The Escape Collection: (The Escape Collection) (94 page)

“Not in Junior High, Mom.” Ty shook his head, slung his backpack over his shoulder and left. The door slammed behind him.
 

For a moment she stood frozen, her mouth turned down. If Ty didn’t want caramel apples, she’d just have to make him something he would like. She scanned her brain. She’d pinned a recipe for a cake made with cola. He’d like that. Yes. Jenna nodded to herself, the smile back in place she returned to the kitchen.
 

“I’ll take them, Mom.” Sara pointed at the apples.
 

“Not a chance,” Richard spoke up as he pushed back from the table. He tossed his newspaper down and drained his coffee mug. “I don’t want those sticky things in my car. Now come on, we’ll be late.”
 

Richard dropped a chaste kiss on Jenna’s forehead before walking past her, down the hall. She stopped herself from calling after him for a proper kiss goodbye. When was the last time she’d had that?
 

Sara followed her father out the door calling out her goodbye and Jenna was alone. She cleaned up the plates, tidied the newspaper and ate a left over pancake before allowing herself to go back to her computer.
 

It only took a few minutes for her to find a pin- Ten Yoga Poses to Improve Your Sex Life. Jenna grinned. And pinned the website to her board, ‘Stuff for Me’. She’d read it later. When she had time.
 

Satisfied, she took one more look around the kitchen. She’d have to pop out to the store first thing. She still needed a few things to add to the ‘Welcome to the Neighborhood’ basket she was preparing for the new people at 95. She’d made a cute little tag that said, “Welcome Home, from the Newbury’s at 85.” Besides the tea towels, she’d embroidered with their address, the homemade jam and the cookies that were almost ready to come out of the oven, Jenna still wanted to pick up some pretty soaps. The ones she’d tried to make didn’t look like the ones she’d pinned from the ‘Country Crafts’ website.

On her way out of the kitchen, she spotted the tray of apples and frowned. “Now, what to do with you?” She couldn’t throw them away, and it seemed a bit over the top to drive them to Sara’s school herself. She glanced out the window, a flash of movement catching her eye. Bree’s cat. It was in her garden again.
 

Jenna filled a jug of water and calmly went to her back porch where she dumped it over the cat who ran away with a hiss. She’d asked Bree to keep the cat inside more times than she could count. Maybe she’d finally call animal control on the mangy beast. She’d call anonymously and since the whole neighborhood hated the cat, Bree would never know it was her.
 

She scanned the street, her gaze landing on the Reid’s house. Perfect. Kathy and her brood could have the caramel apples. She’d take them over first thing. Kathy was always commenting on Jenna’s good ideas. There was no doubt she’d be impressed.

After changing into pressed slacks and a sweater set, Jenna took the tray and marched across the street to 86. She had to dodge the toys on the porch, and she ignored the crying coming from inside and rang the bell. It took a few minutes, but Jenna waited.
 

When the door opened, it wasn’t Kathy, but one of the boys, she could never remember their names or tell them apart.

“Hi,” Jenna started. She peered over the boy’s head and saw Kathy in the kitchen. She looked the way Jenna expected her to. Hair in a mess, sweat pants, with a t-shirt too tight on her blooming stomach. Even after having so many babies, it was annoying to Jenna how Kathy kept her figure. It wasn’t right that a pregnant woman look so good. “Is your—“

“Josh.” Kathy hollered and Jenna took a step back. “How many times have I told you—oh, hi, Jenna.“
 

Kathy

Who shows up at a neighbor’s door at 8:30 in the goddamn morning? Jenna Newbury, that’s who. With her precisely curled hair, her tucked in, neatly pressed shirt and her frickin’ arm full of sugar, that of course Josh already saw, so now even if Kathy could figure out a way to politely decline the offer, which they both knew she wouldn’t be able to, she couldn’t, because he already had his hands on one and was jamming it into his mouth as he ran down the hall no doubt to either wedge it under a cushion or tell his twin brother about it, neither of which were options Kathy wanted to consider at that exact moment.
 

Kathy shifted the baby so he was resting a little higher on her hip, awkward due to her rapidly expanding waistline. With her luck this ‘one’ would be twins, too, and then she might as well just walk up to the doors of the mental institution and turn herself in, because there would be no way in hell she’d survive the next ten years.
 

