by Lane, Aubree
Cara didn’t want to understand what she was saying, but Leah held her ground. “Don’t you get it? I’m tired of playing second fiddle. I’m tired of all the drama between you and Duncan.” She shook her head. “I’ve listened and supported you until I’m blue in the face, but it’s still all about you. Can’t you see that if I keep hanging around, my neck is going to wind up in a noose?”
It was killing her to hurt Cara like this, but it was time for some cold hard facts to sink into her one-sided thick skull. “When was the last time you asked me about my personal life? Have you ever come over to my place because I needed a shoulder to cry on? When my car broke down a few months back, you were too busy to simply pick me up from the mechanic’s, but if the shoe was on the other foot, you know I would have found a way to help you out.” Leah stood up. “I’m sorry Cara, but I need some space. And you need time to think about what being someone’s friend truly entails.”
She turned back one last time. “I love you Cara, but I’m tired of being grateful for the few crumbs you occasionally toss my way.”
Cara sat and watched her coffee grow cold. Slowly and gradually the steam dissipated as the brew cooled and the porcelain lost its warmth. Cara realized the same thing had happened with her relationship with Leah. Their friendship had been made of glass, and it had shattered under the slightest pressure.
Leah was right though. Cara had not been a good friend. She used Leah as a therapist, which probably would have been fine, except she hadn’t repaid even a modicum of support in return. Cara hadn’t set foot in Leah’s apartment since the day she moved out. She would simply swing by the shop, interrupt Leah’s work day, and force her to listen to another round of complaints about Duncan.
She had taken advantage of Leah’s good nature and hadn’t thought about how much she could have helped her friend’s business succeed. As Duncan’s wife, she had held the perfect position to bring Leah and her designs out into the forefront. Over and over Leah asked her to wear her dresses, but for one reason or another she almost always declined. Cara had practically been considered royalty in Tahoe. Her picture had been snapped from the moment she stepped out of the house until she entered it again at night. The only time she had been left alone was when she was out on LOLA, but even there a few pics had been snapped of her.
With her influence, she could have single handedly sent Leah’s business skyrocketing into the stratosphere, but she had succumbed to the pressure the Alexander family placed on her and had continued to shop at their approved venues. She hadn’t stayed true to herself or to her friend.
Every ounce of coffee at the table, including the pot Maggie left, was now ice. Cara signaled for a fresh cup and Maggie quickly obliged. “Is everything okay?” Maggie asked as she poured the dark steaming house blend into a clean cup.
Cara shook her head. “I have some soul searching to do, Maggie. Can you keep them coming?”
Maggie patted her shoulder kindly. “Sure thing, doll. Your cup will never go cold again.”
True to her word, Maggie kept her mug filled. Cara suspected Maggie switched her to decaf after about six refills. She didn’t have the too-much caffeine jitters. It didn’t matter, Cara didn’t care what beverage sat in front of her. Mostly she needed the cup to stare into while she thought.
Leah wasn’t the only one she had used and abused. She owed Brett Boden a huge apology. The man had been a godsend, and she insulted his work and blamed him for Duncan’s manipulation of the contract’s fine print.
Cara realized she had treated two of the most important people in her life the way Duncan had treated her, and she was appalled at her behavior.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Maggie making her way back to her table. Cara waved her off. “Just the bill, please.”
Maggie pulled the check out of her apron pocket and handed it to her.
Cara hogged the cafe table for at least two hours, but the total only amounted to five dollars and seventy cents. Cara pulled out a couple of twenties. She wasn’t about to take Maggie’s generosity for granted, too.
Even as she tucked the bills under the bowl of creamer, she understood that she had rewarded Maggie’s kindness with money. Maggie might have suspected she would earn a big tip, but Cara didn’t think that had been her main motivation. The woman had always been thoughtful and sympathetic to her plight. She had even gone so far as to bar the local paparazzi from entering the cafe, even when her own son had been the one holding the camera. Poor Scott had received an earful from his dear old mom when he tried to invade Cara’s privacy.
