I went back to the den and picked up the Doritos bag. Before I could stop myself, I’d eaten a handful of chips.
There was a knock on the door. “Lacey, is that you? Come on in.”
Lacey came in and with her was my neighbor’s teenage daughter, Katie.
“What’s going on?” I said.
“Katie’s babysitting,” Lacey said.
“What?”
“I already paid her. We’re going out for a drink.”
“Lacey!”
“Go on. Get changed. You’ve got plans, woman.”
*
“YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO DO THAT,” I said in Lacey’s car.
“It’s not just for you, it’s for me, too.”
“What do you mean?”
“I need to get good and drunk, Faith. You’re not the only one with man problems.”
“Matt?”
Lacey nodded. I knew what she was alluding to. We hadn’t ever talked about it directly, but I knew Matt was having an affair. All the signs were there—late nights at the office, hotels in the city, and the biggest tell of all, a weight on Lacey’s heart like a grindstone.
Lacey drove calmly but I could tell she was torn up inside. There was an edge to her. I had the impression things could go very wrong for her when they finally blew up with Matt. She’d been head-over-heels in love with him when they’d met. She’d invested everything in the relationship, all the time keeping it a complete secret from the brothers. That was no easy feat. I’m sure they suspected she was seeing someone, but if she didn’t want to introduce him to them, they weren’t going to pry. They completely respected her privacy, even while living in the same mansion.
But now he was breaking her heart, and I was the only one she could talk to about it. We passed the main street of our adorable, expensive-as-hell town and kept going down toward the valley.
“Madam, where are you taking me?” I said, trying to sound lighthearted. I wanted to cheer her up. She’d done the same for me many times.
She looked at me. “I really need a drink,” she said.
“It’s going to be one of those nights?”
“Hell, yes.”
“We’ll be calling the brothers for a ride home?”
“If we even make it home,” she said and laughed.
“You’re not planning on doing anything you’ll regret, are you?”
“I don’t know what I’m planning,” she said. “All I know is I’ve got to take control of my life, Faith. Matt’s cheating on me. I’m a beautiful woman in the prime of my life and I’m letting that asshole walk all over me. Plus, I always feel like a liar because I’m keeping it secret from the brothers.”
“They don’t care what you do in your love life,” I said.
“I know,” she said. “Fuck. What am I doing, Faith? All I’ll say is, I could do a lot worse than get in a little trouble down in the valley.”
I’d noticed a change in Lacey over the past few months but I’d tried not to focus on it. She hadn’t asked for advice regarding Matt, so I tried not to butt in. I’d be there for her when she was ready to break up with him, but in the meantime there wasn’t much I could do for her. The thing was, it seemed to be affecting her more and more. She was getting a little wild, a little irrational. I didn’t hold it against her. Suspecting your partner of cheating is it’s own kind of hell, and no one can judge what it’s like, but I was worried for her. I’d even considered telling the brothers what was going on, but I knew they’d step in, beat the shit out of Matt, and completely destroy any chance Lacey had of resolving the issue in her own way, however that might be. It killed me to see my best friend in so much pain, but apart from offering her my support, there was nothing I could do.
It wasn’t far to the Rusty Nail, the valley’s premier spot for late-night, early-morning, questionable decisions. The guys down there were a different breed. Every wife in the hills knew it, although few actually had the guts to come down and see for themselves. I always liked going there because we were likely to run into the brothers. They were good guys, extremely protective of me and Sam, and they were the closest link I still had to Jackson. I hoped we’d run into them.
Lacey pulled up next to a battered, beat-up, pickup truck. I recognized it as the one Forrester often drove. I noticed a wooden crate of wine bottles in the back. I still hadn’t tasted their latest creation.
“This looks like the place,” she said. “Let’s show these local boys something they’ll never forget.”
“I think Forrester is here,” I said.
She looked at me and shook her head. “It’s not Forrester,” she said.
“Who is it?”
“You’ll see,” she said. “Just remember, whatever happens, you mean more to me than anyone else in the world, Faith. All I care about is your happiness. That’s why I didn’t tell you sooner.”
“Tell me what?”
“You’ll see,” she said again.
I was confused, I didn’t know what she was talking about, but suddenly I felt very apprehensive about entering the bar.
Chapter 28
Jackson