Page 73 of Fool Me Twice

Lucas looked at me, his eyebrows knitting in confusion.

“Lucas,” Rodrigo said, “do you remember Georgia?”

“Georgia.” A grin spread across his face. “Yes, I do. How are you?”

“Good. It’s good to see you again,” I said.

If you could call it that. The one time I’d met Lucas, Rodrigo had nearly shoved him out of the building.

“I’m sorry I am late,” Lucas said. “Work kept me a bit longer today.”

Late? Hadn’t Rodrigo said Lucas was a surprise guest?

Rodrigo must have looked as confused as I felt, because Lucas’s lips turned down.

“It’s the third Tuesday,” he said.

“Yes, yes.” Rodrigo touched his forehead in a gesture of forgetfulness.

“You forgot,” Lucas said, though he was playful.

Rodrigo sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“We can push it. It appears I interrupted something.” Again, Lucas’s eyes slid towards me.

I held my hands up. “Don’t mind me. It sounds like I’ve interrupted some kind of tradition.”

“Every third Tuesday is chess night,” Rodrigo explained. He turned back to Lucas. “Can I get you a drink?”

“Yes, please. I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

The wheels in my mind started turning, but I didn’t have enough information yet to make any assumptions. Instead, I followed Lucas into the den. If Rodrigo wouldn’t talk, then I would go to a different source.

Unfortunately, Rodrigo came right into the den with us and began making drinks from the cart there.

“What would you like, Georgia?” he asked.

“A bourbon, please.”

He smiled at me before reaching for the bottle, and I smiled back, but it all felt so fake. He knew I was unhappy with him, and neither one of us knew what came next.

“It’s wonderful to see you after all these years, Georgia.” Lucas settled on the couch. “I had no idea you and Rodrigo reconnected.”

Of course he wouldn’t know. Rodrigo apparently loved to keep secrets.

“It was destiny, I guess.” I took the drink Rodrigo offered me without looking at him.

“Sebastián ran into Georgia after she had an unfortunate accident,” Rodrigo explained.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I hope you’re all right now,” Lucas said.

“I’m in perfect health.” I sipped my drink, the liquor burning a path down my throat.

Rodrigo handed Lucas a drink. “Georgia is now working for me.”

A sudden burst of anger ripped through me. If Lucas and Rodrigo met every month, how did Lucas not know anything about me?

“How about you, Lucas?” I asked. “How did you and Rodrigo meet?”