Truth or Dare (Liar Liar #2) Read Free

but there was a story in there somewhere. “I’m afraid I don’t follow.”
    “My son, Jason, is a surfer.” He barked out a laugh. “A surfer. I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on his education, and he woke up one day and decided he wanted to chase the waves.” Waving, he said, “Whatever the hell that means.”
    I smiled. I had no idea Jason Lancaster had it in him to be rebellious. Good for him, charting his own course. “Where is he living?”
    “Maui.” He tipped his head. “I guess if you’re going to be a beach bum, there’s no better place to do it.”
    I laughed, surprised to find that I didn’t hate Eric Lancaster as much as I thought I would. “Personally, I think Maui is a little piece of heaven on earth. Have you ever been?”
    “Many times. The first time Jason went there was on a family vacation. That’s when he fell in love with it. I just never thought he would drop everything to buy a surf shop and move there. He gives people surfing lessons,” Eric said, frowning. “He competes too. From what I hear, he’s good. He’s even set a few records.”
    “So maybe you should just be pleased that he’s living his dream.”
    Eric regarded me carefully. “I’m surprised to hear that from a man like you. I thought you of all people would be relentless in your pursuit of success.”
    “I am, but for me, the pursuit of success has nothing to do with how many zeroes are tacked onto my bank statement.” I watched the wall panel as the elevator delivered us to the ground floor. “I’ve already made more money than my great-grandchildren will ever be able to spend. Now it’s about the personal satisfaction of seeing my vision realized.”
    “I can understand that,” Eric said and sighed heavily. “I used to have a vision too. I knew how I wanted to my business life and my personal life to take shape. Once I accomplished those goals, I turned my attention to my children’s lives. I started planning and plotting to ensure they would have everything I wanted for them.”
    “Hmmm.” I’d never expected Eric to open up to me, but now that he had, I realized how valuable that information could be. “But their visions didn’t match up with yours?”
    We stepped out into the parking lot, and Eric pointed at a silver Mercedes sedan parked in a reserved spot by the doors. “No, I guess not.” He waited until we were in the car before he spoke again. “I feel guilty for trying to manipulate my daughter into doing what I wanted her to do, especially since I’m pretty sure I misguided her.” He looked up at his office building. “What the hell was I thinking? We were going to tour this building first, weren’t we? I’m sorry, I got so wrapped up in my own problems that—”
    “Don’t worry about it,” I said, fastening my seat belt. “We can go to the other building first, have lunch, then come back here.”
    “Sounds good,” he said, starting the engine before fastening his seatbelt.
    “You said you felt you misguided Maura. How?” I was delving into personal family matters, but since he’d brought it up, I felt it was fair game.
    “That’s what I was coming up to talk to her about. Seeing you gave me a reprieve.” Tightening his grip on the steering wheel as he eased into traffic, he said, “I don’t know how the hell to tell her, what to say.”
    I was dying to know what he was talking about, but I had to play it cool. I couldn’t seem as though I had an ulterior motive for asking. “It seems like you and your daughter have a good relationship. I’m sure whatever you have to tell her, she’ll understand.”
    “If only it were so simple.” Eric stopped at a light, failing to notice when a gray-haired man crossing in front of his vehicle waved at him. He sighed, a body-racking sound. “Part of me thinks I should keep it to myself, let her figure things out on her own, but how can I? She’s my baby. It’s my job to protect her.”
    I was sure that was what