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“She’s going crazy without you,” Rebecca said. “Keeps taking it out on me. I swear, you being gone makes her hornier than youbeinghere.”

“Of course. Jane’s the type to feel secure when what she wants is in her peripheral. When she could sleep with me whenever she wanted, she was content. Now that I’m gone… waterworks.”

“Ha! If only she cried because she missed you.”

“I guarantee she has some when you’re not around.”

“What’s she going to do when I join you for a week? Hire an escort? Maybe we should arrange one in advance, someone we vet.”

Caitlyn knew her partner was joking but played along. “Now, there’s an idea. She’s always making eyes with that one hostessat The Dark Hour. I know for afactthat fake blond is an escort for the right price.”

“You do?”

“I mean, most of them are, but I’ve seen her having dinner with members outside of the club. Pretty sure she was Denise Sauvignon’s sugar baby for a while.”

“Do you think Jane could handle one of Denise’s exes?”

“Yes, but not without whining about it.”

Rebecca laughed. “I can’t wait to come join you guys soon. So I can whine about missing Jane after you and I get this separation out of our systems.”

Caitlyn made herself comfortable on the bed she picked out when she purchased this place and decided thatthiswas her realm whenever they visited.I bought a three-bedroom so the three of us could still have our own spaces if we all visited at once.Jane did not care for “living in the sticks,” however, and Rebecca liked to sleep with one of her partners when they were away from home, so she was a staple in Caitlyn’s bed. Just like she would be when she finally came over from New England because right now the other bedrooms were occupied by Izzy and Christine. Still, Caitlyn had thought ahead, because wherever they went, she was the one who took the dynamic seriously enough toplan.

Which reminded her of something.

“No, I haven’t heard from Chara,” Rebecca said in response to Caitlyn’s inquiry. “She knows you’re out of town, and the market is pretty stagnant at the moment, according to the last conversation I had with her.”

“If she has something you and Jane can tour before I get back, jump on it. Take pictures so I can have a look. I’m paying her extra to give us first dibs before things go public.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Rebecca said that with a humorous lilt, but Caitlyn was still inspired to say, “Yes, I see Jane has rubbed off on you since I’ve been gone. I bet she has you saying that every night now that she’s the real queen of the castle.”

Was it possible to hear someone’s eyes roll over a phone? Because Caitlyn swore she did. “You’re silly. I should go before you start telling mom jokes.”

“Do you thinkmymom is rubbing off on me already?”

“Have them locked and loaded for when I get out of her car.”

Caitlyn and Rebecca hung up a minute later, after confirmations that they loved one another and that Rebecca would pass along her news to Jane. In truth, Caitlyn missed them both equally. Especially the way they bickered whenever the three of them went out to dinner, Jane taking it too seriously while Rebecca always had a smile on her face.

The notes app opened on Caitlyn’s phone. She jotted down a few musings, holding no intention to do anything with them.

Chapter 12

Jane

Nobody was more grateful that nothing came out of her niece’s homecoming dance than Jane, who decided not to chastise Cece for coming back half an hour past curfew. She wasn’t drunk or otherwise inebriated. She apologized for being late. The only thing she asked was if it was okay to heat one of Jane’s previously prepared meals because she was “starving.”How can I say no?Even if Cecelia had returned screaming her hatred for her family and daring Jane to punish her for her insolence, Jane would have still given her whatever she wanted.

Such it was to be spoiled.

Caitlyn’s long absence, however, made it difficult to balance work. While Caitlyn did some remote work out in Iowa, it wasn’t the same without her in the office almost every day. Jane was compelled to be there instead, otherwise some of their employees wouldn’t be paid. Which meant Rebecca either stayed home or only accompanied her partner to the office inthe morning. The last thing Jane wanted was everyone getting in trouble because Cecelia, a foreign minor, was home alone.

Even though the girl seemedquitecapable of taking care of herself in a different country.

“What the bloody hell is a ‘haunted corn maze?’” Jane asked her girlfriend when Rebecca brought in some meeting notes she had typed up that morning. “What is acorn mazefor that matter? Something in Iowa?”

“Probably where it originated, for all I know.” Rebecca tucked her notes into a folder on Jane’s desk.It’s like she knows I’ll get to it later.“It’s when you carve a maze into a cornfield. It’s really popular the last few years. You make it haunted by including monsters, jump scares, stuff like that. I’ve been to a few when I was younger and you basically piss your pants when dudes in masks chase you with chainsaws.”