White-Hot Hack

  “Sure.” Despite the gloomy weather, her mood brightened considerably at the thought of going out for coffee. Though Kate kept plenty busy working for Ian, she still longed to make friends. She’d made some strides with the women, as they were now regularly returning her greetings, but she hadn’t attempted any further engagement and, until this morning, neither had they.

  “We always go to Common Grounds after class,” the woman said. “We can all walk together.”

  “Great.”

  When the class ended, they filed into the locker room to shower and change. No one seemed to be in a hurry and no one seemed to own a robe either, maybe because some of the best bodies Kate had ever seen all seemed to be congregated in this room. There was also a lot of stretching and bending. She’d noticed this before, and while she herself wasn’t the least bit modest, she had no desire to put on a show for the others and found their posturing strange.

  Kate was standing in her underwear about to reach for her bra when one of the women in the group walked over, pointed at her breasts and said, “Who did those?”

  “Um, they’re factory originals.”

  The woman put both hands on Kate’s breasts and squeezed them gently, one at a time, as if she were comparing melons at the grocery store.

  Kate removed the groping hands from her boobs. “No touching,” she said with a smile.

  “They really turned out great.”

  “Well, like I said, I was born with them, so I guess I got lucky.” She finished getting dressed, closed her locker, and followed the others out the door. The coffee shop was a few doors down from the Pilates studio, and since her Tahoe was parked at one of the meters in front of the building, she paused to throw her bag in the backseat. One of the women glanced at her car with something that looked an awful lot like disdain.

  “You’re Diane, right?” one of them asked after they received their drink orders and carried them to a nearby table.

  “Yes.”

  There were five of them, and a woman named Wendy went around the table making introductions as Kate did her best to commit their names to memory. “We attend the Monday, Wednesday, and Friday class.”

  “Me too,” Kate said. “Unless I have to work.”

  The conversation screeched to a halt. All of them looked at Kate like she had horns growing out of her head.

  “You work?”

  “I work for my husband. He owns his own company.”

  “Like, doing the books?” a woman named Nina asked. The center stone on her wedding ring had to be at least five carats. Wasn’t she worried about being mugged?

  “Something like that,” Kate said.

  “Does he make you?”

  “Oh, no. I want to work. I told him there was only so much time I could fill cooking and exercising.”

  “You cook?” Wendy asked.

  Blank looks, all around.

  “Only when we feel like eating,” Kate said lightly.

  “You don’t have a staff? Someone to cook for you?” Kate was almost certain the woman’s name was Kaitlin.

  “I have a housekeeper but not a cook.”

  “Do you ride?” In Middleburg, that only meant one thing.

  “No.”

  “You must be from out of town,” Kaitlin said.

  “We moved here in September. I’m originally from Indiana, but my husband and I were living in Minnesota.”

  “Is that in the Midwest?”

  “Yes, it’s north of Iowa.”

  “Is Iowa where they grow the potatoes?”

  “No, that’s Idaho. They grow corn in Iowa.”

  “What do they grow in Indiana?”

  Kate smiled. “Smart women.”

  “Do you have kids?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Are you trying?”

  “Not at the moment.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Thirty.”

  Suddenly none of them would look her in the eye.

  “What?”

  “It’s just that you’re starting pretty late.”

  Kate took a drink of her coffee. “You think so?”

  “The clock started ticking at twenty-seven.”

  “Women are having babies much later now. I’m not worried. Hardly any of my friends have kids yet.”

  “Maybe you’ll get pregnant right away. Then you won’t have to work anymore.”

  “I like working. Do any of you work?”

  “We stay at home with our kids. I have four,” Wendy said.

  “Oh,” Kate said. “Where are they now?”

  “They’re with their nanny.”

  For the next five minutes, they passed Kate their phones so she could thumb through the pictures of their adorable and well-dressed offspring, whom they clearly doted on.

  “Well, I should probably be on my way,” Kate said when she’d finished her coffee. “It’s getting close to lunchtime and I have some work to finish up this afternoon. Thank you so much for inviting me.”

  They gave her a warm send-off and told her they must do it again. Now that they’d welcomed her into their fold, they were quite friendly and it probably wouldn’t be long before their lifestyles didn’t seem so foreign. But she couldn’t help but feel she’d failed their initiation in some way and that she’d always be the outsider for reasons that had nothing to do with how long she’d lived there.

  When she got home, she walked into Ian’s office, kissed him, and plopped down on the couch.

  He pushed his chair back from the desk and smiled. “What’s the scene, jelly bean?”

  “Paninis. Your favorite. Are you hungry?”

  “Yes. Thank God you returned to feed me. I could feel myself wasting away.”

  He followed her into the kitchen, and she began rummaging in the refrigerator for meat and cheese. “The women from Pilates finally asked me to go out for coffee with them.”

  “That’s great. How did it go?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t fit in with them.”

  “I’m sure you do.”

