Blaise nodded. “It was incredibly stupid of me. Something my son likes to remind me of. I was never that business savvy. I learned out of necessity, but it wasn’t ever something that came naturally. And when I married Jay—he was a photographer I met at a shoot—he took over the finances. I was grateful for that. He did a wonderful job with them.”
“And when he passed,” Paige said softly. “You didn’t know what to do.”
“I didn’t,” Blaise said. “I should have, but he’d always done it. And in my defense, I was grieving.” She sniffed. “Still am.”
Impulsively, Cece reached out and took Blaise’s hand.
Essie looked about to cry herself. “The grief never really goes away. It changes form, but it’s always there. As much as I love Frank, I still think about Carlos every day. And not just because we have a son and a daughter together. He was my first love. I’m sure Frank still thinks about his late wife for the same reasons.”
Blaise nodded. “It sounds silly, but the companionship of my little dog Beau has really helped.”
“Not silly at all,” Maude said.
“Animals can be a great comfort,” Paige said. “Thank you for sharing that with us. It couldn’t have been easy, but it was brave and honest.”
“Yes,” Cece said. “It was.”
“Cece,” Paige started. “Unless Blaise has more to say, why don’t you tell us about yourself?”
Blaise held up her hands. “I’m done.”
A coldness settled in Cece’s stomach. She’d known her turn was coming, but after Blaise’s confession, she realized the stakes had been raised.
How much was she willing to share? How much would they judge her? Because as nice as these women seemed, she really didn’t know them.
“Remember,” Paige said. “What happens at book club, stays at book club.” She looked around. “Right?”
“Right,” they all said.
Cece chose her words carefully. “I’m Cece Davenport. Blaise and I are neighbors. I have a cat named Peanut and I write for theBuzz, so you may have seen my byline. I was an investigative reporter most of my life for theAmerican Journal. I loved my job.” She swallowed. “Even won a National Press award.”
“Wow,” Essie said. “That’s impressive.”
Cece let out a short, bitter laugh. “Don’t be too impressed. The award was rescinded. I rushed getting the story to press and failed to vet one of my sources as well as I should have. Turns out, that was the one source I’d relied on the most and the one source who’d falsified information to get revenge on the employer who’d fired him.”
She picked at what remained of the brownie she’d put on her plate. “I lost the award, my job, and my marriage. Apparently, the scandal was too much for my husband, although I think he was just looking for an excuse to leave. I found out he’d been involved with another woman for several years. I still have a wonderful relationship with my daughter, though, so I’m grateful for that.”
She popped the rest of the brownie in her mouth and sat back. There was no taking the words back, and she wasn’t going to mention her brush with cancer. She’d survived. That was all that mattered there.
“Thatwas brave,” Blaise said.
“Yeah, very,” Maude added. “I can’t believe you got fired over someone else lying.”
Cece swallowed. “It’s a reporter’s job to vet their sources. If one smells, you don’t use it. I knew that. It was my responsibility.”
“Sorry about your cheating husband,” Paige said. “I went through that, too. It’s just the worst feeling—” She looked at Blaise and Essie. “Outside of losing your spouse, I’m sure. Obviously, that’s worse. But being cheated on…it really destroys something inside you. Makes you question everything you’ve ever believed about yourself and who you are. Who the person you married was. It’s…wretched.”
Cece nodded. “Yep. You’re completely right. And now, unfortunately, I think my daughter might be going through it, too.”
“What?” Maude said. “Her husband is cheating on her?”
“Maybe.” Cece wished she’d grabbed another brownie. “We had a long talk today. She thinks he is but doesn’t know for sure. I promised her I’d dig into him, see what I could figure out. I’ve started but haven’t found anything yet.”
“You can do that?” Blaise asked.
“I spent most of my adult life doing it,” Cece said. “Granted, I don’t have the same kind of access I used to, but the internet is forever.”
Maude laughed. “You know that’s right. Hey, you need any internet help, let me know.”
