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“Wait! Chester is in there. I can’t leave him.”

Abby reached for her keys and managed to unlock the door without dropping them. She went to the kitchen, only to find Chester curled beneath the kitchen table, sound asleep. She decided to let him sleep.

Chris walked around to the passenger side and opened her door. “What happened to Chester?”

“He was sleeping under the table in the kitchen. I didn’t have the heart to wake him.”

“And I thought you were heartless.”

Abby slid across the seat, still amazed that Chris didn’t drive a BMW or something that denoted wealth. A Toyota Camry. She liked that about him. Chris was Chris.

“You’re a jerk, you know that?” Abby teased.

“I’ve been called worse.”

“Like what?” Abby asked, not really wanting to know, but she liked this light, silly banter between them. It was comfortable, like her Uggs. She laughed.

“You don’t need to know.” Chris reached across the console, searching for her hand. He found it and held it.

Abby didn’t say a word. No way was she going to screw this up. She was way too comfortable.

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Loud banging on the front door sent Toots bolting upright in her bed. She fumbled around in the dark, searching for the switch to the lamp on her nightstand. She looked at the alarm clock. Almost three o’clock, the witching hour. More banging. Damn, someone was knocking—no, beating—on her front door. Not having a clue who would be paying a visit at this ungodly hour, Toots instantly thought of Abby. She practically levitated down the stairs.

“I’m coming, just a minute.” Toots hurried to the front door, hoping and praying it wasn’t Abby or someone coming to tell her Abby had been in an accident. She flicked the outside light on, then pushed the door aside.

“Hey, Mom. Did I wake you?” Abby said.

Toots stood aside, allowing her to enter. “Are you drunk?”

Abby called out to someone. “No, I’m not drunk, and if I were, I wouldn’t be driving, and I sure as hell wouldn’t be knocking on your door this time of night.”

“Did you bring a friend?”

Chris appeared in the doorway.

“I’m not sure I even want to know why both of you are here. Neither of you look sick, so I guess we can rule that out. Mental illness, now there’s a possibility. Let’s go into the kitchen. I’ll make a pot of coffee while you tell me what in the name of Pete you’re doing here.”

“Dang, Mom don’t act so happy to see us,” Abby said before poking her mother in the ribs.

“Stop it! You know how I hate when you do that.” Toots yanked Abby’s ponytail.

Chris pulled Toots next to him, gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I could use a cup of coffee. How about you, Abs?”

“I’d rather have tea, but coffee will do. Mom, would you stop staring at me like I’m some kind of psycho or something?”

“I’m sorry, Abby. I had a flashback of your father. He was a tea drinker, too. When you said that, it just reminds me of how much I miss him.”

“Oh, Mom, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Doesn’t matter. Now let me start a pot of coffee. I have a feeling I’m not going to like what you have come all this way at this insane hour to tell me.” Toots scooped coffee into the paper filter, filled the back of the machine with water, then flipped on the switch.

The smell of coffee made Abby realize she was hungry. As usual, she’d made a bag of microwave popcorn for dinner. That had been hours ago. “Have anything good to munch on?” Abby asked as she opened the refrigerator.

“All we have are good things to munch on. With Mavis doing the cooking, all we get to eat is health food. I haven’t had a good sugary bowl of Froot Loops in ages.”

“Step aside, Abs, let me have a look-see. I’m starving. I had ice cream for dinner again.”

“I ate popcorn. Again,” Abby offered.

“You two are going to wither away if you don’t eat right,” Toots said. She was one to talk. When the coffee finished brewing, Toots poured three mugs and brought them to the table. “Abby, grab the cream and sugar while you’re up. And bring that bottle of aspirin next to the coffee-maker with you. I have a killer headache.”

Abby did as instructed. She had a plate of sliced cheese, strawberries, and a sliced orange. “This is a feast. Mavis needs to come and stay with me for a while. I’ll let her cook for me anytime.”

“She is one of the good ones, no doubt about it,” Toots said affectionately.

Once they were settled at the table, Toots was the first to speak. “Now I want you to tell me why you both drove all the way out here.” Toots eyed the two, then a bombshell thought almost knocked her brain loose. “Are you two seeing one another? Is that why you’re here? You have an announcement to make? I’ve seen the way you look at each other.”

Had there been a large sinkhole close by, Abby would have gladly taken a nosedive right into its center. Chris just laughed, but he didn’t correct her.