  “They were very nice, but I have a job, I cook, I’m not a mom, and I don’t ride horses. And you should see the diamonds. One of those girls is going to get rolled and stuffed in a trunk, and then she’ll be sorry.”

  “Maybe you need to get to know them a little better.”

  Kate got out the panini maker and the cutting board. “Well, one of them already knows me intimately. She reached out and honked my boobs. Can you believe it? She put both hands on them and squeezed.”

  Ian gave her his undivided attention. “Okay, tell me again, but slower this time. Maybe you should demonstrate on yourself to make sure I understand.”

  Kate laughed. “Oh, you understand perfectly.”

  “Were you naked? Was she?”

  “They were all naked. It’s always this bizarre naked locker room parade. She swooped in when I was trying to put on my bra.”

  Ian licked his lips and swallowed. “Oh my God.”

  “Having your breasts groped by a bona fide Real Housewife is not as fun as you’re making it sound.”

  He shook his head. “Of course not. Then what happened?”

  “Well, this is where it gets really intense.” Kate dropped her voice to a whisper. “After she finished with my boobs, her hands slid quite a bit lower and she touched me down there.”

  He picked up Kate and threw her over his shoulder. “I don’t even care that you’re just messing with me now.”

  She shrieked and pounded on his back in mock outrage. “Put me down, you caveman!”

  He laughed. “Shouldn’t have yanked my chain, sweetness. I’m all fired up now.”

  “I have sandwiches to make. You said you were hungry.”

  “Maybe I can find something in the bedroom to tide me over for a little while.”

  “The mouth on you.”

  “I think you mean my mouth on you. And just so you know, I feel like doing all the really dirty stuff.”

  “
What do you think this is, your birthday? A special occasion?”

  “Stop being coy. You were the one who threw out that rule a long time ago.”

  Kate laughed. “Why are you walking so slowly?”

  When they reached the bedroom, he tossed her onto the bed, and it was a good long while before they made it back to the kitchen.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Ian was in the shower when the disposable phone he only used for the task force rang.

  Kate walked into the bathroom with it. “The supersecret Batphone is ringing. Do you want me to answer it? It says C on the screen.”

  He stuck his head out, wiping shampoo out of his eyes as the suds ran down his face. “That’s Charlie. Can you grab it, sweetness? Tell him I’ll be out in a minute.”

  Kate answered the phone. “Hey, Charlie. It’s Kate.”

  “Well, well, well. It seems I got lucky with this call. I’d much rather talk to you than that husband of yours.”

  “Ian’s taking a shower. He’s almost done.”

  “How are you?” Charlie asked.

  “Good. How are you?”

  “Can’t complain. What are you up to?”

  “I’m meeting a friend for dinner.”

  After having coffee with the women from Pilates, Kate had called Jade. She’d mentioned to Ian how well she and the interior decorator had gotten along. “I like her. She seems really nice. Plus she’s a working girl, so maybe we’ll have more in common. I think I’ll see if she wants to grab dinner or a drink or something.” Jade had seemed happy to hear from Kate and she’d enthusiastically accepted her invitation to dinner.

  “Where are you going?” Charlie asked.

  “The French Hound.”

  “I ate there once. It’s been a while though. Try the lobster risotto if they still have it. It was wonderful.”

  “Maybe I will. Thanks for the recommendation.”

  “What time are you meeting her? It can get pretty crowded.”

  “Seven o’clock. I made a reservation.”

  “Then you shouldn’t have any problem.”

  Ian appeared in the doorway, naked. Kate motioned for him to turn in a circle and he happily obliged. She gave him a thumbs-up. “Here’s Ian. It was nice talking to you, Charlie.”

  “You too, Kate. Have a great night.”

  Jade was sitting at the bar when Kate walked into the restaurant.

  “I love your dress,” Jade said after they hugged hello. “Where did you get it?”

  “Anthropologie. Will bought it. He likes to shop for me.”

  “Now that is a rare quality to find in a man.”

  “Trust me. I know how lucky I am.”

  “The hostess said our table will be ready in a minute.”

  Kate sat down beside Jade and ordered a glass of wine. “I’m so happy you could make it tonight. I haven’t met many people since we moved here.”

  “I was really glad you called. When I’m not at work, I tend to keep to myself. People don’t mean to, but they sometimes act like your marital status is contagious or worry you might try to steal their husband.”

  “I’m not sure I understand.” Though Jade had never mentioned a husband, Kate had assumed she was married because she wore a diamond ring and matching gold band on the ring finger of her left hand.

  “My husband died in a car accident a couple of years ago. For some reason, I thought I’d already told you.”

  “No,” Kate said. She covered her mouth with her hand as her eyes filled with tears. She felt like someone had knocked the wind out of her as it all came flooding back: The shock. The disbelief. The tears. For Jade, there had been no waking from the nightmare the way there had been for Kate. She grabbed Jade’s hand and squeezed. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Thanks, Diane. I have my days, but I’m okay. Really.”

  “How long were you together?”

  “Twelve years. We met when I was twenty-two and got married two years later.”

