Next Door Secrets (Secrets Series Book 2) Read online

  "She said I'm too young to have sex. End of story."

  "I thought Ryan dumped you because you wouldn't sleep with him."

  "Yeah. You can't expect a man to wait forever you know."

  Beth closed her eyes. She wished she could talk some sense into her sixteen year old daughter, but she didn't think it possible. "The right guy wouldn't pressure you. The right guy would respect that you're still a virgin."

  "I'm not anymore."

  Beth gasped. "You slept with Ryan?"

  Silence filled the line.

  "Hannah? Did you sleep with Ryan?"

  "Yes."

  "Did you use birth control?"

  "He wore a condom."

  At that, Beth released her breath. Thank God. "If your mom won't get you a prescription for the pill, it's important that you always make sure he uses a condom."

  "But he doesn't like them."

  "It doesn't matter. You have a bright future and a baby will mess that up."

  "Is that how you felt about me?"

  Again, Beth flinched. This girl knew how to hit below the belt. "No. I mean. . . ." Of course that's how she felt finding herself pregnant as a college freshman. "Try to learn from my mistakes. Not that you were a mistake because you're wonderful and I'm so glad you were born, but. . . ."

  "Whatever." Hannah's angst travelled across the miles. "I just wanted to let you know how wrong you were about my mom."

  "Do you want me to talk to her?" Not that Beth wanted to do that. Connie had made it clear that all parenting decisions were hers alone to make.

  "No. Don't talk to her. Don't tell her I've had sex and don't tell her about the drinking. I've got it all under control. She'll just freak out if you say anything."

  "Please, whatever you do, make sure you use protection every time. It only takes once. . . ."

  "I know, I know. Thanks for nothing. Bye."

  As soon as she disconnected the line, Beth dialed Parker’s cell. "We need to talk about Hannah."

  "What's wrong?" he asked.

  "I'm afraid she's making a big mistake. She slept with Ryan, the guy who cheated on her in Florida."

  "Damn it."

  He must not be in the office, she figured, or he wouldn't have used such language. "Connie won't get her birth control, either. She told Hannah she's not allowed to date him anymore."

  "Like that will do any good."

  "I know. Do you think we have a responsibility to tell Connie what we know?" She held her breath, worried about the consequences of his answer.

  It took him a minute to respond. "I think we should stay out of it. Hannah did the responsible thing by telling Connie she needed birth control. It's Connie's right to say no."

  "I guess so." Beth tried to gather her thoughts. "Do you think we would've been better parents to Hannah?" This, of course, was the question that haunted her.

  He cleared his throat. "I think you would've been a good mother even though you were so young. But I think you selected wonderful people to raise Hannah. Have faith in your decision."

  "Thanks." She chewed on her lip. "I just want to protect Hannah from this boy."

  "Tell me about it. I fired the interns that got her drunk."

  "Really? You can do that?"

  "I'm the boss."

  A knock came from Beth's front door. "Hold on a minute. Somebody's here." Expecting to see Kaylee coming for a visit, she put down the phone and opened the door without checking the peep hole. When she saw a teenager holding a vase full of flowers, she pressed her hand to her heart. "Are those for me?"

  He checked his notepad. "Bethany Morris?"

  She nodded and reached forward. "Who are they from?" Searching for a card, she didn't see one.

  "I don't know. It doesn't say." He lingered a moment and she went to give him a tip.

  After he left, she placed the flowers on the kitchen island and grabbed the phone. "Did you send me flowers?"

  "Flowers? Why would I do that? It's not your birthday."

  "No, it's not. But I can't think of anyone who would send me flowers except for you."

  "Maybe you have a secret admirer."

  Her heart pounded a little faster. Could they be from her neighbor? "There's no card. Isn't that weird?" If he wanted to thank her for helping when Kaylee was sick the other night, he would've included a card.

  "Interesting. Sounds like I've got some competition."

  "No, you don't. In fact, why don't you come over here and stake out your territory? We haven't seen each other in days."

  "I can't."

  "Well, tomorrow you're definitely taking me to that new sci-fi movie. You promised."