Her plight? Cara considered her wording. She had made herself a victim, and she had allowed herself to be used by Duncan and his powerful family. There had always seemed to be something broken about them. None of them were able to empathize with others. They were fiercely loyal, but only unto themselves, and Cara had been sucked into it all. Duncan’s mother, the dowager Inga, had been the only one who showed her any kindness, yet there was the unspoken expectation that Cara do things her way.
Cara had become so accustomed to their superior attitude that it became her new normal. She expected her friends to support her unquestionably and listen to her tiniest troubles, Cara saw how she had blown up the smallest issues and dramatized them out of proportion. She even glorified the two local boys who followed her around with their camera by calling them paparazzi. They were really just two kids trying to make a living by selling her photograph. If she hadn’t ignored their requests, she probably would have been able to control her exposure. Instead, they were forced to follow her around and snap their pictures candidly.
She watched Maggie make her way around the cafe. Always smiling, always there with a kind word, not for a chosen few but for every single customer who walked through the door.
Somewhere deep inside, Cara knew she was still a good person. She made her share of mistakes, but unlike the Alexanders, she was capable of learning from them.
She rose from the table and made her way over to Maggie. She reached the woman and wrapped her up into a hug. Cara felt Maggie startle and stiffen, but Cara held on tight. When Maggie’s arms returned the unexpected embrace, Cara whispered in her ear something everyone needs to hear, “Thank you, Maggie. I appreciate everything you’ve ever done for me.”
Amazingly, Cara walked out of Rosie’s with a smile on her face. Riding high on her new empathetic attitude, she pulled out her phone, wanting to have a heart to heart with Brett. There was no time like the present to start resolving the issues of their relationship.
Brett picked up, but his usual joking attitude was gone. “My place is being torn apart! They have a search warrant, and from what I understand they’re at your place, too. If I were you, I’d high tail it out of here. They are on a witch hunt, and you’re the one they’re out to burn.”
“I don’t understand,” Cara protested. “Why would the police search your house?”
“Because you became my TV watching buddy during gala season,” Brett yelled over the noise. “I sure as hell hope you didn’t leave anything incriminating here. They’re being very thorough. They even found a set of keys I lost over five years ago.”
“There’s nothing incriminating to find anywhere!” Cara wailed. “And I’m not running. I am so sorry this is happening to you, Brett. You have been nothing but a good friend. I’m sorry for a lot of other things. When this settles down, do you think we could get together and talk?”
“What?” Cara heard confusion in Brett’s voice. “Run! Run now while you have the chance. This is not going away. You can’t believe what they’re doing here. They will use anything, no matter how innocent to destroy you. They have even bagged and tagged my tools. How am I supposed to work? I don’t even know what they think you or I’ve done, but I’m scared. I’m more frightened than I’ve ever been in my entire life. It might be too late for me. I expect to be hauled away at any moment, but you might still be able to get away. Don’t let yourself be arrested. Run girl!”
“Calm down, Brett. I’m going to call my lawyer. We’ll both come over. You and I will get out of this together.” She quickly disconnected and informed Martin of this new development.
By the time her seatbelt was clicked into place, a plan of action had been put into play, and by the time she pulled up in front of Brett’s home/studio, Martin was already standing on the front porch protecting Brett’s interests. A copy of the warrant was clenched in his fists, and he was scanning it diligently.
Brett sat on front stoop, looking miserable.
Cara jumped out of her car and ran to him. She shot a quick nod in Martin’s direction, but let him continue with his work. Dropping down next to Brett, she wrapped a comforting arm across his shoulders. “I am so sorry this is happening. I knew Duncan was an ass-wipe, but I never thought he would stoop to anything this low.”
Brett looked at her with sad eyes. “You should have run, Cara. I overheard them saying they were trying to get you for fraud.”