With her free hand, she reached out and took the tray of sugar bombs with the biggest smile she could manage with only one cup of coffee in her system. Sure, Dr. Robinson told her to stay away from caffeine, but it wasn’t Dr. Robinson who had to keep three kids alive without losing her shit everyday while her husband worked up North for three week stretches at a time.

“Well isn’t this just the sweetest surprise,” Kathy said. “Thank you for thinking of us. I can’t imagine a thing my kiddos would love more than a candy apple.”

“Actually, they’re caramel apples.” Jenna smoothed the front of her pants.
 

“Of course they are.” I know goddamn well, what they are, Kathy thought. “How silly of me.” The baby slipped and she did her best to heft him up while juggling the tray. “I should probably—“

“Let me help,” Jenna said. Before Kathy could protest, the other woman grabbed the tray back from her and pushed past her into the house which was just frickin’ perfect because now Jenna would certainly get an eyeful.
 

Jenna Newbury who kept an absolutely meticulous house and made sure the whole goddammed neighborhood knew about her fresh muffins from scratch, the brand new floor polish she’d concocted from fresh squeezed lemons and beeswax she’d probably harvested herself, never mind the Halloween costumes she whipped up in her spare time rivaling anything Martha Stewart could come up with. Absolutely, frickin’ perfect.

“Thank you, Jenna,” Kathy said. She swallowed hard before she told Jenna just exactly what she thought about her candied caramel apples and exactly what she could do with them. “You really didn’t have to go to all the trouble. Sorry about the mess, it’s been one of those mornings.”
 

Jenna waved a hand, dismissing Kathy’s protests, but Kathy didn’t miss the look in her eye. The one judging her and her home. She put the baby in his ExerSaucer and scanned the room trying to see it through the Pinterest Queen’s eyes. The breakfast dishes scattered on the counter among yesterday’s dinner dishes, a mixture of spaghetti and soggy cheerios. Not from the same meal, but still, Jenna would notice. How could she not?
 

Kathy needed her to leave. She needed the perfectly put together, never overwhelmed, judgmental bitch to just get out.
 

“Would you like a cup of coffee?” Kathy asked as she swept a pile of dishes into the sink, where they landed with a clatter.

“Well, maybe just one,” Jenna said, and Kathy bit the inside of her cheek. “I have so much to do today, so we’ll have to keep it brief.”

As if I have a day of leisure spread out before me, Kathy thought as she poured the coffee. She reached for the cream, but at the last minute realized it’d probably spent the night on the counter.
 

She hesitated. If Jenna used curdled cream, she’d never hear the end of it, and neither would the neighborhood. But it might be worth it to see the look on her face, even for a second as she took a sip.

“Sorry,” Kathy said. “I’m out of cream. I guess I’ll have to make a trip to the store.”

She raised her perfectly tweezed eyebrows, her gaze landing on the cream container. “I’ll pass today, then.” After a moment, she added, “Maybe Sara could babysit for you later while you run out? I’ll send her over at four.”

“Make it five,” Kathy said with a grin. Richard would be done work by five. “I’ll have her take them to the park.” Kathy busied herself loading dishes into the dishwasher so she wouldn’t have to look at her neighbor. “Thanks,” she said. “You have no idea what a help that is.”
 

“You’re absolutely welcome,” she said. “I just don’t know how you do it, Kathy. Four children. I mean…I would have stopped after the twins.”

Kathy forced a smile on her face. “Some things can’t be planned.” She rubbed her blooming belly and maintained the smile on her face. “And babies are just such a blessing.” She’d cursed herself for the last five months for not using better birth control, but Jenna didn’t need to know that. Just like her own husband didn’t need to know the conception dates didn’t line up quite right with his visits home. Some things were better as secrets.

“Yes,” Jenna said. “I’m sure it is.” She stood to leave. “Oh, did Richard ever come over and take a look at that sink you were having trouble with? I told him—“

“Oh yes. He came.” Kathy rubbed her belly again. “Everything’s working perfectly now.”

“Oh good.” Jenna’s smile never quite reached her eyes. She smoothed her slacks again and picked her way to the door. “I should get going,” she said. “I have some new yoga moves to try.”

