Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
H ow did bowling use muscles she hadn’t known she’d had? Cece groaned as she rolled over in bed and opened her eyes. She could tell by the light outside that she’d slept later than she’d meant to.
Peanut sat on the other side of the bed like a tiny, calico gargoyle. As soon as Cece made eye contact with her, she meowed. Loudly.
“I know, you need breakfast. Coming right up, your majesty. Just let me lay here for two more minutes.” Cece grinned even though she ached in new places. Last night had been fun. Fun . At her age. Crazy that was still possible.
But it was only because of Joe and his attitude. His spirit for life was aspirational. It made her want more for herself.
And more of him.
That was a scary thought. She flipped the covers back, sending Peanut running for the kitchen in anticipation of her meal being served.
Cece was in such a good mood, she fed Peanut before starting the coffee. Peanut, if she noticed, showed no gratitude. Cece got the coffee going, then took a quick hot shower in an attempt to soothe her aching muscles.
She’d had no idea bowling was such a physical sport but live and learn. It was a stark reminder that she needed to take better care of herself.
Besides walking the beach, Joe did tai chi, which seemed very on brand for him. He was also into paddleboarding, swimming, kayaking, and anything else that could be done outside.
No wonder he looked so good for his age. And so tan.
She got out of the shower and dressed, already thinking about what she might do differently. She was technically retired, so fitting in some exercise shouldn’t be a problem. Writing articles for the Buzz didn’t take that much time. Not enough for her to use it as a valid excuse.
Coffee fixed, she grabbed her phone and sat in the living room to watch a little news and scroll through social media.
There was a text waiting for her from Joe. She smiled before even opening it.
Had a great time last night. Looking forward to next time.
She smiled as she typed. Me too. To both.
Next time was undecided as of yet, but they’d talked about getting lunch someday next week.
He would eventually ask her to go to the beach with him. She was sure of it. Which would mean putting on a swimsuit.
She grimaced. She needed to get active immediately. There was no way she’d lose the twenty pounds she’d been meaning to before she saw him again, but in his favor, he’d never once made her feel self-conscious about her figure.
What she was feeling now was the truth about her body. She’d been in a slump since being forced to retire, going through the divorce, and recovering from cancer. She hadn’t felt like she was worthy of love. Hadn’t felt capable of loving herself.
After her time with Blaise and then Joe last night, Cece realized how foolish that was. What had happened to her was in the past. Why was she still punishing herself for things that weren’t even really her fault? Yes, she could have vetted her source better and, clearly, she should have.
But wasn’t she allowed one mistake in an otherwise stellar career?
It was stupid to penalize herself. To not live a better life. She was worth more. She deserved more.
She logged into the Colony website and went to the Residents section to look at the fitness center schedule and to see what classes they had and at what times.
A class felt like it would be a good fit.
Maybe she could ask Paige. Cece knew Paige worked out because she’d followed Paige on TikTok and Paige often posted something from her time at the fitness center.
Also, you could just look at the woman and see she did something. Cece would kill for arms like that.
Honestly, Paige was a little intimidating. The woman was so together it was daunting. She always looked so perfect and clearly took care of herself. But they were friends now, right? Paige was the one who’d invited Cece to the book club.
That had to mean she’d be willing to offer some advice. When Cece was ready. Until then, a fitness class, maybe the one she was looking at right now, the one for beginners, would be just the thing.
The next one was at four p.m. this afternoon. She could do that. She needed to do that. She was already sore, so why not?
She clicked that she was interested, which added it to her calendar. She’d get an alert that way.
Thinking about Paige made Cece go on TikTok. Maybe Joe should start a channel for his music. That would be cool. Just suggesting it ought to earn her a few hipness points. Although no one said “hipness,” did they?
Ugh. She’d kept herself from the living for too long. It was time to do something more. She sipped her coffee. Joe was pursuing his dream and making a whole new life for himself.
What was her dream?
She sighed and sat back in her chair, staring at the television without paying it any attention. She still loved doing what she’d always done. Telling stories. Uncovering the truths about people and events. What she did for the Buzz was nothing compared to what she’d done once upon a time.
