Chapter 44
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
To Do:
- Take the stupid meds
- Drink more water
The house was empty and silent except for the tip-tap of dog toenails. Charlie had left to pick up Ryan for lacrosse practice. Claire went through the first floor, systematically snapping all the curtains shut. The skin on her wrist still burned where zip ties had held her captive barely twenty-four hours ago. If Luke were here, he would undoubtedly have some top secret Navy salve for treating it.
But she was alone. Exhausted and raw, like a freshly peeled potato.
In the living room, she dragged her laptop close and flicked on the TV, then perused the list of recorded shows. Why did Luke insist on recording every episode of The Sopranos ? She mashed the delete button until they were all gone. Finally, Alice’s TV show appeared. Maybe a little bit of psychic nonsense was just what she needed.
Her mother droned about a departed parakeet reaching out from the great beyond as Claire opened her web browser. She resisted the urge to check Luke’s Instagram and instead opened a new document. Short of begging on her hands and knees, there wasn’t anything she could do about Luke or her career at the moment. She was done being victimized, threatened, harassed, abducted. Screw them all. She was going to that convention. Luke wasn’t going to be around to stop her.
A knock at the door peeled her eyes away from the computer. A prickle of fear tingled her spine. But surely the security staff wouldn’t have allowed a stranger to approach the front door. Easing herself off the couch, she opened the doorbell app on her phone. Brianna. She breathed a sigh of relief and trudged to the front door.
“Did Charlie send you to check on me?” Claire said as a way of greeting.
“No, no. I’m here of my own accord.” Brianna shoved a Tupperware container at her and drew her into a tight hug. Coconut shampoo and spearmint gum lingered in the air. She drew back and took Claire by both arms. “Are you okay?”
Claire raised one eyebrow.
“I mean, all things considered.” Brianna nudged Claire inside and shut the door behind them. Rosie and Winston surrounded Brianna, sniffing and demanding pets.
Claire hesitated, fully prepared to put on a brave face and insist that everything was fine, that tomorrow would be better, there were great things in store. But she wasn’t sure of any of that anymore. Her lip quivered, but she straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath.
“It sucks. All of it. But at least I’m not dead.”
Brianna bit her lip and gave her another hug. Cupcakes jostled in the container as she took it back from Claire and stepped lightly down the hall to the kitchen. She tossed her tote-sized purse and a reusable shopping bag on the kitchen island and started piling vegetables and more Tupperware containers into Claire’s fridge.
“Bri, you didn’t have to do any of that.” Claire’s shoulders slumped. It was unclear if it was the rage room or the crushing weight of her failure, but either way she was utterly exhausted.
Brianna turned around, head of lettuce in one hand and container of salmon fillets in the other. “I know you don’t like to ask for help. Or even admit to yourself that you need it. So instead, I, your overbearing half sister, am here to inconvenience you with company and food. We’re having salmon and spinach salad for dinner. I had a feeling you might need some protein and, you know, vitamins.”
“Thank you. Truly. I’m grateful to not be alone tonight.”
“Good. Now where is your washer and dryer? I want to do your sheets so you have a nice, clean bed to sleep in tonight.” For a twenty-one-year-old, Brianna was almost suspiciously thoughtful. That had certainly come from Tanya.
Claire showed Brianna where everything was, then retired to the living room. She had a video chat scheduled with Mindy. It was time to figure out their next steps. She couldn’t keep holding out hope that Brad would call and beg her to come back. He was dead to her. It was time to move forward.
Claire rubbed at her temples. The Ex-Boyfriends on an empty stomach had been great for her rage but weren’t so great for adulting. She took a swig of water and opened her laptop.
“Hey,” she said when Mindy answered the call. Mindy and Nicole had sent a barrage of texts and phone calls after the abduction, but Claire had only sent a few updates in response. She had a sneaking suspicion that Charlie had been intervening for her since the flood of questions had slowed to an ebb.
Mindy’s hair was a veritable rat’s nest, and her face was red. Somewhere in the room, there was the sound of a zipper being zipped. At least someone was having a successful relationship. “Hey, yourself. How are you?”
Claire held up the okay sign. “Awesome. Really good. About to write a self-help book on how to be super well-adjusted and successful.”
Mindy pursed her lips. “All right, Sarcasm Queen. I have a feeling you don’t want to talk about emotions right now. Can I show you our options?”
Claire nodded, relieved to think of anything but the trauma of the past two days, and Mindy screen-shared details on six different couples. Three couples from West Haven and three from Los Angeles had passed the initial questionnaire.
“So,” Mindy concluded. “Though it would be annoying to get scuba-certified, I really think we could do something amazing at the Scranton Aquarium for Todd and Leslie. And we wouldn’t have to worry about the cost of renting items since we wouldn’t have had anything we need for this one anyway.”
“I love that,” Claire mumbled, only half-focused as her mind spiraled with ideas. “Greenlight the stalking phase for Todd and Leslie. I’ll get in touch with the manager at the aquarium in the meantime.”
“What do you want to do about our California couples?” Mindy asked.
Claire sat back on the couch and tucked her feet under her. The thought of choosing another couple to be her first California proposal tugged at her heartstrings. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. She shook away the haunting image of a sunset proposal with the glow of the Hollywood sign in the background and refocused. Her failure with Brad didn’t mean she couldn’t still create something beautiful.
