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SLOANE
The events leading up to the destruction of Sloane Chase’s carefully ordered world had already been set in motion. She just didn’t know it yet. She was tired and irritable, thanks to the Category5 argument their houseguests had subjected them to late last night. She yawned as she walked into the kitchen and saw Robert, her husband, standing at the counter, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
“Good morning,” Sloane said as she rose on tiptoe to kiss him.
“Good morning, gorgeous,” he said, pulling her closer. “I made coffee.” He poured her a cup and handed it to her.
“Thanks.” She took a long sip. “What in the world is going on with Whit and Peg? I thought they’d never stop yelling.”
Robert raised his eyebrows. “I know. Did you notice how hard Peg was hitting the wine? They were at each other’s throats all evening. Something’s not right between them.”
Sloane nodded. “I’m glad we’re heading back to DC today. This is not how I envisioned spending our last weekend at the beach.”
A loud shriek made them both freeze. Peg’s voice rang out. “You’re a lying son of a bitch!”
Sloane and Robert exchanged a look. “What’s going on now?” Sloane whispered.
They moved to the hallway just as Whit came running down the stairs, with Peg close behind him.
“I’m not going to talk to you while you’re like this,” he said as he swept past Sloane and Robert. The next thing they heard was the slamming of the screen door to the beach.
“Don’t you dare ignore me!” Peg screamed after him, her face red and eyes wild.
Robert blocked her from going any farther. “Peg, hold on, you need to cool down. Let me go talk to Whit.”
She collapsed into Robert’s arms, sobbing. “I hate him!”
Robert gave Sloane a helpless look.
“Peg, why don’t you and I go talk?” Sloane put her arm around the woman and, with a nod to Robert, indicated that he should go after Whit.
Sloane led her to the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee, letting the silence sit between them as Peg took a sip. Robert’s first cousin Peg had not been herself lately. She was an attractive woman who’d always taken care with her appearance, but this past weekend she had shown no interest in how she looked and had been drinking heavily.
Finally, Peg spoke. “Everyone thinks he’s so wonderful.” She put the cup down and looked at Sloane. “You have no idea.”
Sloane had sensed that things hadn’t been great between them the last few months, but Peg’s open hostility was something new.
Sloane put a hand on her arm. “What is it?”
Suddenly, Peg jumped up from her chair. “I need a drink.” She grabbed the wine bottle on the counter and poured some into a glass.
Sloane watched in distress. “What are you doing? It’s barely eight o’clock. That won’t help anything.”
Peg lifted the glass to her lips and took a large gulp, then poured more and drank again. She put the glass down on the counter and looked at Sloane with eyes full of fury.
“I hate him. He’s a pig and a bastard.”
“What’s going on, Peg?” Sloane took her hand and led her back to the kitchen table, where they sat, Peg still clutching the wine bottle.
She raised it to pour another drink and wrenched her armaway when Sloane tried to stop her. “I’ll drink if I want to!” Peg slammed the glass down. “He’s nothing but a liar and a cheat.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He’s screwing that bitch. Been screwing her for months.”
Sloane raised her eyebrows. “Who?”