Chapter 22
CHAPTER
Tara
One Year Ago
POLITE MANNERS WARRED with personal safety in Tara’s mind as she stared back at Mark Ribeki, the famous football player, on her front step.
Should she allow the star quarterback into her home when he hadn’t even called her in advance to set up a time to meet?
This was her home, after all. Not a place of business.
It had been months since he’d been on The Clean Break, so it didn’t seem like he could be here to speak to her about the show.
“I’d suggest a public meeting place,” he began, seeming to read her mind. “Except that I get recognized and then it’s tough to carry on a conversation.”
Once again, he flashed that boyish smile, and she promptly recalled how many affairs he’d been rumored to have had over the years. His poor wife.
Ex-wife.
“Unfortunately, I’m expecting someone.” She checked her watch, wondering how much time she might have before Arnold Van Ness arrived.
“This won’t take long,” he assured her, still glancing around the yard as if he expected someone to pop out of the hedges.
“It’s important, but I would hate for you to end up getting photographed with me by some long-distance telephoto lens if we keep standing outside.
What if we took a ride for a few minutes?
You could drive if that makes you more comfortable? ”
At least that explained the guy’s need to keep looking over his shoulder.
Was he that concerned about her reputation?
Or did he have a reason to be more careful about his own?
She’d be willing to bet that most sports teams would find the Mark Ribeki-level of publicity to be a locker room distraction.
“The media really hound you that much?” She peered around her yard but saw only trees and lawn.
“It was bad enough before the podcast, but once the show aired, there seemed to be a bounty on my head every time I stepped out with a woman.”
Tara struggled not to roll her eyes. Did he expect her to feel any sympathy that his serial cheating had caused him to be a paparazzi target?
“I suppose I could take a trip around the block,” she agreed, hoping she’d be back in time for her meeting.
It didn’t seem like she was going to get rid of her guest without speaking to him privately, and she really didn’t feel comfortable inviting him into the house while she was alone.
Especially if he truly was stalked by photographers.
Besides, her car had so many features she could ask it to call for help if she got into trouble.
“I’ll back my vehicle out of the garage and meet you there. ”
“I really appreciate that. Thanks.”
Minutes later, she drove down Daybreak Hill toward the lake, with Mark in the passenger seat. Her attention wavered as she peered around for the attorney she’d been expecting.
“I’m sorry to just show up today.” Her guest flipped down the sun visor and swiveled in the seat to face her, as if all the tricks to avoid being photographed were engrained habits. “You were so nice when we set up the dates for The Clean Break interview that I hoped you wouldn’t mind—”
“You came to my home though. Not the office.” She didn’t appreciate being put on the spot.
Especially at a time in her life when it seemed like everyone except for her foster sister was taking advantage of her in one way or another.
How had she gotten the reputation for being such a pushover? “How did you unearth my home address?”
She made sure her Bluetooth connected to the car so that she could place a call quickly if necessary. For as long as she could remember, she’d had a deep-seated phobia about being alone with men she didn’t know well. Even the thought made her skin go cold.
“My manager found out where you lived,” he explained, oblivious to her discomfort. “He knows I need to conduct my business privately because of the attention I received from your show.”
Unbelievable. Did he have any idea how self-absorbed he sounded?
“What was so important it couldn’t wait?” She drove past Kaitlin’s house, where her friend’s lights were on, her front porch covered in seasonal mums and pumpkins.
“You know my ex-wife filed a lawsuit about the divorce arbitration.”
“I’m aware.” She didn’t blame Evangeline Ribeki one bit for being furious with both the show and her ex-husband. Tara couldn’t think overlong about it herself, or she would grow angry all over again at Sophie’s high-handed maneuvering.
“Well, she seems to have disappeared because none of her friends have seen her for weeks. She didn’t even show up at the court filing for the lawsuit.”
“Maybe she’s letting her legal team handle that. And I don’t think it’s unusual for people to take off in the wake of a divorce.”
“Perhaps not.” He scowled as he stared out the window at Saratoga Lake, the surface glinting in the moonlight. “But I’m not sure if she’s stable, and I think you and Sophie should be on your guard.”
“You think she could be dangerous?” Tara pulled into the parking area of a bar that served drinks on the small beach in warmer weather. “To Sophie and me?”
She would head back to her place in a minute, but she wanted to get a read on Mark’s face, to gauge how seriously he took the allegations he was making. Did she really have reason to be worried, or was he the kind of person who enjoyed bad-mouthing a former partner and stirring up trouble?
“I can’t say for sure.” He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. Which in this case, seemed to say, “don’t hold me to it.” “But I heard she bought a gun shortly before our divorce was finalized, and she never owned one before.”
Tara’s stomach sank. She didn’t necessarily believe the athlete’s ex-wife would make a cross-country trip to shoot her or Sophie.
Tara simply hated that she’d been a part of ruining another woman’s life so thoroughly.
Evangeline Ribeki had bought a weapon and disappeared, all because of The Clean Break.
Well, also because of the man seated in the passenger seat.
“Maybe living alone just made her want the extra protection.” Although now that she thought back on the aftermath of the Ribeki episode, she recalled a message that Evangeline had texted to Sophie saying that she would do whatever it took to get even.
“But I’ll certainly take extra care with my personal security.
Is there anything else you wanted to tell me before I head back? ”
“That’s it. I owe you and Sophie a lot for all you did to help me through a rough time.
If there’s any chance that Evangeline has gone off the rails and hatched some revenge plot, you deserve to know about it.
Since my legal team has forbidden me from commenting about my ex-wife in writing, I figured I’d tell you in person. ”
Shifting the car into gear, Tara ground her teeth to stifle her natural inclination to defend a wronged woman.
Everything about this man irritated her, from his entitled arrogance to his legal team, while his traumatized—and broke—former partner had been cheated out of a fair divorce settlement thanks to Tara’s show.
Thanks to Sophie’s decision to screw over Evangeline for the sake of a ratings boost.
Driving faster up Daybreak Hill to await her attorney, she wondered if she would be better off letting Sophie buy her out of The Clean Break and ending the partnership for good.
Because things seemed to be getting downright dangerous.
A week ago, Tara had merely felt suffocated in the relationship with Sophie.
Now, she wondered if she also had reason to fear for her life.