Next Door Secrets (Secrets Series Book 2) (11 page)

Beth put a hand on
her hip. “Are you listening to me?” She walked over and tried to see his
screen.

Before she caught
him, he turned off his
iPad
. “Why do you think you
like this girl so much?”

“Probably because
she reminds me a little bit of myself. She’s shy, but she talks to me with no
problem. Plus she’s overweight. I sympathize with her, I guess. And I like to
think maybe I can help her.”

“Does she want to
get in shape or is it your agenda?”

Her face bloomed
pink. “I don’t have an
agenda
. I suspect
that if she gets out of the apartment and starts playing with other kids, she
won’t eat so much. She probably eats because she’s lonely and bored.”

He realized he’d
offended her and he needed to backpedal. “Hey, I’m not criticizing. If you can
relate to her and encourage her to make better choices, I’d say she’s lucky to
have you around.”

She smiled and put
a little more mayonnaise into the chicken salad. “Thanks.” Turning around, she
grabbed plates out of the cabinet and dished out their dinner.

He jumped up and uncorked
an expensive bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. “Sorry I’ve been so distracted. I
appreciate your raiding my pantry and making us something to eat.” He poured
the wine.

Raising her glass
for a toast, she clinked it against his goblet. “To us.”

How was he ever
going to tell her he was leaving? “To making a difference in other people’s
lives.”

Her forehead wrinkled.
“OK.” They both took a sip.

He pulled out her
chair for her,
then
sat down at the small kitchen
table. Everything in his cottage was small, but he didn’t mind. This was
luxurious compared to life in a third world country, he was sure. He couldn’t
wait to go, but he didn’t quite know how to leave.

Feeling guilty, he
took a quick bite so he could compliment Beth on her meal. “Delicious. Now tell
me more about your neighbors.”

“Even though she’s
had a rough life,
Kaylee
is happy and sweet. Her
father, on the other hand, isn’t so nice. Tell me if you think this is weird. I
called him and instead of a polite ‘Hello?’ he demanded, ‘Who is this?’ It
totally threw me.”

Parker shrugged.
“Sounds like he’s hiding from someone.”

“What?” Her fork
lingered in mid-air. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Or maybe he just
doesn’t have any friends.”

“Like father, like
daughter.”

He sipped his
wine, which he knew someday would be forbidden. Another reason to put off
taking any medication for his condition. As the wine lingered on his tongue, he
savored its crisp, pear flavor. “What does your neighbor do for a living?”

“He’s a truck
driver.”

“That can be a
tough job. Every truck driver I’ve ever met at the Mall Land distribution
center keeps a gun in his glove compartment.”

“Really?”

“Sure. They might
have to drive in a bad part of town or sleep in their cab.” He put down his
wine, trying to figure out how to focus on this conversation when all he could
think about was Africa. “How often are you going to watch
Kaylee
?”

“On school days.”

“I hope he’s
paying you well.”

“He tried to pay
me, but I wouldn’t let him.”

“Why not?”

She dabbed a
napkin at the corner of her mouth. “Because I like watching
Kaylee
.”

“Or maybe you like
Kaylee’s
dad.” He smirked.

“I do not. In
fact, he and I barely exchanged a civil word until lately. He’s still never
thanked me for giving
Kaylee
shelter when she locked
herself out during that storm. Instead of thanking me for taking her to the
hospital, he yelled and accused me of reporting him to Child Protective
Services.” Her hands flailed about as if she were getting riled up just
remembering their encounters.

“Report him for
what?”

“Neglect, I guess.
Trust me, if it weren’t for
Kaylee
, I’d never speak
to the guy. He acted like he hated me until a few days ago.”

Did the lady
protest a little too much? He’d just been toying with her, but now he started to
wonder. The twinge of jealousy he felt bothered him. “That’s how it always
works in the movies. First the couple hates each other, then they become
friends and next thing you know, they’re in love.”

She wadded up her
napkin and threw it at him. “Don’t be ridiculous. Name one movie where that
happens.”

He scratched his
chin. “
When Harry Met Sally
.”

“Never seen it.”

“What? You’ve got
to be kidding me. It’s a classic.”

“It’s also old.”

He shook his head.
“I can’t believe you’ve seen every Star Trek movie ever made and you’ve never
watched
When Harry Met Sally
.” He
pointed his fork at her plate. “Finish up. We’ve got a movie to rent.”

“You mean you’re
not going to work on your computer all night?”

