My suspicions were confirmed.
Cat cleared her throat before she began speaking.
"I'm sure you know why we're here," she said.
"I don't. Why don't you fill me in? Seeing as you all got here before me, there's obviously a lot to talk about."
"Well, we'll start with how distracted you have been with the group."
"So this meeting is because I'm on my phone too much when we're together?"
"No, that's not it," said Grace. "But it is a symptom of the larger problem."
"Which is what?" I asked.
"You know what it is," said Cat. "You're moonlighting as a private investigator and putting yourself in danger. Drew is very concerned. And he's reached out to me because he's at his wit's end and doesn't know how to handle this. He's very worried about you. And frankly, we are too. You're going to get yourself in a situation that you can't get out of. A situation where you could get hurt. You could get mixed up with someone that isn't thrilled about having their picture taken or having their secret outed or having their marriage ruined."
"Well, I'm not the one ruining their marriage," I said. I looked around at the rest of my friends sitting around me. Grace and Sarah were nodding their heads while Paige and Jenna were looking down at the table.
"Well, no, but you could potentially be the catalyst for the end of their marriage. That by itself could upset someone very much if they found out who provided the information that got them into so much hot water."
"I don't understand how my involvement is what ends their marriage. Their behavior is getting them in trouble. Not me. I'm just making sure that their wife has all the information she needs to make the right decision. And here's another thing. Sometimes, try as I might to find something to the contrary, he's not up to anything at all. So either way, I'm giving a woman peace of mind."
Sarah adjusted her headband and then placed her hand on my forearm. Normally I would appreciate the connection, butthat day it just felt like another way to keep me in place while they decided how I should live my life.
"All of this is out of love and concern," she said in a low, measured tone. "I hope you know that. We don't want to upset you, but we don't want to see you get hurt either."
I looked around the table. Jenna was now nodding her head, as was Paige. Grace looked like she was gearing up for her part of the lecture. And Cat was looking directly into my eyes, as if she could transfer her worry without having to say a word.
"Listen," I said, "I'm being careful. I am not wearing anything that would identify me. I am far enough away that no one can see me taking pictures. I am never communicating in any way that could identify me. I am using an anonymous email account."
"But you're not using an anonymous Facebook account, are you?" asked Cat.
"Well, no, I'm using my account for the initial contact. That's how they're finding me."
"Exactly, and if they don't delete those messages, then what?"
I understood her point, but it was a risk that I was willing to take.
"I will give all of this some consideration," I said. "No promises, but I will think about what you all have to say."
"I would think hard about it," said Cat. "Drew is very upset and very worried, and I would hate to see you jeopardize your relationship over something that really doesn't concern you."
Grace chimed in next. "And we understand where you're coming from, Elyse. It's not that we don't. But you can't change what happened to you by not letting it happen to someone else. It doesn't change the past. All it does is jeopardize your future."
Leave it to the romance author to be melodramatic.
"Again, I appreciate all of your concern," I said. "But I don't really feel the need to discuss this any further. I appreciatewhat you're trying to do, and I understand. And let's just leave it at that, okay?"
"Okay," said Paige and Jenna in unison. They hadn't spoken a word since I sat down, and it was very clear that they felt extremely uncomfortable with this whole situation. From what I had heard from Paige, she'd had a few interventions of her own when she was struggling to get her feet under her after her kids left for college and her husband left for his physical therapist, so I didn't suspect that she was all that comfortable being part of someone else's intervention. Jenna didn't relish being in anyone else's business, period.
"Paige," I said to change the subject, "your book launch party is coming along beautifully. I got your cookie order in to our local famous baker," I said and winked at Jenna. "She's doing larger cookies with your book cover on them and smaller cookies to match the theme of your book."
"I'm so excited to see them," she said, finally speaking up. "What else are you making, Jenna?"
"Well, we wanted to leave the second thing up to you, so if you want to come in this week, Holly and I will have some options for you to choose from."
"This is so exciting," said Sarah. "Now we're going to have two famous authors in the group."
