“I know.” Jake feels the anger rising in his body, a powerful current that makes him feel physically unsteady. “It all adds up now. She was there that night in West Palm, you know. She came on to me. I turned her down, obviously. And I never told you because I didn’t want you to feel threatened or worried. But truthfully, a part of me always suspected she had something to do with that picture.”
“Jesus, Jake.”
“How did you figure it out? That it was Sabrina, I mean?”
Molly explains about the photograph she saw in their foyer, the name written in faded pencil on the back, how it matched the email address. “I couldn’t forget the name Lenore Smith if I tried.”
“I’m an idiot, I guess.” His leans forward, propping his forearms on his knees. “I never even knew her great-aunt was called Lenore. I don’t think Sabrina ever mentioned it. If she did, I certainly never put two and two together.”
“And then you heard what Liz said yesterday? About how Sabrina used a fake name to become friends with her? She was using Liz to get information about us, Jake.”
“I know.” Jake closes his eyes, wincing. “I can’t believe I married someone like that, Molly. I feel so fucking stupid.”
“It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known.” Molly is quiet for a moment. “I hate her.”
He stares into his lap. “I know. Me, too.”
“I really thought she was my friend, Jake. I liked her, more than I liked any woman I’d met in Flynn Cove. She just seemed so down to earth, so honest. Maybe it was because we were both going through fertility stuff…” Molly’s heart sinks. She feels a kind of longing, tinged with remorse. “I just felt like she really got me.”
Jake’s eyebrows knit together, the line between them sharpening. “Fertility stuff?”
Molly nods. “She told me everything, how you guys have been trying for a baby since before your wedding, because of her eating disorder. The second time we met was at Dr. Ricci’s office.”
Jake groans, dropping his head in his hands. “I don’t know who Dr. Ricci is, Molly.” His tone is somber. He sounds more defeated than surprised. “She never had an eating disorder. Not that I know of, anyway. Sabrina and I weren’t trying to get pregnant.” Jake watches the shock register on Molly’s face. “She wanted to be trying, but I…” He sighs. “Well, the truth is, I don’t think I’m cut out to be anyone’s father. I think I’d be pretty terrible at it.”
“Oh, Jake. That isn’t true.”
“Well, you said it yourself.”
“What?”
“It was years ago. We were on the phone when I was on tour in Munich, and you were back in Brooklyn. You’d just told me you weren’t coming to Europe. We were fighting.” His eyes are impossibly sad.
“Oh Jake, I … I was angry. I was pregnant. I didn’t think you were ready to be a dad back then, but I didn’t mean to say that you never would be. God, I’m sorry.”
“Stop, Moll, you don’t need to apologize. I was such a jerk back then. You were right to know that you deserved better.”
“You weren’t a jerk, Jake.”
“I was arrogant.”
“Not arrogant. You were selfish. There’s a difference.”
“Is there?” He smiles dryly.
“Yes. But a lot of people are selfish in their twenties when they’re young and the whole world is up for grabs.”
“Not you.” Jake grins at the memory of Molly back then. “Somehow you managed to be so good to everyone in your life, and you followed your dreams.”
“Not exactly.” Regret flashes in her hazel eyes. “My dreams changed.” Several moments of silence pass. “I really can’t believe Sabrina lied about seeing Dr. Ricci. I feel like … such a pawn.”
“So do I. Fuck, what else has she lied about, then? There’s got to be more.”
“The fact that her grandparents belonged to the country club, apparently. My friend Whitney is on the board—she’s the one who reviewed your application—and she said there’s no record of anyone related to Sabrina ever belonging to the club.”
Jake says nothing.
“Do you know if her grandparents even lived in Flynn Cove, Jake?”
He shakes his head. “It’s clear my wife is a pathological liar, so at this point, I can only assume they didn’t. I think—” Jake pauses. “Sabrina was the one who suggested we move out of the city last winter. She pushed for Flynn Cove specifically.”