Guilty as charged.
He tended to obsess over things—usually Mall Land, but now it was the
Peace Corps. “I don’t see why I can’t sit next to you watching the movie while
checking e-mails. It’s called multi-tasking.”

“It’s called
ignoring your girlfriend.”

He swallowed.
There it was again, a reminder that she was too attached to him. How exactly
did you break up with someone you still cared about? He wished he could just
look her in the eye and tell her.
Beth,
I’m leaving the country. You’re better off without me and you know it.

After they
finished eating, he found the romantic comedy on-line and streamed it through
his TV. They sat side-by-side on the soft leather couch, with Beth’s head
resting on his shoulder. She laughed at all the famous lines: “Men and women
can never be friends because the sex part gets in the way,” “I’ll have what
she’s having,” “Waiter, you put too much pepper on my
paprikash
.”
Just as Harry ran to Sally on New Year’s Eve to declare his love, Hannah
stumbled through the front door.

Drunk.

CHAPTER
TWELVE

Beth jumped up
from the couch and rushed over to Hannah. “Are you drunk?” She put her arm
around her daughter’s back and helped her walk into the living room.

Exhaling a sweet
liquor scent, Hannah giggled. “I may have had a little too much to drink.”

Parker helped Beth
wrangle the teenager onto the couch. He rose to his full
six
foot
height and pointed his finger at Hannah. “You’re not old enough to
drink. Who gave you alcohol?”

Her head swayed
from side to side. “I don’t want to get anyone in trouble.” She smiled. “Am I
in trouble?”

“Was it the restaurant?”
His face turned red with anger. “Tell me. Was it one of the interns?”

“Nobody. I’m not
drunk.” A high-pitched giggle bubbled up inside of her.

Beth crossed her
arms. “Connie is going to be furious.”

Hannah shook her
head. “Who’s
gonna
tell her? Not me. Are you?” Her
finger
zig-zagged
as it
tried to aim at Beth. “What about you?” She pointed at Parker. “You guys need
to lighten up. I was just having fun. My boyfriend broke my heart and I needed
to blow off some steam. No harm, no foul.” Her eyes closed as her head plopped
back against the cushion.

Beth exchanged a
nervous look with Parker. After seeing that Hannah seemed to have either passed
out or fallen asleep, Beth signaled for Parker to follow her across the room.
She lowered her voice to a whisper. “If Connie finds out we let Hannah get
drunk, she might not ever let her visit us again.”

“But we didn’t
let
her get drunk. I bet it was Larry. I
never liked that guy.”

“It doesn’t
matter. We let her out of our sight and Hannah let loose. Maybe it’s because
Connie keeps too tight a leash on her—who knows? But we’re just getting
to know our daughter. I don’t want to risk losing her.” She was the only
daughter Beth was ever going to have. Even though Beth had missed most of
Hannah’s formative years, she wanted to develop some kind of a relationship
with her now. “Like Hannah said the other day, she already has a mother. She
needs something different from us.”

“What does that
mean?”

“I don’t know.
Can’t we try to be her friends? A friend wouldn’t rat her out to her mother.
I mean, she didn’t drive drunk.
Hopefully whoever brought
her home was sober. We’ll have to check into that later.”

He crossed his
arms. “Now you want us to keep Connie out of the loop, but when I wanted to
take Hannah skydiving, you insisted we check first.”

She sighed. “I
don’t want to do anything to mess this up. She’s all I have.”

“Me, too.” He
reached out and wrapped his arm around her, emitting the sexy combo of sweat
and spicy cologne.

Hannah’s eyelids
flew open. “I’m
gonna
be sick!”

Parker pointed her
toward the bathroom. Hannah ran into the yellow room and started retching.
Following her, Beth clasped the girl’s long hair to keep it out of the way. Hannah
alternated heaving and resting her head on the porcelain seat. This lasted for
about forty-five minutes, but the smell of vomit in the tiny 1930’s bathroom
made it seem much longer. Whenever Hannah rested, Beth stepped into the hall
for some fresh air.

Finally, Hannah’s
stomach had emptied and Beth looked up to see Parker standing in the doorway.

He handed Hannah a
wet
wash cloth
to wipe her face. “Let’s help her into
the guest room.” They did just that, with Hannah moving in and out of
consciousness.