How did she do that now? That was the real question. Joe was a perfect example of someone who was so much more than they appeared. His was a story that deserved to be told. But in what way? Another Meet Your Neighbor interview for the Buzz ? That held no appeal.
Those were short and shallow. The questions were all softballs, which was all management would allow. Nothing too in-depth. Nothing too personal.
She thought about what else she enjoyed. She watched some true crime documentaries on television, but she obviously wasn’t about to start her own TV show. There were a few podcasts she listened to, as well.
Her eyes narrowed. Could she start a podcast?
How hard was that? What if she focused on the people here in the Colony, at least to start with?
Her own new group of friends were some pretty strong contenders for guests.
Who wouldn’t tune in to hear about Blaise Monroe, former supermodel? Or Maude Harrigan, secret hacker.
Cece laughed. Maude would never admit to that, for sure, but maybe she could come on as an anonymous guest using one of those voice changers so she couldn’t be recognized. Cece was getting way ahead of herself, but it was fun to be excited about something.
It had been a while since that had happened.
Just for kicks, she did a search on her phone for podcast equipment. She was about to click on an article that supposedly detailed how to get started when her screen showed an incoming phone call from Natalie.
Cece answer. “Good morning.”
“Mom, I found a hair .” Natalie’s voice trembled with upset and anger.
Cece struggled to find context. “What do you mean a hair? Whose hair? Where?”
“In Jim’s laundry from the conference. A long, blond hair.”
Natalie was a brunette. Cece’s stomach pitched. She tried to stay calm. “Maybe it’s nothing.”
“And maybe he’s a liar ,” she growled softly.
Nat was clearly spiraling. Cece inhaled. “Maybe he is, but a hair isn’t proof of anything just yet. What can I do to help?”
“I don’t know. Look into him again? I know you started but then I had that call with him and thought everything was all right and…” Quiet sobs filled the phone line.
“Is he there?” It was Sunday. What was he doing home from the conference already? Cece glanced at the time. It was a little after eleven. “Isn’t it early for him to be home from that conference?”
“I actually thought he’d be home sooner since he drove. I started doing laundry right after he unpacked. He’s in the shower now.” She sniffed. “What am I going to do? I really think he lied to me. To us.” A louder sob this time. “I feel like I’m going to lose it, Mom.”
“Okay, listen to me. Pull yourself together. This could be nothing. It might be from a woman who hugged him or someone he brushed up against. It might even be from the housekeeper who cleaned his room. You don’t know.
Until you find out more, you’ve got to do your best to get through the day.
I will immediately restart my search. I will work every angle I can think of. ”
“I looked through our bank accounts and credit card statements again and still didn’t find anything, but that doesn’t mean he might not have one I don’t know about.”
“True. Again, I’ll see what I can do. But you have to give me some time.” Cece wondered if Jim might have a company credit card Natalie wouldn’t know about.
A big sniff. “I know.” Natalie cleared her throat. “I’ll be all right.”
“I know you will. You’re incredibly strong. And you want to protect Tyler from this until you have facts. No reason for him to be affected.”
“Right.” Natalie sighed. “I’m sorry. You’re the only person I can really go to with this.”
“That’s what I’m here for. And there’s nothing to be sorry for.”
“Thanks. You’ll let me know as soon as you find something?”
“Yes, if I find something, you’ll hear from me right away.”
“I love you, Mom.” More sniffles.
“I love you, too, sweetheart. Also, maybe save that hair in a baggie. Just in case.”
“Really?”
Cece shrugged even though her daughter couldn’t see her. “You never know. Talk to you soon, okay?”
“Okay. Bye.”
Cece hung up. Not how she’d imagined her day going, but she wasn’t about to leave her daughter hanging. She got up, refilled her coffee cup, grabbed her laptop, and settled in to dig back into her son-in-law’s life.
And if she couldn’t find anything, she was definitely reaching out to Maude. A long blond hair wasn’t proof of anything, but it was certainly suspicious.
She fired up her laptop, entered her password, and opened her browser window. “All right, James Frett. Let’s dig a little deeper.”