Mara pushed a few buttons on the remote to start the next movie. “Not stupid. Loyal. You want to believe the best of your friend. There’s nothing stupid about that.”
“She’s right,” Ridley added. “But Eli and the guys have to assume that anyone is capable of doing this. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be doing their jobs.”
“I know. It’s just hard. We’ve been friends since the third grade.”
Mara sat on the end of the bed and tucked her long legs beneath her. “You’re lucky. We were military brats. It’s pretty much impossible to have long friendships when you’re moving around all the time.”
Ridley promptly grabbed the spare pillow Kay handed her and shoved it between her back and the wall. “Thanks. I love movie marathons, but it’s hard to find a comfortable position.”
Kay understood completely. She’d gained a lot of weight while pregnant with Hope, and it had been like trying to maneuver around with a beach ball under her shirt. “I appreciate you coming. I’m sure this has been hard on the Alexanders, too, having Eli gone all the time.”
She turned to Mara. “So, how did Matt rope you into coming? Did he bribe you? Hold some of your stilettos hostage?”
Mara grinned. “He’d be taking his life into his hands if he went anywhere near my closet. But he didn’t have to bribe me. I wanted to come. I figured you had to be going a little stir crazy stuck here with just Eli for company.”
Kay blushed and avoided Mara’s eyes. Images of just how crazy Eli made her flashed through her mind.
“Wait a minute? What is that look?” Mara sat up straight and peered at Kaylee. “Are you blushing?”
“No! I’m not. It’s just warm in here,” Kay insisted.
“It’s like twenty degrees outside,” Ridley teased.
“Well, we aren’t outside.”
“Oh, give it up. You are practically glowing. Oh my God.” Mara squealed and bounced closer on the bed. “I thought you two were acting really cozy. What happened?”
“It’s nothing.”
“That smile on your face doesn’t look like nothing. I guess that means Eli has been treating you right?”
Kay finally gave up trying to suppress the large, cheesy grin trying to take over her face. “Very right.”
“Good for you. You both deserve to be happy.” Mara’s face fell slightly and she turned back to the movie.
“Are you okay?” Kay asked.
“Huh? Oh yeah. Of course.” Mara swept a stray lock of her dark, wavy hair behind her ear. “I was just thinking how lucky you are. Enjoy this time you have together when everything is new and exciting. It’s a really special time. You need these memories to get you through the rough patches.”
Mara blew out a breath. They were all ignoring the movie playing in the background. Kay and Ridley exchanged a look. Ridley shrugged. Apparently she didn’t know why Mara looked so down either.
“I have to confess I did have an ulterior motive for coming up here this weekend,” Mara said suddenly.
“You did?” Ridley asked.
Mara shrugged. “I might need Eli’s help with something soon. But it’s nothing you guys need to worry about. You’ve got plenty of your own troubles—you don’t need to hear mine.”
“It’s better than thinking about the fact that Eli suspects my best friend of conspiring against me. Besides, I’m glad you’re here. You might be able to help me figure this thing out. I know they suspect Sasha’s behind it, but I just can’t believe that. Maybe if I can put the clues together, I can figure out what’s really going on. Whether he’s ultimately after me or just using me to get to Eli—either way, if I can figure it out, maybe we can catch him.”
“I’m happy to put my diabolical mind to good use. There is nothing like the mind of a woman scorned.” Mara’s words were upbeat but her smile lacked its usual cheer.
“Scorned?” Ridley asked. “But Trent adores you. It’s so obvious how he feels about you.”
Mara let out a little sigh. “But am I the only one he feels that way about or am I just one of many? He’s been flying so many places lately. Denver, Illinois, California. He claims it’s all for business, but his company doesn’t have offices in those locations.”
“Maybe he’s visiting clients?” Kay suggested.
Mara shook her head, sadly. “He designs financial models. He’s more of a behind-the-scenes geek. Why would he need to meet with clients, anyway?”
“There has to be a reasonable explanation.” Kay hoped there was. She didn’t know Trent that well, mainly just what she’d heard from Jackson and Ridley. But if he was lying to Mara, he’d be hurting a lot of people. Her thoughts turned to Matt. He’d be caught in the middle, between his sister and his best friend.
“You’re probably right. I’m just overreacting. I’ve always had an active imagination.” Mara leaned her head back against the wall and stared at the television.
Eli poked his head around the doorjamb. “Ridley, Jackson said you guys need to go check into the hotel.”
Ridley patted Kay on the knee. “We’ll be back later. After we check in, I’m going to take a nap and then we’ll be back for dinner. Eli agreed it’s safe to go out to eat as long as we pick a restaurant he’s familiar with and we don’t tell anyone in advance.”