She rubbed his arm and sighed. “I’m not leaving you to face this alone. I may not have been a good friend in the past, but I’m not so self-centered that I’d skip town and leave you hanging out to dry.”
Brett pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. The confusion that crossed his face was evident. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful you roped Specks here into looking after me,” Brett said referring to Martin Langley. “But what self-centered business are you talking about?”
Having caught Brett’s new nickname for him, Martin momentarily leveled a glare at Brett over the top of his horned rimmed glasses.
Cara smiled, but quickly turned back to Brett. “Thank you for overlooking the fact that I insulted your work and screamed at you this morning. I’m also sorry for all the times I used you to get out of Leah’s noisy place. If I hadn’t taken advantage of your good nature, none of this would be happening now.”
Brett cocked his head curiously. “Do I look like a child? I’m about twenty years your senior. If anyone took advantage of our friendship, it was me. I used you to get my work featured at the gala. I’ve been riding behind you and your Alexander coattails for years, and I have profited greatly from it.” His nervous eyes darted wildly back and forth. A scowl formed between his brows, then he jumped up and pointed an angry finger at her. “And in case you didn’t know, I consider you my friend. Friends hang out with each other. And just because you yelled at me, doesn’t mean I’d suddenly stop caring about you.”
Cara stood up and tried to reach out to him, but Brett backed away. “Of course I know we’re friends, but look at the trouble it caused you. That’s what I’m trying to apologize for,” she tried to explain, but Brett was having none of it.
Cara scrubbed her face with her hands. She was beginning to understand that being someone’s friend meant different things to different people. Leah expected more from her. With Leah, they both had to give support, and be there for each other through thick and thin. For Brett, it was a mutual using for each other’s benefit type of relationship. Being a good friend was turning out to be exhausting.
Until today and her over examination of their relationship, being friends with Brett had been a piece of cake. They called each other whenever they wanted, and no judgments were made or feelings hurt when one of them was unable to get together. It was just the way it was and it was accepted without question. When Brett wanted his work in the gala, he asked. When Cara wanted to escape from the noise at Leah’s, she had no qualms about inviting herself over. Brett was a low maintenance friend, and Cara insulted him by trying to make it into a gushy chick thing.
Cara wrapped her arms around his waist. “You didn’t use me,” she soothed. “The day I walked into your studio, I knew your work was going in the gala.”
He grabbed her wrists and pulled her hug tighter. His head shook in disgust at the disaster zone being created in his home and changed the subject. “Duncan is one vindictive son of a bitch.”
And boom, they were back to business as usual.
Cara smiled to herself and went right along with the flow. “I had no idea he would ever go this far. I talked to him a little while ago, and he actually denied his involvement and offered to get me a lawyer.”
“That man is unbelievable.” Brett shot her a sideways look and warned, “They are tearing your place to shreds too.” He pulled her in close and whispered in her ear. “Run while you still can.”
She stepped back and studied his face. She couldn’t understand why he kept insisting that she head for the high ground. It wasn’t as if the thought hadn’t occurred to her, but she was innocent. She was frightened, but part of her could not imagine Duncan would take this farce much further, whether she returned to him or not.
Living with Duncan hadn’t been a picnic, but somewhere inside she knew he still loved her, and he was simply trying to scare her into complacency. As soon as he realized that was not going to happen, he would drop this outrageous charade.
Looking into Brett’s frightened eyes, an inkling of suspicion began to trickle into her brain. Did Brett have something inside his studio he didn’t want the police to find? The first thing that came to mind was drugs. Had Brett been packing his artwork with illicit drugs? Was he a drug runner for the cartel? Had Brett used his international status as a front for a lucrative sideline?
Cara let her mind go wild, and she began to see conspiracies brewing all around her.
