She shunned what that admission might mean to her, what it might cost her. She wasn’t ready to face those deeper emotions shimmering just below the surface of her heart. It was enough to deal with the latest symbol of Michael’s power—the Lexus.
Cathy gave up the moral ground. She called the garage where she had been forced to leave her car and arranged to turn over the title so that the vehicle could be sold to a parts dealer. The mechanic was to receive whatever proceeds there might be. The man was not displeased with the deal she was offering him, and he agreed to waive the storage fees. Cathy ended the call, satisfied. The advantage to her was that she wouldn’t have to hassle with paying for repairs or trying to find a buyer for the worn-out vehicle or to locate another used car that would come with its own set of new problems.
When she took the Lexus to work, the fact that she had a new vehicle generated some buzz from a few of her coworkers because many of the details of her financial situation weren’t exactly a secret. After all, the purpose of the website dedicated to her daughter was to raise funds for over-the-top medical expenses. When asked about the Lexus, Cathy said simply that her old car had become too unreliable, which surprised no one since she had had trouble with it more than once, and that the Lexus was leased. The mild curiosity was settled, without necessitating an explanation of who had actually signed the vehicle lease. Cathy was thankful when her explanation was accepted almost without question. It could easily have become very awkward otherwise.
She discovered just how awkward when she went to lunch with her best friend, and Vicky immediately brought it up.
“So tell me about that nice new ride of yours.”
“I’ve already told you. It’s leased.” Cathy avoided her friend’s intent gaze by tucking a loose curl behind her ear.
Vicky rolled her expressive eyes. “This is me, Cathy. I know you don’t have the money or the credit to lease that Lexus. So how did you get it?”
Cathy felt a sinking in the pit of her stomach, silently berating herself for taking her friend so closely into her confidence. It was coming back to bite her. She nervously poked her fork into her Cobb salad. She couldn’t come up with anything plausible, and she tripped over a lame explanation. “A–a friend is helping me out, that’s all.”
“What friend? Not me, I know. And I would if I could, you know that.”
Cathy shrugged with elaborate casualness. “Just a friend.”
Vicky regarded her with a puzzled frown. Sudden intuition sparked. Her brown eyes rounded incredulously. “It’s a man, isn’t it?”
Cathy bit her lip. “No, of course not!” She shook her head, but she felt the telltale heat climb into her face.
“Oh my gosh. You’re seeing someone!” Vicky exclaimed in gaping astonishment. “You’re actually seeing someone!”
Cathy took a deep calming breath. She was feeling the slither of panic, her heart pounding heavy in apprehension. She couldn’t bear it if Vicky, of all people, should discover anything about the nature of her arrangement with the man who had provided the Lexus for her. “Don’t ask me anything. Please!”
Strong curiosity shone in her friend’s expression. Vicky leaned forward across the table, her eyes unblinking. “But Cathy—”
“I’m serious, Vicky! What Michael and I—Damn it!” Cathy threw down her fork. She couldn’t believe that she had been so rattled so quickly. It served her right for not thinking through her explanation.
Vicky fell back in her chair and started laughing. She shook her head when Cathy shot a fulminating glance at her. “Oh, come on! You’ve got to see how funny it is! You just blurted out his name! And I didn’t have to twist your arm once.”
“I can’t believe I slipped up like that,” muttered Cathy.
“Come on, tell me! You’re really dying to tell me. You know you are.”
Cathy reluctantly smiled. “Okay, so it’s funny. Kind of. But I mean it, Vicky. I don’t want to discuss him. I–I want to keep things private right now.”