Lauren Takes Leave by Gerstenblatt, Julie (ebooks children's books free txt) 📕

makingsure we’re legit. The whole time we’ve been hanging out with him, he’s beenfaking this friendship with us—”

“Now, wait a second there, Len!” Tim jumps in. “That’sjust not true.”

“So you don’t have secret security guys watching usright now?” Jodi asks, moving a step closer to Tim.

Jodi and Tim bonded last night, certainly more than eitherKat or I did with him. Lenny, too, with his YouTube connection and all thatHollywood talk. Depending on Tim’s answer, they have the most to lose.

“Jo, it’s…different for me,” Tim tries, looking contrite.“I’m not like you, I mean, not anymore. I can’t just walk up to people on thebeach in Miami and become fast friends! I have to be cautious. About everythingI do.”

“So, you lied to me! To us,” she declares. “You probablyplanned this whole thing, to practice being a normal person for someupcoming blockbuster role.” She puts her hands up to show that she’s makingquotation marks around her next words. “‘Logan Price thought he had itall,’” Jodi says, mimicking the voiceover guy from the movies. “‘The perfectfamily, the perfect career. But one crazy night in Miami changed all that.’”She stops, gathering her thoughts. “It’s like…like, we were your research.Your rats!” She walks right up to Tim. I think she’s going to punch him, slaphis face, or spit at him. Instead, she reaches up and knocks Tim’s hat rightoff his head. “That fedora makes you look fucking stupid!” she cries. And thenshe storms off down the street.

Kat, Lenny, and I chase after her, leaving Tim—and hiselusive bodyguards, wherever they might be hiding—alone together in the Denny’sparking lot.

I’ve got to hand it to Jodi, she does have a flair fordramatic exits.

The next few hours pass by in a blur at the funeral home.There is paperwork to watch Jodi complete. There is the body to consider. Thereis transportation to the airport to arrange. There is Tim Cubix’s betrayal toreplay like a scene from a bad movie. Kat and I sit patiently while Lenny worksthe phone and changes all of our flights to match the one Jodi and her grandmaare scheduled for.

“It’s all set,” Lenny sighs, throwing his phone down on aplush, crimson velvet banquette. “We’re sitting together on the three o’clock.I was able to do pre-boarding and everything.”

“Thank you!” I say, relieved that it’s all taken care of.

“Too bad,” Kat adds.

“You know,” I begin, turning to Kat, “I’m kind of tired ofyour moping about this. Jodi’s grandma died. I mean, I’m bummed, too. Icould have used another day on the beach. But, you’ve got to admit, Kat, it’spretty selfish of you to put this trip before your friend’s needs.” I pause.“What’s the big deal? I mean, it’s not like you have anything to go back to…”And then I stop. Lenny is shaking his head, and Kat has turned away.

Because that is, of course, the issue exactly. Kat hasnothing to go back to. No husband, and perhaps even no job. Only divorceproceedings and résumés on the horizon. Plus, perhaps, the leakage of a local,minor sex scandal to clean up.

“Damn,” I whisper. I put my hand out to touch her arm butshe shoos me away.

“You’re right, Lauren. I have nothing.”

“That’s not what I meant—”

Lenny chimes in. “She was only saying that—”

Kat stands up and shakes her hair in disagreement. “Just…Ican’t…give me a moment alone, okay?”

She moves across the room and enters a chapel door on the right.Based on the organ music and the sign on the door, there seems to be a funeralgoing on inside. But I’m not about to tell Kat that.

“We’re in deep shit,” Lenny declares.

“You think?”

“Oh yeah. Didn’t you notice? She didn’t even curse at us.Not once.”

He’s right, and I’m left with silence and more than a fewgoose bumps. Kat’s marriage was wrong from the start, but even so, getting outof it will be painful.

“Peter left her and spent their savings, you know,”I tell Lenny, reminding myself of the horror of it all.

He nods. “She mentioned that. It explains a lot of thehostility.”

“Some of that’s just Kat. She’s always been kind ofthick-skinned and quick with the insults.”

“She’s trying to be tough. But she’s so sad,Lauren. Can’t you see that coming through?”

I take a deep breath and consider this. How much have Ireally paid attention these past few days? I mean, to anything other thanmyself? I thought this little trip might heal me—heal all of us—and make thehurts just magically disappear. Like a twenty-four-hour cure-all. But now Ihave to go home and face Doug and Laney and Ben and Becca. I have to go back towork on Monday and face my homeroom, grade papers, read Johnny Tremainaloud for the eleventh time.

I’m not sure I can stomach it.

Jodi has to go home to a grieving family, and face all herlies with Lee.

And Kat will return to…what?

Jodi emerges from a back office looking ten years olderthan she did yesterday. A white-haired man in a suit and tie emerges behindher, rolling a pine box on a gurney. Jodi closes her eyes for a moment, thenopens them, her gaze on me. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

I put Lenny in charge of retrieving Kat from the depths ofMelvin Kantor’s funeral, and hustle out behind the coffin. A large woman, cladin tight leggings and an ill-fitting Florida Marlin’s T-shirt, waits next to avan idling in the parking lot.

“You the granddaughter?” She squints at Jodi in the hotsun.

“You the driver?” Jodi squints back.

The woman holds up a walkie-talkie and speaks into it. “Igot her,” she confirms to whoever is crackling on the other end of the line.

Jodi gets into the passenger seat while Lenny, Kat, and Ipile in to the back row. I try not to get freaked by the presence of SoniaGoldberg in the back, but it’s hard to ignore her.

Our silence is broken by the driver. “It’s one o’clockright now, and your flight is at three. You need to stop at the Loews Hotel, Ihear, before going to the airport, right?”

We confirm that, yes, we’ll just need to stop for aboutfifteen minutes to pack our things and check out.

“Schedule is tight. I’ll