Gordon glares at Renee. “How the hell did he know where to find us?” He looks distraught.
“This isn’t what it seems.” Renee smiles.
Thunder gently takes Laura’s arm and sits her on a stool. Gordon stops cooking as his nerve endings vibrate. Before he can say anything, Thunder says, “Calm down, I’m just here for clarification.”
“You don’t need to be so dramatic,” Renee says. “We’re not here to rob them.”
Thunder points to Laura. “What’s she doing here? I thought she was the leverage?”
“Not anymore apparently. She wasn’t supposed to be here.” Renee motions to Laura. “This town is too small to keep an affair secret anyway.” “Renee, what the hell is going on?” Gordon asks.
Thunder grabs a fork. He leans over and picks a scallop out of the pan and eats it. “Damn, that’s good.”
“What’s happening?” Laura is lost.
Thunder looks at Renee. “Why are you taking so long with this one?”
“It’s only day two.”
“You didn’t have to fuck him.”
“You shouldn’t have come home early. Anyway, our relationship is still over.”
“Look, I said I was sorry.”
“I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.”
Gordon’s head swivels back and forth as he listens to them reveal what he and Renee did. Laura’s eyes narrow and focus on Gordon. He feels like he’s living one of his nightmares.
Renee takes a deep breath and looks at Gordon. “Thunder raises money for Afghan orphans to help with his PTSD, and to atone for killing large numbers of their parents. I thought maybe you’d donate to his cause if I threatened to tell your girlfriend you were two-timing her.”
“You already knew I had a girlfriend?”
“Every woman in Cayucos knows you have a girlfriend.”
Gordon desperately tries to process this information. “I’m confused.”
Renee says, “Aren’t we all? I didn’t expect what happened yesterday. All Thunder and I do is help people, help others. When do we get to help ourselves? So I helped myself to you, to a nice-dressed guy who smelled of salmon instead of cigars.”