Cara looked away, not saying anything.
"Would you just spill it?" Bri asked. "What did you do?"
Cara put a hand on her belly and looked at Bri.
Bri stared at her, waiting.
"This baby…."
"Yes?" asked Bri.
"It's Dean's."
Bri's eyes widened. She couldn't have heard Cara correctly. It wasn't possible.
"I've finally left you speechless."
"You didn't. Tell me you didn't sleep with Lydia's husband. You and Lydia are so close, too."
Cara shook her head. "It's his."
"But, but you and Ethan were trying to have a baby. How do you know it's Dean's? And when did this happen?" Bri demanded.
"You know how after a year I wanted to get tested to see if we had any medical reasons for not getting pregnant?"
"Yeah."
"Well, we did. Ethan was out of town when they called with the results. Basically, he's shooting blanks. There's no chance of getting pregnant by him. I was in tears, and went to talk to Lydia. I knew she'd understand after everything she went through with Dean. Anyway, she wasn't home, but Dean was. He saw how upset I was and insisted that I come inside until I was fit to drive." Cara bit her lip. "One thing led to another, and now here I am." She looked down at her belly.
Bri couldn't believe her ears. "You didn't tell Ethan about his, uh, issue?"
"Nope. I didn't know how to tell him, and I was riddled with guilt for betraying both him and Lyds. A few weeks passed, and I realized I was about a week late."
"Does Dean know?"
Tears filled her eyes. "It's complicated."
"Complicated?" Bri exclaimed. "Either he does or he doesn't."
"I'll explain it later."
"Have you seen Dean since then?" asked Bri.
Cara bit her lip again. "Maybe."
"Cara, Cara. What were you thinking? I thought you were riddled with guilt?"
"It's hard to feel guilty when Ethan thinks I'm disgusting."
"Oh, come on. He might not be as attracted to you as usual, but disgusting? You're still gorgeous, and rocking that bikini, might I add."
"Disgusting was the word he used," Cara said. "I've put on weight everywhere, and he doesn't like it."
"Some men are so stupid. But then again, so are you."
"What?" asked Cara. "Me?"
"Dean's one of your best friend's husbands. And it sounds like you've seen him more than just that one time."
"He's the baby's father."
"And he's also Lydia's husband." Bri felt defensive for Lydia.
Cara squirmed. "I know, but Lyds only stays with him for the money. It's like Savannah said, they haven't been together in years."
Bri arched an eyebrow.
"You're not going to say anything to her." It wasn't a question.
"Not if I want you keeping my secret safe." Bri took a sip of wine, guilt riddling her.
"That's right," Cara said. "You know it would cost your marriage."
Bri stared at Cara, anger replacing the guilt. How could she have ever thought Cara was a good friend when she held this over her head? Bri thought back through everything their little group had been through over the last few years. They'd all rallied around Lydia when she had fertility problems and then when Dean started traveling and they first suspected his cheating. When Savannah was injured after a car accident, they had all come together to help take care of her while Tom worked. And then when Corey had been dragged into a lengthy court battle, all the girls banded together to help Bri and Corey out.
Could their group ever be the same again? And how could she possibly keep something like this from Lydia?
Digging
The doorbell rang. Lydia shoved the newspaper page between the wall and the couch, afraid Dean would catch her reading the article. It took her a moment to realize that he wouldn't have rung the doorbell.
"Pull yourself together," she told herself. She checked to make sure the paper wasn't sticking out, and then went to the front door to see who was there. She wasn't expecting anyone.
Hopefully, it wasn't the kid down the street asking her to subscribe to his newspaper route again. She always felt guilty about saying no, but they didn't read the paper.
At least not the local paper.
Lydia looked through the peephole and saw Bri smiling at her. She appeared to be holding something. Lydia opened the door and forced a smile. "Hey there. I didn't expect to see you."
Bri's smile widened. "You seemed down earlier, so I thought I'd surprise you with dinner." She held up a bag with the name of their favorite sushi place.
Lydia wasn't in the mood for company, but sushi did sound good, and she couldn't keep pushing Bri off. She knew something was up. Lydia would have to come up with something that sounded legit. "Sounds delicious."
"I got your favorites." Bri walked past, and Lydia heard her set the bags on the counter and pull out dishes.
"Thanks for thinking of me," Lydia called as she locked the door. She went into the kitchen and pulled out silverware.
"Well, Corey hates sushi, so I'm not being entirely selfless." Bri laughed. She flipped some of her long, blonde hair behind her shoulders and then doled out the food onto the two plates.
They carried everything to the table. They began eating in silence. Bri looked at Lydia, obviously expecting her to talk. Lydia had no intentions of sharing her news with anyone, not even—or especially?—her best friends.
"Anything you want to talk about?" Bri asked.
"Not really." Lydia stuffed a large bite into her mouth.
"Where's Dean off to this time?"
Lydia tried to remember where he said he was going. Had he said? Everything was such a blur since discovering those papers. "I can't remember. It's always somewhere."
"Still think he's cheating?"
"You think he's not?" Lydia asked. "He won't go near me."