“Yoga? I’ve never had a chance to try it.”

Jenna nodded. “You should sometime,” she said with a cluck of her tongue. “Oh, and I meant to ask you, how’s your sister, doing? I saw her car here the other day and I was going to say hi, but I was in the middle of repainting the powder room. You really should see it. It has the neatest stripes. I did it with a—“

“Lizzy hasn’t been here in weeks.”

“No? Strange. I could have sworn I saw her car.” She picked at some lint on her sweater. “Come to think of it,” she said. “It probably wasn’t her. The car was parked in front of Bree’s house.”

Lizzy had a powder blue 1962 Volkswagen with a daisy she’d hand-painted on the door. “Yeah,” Kathy said, and shook her head. Whatever Jenna was implying, she wasn’t interested. “It must have been someone else.”

Jenna narrowed her eyes, but Kathy ignored her hoping she’d just go away. She reached for the door handle and Jenna moved to leave.

She stopped half way out the door and spun around. “I totally forgot,” Jenna said. “I’ll be going over to welcome the new neighbors at 95. You should come.”

“Sure.”
 

“In an hour?”

“Sounds perfect.”
 

Kathy kept the smile on her face until long after she’d shut the door. Back in the kitchen, she pretended not to notice the half empty tray of apples. The sneaky boys never missed an opportunity. Which meant she’d be dealing with their sugar high all day. Jenna was so damn thoughtful.
 

The baby squawked, so she bent down and popped a soother in her mouth. “Just a minute, sweetie. Mommy will be right back.”
 
The baby cooed and smiled behind his plastic dummy and Kathy knew she’d have at least five minutes before he’d need to feed again. With the boys happily sucking on their candy bombs and watching some cartoon involving talking hamsters, Kathy grabbed up the tray and headed out to the yard.
 

She almost giggled as she tipped the rest of the apples into the garbage bin. No doubt Jenna had been up before sunrise perfecting her candy confections, trying to prove she was the best mom on the block. She left the tray on the garbage can and picked her way through the pile of toys until she got to the side of the garage where the loose brick was. She pried with her nails a little until it came free revealing her private hiding spot. Inside, she found her lighter and the pack of cigarettes. By instinct, she glanced around although no one could see her in her own yard and Bree next door, would be at work.

Doctor Robinson had gone through all the risks associated with smoking during pregnancy and Kathy wasn’t an idiot. But one or two a week wasn’t that big of a deal. Especially when they helped her get through her day. It could be worse, she thought as the first hit of nicotine hit her system. She could be drinking or popping prescription pills like the Pinterest Queen. She exhaled the line of smoke and tipped her head back. “It could definitely be worse.”

“Excuse me?” A voice from the other side of the fence asked.
 

Kathy waved her hand in front of her, and stamped out the cigarette. “Bree?” She did her best to control her voice and sound as perky as possible. “Is that you?”
 

Bree

Bree Robinson rolled her eyes when Kathy’s waving arms appeared over the top of the fence. Who did Kathy think she was fooling anyway? Like Bree even cared if she was smoking. What pregnant women did with their own bodies, was up to them. As far as Bree was concerned, whatever any woman did with her body, was up to her. But certainly now she’d have to hear some lame excuse about why Kathy was smoking.
 

“I just like to smell it sometimes,” Kathy said, right on cue, from the other side of the fence.
 

She wished she’d just ignored her, and pretended she hadn’t heard Kathy talking to herself. Again. At least she could hide behind the fence. She glanced down at the suitcase in her hand. The fence was good at hiding a lot of things.
 

“I know I can’t actually have one,” Kathy continued. “Because that would be bad for the baby, and I know that. I’d never do anything to hurt my baby, because as a mother we have to—“

“Kathy. I’m not going to say anything to Daniel. It’s fine.”

“Thank you, Bree. If Dr. Robinson knew I was…but I wasn’t smoking. You know that, right?”

“Right,” Bree lied. “And you can call him Daniel when he’s not at the office.” She wasn’t sure why she added that, as if it mattered. It’s not like the two families did anything socially. Both partners would have to be home for that to occur and if he wasn’t out delivering babies or doing home visits, and if he actually did make it home before nine, he was on his computer researching new treatments and the latest medicines for his all too precious patients. Not that it mattered.