False Pretenses by Tressie Lockwood

everything they’d said while there. Between sips of wine, she rifled through bags to pull out items to show her son. Alyssa wondered how she could go on with so few breaths at her age. All the while, Nathan’s expression of polite interest never changed. On impulse, Alyssa laid a hand on his thigh, and the muscles tautened under her touch. She jerked away, but Nathan caught her fingers and placed them back on his leg. He peered down at her, causing her heartbeat to increase.
    “Okay?” he whispered.
    “Of course,” she murmured back.
    Across the table, Piper knocked over a glass of water, and a waiter materialized from nowhere to mop up the mess. Nathan studied his sister in silence. Her hands fluttered all the more, and the same server saved the replacement glass from her destruction just in time.
    “Is there something bothering you, Piper?” Nathan queried.
    “Why should it be?” she croaked and then cleared her throat. “I’m fine. Worry about your girlfriend.”
    Nathan looked from his sister to Alyssa and back again. Alyssa rolled her eyes and shrugged.
    “They think I don’t know, but the two of them haven’t been getting along all morning,” Lydia said. “I’m trying to stay positive, but I don’t like the negativity. It’s not good for Dad.”
    All conversation came to a halt. Guilt tightened the muscles in Alyssa’s chest. She’d thought Lydia’s constant chatter the result of just her personality, but from her words, she realized she worried about her husband.
    “I’m sorry, Mom.” Piper’s sincerity shone clear in her watery gaze. That they each felt the pain of Leo’s sickness no matter the happy face they put on brought home to Alyssa that she didn’t belong among them, least of all at a time like this. She considered informing Nathan when they were alone that she would fly home tomorrow. He could say she’d had an emergency.
    “I’m not very hungry,” Lydia announced.
    The food arrived, and with the assistance of a couple servers was soon in place on the table. Nathan pulled his wallet from his back pocket. “I’m afraid we won’t be able to stay. This should cover everything.” He tossed a few bills on the table, and Alyssa guessed it amounted to much more than the charge plus a generous tip.
    The waiter’s brows rose. “I apologize, Mr. Corde. Was there something you weren’t satisfied with in our service or the food?”
    “Not at all. A family matter.”
    “Of course, sir. Shall we box this up?”
    Nathan rose. “That won’t be necessary.”
    Alyssa shook her head. “Oh hell no, we can’t just waste food like this. Please, box it all. We can eat it later if we get hungry, or for dinner. Thanks.”
    All three Cordes looked at her like she’d lost her mind. Alyssa crossed her arms and stared back. Amusement brightened Nathan’s eyes, and he ran a hand down her arm. “You heard the woman. Please box everything.”
    As they left the restaurant, Alyssa expected backlash from Piper but got nothing. The woman took the seat opposite her in the limo and stared out the window. Alyssa sat at Nathan’s side, and he grasped her hand in his, lacing his fingers with hers. His mother took the seat beside Piper, and soon they arrived at the mansion.
    When the car door opened at the chauffeur’s guidance, she started to get out, but Nathan held her back. She glanced up at him, but he said nothing while his mother and sister vacated the vehicle. When they had gone inside, he waved the driver away.
    “Give us a moment, Felix.”
    The man nodded and shut the door. Wary, Alyssa faced Nathan. “What’s up?”
    He hesitated and then patted her hand. Something told her she wouldn’t like what was coming.
    “We don’t…usually box food we don’t eat.”
    She tilted her head to the side, studying him. “And what? Oh, did I embarrass you?”
    “Not embarrass exactly. You don’t know how we do things.”
    Alyssa looked away from him and tugged her hand free of his. She raised