But the last time she’d been up there had been to put away the Christmas things. The loft had become her storage area, which was probably what it was for most people. It would stay that way, too. She didn’t have it in her to revisit the industry that had left her broken and shamed.
A car horn honked, making her jump. She looked out the window to see Natalie in the driveway.
She grabbed her purse. “Don’t wait up, Peanut. Might be late.”
She went out, locked the door, and walked to her daughter’s SUV.
Natalie smiled as Cece got in. “Morning.”
“Morning. How are you?”
“Good. I got you a caramel latte.”
Cece looked down. There were two Starbucks cups in the console’s holders. She didn’t like Starbucks, preferring to spend her money locally or, better yet, at home, but it was the thought that counted. “Thank you.”
She put her seatbelt on while Natalie backed out. “How’s Jim?”
“He’s good.” Natalie’s smile was tight. “Off to Texas for that conference I told you about, so it doesn’t matter how late I get home.”
Cece didn’t comment. The man traveled a lot. But that wasn’t her business, no matter how much she wanted to dig. If Natalie wanted to talk, she would. “What about Tyler? You’re not leaving my grandson to fend for himself, are you?” Thirteen seemed a little young to be home alone, but kids grew up so fast.
“No,” Natalie said, her smile more genuine now. “He’s staying over at Blake’s tonight. They have a group science project to work on, so Blake’s mom said Ty might as well spend the night.”
“All right then. Orlando, here we come. Just don’t forget, I have that book club thing tonight.”
“I’ll have you home in time. It’s not until seven, right?”
“Right.”
During the entire drive, Jim didn’t come up again. Maybe that was by design. Cece let it go. It was very possible that things between him and her daughter were a little rocky and this day was the escape Natalie needed.
As Natalie parked, Cece hoped the day would be exactly that. An escape. “I really appreciate you driving, Nat.”
“Sure, Mom.”
They got out and wandered into the mall, coming in through the huge glass-front entrance. The smell of chlorine from the big water feature hit them instantly. From here, both floors of the mall were visible, along with the escalator system that led upstairs.
“Where to first?” Natalie asked.
“I guess let’s just walk this floor and get a feel for the place. Then we can go upstairs and do the same. Whenever you’re ready for lunch, just let me know and we’ll find a place. The food court should be decent. My treat, since you drove.”
They walked and window shopped, going into a few stores, but with no real intentions. Mostly, they commented on what was cute, what was questionable, and once they were out of the store, how welcoming the staff was.
“I bet that will change when we get upstairs,” Natalie said. “That’s where most of the fancy stores are. Gucci, Chanel, Hermes. You know, all those places where rich people shop. I bet the staff in those stores are a little more reserved.”
Cece nodded. Blaise had been wearing Gucci sunglasses and a Chanel ballcap this morning. Not the first time Cece had seen her in them. And Beau was never without his Louis Vuitton collar, unless he was wearing the Gucci one.
Blaise obviously had money.
Was that why she’d declined to be interviewed? Cece never held that against anyone. She wouldn’t have wanted to be interviewed, either. She liked to keep a low profile. It was one of the big reasons she went by Cece now and not Cecelia.
But Blaise saying no made her curious, all the same. That was just her nature. And part of why she’d been such a successful journalist.
Until someone else had done even more digging and revealed that her source had forged paperwork, emails, and layered lie upon lie, all in an attempt to get revenge.
Natalie nudged her. “You okay? You just got the crankiest look on your face.”
Cece immediately blinked and forced a smile. “Did I? Sorry.”
