Dirty Little Liars by Missy Lynn Ryan Page B

the sound of her voice. “Who is it?”
    “Nothing,” he mouthed and into the phone he said, “I have to go.” He snapped the phone shut and turned to the door.
    “You’re leaving?”
    “Yeah. I’ve got something to take care of. You know how politics is. No rest for the weary when you’re on the campaign trail.”
    He pulled open the door and stepped into the hallway, shutting it behind him before she even had a chance to say goodbye.

Chapter 21: The Fallout
    Juliette spent the morning coming up with creative ways that she could bail on her lunch date with Courtney. She wasn’t ready to face Ty’s new fiancée. It was cruel and unusual punishment, really. And yet, she couldn’t afford to let on that the engagement bothered her.
    Not that it made her feel any better about her current situation. So she finally gave in and resorted to the age old excuse of, “I’m sick.” That darn twenty-four hour flu bug was a real bitch. Thankfully, when she called Courtney to cancel she got her voicemail. The girl hadn’t called back yet—another small miracle.
    Then Juliette resorted to her godmother’s tried-and-true cure for heartache: baking. She lined up a row of art deco canisters on the counter: Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa. Then she pulled out her roommate’s bulky stand mixer. Margaret never minded when she borrowed her things. Especially if the end result was sinfully delicious eats.
    She made cupcakes first. Two dozen chocolate and white with butter cream frosting and sprinkles. Then she started on the brownies. She didn’t know what she’d do with all these goodies. Perhaps hold a bake sale so she could make rent after Covington fired her. And he had just commented on how good she was doing. But she wasn’t doing well at all. She couldn’t stand to be in the same room as Courtney.
    There was a knock at her door. Juliette froze, batter covered spatula in midair. Was that Courtney? Had she come to check on her? What was she going to say?
    Juliette carefully balanced the spoon on the edge of the batter bowl and wiped her flour covered hands on the faded apron. She really needed to move to an apartment with better security. Maybe a street-level intercom that required uninvited guests to be buzzed into the building.
    Juliette didn’t bother looking through the peephole. It had not once prevented her from opening the door and coming face to face with her mysterious visitors. Plus she didn’t want to get flour all over the back of the door. So she used the clean edge of her apron to turn the knob.
    “Can I come in?” Tyler asked and her heart fell through her stomach. Her eyes drifted down the hallway for other onlookers. Sure, she lived in a converted townhouse with few neighbors, but it didn’t mean someone wouldn’t spot the senator. All she needed was another story about their alleged affair.
    It’s only alleged because they haven’t proven it yet.

    Right.
    Juliette stepped aside and Ty crossed the threshold. He took the door from her and closed it gently behind him.
    “Look,” Juliette started. “If this is about last night, I already told Winston I’m not interested.”
    “What? Winston was here last night?”
    So he hadn’t known. Which meant he most likely was not the mystery caller on the other end of the phone.
    “Yeah, he came by for a few minutes. You didn’t send him?”
    “No. I did not.”
    “Fine. Then why did you come here?”
    “I thought that we should talk, you know. About the engagement.”
    Juliette laughed. It came out bitter. “You think I want to talk about it? I have nothing to say. And it doesn’t really matter what I think, does it?”
    “That’s not fair. You told me you weren’t interested. I said I would leave Courtney and you practically demanded that I keep the relationship going.”
    “Well, I didn’t mean you should marry the girl.”
    “I did what was necessary to keep the peace. I thought you’d be happy since you’ve