T HE NOTE WAS STUCK to the fridge with a magnet when Leigh Hartwell came home from work, but she was too rushed to read it.
She set the bag of groceries on the counter, then opened the fridge to store the assorted cheeses sheâd picked up for the party tonight. Sheâd hardly finished when the phone rang. It was the caterer, her friend, Tina OâDell.
Leigh had a premonition of trouble. âDonât tell me you couldnât find fresh scallops.â
âI found them.â Tina sounded grumpy. âBut why didnât you tell me you werenât inviting men to this party?â
âI sent you the guest list a month ago and youâre just noticing that now? Anyway, why should it matter whether there are men at the party or not?â
It wasnât as if she and Taylor had set out to avoid them. It just so happened that when theyâd listed the important people in their livesâher coworkers at the dental clinic and the people in her running group, Taylorâs best friend and her pals from balletâno males had made the cut.
âI bought a low-cut blouse to wear tonight, thatâs why it matters. I was going to look hot. â
âIâll take a photo. You can put it up on an Internet dating site.â
âHey, Iâm not that desperate. You, on the other handââ
âNo lectures, Tina. I donât have time.â She still had to shower and change before Tina arrived with the food. âYou still planning to be here in an hour?â
âOf course. Iâm never late for a catering gig. So how was the run? You know I love Taylor and wouldnât have missed cooking for her party, but I hated to miss it.â
âI didnât go, either.â
âLeighââ
âHow could I, when Iâm expecting twenty guests less than two hours from now?â
âBut running relaxes you, and worrying about your guests is my job. If you trusted meââ
âI do. Really. I know everything will be perfect. Itâs justâwhatâs one run? Weâll both go a few extra miles on the weekend.â
âThis isnât about your training schedule. Itâs about your need to relax and enjoy yourself now and then. I want you to have fun at Taylorâs party. Not worry about every little detail. Speaking of Taylor, howâs our girl doing?â
âActuallyâ¦Iâm not sure. She should have been home by now. Thereâs a note on the fridge. Let me just grab it.â She snatched it too quickly, sending the magnet flying to the floor.
âWasnât today the first day of her new summer job?â
Leigh grabbed the magnet and stuffed it into the drawer where she kept pens and paper. âYes, if she made it on time. She didnât get to bed until after midnight last night.â Sheâd been on the computer again. Since receiving her letter of acceptance from Cornell University a month ago, Taylor was forever on their Web site.
âLook, Tina, Iâd better run. See you soon, okay?â As Leigh returned the phone to the counter, she skimmed the note.
Hi, Mom, Taylor had written. I know this is going to sound crazyâ¦
Leigh stopped breathing as she read the rest.
No. Impossible.
This had to be her daughterâs sick idea of a joke.
She set the paper down, pulled out an open bottle of white wine and poured herself a glass. She took a long swallow, then read the note again.
I know this is going to sound crazy, Mom, but Iâve been chatting with this really nice guy over the Internet for several months and last week he asked me to come and visit him. Donât worry, heâs a great person and Iâm not in any danger. Iâll call you once I get there.
Love, Taylor
P.S. Sorry about the partyâ¦
No matter how many times Leigh read the note, the message wouldnât change. And yet she still couldnât believe it. She and Taylor had had so many conversations about the dangers of meeting people over the Internet and the folly of dating someone you only knew through correspondence.
All those late nights when Leigh had assumed Taylor was either studying or researching Cornellâ¦sheâd really been chatting with this guy.
And who was he? Taylor had left her no clue. No name, no address, no contact information of any kind. Leigh grabbed the phone again and tried her daughterâs cell phone. She was shuffled straight to the message service.
âItâs Mom, Taylor. Iâve found your note. Please call me as soon as you get this.â
Damn.
How could Taylor have done this? Leighâs daughter was a shy girl who didnât date much. Years of struggling with acne had left her self-esteem a little battered where boys were concerned. In a way, Leigh could understand why Taylor had felt more comfortable meeting a guy at the distance the Internet offered.