Lost Along the Way(88)

“I have a plan. A good one, and it will work. It will definitely work. I think. I’m fairly certain it will probably work. But you guys have to help me, and you have to be willing to trust me. What do you say? Are you in?”

“I’m sorry, I need more information before I agree to anything,” Meg said. “I don’t typically like your ideas. I still have a scar on my ass from that fence.”

“It was my idea to come here,” Jane reminded her.

“Hmm. You have me on that one.”

“Reed hates me,” Jane said. “I heard him saying he didn’t want me staying at your house because he’s terrified someone will think he and I are friends or something. What if people think we’re more than friends? What if we make people think we’re having an affair?” Jane asked. “Do you think he’d give you a divorce if the alternative was letting the whole town see him in bed with Jane Logan?”

“I think he’d rather die than have people think you two were having an affair, no offense.”

“None taken. In fact, I’m counting on it,” Jane said. “Man, I was wondering when Doug being in jail would somehow prove to be a positive in my life, and here we are. I’m going to use my loser husband to get rid of your loser husband. How’s that for cosmic intervention?”

“How do you plan on fabricating an affair? It’s ridiculous! There’s no way,” Meg said.

“I know a way. I swear on our friendship I do. But Cara, you have to be ready to leave, for good. And Meg, I’ll need your help. I can finally use all the bad things that have happened to me to do some good. But, you have to be willing to trust me.”

“Okay,” Cara said. “What else do I possibly have to lose?”

“I’m in,” Meg agreed.

“Great. The first thing I need you to do is call Nick. Tell him to come over here and to get out a suit and tie. We’re going to need a fake lawyer.”

Cara grabbed Jane’s coffee mug and pulled it in front of her. “I’m going to need this.”

“Drink up, buttercup. Are you ready to reclaim your life?”

“Yes,” Cara said. “I’m definitely ready.”

“Okay, then. Here’s what we’re going to do . . . ,” Jane said.

Meg and Cara hovered over the table and listened intently while Jane told them the single craziest (yet best) idea she’d ever had in her entire life. It might have been misguided, but with Jane and Meg encouraging her, Cara began to feel like she could do anything. She thought about everything she’d been through over the years: her mother’s death, explaining grocery receipts, canceled gym memberships, broken friendships, white button-downs and pearls and the guest bedroom, and then one last thought—a surprising one that put her over the edge—her zebra coat.

She loved that thing, and he’d made her throw it away.

And just like that, the anger resurfaced.

She picked up her phone from the kitchen table and responded to his text. I’ll be home tomorrow around noon.

“I’ll be there,” she said. Once again she squeezed their hands. “I just won’t be arriving alone.”





twenty-nine


Early the next morning, Meg climbed into her car with Nick as her passenger, and Jane climbed into her usual seat in the front of Cara’s hatchback. Jane had packed all the essentials for their trip: muffins for sustenance, Xanax and Ambien for a lot of reasons, and wine for a celebratory drink when everything was over. Cara couldn’t remember a time when she’d been looking forward to something this much and yet dreading it at the same time. She glanced over at Jane and could tell instantly that what they were about to do wasn’t fazing her in the slightest. Cara had always envied her courage—now more than ever.

“I thought about this all night, and it’s never going to work,” Cara said.

“Yes, it will. I want you to know that I was expecting this. Some doubt is totally normal, but I’m not going to let you scare yourself into backing out. You will do this because he deserves it and because the Cara I know is fearless. Plus, we’re already in the car. There’s no way we’re turning around now. Have some faith in me. It will work. I know it will. It’s time to man up.”

They drove toward Cara’s house with little traffic, but that was the least of Cara’s worries. She repeatedly checked the rearview mirror to make sure that Meg and Nick were still following them. When they turned onto Cara’s block, both cars pulled over so that Jane could hop out and get into the backseat of Meg’s car. Before she left, Jane pulled a sandwich-size zip-lock bag from her purse. She handed it to Cara, wrapping her fingers firmly around it. “Are you sure you know what to do? Do you have any questions?”

“I’m pretty sure this is a felony. I could be arrested for this,” Cara said.

“I doubt it will come to that. At least I hope it won’t.”

“That’s comforting.”

“Just stay calm and do exactly as we planned. I have no doubt that this will work. Zero.”

“Really? Zero?”

“Well, maybe not zero, but pretty damn close. This is your best shot. Text me when it’s show time.”

Cara watched Jane amble back to Meg’s car and tried to steady her breathing. Something about this felt horribly wrong: morally and ethically. Still, it just might work. It might—as long as she could force herself to go through with it. She pulled her car into the driveway and removed her bag from the trunk. As she suspected, Reed’s Jeep was parked by the garage. Once she’d told him she was on her way home, she knew he wouldn’t dare miss the chance to make her squirm upon arrival.