"What about your mystery guy? You never told us much about him, but you were really happy when you two were together."
"Like I said before, he worked things out with his wife. They had a family emergency and then realized they needed to work together. Basically, she realized what she had just before she lost it."
"Sucks for you."
"Yep." Lydia finished off the wine in her glass.
"Anyone else interesting? Someone who's available?"
She couldn't deal with this conversation while thinking about the clippings. Maybe talking about it with Bri would help. Lydia opened her mouth to say something, but closed it. She couldn't bear to say the words.
"What?" Bri asked, looking curious."
Lydia shook her head.
"Well, we've got to make that our project. Time to find a good looking, single guy who's man enough to keep our Lydia happy."
"Easy as pie." Lydia tried to force a smile, but wasn't sure her mouth even twitched. Thinking about Chad made her feel even worse. They would have been together had he and Alyssa not worked things out. They had even been talking in detail about what kind of house they wanted. He even asked about her taste in rings—specifically what she liked and didn't like about her wedding ring.
"You really liked him," Bri said, bringing Lydia back to the present.
"I still love him. I can't let go, even though he's not coming back."
"It's been a year, sweetie."
"You don't have to tell me."
"It's time to move on."
Lydia wanted to say, You have no idea. The farther away from Dean she could get, the better.
"If he worked it out with his wife that long ago, he's not coming back."
"I know." That came out harsher than Lydia meant. "I just haven't met anyone. Do I need to have a guy at all times? Am I that pathetic?"
"Not at all. Do you want to move on? Or do you think there's a chance he'll return?"
"Maybe I just need some time to myself. I certainly get enough of that sharing a house with Dean."
Bri put h
er hand on top of Lydia's. "You're better than both of them. Maybe tomorrow we can look for—"
"I'm going to stick around here tomorrow."
"What about that new Donatello Williams movie? We'll look then."
"No single guy with a job is going to be at the movie theater on a weekday afternoon."
"We'll go in the evening, then."
"I'm not ready for this. It happened naturally last time. We kept running into each other—he playfully accused me of following him. We had a good laugh, and since it was lunchtime, I suggested we eat. We laughed and talked the whole time. There wasn't even a slight lull in the conversation. You can't force something like that, a real connection."
"We need to do something. I've never seen you so mopey. Is it the anniversary of your breakup or something?"
Lydia looked at the calendar. Actually, it was close to the date of the last time she and Chad had connected. Lydia had driven by the park and saw him there alone, and not at all dressed for being at the park. She thought something was wrong, and she'd been right. He had broken down sobbing. She held him in her arms and he cried.
Even as they had sat there, she knew somehow that was the last time they would really spend any time together.
Lydia squeezed her fists. The early summer was turning into a time of bad memories. First that, and now finding out about Dean.
She looked back to Bri. "Something like that."
Bri's face lit up. "I know. The HOA is having another meeting soon. I heard the old Jefferson house was bought by a single guy. I'll bet we can meet him there."
"He's probably gay." Lydia rested her chin on her hands.
"We need to work on your attitude."
"Seriously. Did you see what he did to the front yard? It's gorgeous."
"He probably hired someone. You're the only one around here who actually likes pruning rose bushes."
Lydia shrugged. "It's relaxing."
"Says you. Well, you're probably right about staying away from him. If you leave, you don't want to be in the same neighborhood as Dean. Awkward."
Or dead.
"Oh, I know." Bri's eyes lit up. "We could go to a club or a bar. Lots of single guys there."
"Why are you making me your latest project?"
Bri looked hurt. "I just care. We need to pull you out of this funk, Lyds. I knew something was wrong, and I was right. We need to fix this."
"You mean you need to fix me." Her gaze wandered over to the couch where that paper was hidden. Dean was on a short trip, and she had to decide if she would even be home when he got back.
"No, you don't need fixing. We just need to get your focus changed. Mystery man is out of the picture and Dean doesn't appreciate you. Time to find someone who does. What type are you into?"
Lydia slid her hands over her face. She loved Bri, but couldn't wait for her to leave.
"If I knew who the mystery man is, I would have a much better idea of your type. Is he handsome like Dean, or hot like Corey?"
Lydia poured more wine into her glass and took another long drink. "Neither. And his looks aren't what's important. It's the connection, you know? We could talk about anything, and even mundane tasks were fun because we were together."
"So he's an uggo?"
Lydia laughed despite herself. "No, definitely not."
"He is hot. I knew it." Bri nodded knowingly. "And I got you to laugh. Do I know him?"
"I'm never giving up his identity."
"You're still attached to him. You've got to let go. It's time to live your life."
"I think I need to figure out what I want for me first."
"You can still date while you do that."
"What would Dean think of you setting me up with someone?" Lydia was trying to change the subject.
"Do you really think he would care?" Bri gave Lydia a look of pity. "You always say he's got someone in every city he goes to."
"He obviously keeps me around for something."
Lydia got up and put the dishes in the sink. "Are you staying?"
"I came here to give you a girls' night."