Dealing with the underworld was more of an Alexander family thing. Cara had not become privy to any of their illegal activities, but she was fairly certain they had the entire Tahoe Basin wrapped up in their pocket, and they would not take lightly to any interlopers. If Brett had infringed on their operation, he would have been dealt with swiftly and without regard to his fame or status.
As her mind worked the problem, she began to worry for Brett’s safety. Was shutting down Brett and his drug operation the goal behind the investigation? And now that she was no longer a member of the family, had she become collateral damage?
Leah was right. Cara had become a total drama queen. Cara let out the breath she was holding and told herself it was time to come back down to earth and live in the real world. She hadn’t done anything wrong and Brett was an artist plain and simple. She knew how far off base she’d traveled the moment she remembered that most of Brett’s international dealings were in Canada, not Mexico.
“I’m not going anywhere, Brett.” She reassured him. “I’m certainly not going to leave you when you are so upset. I’ll wait for Martin to finish here, then he and I will head over to my place. The police are going to do whatever it is they are going to do. It’s bad enough watching your place being torn apart,” she said gesturing at the mayhem happening right inside Brett’s front door. “I don’t need to see the same thing happening with mine.”
Martin came down the steps and joined them. “We’re almost done here,” he said, pushing his glasses up on top of his head. “The warrant is extremely limited. They can only take gala related items and anything Cara may have left.” He pointed at the bags of tools officially tagged on the front lawn. “That’s an intimidation tactic. They know full well they can’t take it, and if it was evidence, it would be locked up tight, not sitting there for anyone to wander off with. They are hoping you will crack, believing your livelihood is about to go up in smoke.” Martin turned and headed back up the steps. “I’ll go inside and make a show of protecting your rights and demand they finish up quickly, but it’s not necessary. You are not their target. Cara is.”
Chapter Six
Sitting in Mrs. Grimes’ cozy kitchen, Cara let Martin Langley deal with the police, their warrant and Duncan, who had blown in with his attorney and tried to take control of the situation. At one point Duncan went nose to nose with the Detective in charge. He poked his index finger repeatedly into the officer’s chest while spouting Cara’s innocence. Duncan’s attorney had been charged with keeping him out of the officers’ way, and the poor man had to muscle Dunc
an out onto the street and direct him to cool off.
“That’s your ex-husband?” Mrs. Grimes asked as she peeked out the window. “He sure is handsome and...um...forceful.”
A sarcastic snicker slipped from Cara’s lips as she bit into the top of a banana nut muffin. “That’s one way of putting it.”
Mrs. Grimes sat next to Cara and patted her hand. “You’re one cool cookie. I don’t think I could sit here while my lawyer and my ex duked it out.” She raised her aged fists protectively in front of her face. The old woman thumbed her nose and dodged back and forth like an old time street fighter. She punched the air in Cara’s direction and said ferociously, “I’d wanna be out there mixin’ it up with them.”
Cara loved Mrs. G. more and more every day. The lady was spirited and feisty. In keeping with her neighbor’s boxing theme, Cara replied, “I’ve been banned from the ring.” She ripped off the rest of the muffin top and shoved it into her mouth. “And since I don’t have to make weight, I intend to sit here and enjoy every last one of these.”
Mrs. Grimes pushed the platter of muffins a little closer in Cara’s direction. “You’re welcome to them.” Mrs. G. studied Cara’s face and scratched her chin thoughtfully. “Are you sure Duncan is the one behind this? He seems pretty adamant about your innocence.”
“He should be, since all I have to do to make it go away is go back to him.”
Mrs. Grimes’ eyes flew wide. “He said that?”
Cara pursed her lips. Then with a reluctant shake of her head she conceded, “Not in so many words, but his offer was clear.” She set the muffin down and mimicked Duncan’s end of their phone conversation. “Cara, baby, I love you. Come back to me and my lawyer will save you.”
The look on Mrs. Grimes’ face was of complete and total disbelief, and Cara cracked under her scrutiny. “Well,” she stammered, “I may be paraphrasing just a little bit.”