“Mother, let’s talk about the real reason we’re here, okay?”

“I’ve pissed you off. You never call me ‘Mother’ unless you’re mad.”

Abby forged ahead, ignoring her mother’s comment. “Remember when you asked me to check into Dr. Sameer’s background in that e-mail you sent this morning?”

Toots nodded. “Of course, I’m not that far gone. At least not yet.”

“You were right to be suspicious. Is your laptop handy?”

“It’s upstairs, I’ll get it.” Toots left the room, returning minutes later with the computer. She turned it on, tapped a few keys to log on to the Internet. She turned the screen around so Abby could do whatever she needed to.

Abby pulled up the e-mail she’d received from her second-stringer and downloaded the attached file. When it was finished, she scrolled through the document until she found what she was looking for. “Here, look at this and tell me your thoughts.” Abby positioned the computer so her mother could read it.

Toots had known there was something wrong with that weirdo! “I don’t think this is the same man we know as Dr. Sameer. Ida needs to see this. She’s having sex with him. This is not good. No, not good at all.”

Toots raced up the stairs, leaving Abby and Chris to discuss Ida’s sex life.

When Toots reached Ida’s bedroom, she stopped outside the door. This was going to tear Ida up, but better now than later. She rapped on the door before pushing it open. Ida lay sprawled across the bed like a two-dollar drunk. They’d all had too many daiquiris that evening. Toots walked over to the bed, where Ida was cutting some major logs. She hated to disturb her, especially when she was snoring. She’d heard somewhere that waking people who snored was dangerous because they were in such a deep sleep, and it frightened them when they were startled awake. Toots didn’t have a clue where she’d heard that, but thought it was another crock. She nudged Ida on her shoulder. She rolled over onto her side. Her mouth hung open like a treasure chest. “Ida, wake up.”

She rolled over on her back, legs and arms spread out in the shape of an X. Toots nudged her again. “Ida, this is important. I need you to wake up.”

“What the hell are you doing in here, Toots? Did Bing come back? What’s wrong?” Sophie, who had heard the banging on the door and finally decided to investigate what was going on, was standing in the doorway.

Toots poked Ida again. “Ida, wake up. I know you can hear me. Your mouth hangs open when you’re asleep, and you snore like the town drunk. And you’re talking to me. I need you up on your feet. Your armpit hair is gray.”

Sophie cackled. “And you’re a drunk.”

Toots laughed, whispering to Sophie, “She’s gonna pay you back someday, and when she does, you better watch your ass.” In a loud voice, Toots said, “Ida, we have some news concerning Dr. Sameer. If you don’t open your eyes and get your skinny rear end out of bed, I’m going to send Sophie downstairs for a pitcher of ice water. Abby and Chris are downstairs waiting for you.”

Ida sat up in the bed immediately. “Why didn’t you tell me that when you came stomping into my room?”

“I didn’t stomp. Now toss something over that see-through nightgown you’re wearing and come downstairs. I’ll make another pot of coffee.”

“Brush your teeth, too,” Sophie shot back.

“Sophie, don’t you ever have anything nice to say?” Ida asked.

Sophie stopped in the doorway, considering Ida’s words. After giving a whole two seconds of thought to the question, she replied, “No.”

“We’ll be waiting for you,” Toots said.

When they got back to the kitchen, Toots made another pot of coffee while Abby and Chris gave Sophie the highlights of what they’d read.

“I told your mother I thought he was strange. Too nice. I always felt like he was undressing me with those beady eyes of his,” Sophie said.

Ida chose that moment to make her grand entrance. She’d cleaned up fast and looked damned good, Toots thought.

“He wasn’t undressing you, Sophie, most likely he just wanted your underwear.” Ida stopped cold in her tracks when she realized what she had said. “I…I am joking of course. Abby, dear, why are you up so early? Chris?”

“Sit down, Ida. The kids have uncovered some information. I think you need to hear it.”

Ida sat down as she had been told. “Listen, if this is about the $3 million, I’ve already contacted the bank. They said they would stop the transfer from going through, so I’m not out any money.”

Toots, Sophie, Abby, and Chris stared at her for at least ten seconds.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Ida glanced over her shoulder. “Is this what you wanted to tell me?”

