Your Eyes Don't Lie by Rachel Branton Page A

what I think it is—stress. When was the last time you did something fun for yourself? When was the last time you went out to a nightclub and danced the night away? Probably last year when we took you out for your birthday.”
    “It’s been a busy few months,” Makay said over the joyful shouts of children disgorging from the school.
    “You mean a busy few years.” Tessa gazed over Makay’s shoulder, presumably at the crowd of students.
    Makay didn’t look around, afraid Tessa would really start to think she was paranoid. “Well, I am in school again.”
    “Yeah, I know. At least accounting is a good field.” Again there was that tone of doubt in her voice that had Makay bristling inside.
    Not everyone can afford to have fun all the time, Makay wanted to retort, but she didn’t because she knew Tessa’s life hadn’t been exactly easy, despite her wealthy parents, and that after going against their wishes to marry her husband, Gage, she’d returned to school under her own steam precisely so she could complete the psychology degree that would allow her to help others. Besides, Tessa and Lily might be the only real friends she had these days, and she didn’t want to offend either of them. She couldn’t really count the old people at the apartments as friends. She never hung out with them or exchanged invitations to go places. Anyway, she wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of crunching numbers all day, so Tessa was right about whatever she wasn’t saying regarding Makay’s choice of a career.
    “Everyone needs a night out,” Tessa said with a teasing grin. “And since you have all day tomorrow to stick your head in those books or clip coupons or wash Snoop’s slobber off your clothes—or whatever else you customarily do over the weekend, you should come dancing with me tonight. My treat.”
    Makay cocked her head to the side. “What? You and me? What about Gage? I don’t think he’d like you dancing with other men.”
    “Yeah, well, he’ll be there, too.” Tessa held up a freckled hand. “Now before you go on about being an extra wheel, my friend Brette is coming along.”
    “Oh, no. Not a blind date.”
    “No, silly.” Tessa threw back her head and laughed. “Brette Silvan’s a friend of ours—well, more Lily’s—and her mom just died last week and she’s having a rough time, so she’s been crashing at Lily’s. She recently broke up with a guy she was dating, and I want to take her out to get her mind off everything.”
    Makay remembered the sleeping bag and suitcases next to Lily’s couch. “Sounds tough.”
    “She doesn’t have a father, either.” Tessa shook her head, lowering her voice. “There’s something weird about that, a secret her mother apparently took to the grave. I thought you two would hit it off.”
    “Because my parents are dead? Is this some of your psycho mumbo jumbo?”
    Tessa pursed her lips in a shushing motion, her gaze flicking behind Makay to the right. “Anyway,” she said, her voice loud. “Lily and I thought Nate could come over and play while you and I and Brette went and had a good time with the most handsome man in Arizona. As long as you realize he’s mine, of course.” Her eyes slid completely to the right. “Wouldn’t you like that, Nate? Me taking your sister out for a little grown-up fun while you go over to Jonny’s to play? Lily’s making sugar cookies tonight for a fundraiser we’re having, and she needs help cutting out the shapes. What do you say to that?”
    Makay looked down to see Nate staring up at them. “Makay really needs to go,” he said, sounding far too mature for her liking. “All she does is work.” His eyes went to her, looking exactly like Snoop when he was begging for a treat. “Pleeeease, Makay. I really, really want to go to Jonny’s.” Without waiting for an answer, he said to Tessa, “Can I bring Snoop? Because you have a lot of land out there for him to run around. Besides, Jonny doesn’t even