Page 23 of Love in Overdrive

“Sure you can. You can handle two dozen preschoolers hopped up on sugar. This will be a piece of cake. Remember, I’ll be right here when you’re done.”

Frozen, Laney stared at her friend.

“Honey, you need to do this. It’s a small town. You can’t avoid her forever. Hell, you don’t even have to bring up Pete, but you do need to face the woman. Closure, remember?” Addison reached across her and popped the door latch. “You can do it.”

“You’re right.” Laney inhaled so much air, an Olympic swimmer would be proud. On trembling legs, she stepped from the car and shut the door.

The locks tripped behind her.

“What the…?” All the air whooshed from her lungs. Laney spun around and tugged on the handle. It didn’t budge.

Addison gave her two thumbs up.

Laney’s heart picked up.

“After, we’ll get tacos,” Addison yelled through the window and gave a shooing motion with her perfectly manicured hand.

Fudge nuggets. Straightening her back, Laney exhaled. Wobbly as an eighteen-month-old, she crossed the sidewalk. She was so focused on the double glass doors, she narrowly missed the older gentleman walking with a cane. She skirted around him at the last second, mumbling an apology.

I can do this. Visions of the little train that could played in her mind. It was a beautiful day. The sun was high in the sky. The temperatures were above average.

She fidgeted with her hood strings. One more step.

Fighting to control her breathing, she ran her shaky hand down her thighs before she gripped the large brass handle and stepped inside.

Inside, she dropped her gaze to the beautiful black-and-white marble floors as she stepped into the line for the teller. Laney peeked from beneath her hood. The receptionist at a desk to her right waved. “Good afternoon, Laney.”

Laney sent a half-hearted wave back, then pulled out her phone. Crud. Laney forgot about the other employees. She’d known Mrs. Green her whole life. The woman made the best lemon bars.

The line slowly moved forward, slogging through wet concrete would be faster. Too much time. Looking up, her gaze locked on the old school clock on the wall. Tick. Tick. Tick. Drops of sweat ran in time with the second hand, one after the other, between her shoulder blades.

One more step forward. She blew out a breath, wishing she’d looked up affirmations online. Did they have one for confronting a back-stabbing ex-friend? Probably. A person could find anything on the internet.

Instead of opening her browser, she blew out a breath and silently recited any prayer that came to mind. The Hail Mary. The Apostle’s Creed. The dinner prayer. It didn’t matter. If she had memorized it, she was internally saying it.

It wasn’t working. Her heart beat a wild rhythm in her chest.

Another step. A wave of dizziness washed over her. Acid rolled in her now queasy gut.

She was next. Her mouth was as dry as the Mohave Desert. Confrontation was never one of her better skills.

Her mind blanked. Her knees wobbled. She couldn’t do this.

Leave. She heard the word loud and clear in her head. No harm done. She’d find another way. She could move out of town, miles away, anything that didn’t involve her coming face-to-face with DeDe.

The man in front of her finished. Laney looked up, right at the busty redhead who slept with her man.

DeDe raised a drawn-on eyebrow and tapped her long, red fingernails on the counter.

Everything in Laney revolted, and she bolted for the door.

Running flat-out, Laney shot out of the bank at Mach 1. “Uff.” She cartwheeled her arms as she tripped over the leash of a tiny dog.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Laney mumbled an automatic apology to the older woman and her little fluffball.

Head on a swivel, she spied Addison’s Honda and full-on sprinted for the car.

Jerking open the passenger door, she dove in.