Abby came around the other side of the table to sit next to Ida. “None of us knew about the money. That’s not what we came to tell you, but knowing that just confirms our suspicions. Did Dr. Sameer ask you for money, or did you just give it to him?”

Ida started to cry, her shoulders shaking as she wept. Abby grabbed a napkin from the holder on the table. “Here. Now go ahead and cry, it’ll be good for you. When you’re ready, you can tell us what happened. We’ll tell you what we know. If we have to, we’ll take this to the police. Right, Chris?”

“If a crime has been committed, absolutely.”

“He asked. Well, not really, I guess I offered it to him.”

Abby smoothed the hair back from Ida’s face. “Tell me exactly what you said when you ‘offered’ Dr. Sameer the money. Think you can remember the details?”

Ida blew her nose and nodded. “Sammy…I mean Dr. Sameer, whatever his name is, we were just talking one morning a few days ago. He seemed sad. He said the clinic was in trouble. Patients weren’t as plentiful. He feared he would have to close. I didn’t want to see all of his work go down the drain just because of his finances. I think I said I could help him, that I almost felt as though I owed my life to him after he cured me of that terrible germ disorder. He said he couldn’t take my money, that he would go to a bank. I told him the offer was there if he wanted. Nothing was mentioned again until two nights ago.” Ida blotted her eyes with the napkin.

“Go on, “Abby encouraged.

“I don’t know if I can. I feel like such a fool.” Ida closed her eyes, her hands trembled. “This is so embarrassing.”

“Ida, look, you’re not the first woman to be blindsided by a man,” Sophie explained. “Walter was a royal jerk who drank his career away, and when that wasn’t enough, he started using me for a punching bag. Right, Toots?”

“Yes, the old bastard, may he rot in hell.”

Ida looked at Sophie, “I’m sorry. I never knew. Sophie, you could have told me. I would’ve helped you.”

“I know you would, but I was too embarrassed. I was taken in by Walter the same as you were taken in by that so-called doctor. Different situations, but I was just as easily fooled. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

“Thanks, Sophie. That means a lot coming from you. So do you want to hear the rest?”

Everyone nodded.

“Looking back, I can’t believe how gullible I was. Sophie, Toots, you are right when you say I can’t live without a man in my life. I don’t know why, and it’s something I am going to take the time to discover when all is said and done. I know that sounds childish, but it’s the truth. So, Sammy, that was my pet name for him, would send his limousine driver Mohammed to pick me up late at night, then he’d bring me back in the morning. I’ve been sneaking out for months. When I asked you all to let me sleep late in the mornings, it wasn’t because I wanted to enjoy wallowing in bed. I slipped out at night and needed the extra time in the mornings to recover from my nightly adventures, if you will.

“The day of our first public date, Sammy had said he wanted to ask me something. Being the silly, needy old woman that I am, I assumed he was going to ask me to marry him. When he came with Mohammed to pick me up, I thought we were going to a fancy restaurant, he would propose, and we would live happily ever after. We never made it to dinner. Sammy had arranged for Amala, the ‘daughter’ or whoever she is, to make dinner at his beach house. It was all very romantic. He’d set up a table on the deck, white linen tablecloth, a rose on each dinner plate. There was a bottle of Dom Pérignon chilling. I remember when I saw that, I felt disappointed because it was so…common. Isn’t that tacky? Don’t answer that. I know it is. One thing led to another. I wasn’t in the greatest mood after seeing the champagne, but Sammy didn’t seem to realize that, or if he did, he chose to ignore it. Now, I’m sure that’s what he was doing. Then he smiled and said he had something to ask me. I perked up, thinking I still had what it takes to attract an accomplished man, someone at the top of his profession. I know, I know. So, instead of him proposing, he asked if my offer for the loan was still open. Not in those exact words, but close enough. I felt like a balloon that had lost all of its air. Of course, I had made the offer, and wanting to be a woman who kept her word, when he asked, I said of course. Three million dollars, he said. I felt used, I guess, so I ran out. Sammy found me and brought me back here.

“The next day was the day that Abby came over. Then, yesterday, he called me to apologize. I let him sweet-talk me into coming over to his place. I told him I would take a taxi. On the ride over, I called Russ, my personal account manager at the bank, and asked him to wire $3 million to an account. I didn’t have all the banking information, but I assured Russ I would have it soon. Poor guy. I practically bit his head off when he asked why I needed such a large amount of money. I’ll have to call him and apologize.