Page 75 of Fight Or Flight

“He did, but they aren’t interested in making a deal. I’m going to have to do this alone.”

Tina rolled her eyes. “How?”

She bit into the apple. “I can . . . do what we talked about before.”

“That’s not a plan. That’s a scheme. And I’m sorry, but I won’t be a part of it.”

“Tina . . .”

“No.”

“No?”

“That’s right. No.” She pulled the keys from her pocket and walked out of the kitchen. Pausing in the doorway, she said, “I love you, Anne. You’re my best friend. But going through with this is crossing a line. Call me when you need a ride to rehab. Other than that, you’re on your own.”

With that, she walked out and slammed the front door behind her.

For a split second, Anne wondered whether Tina was right. But the doubt passed quickly, and she could clearly see exactly what needed to be done.

She took another bite of the apple, chased it with a swig of wine, then gathered up the empty bottles and brought them backto the garage. Being alone in this was fine. Better, actually. She had a lot of practice taking care of everything on her own, being Robert’s wife.

She drained the last of the wine. At the front door, she threw her purse over her shoulder and pulled her keys out. She checked her face in the entryway mirror for any signs of inebriation—she didn’t need another DUI that her lawyer would have to get her out of—put on her sober, happy, politician face, and walked out the door to her Cadillac.

It was finally time to pay Natalie a visit.

sixteen

“Are you sure you won’t come to the pond?”

Natalie shook her head and tried to put on a disgusted face. She was smiling too widely to pull it off. She’d blissfully spent the morning in Ethan’s bed, talking and laughing and relieved that she’d bought herself another two weeks with him. Eventually, they’d had to get up to eat. Then, Ethan said he needed to water his trees, so they drove back to Monroe Manor together.

“I told you, I will never go out there.”

“Do you know how many snakes there are in Australia?” Ethan asked, pushing his glasses up his nose with a finger. He was so cute. She reached up and kissed him, unable to resist his soft lips and scratchy cheeks.

She didn’t want to think about Australia. Or snakes. She just wanted Ethan to take care of the pond and come back and watch a movie with her on the couch under a big blanket, as they’d planned.

“Probably a lot less than there are out there.”

“Completely incorrect. There are tons.”

Natalie rolled her eyes. “Literal tons? Someone has estimated their cumulative weight?”

He laughed his happy, crinkly eyed laugh. “I wouldn’t doubt it. There are gigantic snakes there. The scrub python can grow over seven metres long and weigh as much as sixty pounds.”

Natalie narrowed her eyes at him. “Did you look that up?”

He smiled and nodded. “It’s the largest in Australia but far from the scariest. The eastern brown snake is smaller but has much more potent venom. Same with the taipan, and the common death adder, and—”

“Okay, that’s enough talk about venom and death. My tour is on the East Coast. Cities and beaches and reefs and shrimps on the barbie. Not snakes.”

Ethan’s mouth quirked into a sad half smile. It was the first time his smiling face had broken all morning, and it made her stomach roil. “It shouldn’t take me too long.”

Her brain screamed at her to say something, get them back on their happy track. She was thrilled to have more time with him, like extending a vacation at the last minute. But he seemed to view it as putting off something terrible.

He walked to the door, put on his boots, and left.

She stood for a few minutes, wondering whether she should go after him, make sure they were on the same page. But by the time she decided she should, he’d already be at the pond. And she meant what she’d said; she was never going back into those snakes again.

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