Page 106 of Book Club Confidential

She’d bookended the message with small black bat emojis.

Kate: What’s the surprise

Hallie: Come over

Kate: I just finished Pilates and I have a bunch of shots to film while the light is good

Tessa puzzled as she gathered her hair into a bun and put on a pair of shoes. It wasn’t like Hallie to ask for anything, even a visit. And she never insisted. Also, what did the little bat emojis mean?

Hallie sent a row of emojis without mouths.

Tessa: What’s going on?

Hallie: Come. Over.

Tessa: Okay. Send a pin?

Hallie: Excellent. Kate?

Kate: Fine. Tessa? Pick me up? I can be ready by the time you get here

Bryce lived just outside of town in a suburb known for upscale shopping and dining, golf courses, and mansions in gated neighborhoods.

The Haymaker estate sprawled at the end of a tree-lined street and at the center of a cul-de-sac. The driveway wound away from the road a football field’s length before circling a fountain positioned another thirty yards from the home’s grand front doors.

Kate turned wide eyes on Tessa. “Bryce lives here alone? Who is this man’s daddy? The Godfather?”

The enormous stone-and-wood manor had traditional craftsman details but enough stone to remind onlookers of the cost.

“I think my elementary school was roughly this size,” Tessa said. No wonder Hallie, someone who’d worried she might spend her life in a trailer park, had trouble walking away. This kind of wealth came with more than comforts; it came with security. Even if her fiancé was “fine” and “vanilla.”

One corner of Tessa’s mouth lifted in a nervous half smile. “I’m rethinking the advice I gave Hallie. A whole lot of women could be happy here, even if their husband is a bore.”

“She’d never run into him in a place this size,” Kate said. “I can see a pool and a pool house back there. If there’s a library with a secret door or ladder, I’m telling her to work things out with this guy.”

Tessa snorted and parked near the fountain. They got out and approached the front door. “Do we just ring the bell?”

“Hey! You made it!” Hallie called, hurrying around the side of the house and speed walking in their direction. “Yay! Thank you for coming!”

Kate frowned, and Tessa mouthed, “Yay?” Hallie never said yay or anything nearly as enthusiastic.

Hallie hugged them, then walked away. “Come on. I can’t wait to show you.”

“Show us what?” Tessa asked, jogging to keep up.

Kate rushed along behind them. “How are you so fast? Oh, wow. Is that a stable? Did you buy a pony?”

“No,” Hallie said. “Horses aren’t allowed in this subdivision. That’s just the garage.”

They moved through the waning sunlight into shadows cast by the enormous home and the two-story garage Kate had mistaken for a stable.

Several feet away, a large rusted yellow box truck glowed like an eyesore under landscape lighting. The tires were bald. The rims rusted and mismatched. The bumper didn’t appear to be the original, and it hung askew. Faded letters across the dirty white hood spelled Wok this Way.

Tessa barely had time to process the words before Hallie opened her arms and spun to face her. “Ta-da!”

Kate bumped into Tessa as the trio rocked to a halt. “What are we looking at?” Kate asked, eyes skimming the palatial home. “Guest entrance?” she guessed. “A separate suite?”

Hallie frowned. “I’m talking about this.” She motioned to the truck.