The Lies I Tell

Kat, under the false name Kat Reynolds, decides to try to con Meg by pretending to have gotten Meg’s name from Ron Ashton and wanting to look at real estate. She lies and says her rich Aunt Calista left her a tremendous inheritance. Meg opens up to Kat about some of her honest wounds around her family house, and later, at a Japanese fusion restaurant, Kat asks Meg for her opinion about Ron, and they bond over the need to hold people accountable. On the drive back, Meg suggests Kat doesn’t seem actually interested in buying a house in Los Angeles, and Meg says that LA is too expensive. Scott is wary of hearing information about Meg, but Kat tries to pick his brain about the kind of heist she may be attempting to pull off. Meg texts Kat to try and be friends by offering to do yoga together, and Kat agrees.

Meg takes Ron out to see a property with the intent of building trust with him by pretending to prioritize his needs over her own. She shows him a fantastic house, and he wants it. However, she tells him later that it won’t work out, because the lister hid that the house had bad pylons that would need to be replaced. The lister didn’t hide this at all, but Meg relies on Ron’s unwillingness to do his own legwork to create this ruse. She tricks him into believing she could’ve sold the house to him anyway without disclosing this information, and because she chose to look out for him instead, his trust in her deepens.

Kat goes to yoga and lunch with Meg and Veronica, and she reveals that she hasn’t gotten married because her fiancé has a gambling addiction. She believes using a kernel of the truth will help seed her identity. Meg once again suggests that Kat doesn’t seem interested in buying a property, and rather than be scared, Kat agrees that she just likes having money in her account. She likes Meg’s company though, and Meg is relieved because the market is rough. Meg reveals more about how she lost her family home, how her mother’s lover convinced her mother to take her name off the loan while she has a terminal illness and stole the house out from under her. Meg offers Kat a job as her assistant, and Kat accepts.

Meg reveals she’s aware that Kat is trying to con her and write a story unmasking her. She notices Kat doesn’t have any of the signs of inherited wealth, like expensive clothes. After trailing Kat home, spotting her neighbor, and gathering details from that kind neighbor at a local coffee shop, Meg learns Kat’s real name is Kat Roberts and that she is a journalist. Meg decides to keep Kat so close she can’t see the full picture of her scheme.

Scott is frustrated that Kat is going to take this job, but Kat does it anyway. Meg takes Kat along with Ron to see a property, and Kat witnesses what a terrible person he is. Meg and Kat commiserate about Ron afterward, and Kat suspects Meg brought her along not to impress Ron by having an assistant to show off but rather to make Kat sympathize with her. When Kat gets home, she works more while Scott relaxes. One of the bank statements hasn’t arrived, and all her fears about Scott come flooding back. She asks him, and he turns it back on her, suggesting that Meg is probably the one who did it.

Kat is having nightmares between working her jobs, and she gets to chat with her best friend Jenna, who lives in New York and is a journalist for the NY Times. Jenna sympathizes with Kat but wants her to be careful. Jenna asks about Scott and when they’re getting married, but when Kat deflects, Jenna reminds her it’s okay to change her mind. Kat realizes how different her friendship is with Jenna than with Meg. There’s no pretending, which is so much less exhausting. Jenna offers to keep an eye out for any information on Meg Williams.

Meg says she doesn’t have good enough credit or enough liquid cash to get into the real estate market even though she wants to. Ron reveals some of his less-than-legal practices, like using campaign funds to seed investments, and when Meg asks if she’ll need to sign a non-disclosure agreement (an NDA), he assures her the money she’ll make off him will be worth it.

At lunch with Meg and Veronica, Kat watches Meg work her next move: plant the seed that Ron’s house is holding him back politically, as his major donors don’t take him seriously since the neighborhood it’s in isn’t upscale enough. After lunch, boys catcall Meg, and Meg embarrasses them in front of Kat. Kat appreciates this about Meg and genuinely enjoys spending time with her. At home, Kat tries to research what Meg’s angle could be with the house, but her internet is out. It hasn’t been paid in a while, even though Scott put the stubs in to make it look like he paid. When Kat calls him to confront him about this, he deflects the blame to her and once again suggests her involvement with Meg is what got them in trouble.

Kat agrees to restart online banking after Scott pushes her due to the incident with the internet bill. Kat goes to a concert with Meg and creates the ruse of needing a coat, knowing Meg always keeps one in her car, to be able to search Meg’s things. She turns up nothing except a note that reads, “Aunt Calista—$$—unclear how much” (168). When Meg leaves to go to the bathroom, Kat gets an email from the bank that there was a failed attempt to access her account. She has fun at the concert but is frustrated that she is falling prey to Meg so easily. After the concert, they get coffee and pie, and Kat tests the waters by revealing she wants to write a novel about a female con artist, and she also reveals someone tried to access her bank account. Meg doesn’t seem surprised and asks Kat if she’s checked whether her engagement ring is authentic, since Scott is a gambler. Kat holds firm that she doesn’t think Scott is responsible. When she gets home, she sees an email from Jenna about a fictional company (DBA) that was formed by Meg Williams in Reading, PA under which she bought a house for $20,000, far under valuation.