Beth wondered if
this was Hannah’s first time getting drunk. Whether it was or wasn’t didn’t
make the situation any better. “Parker, would you grab a trash can to place by
the bed? I’ll take it from here.” Not that Beth had gotten this drunk many
times, but her college roommate had and Beth knew the precautions to take.
After Parker left the room, she took off Hannah’s shoes and jeans. Digging
through the nearby suitcase, she pulled out a pair of sweat pants, which she
slid onto the girl’s hips. She decided to leave her top the same, then pulled
the covers up to Hannah’s chin.

Hannah’s eyes squinted
open. “Where am I?”

“You’re at
Parker’s place. Get some sleep. Your flight leaves early in the morning.”

She draped her arm
over her eyes to block the light. “Ugh! I don’t want to go back home. My mom is
such a control freak. She won’t let me have any fun.”

“She’s trying to
protect you.”

“Ha!” She jerked
with the laugh. “Oh, I don’t feel so good.”

Beth moved the
trash can
even closer. “Do you want to go to the bathroom?”

“No. The room is
spinning. Make it stop.”

“If you feel like
you’re
gonna
get sick, there’s a can right here.”

Hannah moaned. “I
did something stupid. So stupid.” Then she passed out.

# #
#

At the O’Hare
Airport, Parker hugged Hannah good-bye before she had to go through security.
“It was so good to see you.” She smelled of Listerine and vanilla perfume,
which was better than how she’d smelled the night before.

For a moment Hannah
squeezed her eyes shut as if the noise of the busy airport was hurting her
head. “Again, I’m sorry about last night. I’ve never done something like that
before. Please don’t tell my mom.”

He and Beth
exchanged knowing looks. They’d made a pact, but they both admitted feeling
guilty about it. Hannah deserved to be punished for what she’d done, but they
didn’t know how. Hopefully she’d wait until she was twenty-one to drink again.
If she didn’t, then Connie could punish her.

Beth tried giving
her a stern look, but with her freckles and perky nose, it didn’t work too well.
“I think you have a lot to talk about with your mom.
More
than just last night.
What you and I discussed earlier about Ryan.
Remember?”

Hannah shook her
head. “I told you I
can’t
talk to her. And if she
finds out about my drinking, she’ll tell the coach and I’ll get suspended from
the swim team.”

“Maybe she won’t
tell,” Parker said.

“She’s a stickler
for the rules.” Hannah scrunched up her face in frustration. “Can’t I ever make
a mistake? Can’t I just be a normal teenager for once?”

“Of course you
can.” He patted Hannah’s back. “Just don’t make us regret covering for you.”

“You’re the best.”
Hannah grabbed him for another hug and his spirits lifted. He’d do anything for
his daughter. After she released him, she gave Beth a hug, too, and he could
see the joy on Beth’s face.

Then it was time
for them to let Hannah go. They waved and watched her roll her luggage toward
security. Without saying a word, he and Beth agreed that they’d remain there
until Hannah’s body had completely left their view.

Beth turned to him
with tears shining in her eyes. “Want to go to breakfast before heading to
work?”

Trying to comfort
her, he clasped her hand. But then he remembered the
shea
butter company in Togo that needed his help. “I can’t. Too much to do.”

Her eyebrows
lowered and she blinked to hold back the tears. “Just a quick bite?”

The noose
tightened around his throat. He opened his mouth to say, “Of course I’ll go to
breakfast with you,” but caught himself. The sooner he started pulling away
from her, the easier it would be when he announced he was leaving for good.
“I’m afraid I can’t.” He practically choked on the words.

# #
#

As Beth drove away
from the airport, her nails dug into her steering wheel. It broke her heart to
see Hannah go and then Parker had given her the brush off. She’d been sure he’d
be up for a nice meal where they could debrief about their daughter’s visit.
After all, no one else in the entire world knew how
they
felt about Hannah. How they loved her even though they were still getting to
know her. It seemed Parker had come to terms with the fact that he’d never have
any more children, but seeing Hannah only reminded Beth what she’d missed. Part
of her kept the hope alive that it wasn’t too late for her to give motherhood a
go. Another part of her tried to stomp those feelings down.

The day at work
went quickly since she’d taken the morning off. When she returned to the
apartment complex,
Kaylee
sat on the stoop, waving. Smiling
as she climbed out of her car, Beth marveled at how wonderful it was to have
Kaylee
there to welcome her home every day.

Kaylee
held up a basket. “These are for you.”

As Beth pulled out
her key, she hesitated to take a peek. She pulled back a red and
white checkered
cloth. “What’s in there?”

“Muffins.”

“Yum.” She
unlocked the apartment and let them both inside. “What kind?”