“Well, I love Darius and Nick. But the logistics might be tricky. I kind of doubt the U.S. Figure Skating organization will be cool with me effectively hijacking one of their events.”
Mindy tapped a pen against her lips. “You never know until you ask.”
“True. And if all else fails, we can still rent it out, stage a fake exhibition, plant family members in the audience, and score an amazing musical guest.”
“There’s my girl.” Mindy slapped her desk. “Glad to see you’re feeling better.”
She wasn’t, really. But it helped to have something else to focus on.
“If you reach out to the couples, I’ll start the dream boards, and we’ll go over our ideas in a couple days. Sound good?”
Mindy nodded. “Have you heard from Luke?”
An icepick jabbed Claire’s heart. “No.”
Mindy crossed her arms. Her face grew sullen, more drawn. “If you want me to hit him with my car, just give the word.”
“I’ll keep you on speed dial,” Claire said with a smile that she didn’t feel.
“Love you. Text me.”
Claire nodded and disconnected. She leaned back on the couch and pressed her palms over her eyes. The smell of pan-seared salmon wafted in from the kitchen, and her stomach growled.
Luke had assumed the responsibility of cooking while Claire handled Brad’s case. He was surprisingly competent in the kitchen, but then he seemed to excel at everything he did. It was incredibly annoying. Her fingers tensed. His absence was like a bruise.
How could he have done this? Sure, she had “disobeyed” him. But he wasn’t her boss. They weren’t married. He couldn’t just tell her she wasn’t allowed to leave the house alone. It wasn’t the 1850s. She didn’t need a chaperone.
Her heart beat uncomfortably fast. In spite of his douchebaggery, she missed him. The scrape of his calloused hands over her body as he tended to her near-constant stream of various wounds. That stupid scar on his neck from pulling Olivia out of a burning car. His rarely flashed thousand-watt smile. The grumpy, protective superiority. He was flawed, but he was hers. Or at least he had been before she got herself abducted. Again.
“Appetizer?”
Claire shrieked and opened her eyes. Brianna stood in front of her with an apron, offering a cheese plate.
“Sorry. Cheese?”
Claire took a slice of gouda to calm her nerves. “How do you walk so silently? Did you go to charm school?”
Brianna grimaced. “Force of habit. My mom always told me I would ‘startle the fairies’ if I stomped around.”
Claire nodded. “Yeah, that sounds about right.” She stood and stretched. If she didn’t put the thoughts of Luke behind her now, she would spiral even more. “So after dinner, I might need your help with something.”
“Anything.” Bri’s green eyes sparkled with interest. “What is it?”
“I’ve decided I’m going to infiltrate the men’s rights convention.”
Brianna shook her head. “Luke’s not going to like that.”
“Well, he’s not here to stop me, is he?” Claire smiled grimly.
“Good point.”
“I really think Professor Taylor is going to be there. If he is, I can follow him, find out where he’s staying, and tell Jack.”
“He’s also not going to like this.” Her half sister popped a piece of cheese in her mouth.
“We’re not going to tell him.”
Brianna nodded but frowned. “Screw it. Filming’s going to wrap right before this. Let’s get these idiots.”
Claire sat back. She had anticipated a lot more protesting and convincing. Nicole and Mindy almost never agreed to go along with a first draft of a plan. “Thank you,” she said after a pause.
Bri reached over and grabbed Claire’s hand. “We’re going to catch the bastard who did this to you.” Her thumb brushed over the raw flesh where the zip tie had bound Claire’s hands.
She winced. “Thanks, Bri. We can’t keep waiting for Jack. I’m tired of being a sitting duck, of waiting for a phone call saying they’ve taken my mom or you or Charlie. All of this bullshit is going to end. I’m going to that convention, and I’m going to rip ESA down brick by brick.”
She jumped up from the couch even though the event in question wasn’t for another week.
“Now, I’ve already pulled up the blueprints for the hotel. There’s a service entrance I can use to?—”
“Hold on.” Brianna stood and picked up the cheese plate. “Dinner first, then plotting.”
“But the blueprints?—”
“They’ll still be there when you’ve had some actual nutrients. Now scoot.” Bri gestured down the hallway, a dare in her eye.
Claire grumbled, but for once she listened to her sister. She all but inhaled her (admittedly delicious) dinner and returned to the living room. She plugged her computer into a projector Luke had installed.
“Hang on. I think I’m going to need a drink. Can I get you one?” Brianna asked as she saw the first of seventy PowerPoint slides.
Claire shook her head. During the post-rage-room session Charlie had bullied her into, Dr. Goulding had prescribed another medication—a sleeping pill. Mixing with alcohol was definitely not recommended. Her liver, at least, could stop being mad at her.
“I will take a cupcake, though.”
Brianna disappeared and reappeared with a glass of wine and two cupcakes. She handed one to Claire. “All right. I’m ready.”
“Are you sure? Because there’s no turning back now. And we can’t tell Jack. If he finds out, he’s going to be very angry.” Claire took one frosting-covered finger and pointed to the title slide, which she had just updated to read “Claire and Bri Take Down the Patriarchy” in WordArt.
Brianna squared her shoulders. “Let’s do it.”