Lethe Vita

Chapter 38

She had told him she would be perfectly fine on her own.

She had meant it, too, until the dark car that had been parked across the street for most of the morning seemed to follow her as she moved from room to room.

Surely it was her imagination, chaotic as ever.

She wouldn't tell Dylan, or he would insist on returning early.

It was rare that he could have quality time alone with Erica; rarer still that Brenda could have that same quality alone time with Aria.

Particularly since she had returned to work.

She didn't regret her decision to return, but she did wish Aria could always be in the next room over.

Perhaps she would seek out acting jobs that offered in-house daycare.

If such acting jobs existed.

"I think your Daddy and your uncle would prefer it if we weren't alone right now," Brenda said, picking up Aria. "They tell me if my gut says something isn't right, then I should go with it. Last time my gut told me this, we were on the bus and something definitely wasn't right, so I think we should go for a drive, don't you? I did get my license again. But it might be too soon to drive you around."

Brenda's phone sliced through her debate.

"What are you doing right now?"

"I was thinking of taking myself and Aria for a ride," said Brenda, "but I wasn't sure if I should drive alone yet."

"Dylan isn't around?"

"I made him spend some time alone with Erica. She's trying to figure out how to tell him that she's thinking of joining Greenpeace. What about you?"

"Bored out of my mind and thinking of going into work."

"Didn't they make you take today off?"

"They did, and I'm still mad about that."

"Mad enough to not hang out with your favorite niece?"

"I'll pick you up."

Clare looked over her shoulder at Brenda, who sat in the back as she always did when riding in her friends' cars with Aria.

"What's wrong?" asked Clare.

"That car," said Brenda. "I swear it's the same car that's been parked outside my house all morning. Unless I'm losing my mind. Maybe I am losing my mind, again."

"Let's not joke about that," said Clare. "If it is tailing us, I've picked up a few tips and tricks from Carl on how to lose the paps."

"You think it's a pap?" asked Brenda. "What's a pap?"

"Paparazzi," said Clare. "Dunno if it is, but you are a woman of wealth now, so Steve would tell you you can't be too careful."

"Dylan, too," said Brenda. "He never has anything nice to say about the paparazzi."

"Neither does Steve," said Clare. "Carl uses them for his gain, or rather his charities' gain, but I have seen him lose them a time or two if they get to be too much."

"You've used them," said Brenda. "I've seen you, being interviewed outside the lab."

"That's for science, love."

They pulled up into the driveway, having successfully lost the car.

"If it is a pap," said Clare, reaching into the backseat to help unbuckle Aria, "that'll teach them to try to follow you."