“Lemon poppy seed.”

Beth’s mouth
watered. “Those are my favorite. How did you know?”

“I didn’t. My dad
stayed up late making them for you.”

At that announcement,
Beth dropped her purse. “They’re homemade?”

Kaylee
selected a muffin and peeled back the paper liner.
“Uh-huh. Dad said they’re to thank you for watching me.”

Then Beth
understood. If she wouldn’t take his money, he’d exchange goods for services. “That’s
nice.” Even though she knew they were probably not
low-fat
,
she reached in and grabbed one. She took a bite and the lemon flavor coated her
tongue. “Tell him that they’re delicious.”

“OK,”
Kaylee
said with her mouth full. She ate the muffin quickly
and took another.

When Beth
finished, she poured them some milk. “There are an awful lot of muffins in
there for just one person to eat.” Plus she didn’t think she could handle the
temptation. “What do you think about taking them to the church and sharing
them?”

Kaylee
wadded up her wrapper and left it on the counter.
“But my dad made them special for you.”

“And I definitely
appreciate it. Let’s pull out a few to leave here.” Beth checked
Kaylee’s
expression and saw that the girl had warmed up to
the idea. Excusing herself, Beth stepped into her bedroom to change from work
clothes to walking clothes. Then she hooked the basket over her arm and headed
out the door with
Kaylee
.

On the way,
Kaylee
said, “Too bad I couldn’t get my cast in my favorite
color. What’s your favorite color, Beth?”

“I don’t know.
Blue, I guess.”

“What’s your
favorite animal?”

“Cats.” If she
ever got a pet, it would be a cat just because it was low-maintenance. She
could go to work all day and not worry about it being left alone. “What’s your
favorite animal?”

“Rabbits.”
Kaylee
stopped to pick a yellow dandelion. “What’s your
favorite flower?”

“Roses are beautiful,
but I like daisies, too.”

“Mine are
dandelions.”

Beth laughed.
“Those aren’t flowers, those are weeds.”

“You say it’s a weed,
but I can see a flower.”

This struck Beth
as extremely profound.

Once at the
church,
Kaylee
rushed down the stairs in search of
Maria. When she found her, she pointed to her name on the cast and Maria
smiled.
Kaylee
handed her a muffin from the basket.
After devouring it and dropping crumbs all over the floor, Maria led her to the
nursery where they played restaurant with a pretend stove and refrigerator. For
them, there didn’t seem to be any language barrier at all.

Beth shared the
basket of goodies with the adults in the classroom before returning to
supervise the kids. The visit seemed to fly by and soon it was time to go home.
Just as they exited the building, she saw a long-time church member with a
little boy in tow. Beth held the door open for them. “Hi, Mrs. Wilson. How are
you?”

“Good.” Mrs.
Wilson had hazel eyes and a thin face filled with laugh lines. Today she wore
her gray hair tied back with a pink kerchief. “Jamal here just joined our
family last week and he is going to help me weed the church garden.”
Beth knew the woman not only
volunteered to take care of the church grounds, but maintained a large
vegetable garden at her home, as well. She often brought extra tomatoes and
peppers to share with the congregation.

Beth bent down to the
boy’s level. “Hi, Jamal. I’m Beth and this is
Kaylee
.
You’re lucky you get to live with the Wilsons. They’re so nice.”

He blinked at her
without speaking.

“How old are you?”
Beth held up three fingers in a guess. He didn’t respond.

Mrs. Wilson put
her hand on his head. “The only one he talks to is his brother, but he had
chores to do at home.”

Jamal and
Kaylee
stared at each other. Frustrated with the awkward
silence, Beth stood. “We’d better get going.”

“Sure.” Mrs.
Wilson passed by them while Beth and
Kaylee
headed
out.

As they walked
down the sidewalk,
Kaylee
leaned close and whispered,
“Is Jamal’s daddy black?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why doesn’t Jamal
look like Mrs. Wilson?”

To make sure no
one was listening, Beth looked behind her. It was all clear. “Mrs. Wilson is
Jamal’s foster mom. Do you know what that is?”

Biting her lip,
Kaylee
nodded. “I had a foster mom once.”

Beth felt her
heart stop, but she tried to hide her reaction. “Oh. Was she nice?”

“She was all
right, I guess. It was the other kids in the house that were mean to me.”

“What did they
do?”

Kaylee’s
chest rose with a deep breath. “Remember that
picture I showed you of my mom and sister?”