She sat there for a few minutes wiping away tears, taking deep breaths, trying to calm down before going into the restaurant. In the short time it had taken to drive from the house to Louie’s, she had started falling apart. Doubts crowded out all hope of Jessie’s imminent return. What if the kidnappers had lied? What if they’d already killed Jess? What if Ted was late meeting them? What if they took the money but didn’t give him Jess? What if? What if? And all of them worst-case scenarios. She pulled down the visor mirror and checked her face. Her eyes were red and swollen, her cheeks splotchy. She looked exactly the way she felt—like a woman falling apart in the midst of a crisis. Well, it wasn’t going to get any better sitting there. Taking a deep breath, she climbed out of the car and hurried into the restaurant to pick up the food. Luckily the food was ready, and she wasted no time paying for it and getting out quickly, ignoring the sympathetic or curious glances she received along the way.
