
“How did you two meet?” Gabe asks her, saving me. Always saving me.
Amara smiles, and Caitlyn’s eyes dance. They both look so happy and in love. For a moment, I’m envious, but I stuff those feelings down. I don’t want to feel any bad emotions toward my half sister. It’s certainly not her fault I messed things up with Gabe and haven’t been able to move on since.
“We were assigned as roommates when we were both in residence our first year at Queen’s,” Amara replies. “We got along well and became friends, but we went our separate ways after graduation.”
“Then by chance, three years ago, we were both attending the same work conference,” Caitlyn continues. “We spent all our free time together that weekend, and the rest is history.”
“What about you?” Amara asks us.
Oh, God . I begin to sweat a little. Of all the things I thought about, I didn’t think to create a cover story. How stupid.
“My sister claims Hallie as her best friend,” Gabe says, “but I like to think she was mine first.”
Mine, mine, mine . The word plays on a loop in my head.
My gaze swings to him, trying to catch his eye. I have no idea where he’s going with this.
“We met the first day of kindergarten. Clara, my twin sister, was sick the first week, so I had Hallie all to myself. That quickly changed when Clara came to school, but Hallie was always there as we grew up. She moved to Toronto when we were eighteen, and we lost touch. She was never far from my mind, though.” He turns to me, a soft smile on his lips.
“I tried to move forward, and I did for a while. We both did. But when she came back to Kip Island, it was like no time at all had passed.”
They say a good lie is rooted in truth, but I hate hearing these words pass his lips. Because while Gabe has my father and his family fooled, I think he may have me fooled, too. I want so badly to believe him. Believe he means what he says.
But he didn’t tell them how I broke his heart.
“That’s so sweet,” Caitlyn gushes, hand on her chest.
“Do you have any wedding plans yet?” Kevin asks.
“Not yet.” I can feel my smile wobbling, but I hold on to it for dear life. “We’re enjoying being engaged for now.”
Until my lie has run its course.
“Well, when the time comes, I’m here if you need any tips. Mom and I spent months ironing everything out for ours,” Caitlyn says.
My stomach twists, and I’m struck with how sisterly her offer feels. How badly I wish I could actually take her up on it, for no other reason than to know what it feels like to have an older sister giving me advice. Maybe one day, I’ll be engaged for real, and have an actual wedding.
It just won’t be with Gabe.
The conversation shifts then. Bryan talks a bit about his work as a veterinarian, and my siblings and father ask Gabe what it’s like working for the fire department.
I know that part is nice for Gabe. They have no idea who his brother is, so the conversation doesn’t get pulled in that direction for once.
I try to engage as much as possible, but it’s hard when I feel Dana’s eyes boring into me, and the weight of my lies threaten to bury me.
You don’t have to lie forever. Just a little while longer .