major-player lifestyle, but the deep tan and flip-flops came across to her as desperation.
“I’m just curious,” she finally said to him, still trying to keep her voice even. “Were you just going to wait outside the building until I came home?”
“You mean was I stalking you, Lake—is that what you’re asking?” There was anger in his voice.
“Of course not. But it seems like an awful waste of time.”
“You didn’t pick up your cell phone so I called that clinic where you work. They said you’d just left so I took a chance and came over here.”
“Did you call me there yesterday, too?” she asked, startled by the revelation.
“Yes—is that a problem?”
So Jack was the mystery caller. “I’m just wondering how you got the number,” she said.
“I decided to blow a buck and called 411.”
“I meant, how did you know the name of the clinic?”
“You mentioned it at one point when we were talking about the kids.”
She didn’t remember ever doing so, but she couldn’t be sure and decided it was best to drop it. Jack seemed hyped up now, irritated, and she sensed that her smartest strategy was to avoid pushing any buttons with him.
She opened the apartment door, with Jack right behind her. Smokey had obviously heard the key in the lock and was waiting in the foyer. He curled his body around Lake’s calves and then Jack’s.
“Hey, Smokes,” Jack said distractedly without bothering to pet the cat.
“Most of your stuff is still in Will’s closet,” Lake said. “Except your black suitcase—that’s in the back of the closet in our room.”
Our room. She couldn’t believe she’d called it that.
“What I need is in the suitcase,” Jack said. “I’ll just head back there, okay? It shouldn’t take more than a minute.”
His tone had changed slightly. He sounded friendlier, less confrontational, which made her more suspicious. As he strode down the hall toward the master bedroom, she wondered if she should follow him, check out exactly what he was doing. Was this whole “I need a few papers” thing actually a ruse to snoop, to try to spot something he could use against her? Maybe that’s why he’d suddenly sounded friendlier—to throw her off her guard. She felt her anger begin to rise.
As she started down the hall behind him, the phone rang. She wanted to keep tabs on Jack, but if she didn’t answer it, Jack would hear the message on the answering machine. She stepped quickly into the kitchen and grabbed the phone. Her hello seemed to echo through the quiet apartment.
“Don’t tell me that guy who was murdered is Dr. McSteamy from the clinic?”
It was Molly. At full throttle.
“Yes—it was him,” Lake said, lowering her voice.
“Why are you whispering?”
“Jack’s here. Picking up some papers. Or so he says.”
“What do you mean, ‘Or so he says’?”
“I’ll have to tell you later.”
“Okay, so back to McSteamy. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
“I was going to but it’s been crazy. Can we talk later? I need to get off.”
“Call me, okay? ’Bye.”
“Something the matter?” Jack said from behind her, nearly making her jump. With the phone still in her hand, Lake spun around to see him standing in the doorway to the kitchen, two folders under his arm, his head cocked in curiosity.
“As I told you—I’m busy today. Do you have what you need?”
“Yup. Thanks. And, by the way, I’m closing on my new apartment next week, so I’ll be getting the rest of my stuff out of here really soon.”
“All right,” she said, leading him down the long hallway toward the front door. Did he expect her to gush with gratitude?
“Are you planning to attend parents’ day at the camp tomorrow?” he asked.
“Of course,” she said, incredulous at his question. She could feel her blood begin to boil. “Did you assume I’d spend the day at Barneys along with the other neglectful mommies?”
She regretted the remark as soon as it had shot from her mouth. It was the kind of sniping Hotchkiss had warned her against.
“You shouldn’t take everything so personally, Lake,” he said, stopping in the foyer. “Are you just driving up for the day or are you going to be using the house this weekend?”
Now what? she wondered. “Why?” she asked.
“If you’re not going to use the house, I’d like to stay there tonight. I have to go on to Boston from the camp and it’d be nice not to have to make two long trips in one day.”
“Actually I am using the house this weekend,” she