Page 146 of Clinically Delicious
Ms. Rodriguez was writing more notes.
Oh God, she’s writing down that I’m insane.
She’s writing, “Wife is clearly unhinged and possibly on drugs.”
She’s writing, “Wife has an unhealthy obsession with sidewalk maintenance.”
“The neighborhood is very family-friendly,” Gabriel interjected, his voice steady and calm and completely normal. “Good schools, low crime rate, plenty of parks nearby.”
“Yes!” I latched onto that like a drowning person grabbing a life preserver. “Parks! We love parks. We go to parks all the time. Megan loves the swings. And the slides. And the—the other park things. Equipment. Park equipment. All of it. Every piece of park equipment that exists. She’s very enthusiastic about recreational structures.”
Stop talking, Cate.
Stop talking right now.
You’re making it worse.
You’re ALWAYS making it worse.
A crash from inside, followed quickly by Fitz clearly saying, “FOR FUCK’S SAKE, YOU WANKER!” before someone—probably Hayden—shushed him violently.
Ms. Rodriguez’s pen paused on the clipboard. “Is everything alright in there?”
No.
Nothing is alright.
Everything is the opposite of all right.
Everything is WRONG.
“Oh, that’s just—” I scrambled for an explanation. “Our friends! Gabriel’s colleagues. They stopped by to—to—”
Why are four grown men in our house right now?
Think of a reason.
Any reason.
A GOOD reason.
“—help with some furniture!” I finished triumphantly. “We’re rearranging. The furniture. Because we like to keep things fresh. And organized. Very organized. We’re very organized people who occasionally rearrange furniture with the help of four medical professionals. Which is totally normal. Lots of people do that. Probably.”
Gabriel’s hand was now gripping mine hard enough to cut off circulation as his thumb pressed against my pulse point.
A warning.
I’m not helping.
I’m making it worse.
Why am I like this?
“I see,” Ms. Rodriguez said, making another note.
She’s writing, “Furniture rearranging story is obviously fake.”
She’s writing, “Wife is a terrible liar who should never be allowed near children.”