  "Uh, is that tomorrow?" He seemed to be stalling. "Things are hectic at work right now."

  "That's what you always say. I'm starting to get suspicious that you're the one with someone else on the side." She didn't really think so, but she sensed he'd been pulling away. "Have you seen Ivy since she had the baby?"

  "No. She keeps asking me to babysit, but I tell her no."

  "Why?"

  "Because I'm not that baby's father." His voice boomed over the line. "In fact, I can't wait to sign the divorce papers and forget that I ever knew her."

  "You know you won't be able to do that. You were married for sixteen years."

  He didn't respond.

  "So I'll see you tomorrow for the movie."

  "Beth, to tell you the truth, if I have to sit through one more movie set in outer space, I'm going to shoot myself."

  Her mouth fell open in shock. He'd never complained about her movie choices before. "Well, what do you want to see?"

  "Nothing. I need to work."

  She took a deep breath. "Fine. Call me when you can fit me into your busy schedule." She hung up the phone before he could respond. The air pushed in and out of her lungs with force. After she tossed the phone onto her couch, she noticed the beautiful flowers brightening up her kitchen. If they weren't from Parker, she didn't want them.

  She marched next door and pounded on the Steins's door. When Jim opened it, his face turned from a scowl to almost a smile. What caught her off-guard was that he'd shaved his unkempt beard, revealing a dimple in his chin. He actually looked handsome.

  She pushed that thought out of her mind. "You need to stop giving me things."

  "Sorry, I know the prune cookies didn't turn out as good as I'd hoped. I found the recipe on-line."

  Shaking her head, she crossed her arms. "I'm not talking about the cookies. I'm talking about the flowers."

  "What flowers?"

  "The ones that were just delivered to my door."

  His eyebrows lowered and his smile fell. "I didn't send you flowers."

  Now she didn't know what to say. Was he lying? She didn't know him well enough to know. If she'd accused Parker face-to-face, she would've known the corner of his mouth twitched when he was holding back. "Normal people just say thank you when someone is nice to them. That's all I'm saying."

  "Thank you."

  His words caused her to freeze. She'd expected him to argue with her. Finally he was admitting she'd been more than generous. "For what?"

  "For helping me with Kaylee the other night. For taking such good care of her while I'm at work. She's happier than I've ever seen her. She sings in the tub and she talks about her new friend Maria all the time."

  She rubbed the tight muscles in the back of her neck. "I'm glad to hear it. She makes me happy, too."

  "If you don't have any plans, Kaylee would love it if you’d come for dinner."

  Her stomach rumbled before she could say no.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  After he hung up the phone, Parker cracked his knuckles. It was hard to lie to Beth and even harder to be so mean. He didn't really mind watching sci-fi movies with her. Spending time with her was the only way he could unwind and forget about work for a while.

  Sending her flowers made him feel slightly better about the last time he'd disappointed her. Maybe he needed to do som
ething like that to compensate for everything he'd be forced to do in order to leave her.

  He pulled out his laptop and started typing her a note.

  Dear Bethany:

  I hope you can forgive me. I know I never say it, but I do love you. And that’s why I must do what I'm doing. You desperately want to be a mother--I can see it in your eyes every time you talk about Kaylee. I can hear it in your voice when you second-guess your decision to place Hannah for adoption. Please don't torture yourself this way. You’ll be a wonderful mother someday, but not if you stay with me. You know I can't give you that life. That's why I'm leaving. Once I'm gone, you'll have the chance to find someone who can make your dreams of a family come true. I hope you'll forgive me for my cruelty these past few weeks/months. Every time I cancelled our plans or said something to put distance between us, it broke my heart. That's why I’m going to fill a shoebox with tokens of my affection, to make up for my cruelty. Hopefully you will have forgiven me and found someone new by the time you read this note.

  Love,

  Parker

  He took a deep breath. Now he needed to think of his penance. What could he give to Beth to make up for everything? He could get gift certificates for her favorite restaurant, but he knew she didn’t like to go out alone. What else? His mind remained blank. He knew there wasn’t anything that money could buy.

