She grabbed her keys and headed out to her car. Once she was behind the wheel, she loaded up her maps app, then started her favorite eighties pop and R&B playlist. More than two hours of music that would keep her awake and keep her mind off thinking of ways to poison Dru and make it look like an accident, as she drove east toward Charming.

* * *

The playlist didn’t work, not completely. She listened to her favorite Prince and Janet Jackson tracks over and over and that definitely helped lift her mood, but for some reason she couldn’t take her mind off Dru’s recent behavior. She knew Dru could be a good person deep down, but for some reason this asshole persona she seemed so committed to just wouldn’t let up. She knew she was under pressure and she knew she was still upset about not booking the TV movie project, but Dru needed to channel her emotions better. Maybe after a weekend away Amanda could reset her own feelings about this situation and gently nudge Dru toward greener, more positive pastures—after she found another vegan restaurant that served early breakfast.

Forty-five minutes away from the ranch, she glanced down at her phone and had an odd realization about where she was going and the much needed break she was giving herself. The break Sam had given her. A giddiness flooded through her, a giddiness that made no damn sense. And she suddenly struggled not to lean too hard on the gas. Traffic was moving smoothly. She would make it there with plenty of time to enjoy a bath and some room service before she went to sleep. There was no need to get pulled over for speeding. Still, she wanted to be in Charming now.

When she was twenty minutes away, Amanda grabbed her phone and sent Sam a voice memo so she could keep her eyes on the road.

“’Sup, Tex,” she said, trying to sound casual. “Just want to let you know I’m about twenty minutes away. Thanks again for setting this up. Maybe I’ll see you around sometime tomorrow.”