Tell Me Lies by Jennifer Crusie Page B

backseat before he turned to Maddie, who was looking at the car, trying to figure how it had gotten from the driveway where it had betrayed her all the way to the hospital.
    “I was cleaning this car,” she told him. “It was in the driveway.”
    “Howie dropped me off so I could pick it up. Your car’s in back of Leo’s. I called while the doctor was with you. Leo says it’s totaled. You’ll have to get a new car now.”
    Her car was dead in the weeds in back of a service station. Normally that would have depressed her, but she was too dazed to care. “I know.”
    She got in the car and tried to remember what normal life felt like. Yesterday.
    He got in beside her and patted her knee, and she moved it away. “Just relax, Mad,” he told her. “You’re going to be fine.”
    She nodded once, but a knife went into her neck, so she stopped. “I know.”
    Brent exhaled through his teeth. “Could you please say something besides ‘I know’?”
    How about, your expressions of sympathy touch my heart? How about, could we have a moment of silence for my car, which was just brutally murdered by a teenaged moron? How about, are you having an affair and if so with whom, you rotten lying son of a bitch?
    “Maddie?”
    Em was in the car. “Thank you for coming to get us.”
    He sighed and put the car in gear, and a thousand years later, they pulled into the driveway. Maddie sat and stared out the window, knowing she had to say something. Soon.
    “Maddie, we’re here.” Brent reached over and unbuckled her seat belt. “Mad?” He put his hand on her shoulder. It felt like a lead weight.
    Right. They were here. She almost felt sorry for Brent. It couldn’t be easy talking to her like this; she realized that. She sympathized. She watched him walk around the front of the car and open her door. That was nice of him.
    “Maddie, get out of the car. You’re not hurt that bad. The doctor said so.”
    Right again. She got out of the car. Her shoes stuck to the melting tar in the driveway, and she concentrated with great effort to pull her feet free. They were so far away. Brent was too close.
    “Mom?”
    Em’s voice had an echoey quality to it. Maddie focused on her face and smiled. “I’m fine, baby. Let’s go inside.” The creosote smelled nice and clean, and she concentrated on that for a moment to keep from screaming at her husband.
    “Emily, are you sure you’re okay?” Brent got down on his knees on the sidewalk beside her and looked into her eyes. He looked so sweet on his knees, holding on to their daughter, clean and earnest with that cowlick at the crown of his head. The bastard.
    Em nodded, keeping an eye on Maddie. “I’m fine, Daddy. Really.”
    “Okay.” He hugged her and kissed her on the cheek and then stood up and watched her as she headed for the porch before he looked at Maddie. “You, too, Mad. I’ll be late tonight. Order pizza and take it easy. Don’t wait for me.”
    Maddie moved by him, and he tried to pat her shoulder, big clumsy thuds that slid over the top of her arm. Don’t touch me, she thought, and the spurt of anger was fresh and clean after all the murky dithering she’d been doing. She stopped and waited until Em was a couple of yards away, going up the porch steps, and then she met his eyes.
    “Maddie, come on.” He put his hand on her arm to guide her toward the porch, and she shook it off with such ferocity that he stepped back.
    “What’s going on, Brent?” she whispered at him, clenching her teeth to keep from screaming. Her hands curled into fists and came up in front of her. “What are you doing? What the hell are you doing?”
    “What?” Brent stared at her, stricken. “What are you talking about?”
    Maddie moved closer to him, toe to toe, and spoke under her breath. “I found some other woman’s underwear under your front seat, damn you. Who are you seeing? Is it Beth again?” She shook her head at him even though it made her skull scream, and pressed