  Suddenly, he felt the urge to wash all of the coins in his collection. Maybe that would make him feel better.

  # # #

  As Beth stood inside Jim’s sparse apartment, he pointed a finger at her. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

  She wondered what it could be. Was he really her secret admirer? Was he going to ask her if she had a boyfriend?

  "How in the hell am I supposed to get that polish off of Kaylee's fingernails?"

  Beth chuckled. "I have some remover at my place. I'll go get it."

  "Great. I'll set an extra plate for dinner."

  As she removed the chipped pink from Kaylee's tiny fingers, Beth asked about her day. She still liked sitting out of gym class, but recess was pretty boring. Because her arm was in a cast, no one wanted to play with her. She’d started bringing her Rescue Princesses book outside to read, but she was feeling isolated and lonely.

  "Dinner's ready," Jim's voice called from the kitchen. Soon the three of them gathered around the banged up table.

  "Smells delicious." Beth took a small helping of spaghetti and meatballs. After she took a bite, she realized this wasn't out of a jar. "Is this homemade?"

  Jim nodded. "I told you I used to work in a restaurant."

  "Wow." She knew if she ate like this every day, she'd gain a few pounds. The man knew his way around the kitchen. "Kaylee, you’re so lucky your dad’s such a good cook."

  The girl shrugged as a few noodles dangled from her bottom lip. She slurped them up, leaving a bit of red sauce on her face. Beth couldn't help but smile.

  Noticing the mess, Jim handed Kaylee a napkin. "Wipe your mouth." Then he turned his attention to Beth. "Got any fun plans for the weekend?"

  "I did, but they just got cancelled. I was going to go see the new Star Trek movie, but I hate going to the theater alone."

  "Don't tell me you're one of those women that needs a man on their arm."

  Her spine stiffened. "No, I don't need a man."

  "I bet you won't go out to restaurants alone, either."

  Her face burned. "Part of the fun is having someone to share the experience with."

  He pointed his fork at her. "Like I said, you're one of those women." He looked at Kaylee. "Don't be like Beth. If you want to see a movie, go. If you want to try a new restaurant, don't wait for some guy to take you."

  Kaylee's eyes grew wide as she scanned her dad's face, then Beth's. She didn't say anything, though.

  Beth's hackles rose. "Hey, I can do stuff by myself. I've been living on my own for the majority of my adult life. I can unclog the toilet and I kill spiders, I'll have you know."

  He chuckled. "Wow. You kill spiders? I stand corrected."

  Still fuming, Beth sighed. Why had she agreed to eat dinner with him? Kaylee was a sweetheart, but her dad put Beth on edge. She shoveled the spaghetti into her mouth. The sooner she finished, the sooner she could go back to her place. Alone. Which was sounding better and better by the minute.

  After a while, Jim broke the silence. "All I'm saying is going to the movies by yourself isn't so bad. In fact, it's the perfect place to sit alone. They turn out the lights and you lose yourself in the film for two hours. No one’s staring at you or thinking you're a loser."

  "Anyone who goes to the movies by themselves isn't a loser. They're brave."

  "That's my point. If you arrive early, bring a book to read."

  Beth tried to envision buying a ticket and walking into the theater alone. The hardest part would definitely be those few minutes while the lights remained on before the previews. "Maybe I will." She had a defiant tone to her voice. She'd show Jim Stein that she was a modern woman, capable of entertaining herself.

  "Good." He smirked and finished his meal in record time. Kaylee mimicked his fast eating and Beth realized they really needed a woman in the house to reign in the frat house mentality.

  Kaylee got up and placed her dishes in the dishwasher, which impressed Beth.

  "Bath time," her dad said. He grabbed a plastic bag and wrapped the cast.

  Kaylee paused beside Beth. "Will you still be here when I get done?"

  Her gaze landed on her plate. Just a few more bites and she'd hoped to be out of there. "I don't know. Maybe if you're fast."

  One little arm wrapped around Beth's neck in a tight hug. "Please don't go. I'd like you to read me a bedtime story."

