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“Absolutely.” Simon forces a laugh. “Trust the sex addict. I mean… not always, of course… just in this case.”
“I don’t believe it, either. Not a single word of it,” says Salvador, and the others all nod.
“When is Elaine planning to post this accusation?” Reese asks JJ, who simply shrugs in response.
“Doesn’t she understand this isn’t only about her?” Baljit snaps.
“Yeah, why now?” Salvador pulls his ball cap down lower on his forehead. “For the first time in eons I’m finally in control of my life again. Free from the pills and the blow.”
“Can you imagine what will happen once Elaine does post?” Reese asks.
“Especially if she names the rest of us,” JJ says.
“That’s the least of my worries,” Simon says.
“Really?” Baljit folds her arms. “You’re the only household name here. And also, the one who shone a glaring spotlight on our group.”
“Without consent from any of us,” Reese adds.
“I didn’t name any of you,” Simon says, bristling under the scrutiny of the two alpha females of the group. “Besides, I could fill a warehouse with all the dirt printed about me over the years. What’s a little more bad publicity at this point? What I care about is what happens to us. Our tribe. And the progress we’ve all made.”
“That’ll be over in a heartbeat,” Reese says, straightening her French cuffs, and looking more like a lawyer with every passing minute.
Liisa nods. “The state’s Medical Board would have to investigate. At the very least, the group therapy would be put on hold.”
“Forget hold,” JJ says. “The tribe would be disbanded. Finished. As dead as Dr. Danvers’s career will be.”
“We can’t let that happen,” Salvador moans. “We just can’t. I’ll never keep it together. Not with the deadline for my new athletic line only weeks away. Do you have any idea how much focus it takes to design and plan that kind of show?”
Baljit shrugs. “Someone better talk to Elaine.”
“I tried, trust me.” JJ clutches her chest again. “Like talking to a wall.”
“We need to go see her,” Baljit says, standing up.
“All of us?” Salvador asks.
“Yup, as a group,” Baljit says. “Make her feel like she’s outnumbered and overpowered. Maybe then she’ll see the light and cut the bullshit.”
CHAPTER 10
Holly finds herself driving the Coastal Highway without a destination in mind.
After she left Elaine’s home, Holly repeatedly tried Aaron’s phone but couldn’t reach him. As she drove back toward her office, her pulse hammered in her ears and her breathing sped up. She could sense the first panic attack in years creeping up on her. As she saw it, she had two choices: return to her office and self-medicate or get the hell out of Laguna. She opted for the latter.
After fifteen minutes of aimless driving, her phone rings. She taps the button on the steering wheel to answer, and Aaron’s first words are “Three missed calls, Holl? What’s wrong?”
“It backfired, Aaron! Elaine is going public.”
“She can’t do that.”
“There’s no way to stop her.”
“There must be,” he says flatly.
“There’s no dissuading her. Her delusion is fixed. It’s her new cause célèbre. Her hill to die on.”
“Let me try.”