  “Kids?”

  “Neither of us really felt a strong urge to have them. We mostly enjoyed each other. We ran the design firm together, and that’s been one of the hardest adjustments. I no longer have a business partner. Now it’s just me making the decisions.”

  The fact that Jade and her husband used to work together just like she and Ian did saddened her, and her tears threatened to return. Kate felt very undeserving of her good fortune and wondered if the universe would someday expect payment.

  Jade laid her hand on Kate’s arm. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m sorry. I should be asking you that.” Fearing her reaction would seem extreme, she scrambled to come up with a plausible reason for why the news had rattled her so. “A good friend of mine lost her husband not long ago, and it was so hard on her. She didn’t think she’d ever get over it.”

  “You never really do. But in time it fades enough for you to put one foot in front of the other. The worst thing is how much I miss the little things like eating breakfast together or sitting on the couch holding hands and watching TV. Maybe I’ll find someone to do those things with again someday.”

  “I know you will,” Kate said. And she meant it.

  The hostess approached them. “Please follow me. Your table is ready.”

  They found themselves tucked away at a table for two in the back corner. Kate opened her menu, and when their waiter arrived to take their orders, she ordered the lobster risotto.

  “So what’s your story?” Jade asked. “Linda told me you moved here from Minnesota and, I know Will owns his own company. What’s your background?”

  “I used to be an attorney.”

  “Wow, that’s impressive.”

  “Well, I didn’t stay in the profession. I left my law career to run a nonprofit food pantry, which I found very satisfying. Then we moved here, and now I help Will.”

  “Why this area?”

  “A few of his clients are here, and it made sense to be closer to them.”

  “How are you settling in?”

  “It’s been slow going. To be honest, Will is kind of a private person, so we haven’t met a lot of people.”

  “I’m sure you will eventually. It just takes time.”

  Their conversation flowed easily, and they never ran out of things to talk about. The lobster risotto was every bit as good as Charlie said it would be, and after she and Jade split a lemon tart for dessert, they lingered over another glass of wine. It was almost closing time when they finally left the restaurant.

  “I’m parked on the street,” Kate said.

  “Me too,” Jade said as they walked in the direction of their cars.

  A thick fog had descended while they were inside the restaurant. The eerie glow of the gas-lamp-style streetlights and the cobblestone pavers under their feet reminded Kate of London circa Jack the Ripper.

  “I’m glad I’m not walking to my car alone,” she said.

  “Me neither. It’s quite spooky.”

  “I’d love to do this again,” Kate said before they parted ways.

  “Anytime,” Jade said, reaching out to give her a quick hug. “Drive safe.”

  Kate headed for home. It was almost ten o’clock, and the roads were deserted except for the car that had been behind her for the past five minutes. It seemed to be following a bit closer than normal, its headlights illuminating the interior of her car. Or maybe the lights seemed brighter because of the fog and the clouds that obscured the moon, making the darkness more noticeable. The driver never got close enough to qualify as a tailgater, but they were near enough that it was hard to ignore their presence. Had someone taken notice of her and Jade as they’d stood in the parking lot chatting? If they’d watched her get into her car, they’d know she was alone.

  She stayed on her route until she reached the turnoff that would take her the rest of the way home. Though it was open to the public, it was more like a narrow, private driveway than a road, and only someone who knew where it went would have a use for it.
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  The car turned too.

  A prickle of unease wormed its way under her skin, and even though she told herself she was overreacting, she called Ian.

  He was sitting on the couch with his laptop when his phone rang. “Hey, sweetness. How was dinner?”

  “I think someone’s following me.”

  He removed his feet from the ottoman and leaned forward, pressing the phone tighter to his ear. “What?”

  “There’s a car that’s been behind me for a while. It’s following awfully close. It’s probably just a coincidence. Should I not pull into the driveway?”

  “Kate. I want you to pull in.” His tone left no room for debate.

  “But if someone’s following me, they’ll know where we live.”

  It was a valid concern, but if someone was following her intentionally, the only thing he could think about was getting her safely on the other side of the gate. There was no reason to jump to any conclusions, at least not yet. Maybe someone had noticed Kate and Jade when they left the restaurant. Maybe they figured they’d follow her. See if she stopped somewhere on the way home. Someplace deserted and not well lit.

  “I’m going to walk down to the gate.”

  “I’m still a few minutes out.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  He hadn’t realized it was so foggy, and when the gate swung open, he stayed in the shadows, watching as the car following close behind her continued on. It was a sedan, but it was too dark for him to determine the make or get a good look at the license plate. After Kate drove through, she stopped the car and he got in, hitting the button on her remote to close the gate.

  He leaned over and kissed her. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m better now that I’m home. I’m probably just being paranoid. It’s dark and foggy and I let my mind play tricks on me.” She drove up the driveway and parked the car in the garage.

  “From now on, if you want to go out at night, I’ll drive you.” The dark tint on the Navigator’s windows would make it difficult to see who was in the car.