  How could Beth say no to her? She'd always had a soft spot for kids, but especially girls. "I'll wait. But wash up fast."

  Nodding, Kaylee skipped out of the room.

  Beth turned her attention back onto her meal. She bit into one of the meatballs and marveled at the Italian spices that burst inside her mouth. "You’re really talented."

  Jim cleared his dishes except for his water glass and sat back down across from her. "So are you gonna go to the movies this weekend?"

  She shrugged and kept eating. "Maybe." Part of her wanted to go to prove to Jim that she could and part of her wanted to go to spite Parker. It bothered her that if he cancelled on her, she didn't have anything fun to do. And he'd been cancelling on her an awful lot lately.

  "What's wrong?" Jim raised an eyebrow at her.

  "Nothing."

  "Your face just turned sour. What were you thinking?"

  She shook her head. "I'm mad because my boyfriend is a workaholic. He'd rather be at the office than be with me." Once the words slipped out of her mouth, she wished she could take them back. She certainly didn't want Jim to see her vulnerability.

  "Is that the guy who sent you the flowers?"

  "I don't know. He said he didn't, but if it's not you or him, I have no idea."

  "Is he a flower-sending kind of guy?"

  She searched her memory. "We've only been dating a few months, but so far, he's never sent flowers." Did that mean Jim sent them? Was he toying with her?

  "Tell me about him." He took a sip of his water.

  "There's nothing to tell. His name’s Parker and lately he's been acting kind of odd." Why wouldn't she shut up? "But it'll be fine."

  "Odd how?"

  Shrugging, she finished her last bite of spaghetti. Worried about how many calories she'd consumed, she planned on hitting the gym first thing in the morning. She rose to help clean up.

  He grabbed the plate in her hand. "Sit down. You're my guest. I'll do it." Once she let go, he walked the dishes over to the dishwasher.

  In the background, she heard Kaylee singing "Twinkle, twinkle little star" and it soothed Beth's soul. "Your daughter’s really special."

  "I think so."

  Narrowing her eyes at him, Beth couldn't quite figure hi
m out. In the past, when she'd complimented Kaylee, he'd point out that she lied all the time. But this time, he agreed. Plus, he'd finally admitted earlier that it wasn't easy raising a daughter on his own. He was starting to let down his guard with her. "Have you heard from CPS lately?"

  "No. They said they’d stop by again, though." He rubbed his clean-shaven chin. "When did the doctor say the cast can come off?"

  "Three weeks, I think." It was amazing how quickly kids could heal.

  "Do I just take her back to the hospital?"

  "Or to her regular doctor." But the other night he'd said she didn't have a doctor. "I know a good pediatrician in town if you need a recommendation." She'd taken her ex's niece a few times for ear infections.

  "I’d appreciate that." He pulled a scrap piece of paper from a drawer and handed it to her. A second later, he added a pen beside it.

  Kaylee continued to splash and sing in the tub while Beth wrote the name Dr. Peterson. "I don't know the phone number, but you could look it up."

  "Thanks." He tucked the paper into his jeans pocket.

  Beth looked toward Kaylee's playful noises coming from the tub. She couldn't leave yet. "So, you asked about my personal life. What about you? Do you have a girlfriend?"

  He let out a laugh. "No thank you. When would I have the time? If I'm not on the road, I want to be home with my daughter."

  A warm spot filled her heart. Such a devoted father. "If I were a single parent, I'd feel the same way."

  "You seem like you adore kids. Why don't you have any of your own?"

  Her heart sped up as she considered her response. Wiping her damp hands on her jeans, she drew in a breath. "Actually, I had a baby a long time ago, when I was in college. I wasn't ready to take care of her, so I placed her for adoption." The words spilled out of her as she stared at a scratch on the tabletop. "I always figured there’d be time for me to have a family later, but now. . . I guess I was wrong."

  “I bet your father, the minister, wasn’t too happy about you being an unwed mother.”

  Without wanting to go into details, she simply nodded. Her father hadn’t known about the situation at the time, but once he found out, he’d been cold. They were still treading on uneven ground.