"You pick the movie and I'll make popcorn." Lydia did her best to act normal while they watched the movie. She couldn't stop thinking about the piece of paper behind the couch, not that Bri would know what it meant. Dean was the one she needed to worry about. Why had he been so careless to leave it in the garage? It almost felt like a trap.
If Lydia put it with the others, he would know that he hadn't put it there. If she put it back in the garage, he would know she had seen it. If she attempted to sneak it back into his car, he would know it was placed there. He was careful about everything, and he was sure to have already realized it was missing, and would have gone through the entire car before going to the airport.
That paper might just be her undoing. She couldn't stop thinking about it. Maybe she needed to just burn it. Then he would have to wonder what happened to it, but never know. If it stayed in the house, he would eventually find it.
Lydia's stomach twisted in knots. She almost wanted to ask him about the clippings, to give him the chance to tell her something else other than what she had concluded. Maybe he was playing private eye, following someone. It was possible that he was keeping an eye on a coworker who traveled with him frequently.
The murders were more than a month apart, and they weren't every time he traveled somewhere.
Bri laughed, and Lydia realized she hadn't been paying attention to the movie at all. She couldn't keep living like this—obsessing over the papers. She needed to do something. What, though? Confront Dean, a possible serial killer? If so, he wouldn't bat an eye at getting rid of her.
Could she hire a private detective? It would be difficult to sneak out that much money without Dean noticing. He would demand to know what she had spent the money on.
She could move out and divorce him, but that didn't guarantee her safety. Her pulse raced. There wasn't enough time to process everything and take action before Dean returned. But if she really did believe he was guilty—did she?—then she would be stupid to stick around.
On the other hand, Dean had been collecting the clippings for over a year. He hadn't touched her in all of that time, not lovingly but also not roughly, either.
Maybe that was Lydia's answer. She needed to just relax—clear her head. There had to be another explanation. Her husband, a serial killer? No. It was more likely that Lydia was a bored housewife who had seen too many crime dramas.
Wasn't it?
Feelings
Lydia ended the call and threw her phone on the bed. She'd been making call after call to people she could find who were related to the murder victims. It was hard enough to find phone numbers in the first place, and most of the people she talked with didn't want to discuss details with a stranger.
She picked up the newest clipping, and it shook in her hand. Why hadn't she burned it? Dean was due back any time and she still had it. Part of her wanted to ask him about it. Act innocent but watch his reaction. It wasn't as though he would reach into his pocket and stab her for asking about a paper.
There was a coupon on the back for a sporting goods store. She'd been toying with using that as her angle. Hand the page to him coupon-side up. Are you getting back into golf? It was all she had. The only way to figure out if he had an alibi. Unless she was going to ask him straight out, but she was too chicken to do that.
Even if he were innocent, just asking if he had killed anyone would be enough for him to send her packing. She didn't have anywhere to go, not locally, where she wanted to continue living. Aside from that, he would find something in the prenup to keep from giving her any money. He would likely even keep her car. He had put it in his name so he could claim it as a business expense.
Lydia's palms grew sweaty despite the air conditioning. Her stomach heaved. She was going to throw up again, so she put the paper on the kitchen table, coupon-side up, and ran to the bathroom.
When she came out of the bathroom, she hea
rd the garage door opening. Terror ran through her. Her feet moved before she could think. She ran to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, and then she went outside onto the porch acting as nonchalant as she could.
Lydia leaned against the railing at such an angle that she could see inside from the corner of her eye. She sipped the water while soaking up the sun. Dean wouldn't think anything of that.
He came inside, set his bags in front of his office, and went in there. He hadn't even glanced over at the table or Lydia outside. She let out a sigh of relief, and then went back inside.
Dean poked his head out of the office at the sound of the sliding glass door closing.
"Oh, you're home." Lydia made sure to sound surprised.
"It was a short trip, remember?"
"That's right. Well, tonight there's a HOA meeting. You should come. Everyone always asks about you. Some of the neighbors haven't even met you."
Dean groaned. "You know how I feel about those meetings."
"It's not a bunch of old biddies. There will be refreshments and wine. Maybe even some beer, depending on what other husbands are there."
"I really would rather relax after a long flight, Lydia."
"That's what you always say. Come on. You haven't seen Corey or Ethan in a long time."
Dean grimaced. "Did you ever think there's a reason for that?"
"Why live in a housing development if you're never going to see the neighbors?"
"If you leave me alone the rest of the day, I'll go."
"Deal." Lydia walked by him, and then stopped. "Oh, and I found some coupon you dropped in the garage. I put it on the table."
"Coupon?" he asked. Dean went over to the table and picked up the paper. Color drained from his face. "Right. I forgot about the coupon. Thanks."
"Sure," Lydia said, forcing enthusiasm. "Be ready to leave just before seven."
"Fine." He stared at the paper.
Lydia walked slowly away, keeping her focus on him. He held the clipping, staring at it. It shook in his hand.
"I'll grab takeout later. Are you in the mood for anything special?" she asked.
"What?" He looked up at her, his eyes wide. "Oh, sure. Whatever you want."
Dean's List Page 4